Looking at William Morris' Strawberry Thief and reveling in the design, the pattern, the spirit of the illustration. Am getting myself back into thesis mode by doing some warm up type pictures--some valentines for February. I plan on printing one either in a zine format (no binding/four pager printed one side or going to PSPrint and getting a color one done/printed/delivered with no significant input other than the fun work on this end. I am working on some layered leaves with some of the leaves being positive, the othere negative and figuring out how to handle the overlap without white lines which is a good mental problem. Also have a bird or two on the board, decorative birds (thus the Thief) and have been enjoying being somewhat liberated from reference which was for a bit tying up my head.I am working patterning into patterns and trying to keep it black and white as it looks stronger when you bring it into a colorway. Plus, now that I am evolving into a retromexican, black and white is the world we live in...Note to self: Remember, Murray says color is what clients want...and he is always right...so consider that. What I know--though, is that if it stands up in black and white, color can only help it.
Had a great conversation with a friend who is also a curator about art, stuff we love and share interest in (Lilydale, Masons, La Luz de Jesus, Huntington) and it was good to get our heads together as its always sixty miles an hour on the phone with her and when you hang up...I am always ready to dive back in. She is fabulous. And, handed over a new job, a portrait for the Masters of Studio Glass logotypes (which change as the artists change...this one is #3). Exciting. And, the reference looks good. Maybe all this skitzing around with Kitty's portrait will have some positive spin insofar as what I need to look at/edit out etc.
Got a mystery email from someone from the Administrative Office of the US Courts (very brief, very obtuse, very "is this something for real or is it a foreign entity that wants to get into my checking account" type of thing). I googled the persons name and yes, its for real. I plan on making a call and seeing what is up with that.
I got to get moving on the Society Show framing. Ordered a frame from this site I had hesitations from but figured I would take a small risk and see what the quality etc. was. Turns out, the mat was cut right, the framing kit was right, but the 16" x 20" frame was delivered as a 12" x 24". I called the company with reciept in hand and PO on the website and they immediately made it right. The frame itself was good quality so here is a link: Pictureframes.com. Next stop is a sample from the fab frame place: JFM>>. I love the off the shelf Nielsen Bainbridge frames, but sometimes something fluffy or gold is a must, so I need this in my back pocket.
Also need to get the files to Illustration West. It is so nice that the GlimmerGlass labels got in for the Juicebox boys--and from a personal standpoint. Plus, I did a bit of research for Hartford this week for the shows that we need to get entries into...:
Creative Quarterly 15: Call for Entries: Deadline: January 30, 2009
Illustration Annual - Deadline: March 6, 2009
Hundreds of beautiful illustrations used for editorial, institutional and advertising are selected for their creative excellence by a jury of designers and art directors. We include a complete index and addresses of the selected illustrators.
Design Annual - Deadline: June 1, 2009
Juried by nine top designers and attracting entries from the USA, Canada, England and 40 other countries, the Design Annual features the best posters, brochures, packaging, trademarks, corporate identity, annual reports, catalogs, letterheads and signage, and is fully indexed for reference. Only 2% of the work entered is selected for the annual. Detailed captions provide the reader with an explanation of the project's scope, the concept and solution.
Advertising Annual - Deadline: June 1, 2009
Juried by leading creative directors, art directors and writers, the Advertising Annual displays the best in consumer and institutional print ads along with posters, broadcast and new media. Everything is reproduced so you can actually read the fine print. The broadcast scripts are included for every television and radio commercial and, for quick reference, a complete index helps the reader find an agency, client or individual.
American Illustration 28, Deadline February 20, 2009
3x3 Professional Show : Deadline March 14, 2009