Fighting back the snow with Business Cards

Christmas time just seems to get busier every year and that is a big reason I have been MIA from posting up here but today here we go.

Diana chose a design and her cards and they are now being made. Hopefully they will come out correctly. I realize that I shouldn't worry as Vista Prints knows what they are doing and I have used them before. But there is something more comforting about going local even if it is more expensive. With going local you have that physical contact with someone in which you can tell them exactly what you want. With online it's fast and cheap but at the same time you run into the issue of how they are going to cut them and sometimes their instructions can be confusing. But since I doubt Diana wants to pay big bucks to go local I will trust in Vista Prints for now. So here is the final product:Since I have been doing business cards for people lately it only seemed right that I get my butt in gear and get my own printed out. I think I have been planning my business cards for at least 2 years now and everytime I come back to it I end up changing the design. This time I'm going to just pick one and print it. I figure if down the line I end up wanting something different I can always print something else off. So here those choices are. Not sure what I want yet and I'm passing them around to my other art friends because I have been looking at this too much.

A new food group and movie tawdriness

This is going to be a bit of a short entry as right now I am claiming Theraflu as a food group. A few key points seems to be a good way to work this entry.

• The Logo I designed for Diana is now on her website at Sweet D's Tag Boutique. Which I am so incredibly proud of even if I moaned and groaned about it I really do love the end product.

• The business cards are going really well and I really do like the ones I've come up with. Right now it's color choice time and here is the proof sheet for those color selections. Hmmm...I thought there was more. Oh well that seems to be it and now to return to warmth of the blankets and Zombie Strippers. I'm starting to be concerned that all the movies I watch lately sound tawdry. Lesbian Vampire Killers, Zombie Strippers, Suck...seriously they aren't like that just really funny. Plus Suck has Iggy Pop, Henry Rollins, Alex Lifeson, and Alic Copper in it. Honestly there is no way you can go wrong with that kind of line up. Ok now I'm just rambling so I'm going to go.

Here's to the memories both good and bad.

The business cards I am trying to make are kicking my butt. I've come to the conclusion that I am just out of my comfort zone with this. It's not the the aspect of the dog that is throwing me it's just that I don't do cute well. For me I think cute is either all the way with pink frills and swirls or just no cute at all. There is no happy medium that my mind can go to with this.

I thought around noon that maybe if I work on something else I could clear my mind and come back to it fresh. This turned into a six hour study in procrastination. Although it was more of a productive method of procrastination since I actually did take those six hours and make something I have had in my head for a week now.

You know how there are certain albums that the moment one song on them starts to play you get flooded with memories some good and some bad? The album …And Out Come the Wolves came up on my Ipod last week and all of a sudden I started to remember. Pretty much any album produced between 95 - 97 will just start to make me remember wonderful things and this one is no exception.

I'm 27 now and I don't think that in my entire life I was as happy as I was during those years when Sam schooled me in all things music. 95' was the first time I saw a concert, the first time I danced like an idiot with a bunch of other idiots, and it was around that time that I heard Ruby Soho. I remember belting those lyrics out with Sam over and over again till I'm sure we annoyed more then one of our parents. It's been 10 years now that she died and even though I don't feel completely hollow anymore I do get a twinge in my heart when music like this comes on.

So here's to the memories both good and bad. To all the inside jokes and to the person who made me understand and love music.

Bags, Monsters, and evening Models.

Finally one of the Christmas projects at work turned out perfectly. There were no problems sublimating, the colors came out just as I wanted them too and it looks freaking awesome.

I have spent the better part of the week stressing over these Christmas gifts that the office is doing and I have been a real monster to be around I'm fairly sure. For that I'm sure there are going to be some apologies made on Monday on my part. But finally something turns out right and I'm so proud of it.

There is now going to be some kid out there walking around with that bag that I designed and made. That right there fills me with so much pride. It's such a small thing I realize but I always get geeked when something I made even as small and trivial as this is going to go out into the world and given as a gift to someone else. It's the small moments like this that make me grateful that I am an artist.

My model of the evening Sharon

Throwing up pastels and other horrible ideas.

Ever get that feeling that no matter how hard you work at something it just isn't right? You sit there pouring over it trying to correct this or adjust that and still when you sit back, take a break, and possibly play hair dress up in the mirror for 15 minutes because you figure this is something that has to be addressed now, that you still aren't getting it right. I feel like that right now.

I have been trying to convince myself that this dog logo thing is right. That the business cards will look amazing but when it comes down to it, I just don't do cute. I can fake it well I believe and make you think it's cute but really it's just me throwing up pastels onto the page.

Maybe that's the key to being a great Graphic Designer is just convincing the people around you that you are the most amazing thing since sliced bread and giving them what you want to see not what they want. Or I could just being talking out of my ass, both of these might be true.

Tomorrow is Friday and I will be working exclusivly on my stuff. I tried to take a break from the dog stuff and work on it earlier which was a poor idea considering I'm just fustrated and when I get like that my work suffers. So instead of pictures of what I'm working on here is something from back in the day when things just seemed easier.

MOMA Shopping bag template Front


MOMA Shopping bag template Back

Falling asleep to Minor Threat

I want to put something on here before I succumb to sleep completely. Ever since Saturday I have been going to sleep any where from 2am - 4am. This was managed by coffee quite effectively for the first part of the week but I believe I have hit my wall. Currently I have my "oh dear god stay awake" playlist going on Itunes. I usually only bring out this playlist when I am attempting to drive long distances and not even remotely coherent to be on the road. It features such artists as Minor Threat, Dead Kennedys, The Germs, and much more in that particular vein. of music styling. I have been listening to this since I got off work and although this is some of my favorite music I find myself nodding off. If you know any of those bands this is really quiet a thing to do especially while listening to Minor Threat. I closed my eyes during "Screaming At A Wall" that is just so hard to do when it is blasting out of the speakers.

With all that said I think the Sweet D Logo is done. Diana realized today that maybe we should put a collar and a tag on the dog considering she is selling dog tags. That right there is just really sad and I must say I'm a bit disappointed in myself because usually I catch that stuff but I am going to say it's due to sleep deprivation and leave it at that.

So here is the logo and tomorrow I will start on the business cards and for the better part of the weekend I am going to spend working on my stuff. But for now I am going to go turn off all the lights in my bedroom, open the blinds and stare at the snow till I go to sleep.
P.S. I'm still not thrilled with the dog but I like me some Edwardian font so a 50/50 on this isn't too bad.