Kitty and I were inspired by the Tara McPherson illustrations in the December (or was it November?) issue of Juxtapoz-- She did a girl's head with a flippy do and we did the same thing. Here is a spread from my sketchbook looking at that. Cheery for a dreary day.
Snowtires are finally going on the Wonderbus today. Now, I will be able to drive without fear (at least less).
Just got off the phone with my friend, the printer. They sent this wacky email as a christmas card to all of their clients that had very "helping hands at home", microsoft word inspired visuals that one was to add a password at the end of the message for some sort of electronic candycane or gumdrop. It, to me, felt like work--and to be honest, pissed me off. So, when my printer pal asked me what I thought...I told him (poor guy!! but, he did ask!). He loved the pummelling so much, he made me talk to the top management of his firm along with the locquacious IT manager who had an answer for everything. And to me...its not the medium. Its the damned message. All these bit twiddlers get all hung up around all the data that can be gathered, all the information that can be gleaned, all the wild and wonderful things from animation and sound and all the "liquidity" around all the stuff you can do with this technology. Well and good. But what does this stuff actually say? Mean? Communicate? Is memorable? Has a moment? Relates to the larger world. Technology is just the post office. It delivers the message. The message is the hard part--it is the problem to be defined. Technology can deliver it flatfootedly--or elegantly, discreetly, sweetly, memorably or in a fun way. That too, it the problem--once you have a message--how do you deliver it in a way that stands out without flashing lights and dogs barking--technology is not the way. Technology is the means. I think this is where these printer folks have been stopped still. They don't know what the message is. They just love the technology.
And, to hell with looking beautiful.
Off the soapbox.