Happy holidays, everyone! It's been busy lately, juggling freelance work, school and the usual end-of-year holiday rigmarole. 2010 has decidedly not been one of my favorite years, I'm sorry to say, but I have high hopes for 2011.
I'm pleased to report that the Design Department at UCLA Extension has decided to show off the work from the Advertising Design class that I just completed. We're putting together a gallery show featuring the work of nine artists (including me), from our three major projects: campaigns for The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Coda Automotive, and a series of personal initiatives.
The show begins on January 6th, and is open to the public. For more info about our opening party, see below, and check out our facebook event page.
AD 2010 Gallery Show
Thursday, January 6, 2011 · 7:00pm - 9:00pm
010 Westwood Blvd. 4th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90024
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=180365738656756
Have a safe & happy new year!
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Advanced Typography Assignment: Part 3
Well, my Advanced Typography class at UCLA Extension is almost at an end. I just got back from my second-to-last class, where I handed in my revised "Echo Park" magazine spreads, as well as a first-draft of a new assignment. I figure I'm overdue for sharing this stuff on the ol' blog...
First, we have the Echo Park designs. I first posted about this back in October. Basically, we all chose neighborhoods in the Los Angeles area and created expressive type-treatments that incorporated characteristics of the neighborhood, as well as infusing our own personal opinions. Next, we took our finished designs and put them into a magazine spread, further exploring creative uses of type while handling the text and other page matter.
I chose the historic Echo Park neighborhood, and you saw my first attempts with the magazine spreads (I'll post them again here, below). I tried three very different approaches. The feedback from the instructor was to push them all much further; rely less on images and shapes, focus on the typography and not to be afraid of challenging the "readability." The latter was very difficult for me (and some of the others in the class, too), as readability seems pretty important for a magazine spread!
However, the point of these exercises is that an artist can always dial back, and make a design more conservative. But it is liberating for designers to push themselves past their comfort zone and explore ideas that would never even occur to them, sticking to safe design choices. Clearly, school is the place to work on this, since there will never be as much freedom on a paying job, and I'm making the most of it.
Here's design one, before...
...and after...
Design two was supposed to look like a slick architecture magazine, like Dwell. Here's the first go...
..and here it is after a couple of revised versions...
The last version is a huge newspaper section. Before...
...and, after...
This was fun and extremely challenging. To be honest, I'm not convinced that they are truly resolved. I could go on tweaking individual type elements on these pages forever, and I don't know if they'd ever look "finished." That said, this is just a school project, and regardless of what I may think of the finished product, I learned a hell of a lot while working on them.
Today, I handed in the first-draft of my last project for this class. The assignment is to choose a musical group, and a charitable organization, and design an invitation to a fund-raising event where the band will be appearing. The idea is to bring the individual characters & styles of both into a design appropriate for the event. I chose the group Metric, and the Alzheimers Association for my charity. Here's what I have come up with, so far...
I presented these in class today, along with my "mood board" that shows what I'm using as inspiration; work by David Carson, Neville Brody and a bunch or other stuff. My designs went over pretty well, I'm happy to report. In previous assignments I believe that I relied too strongly on images and illustrative elements. Not really a shocker, since I'm an illustrator. As this is a typography class, I've been working hard to get away from my own comfort zone and solve design problems using only type and letter forms. I think I finally achieved that here.
I did receive some good suggestions for my revisions, due next week. I'll be sure to post my progress again here. Of course, I'd be happy to hear any feedback from you, as well, if you have any to share.
First, we have the Echo Park designs. I first posted about this back in October. Basically, we all chose neighborhoods in the Los Angeles area and created expressive type-treatments that incorporated characteristics of the neighborhood, as well as infusing our own personal opinions. Next, we took our finished designs and put them into a magazine spread, further exploring creative uses of type while handling the text and other page matter.
I chose the historic Echo Park neighborhood, and you saw my first attempts with the magazine spreads (I'll post them again here, below). I tried three very different approaches. The feedback from the instructor was to push them all much further; rely less on images and shapes, focus on the typography and not to be afraid of challenging the "readability." The latter was very difficult for me (and some of the others in the class, too), as readability seems pretty important for a magazine spread!
However, the point of these exercises is that an artist can always dial back, and make a design more conservative. But it is liberating for designers to push themselves past their comfort zone and explore ideas that would never even occur to them, sticking to safe design choices. Clearly, school is the place to work on this, since there will never be as much freedom on a paying job, and I'm making the most of it.
Here's design one, before...
...and after...
Design two was supposed to look like a slick architecture magazine, like Dwell. Here's the first go...
..and here it is after a couple of revised versions...
The last version is a huge newspaper section. Before...
...and, after...
This was fun and extremely challenging. To be honest, I'm not convinced that they are truly resolved. I could go on tweaking individual type elements on these pages forever, and I don't know if they'd ever look "finished." That said, this is just a school project, and regardless of what I may think of the finished product, I learned a hell of a lot while working on them.
Today, I handed in the first-draft of my last project for this class. The assignment is to choose a musical group, and a charitable organization, and design an invitation to a fund-raising event where the band will be appearing. The idea is to bring the individual characters & styles of both into a design appropriate for the event. I chose the group Metric, and the Alzheimers Association for my charity. Here's what I have come up with, so far...
I presented these in class today, along with my "mood board" that shows what I'm using as inspiration; work by David Carson, Neville Brody and a bunch or other stuff. My designs went over pretty well, I'm happy to report. In previous assignments I believe that I relied too strongly on images and illustrative elements. Not really a shocker, since I'm an illustrator. As this is a typography class, I've been working hard to get away from my own comfort zone and solve design problems using only type and letter forms. I think I finally achieved that here.
I did receive some good suggestions for my revisions, due next week. I'll be sure to post my progress again here. Of course, I'd be happy to hear any feedback from you, as well, if you have any to share.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Folio Magazine Award Finalist
Excellent news today! I just learned that the Paul Harris biography that I illustrated for The Rotarian magazine is a finalist for Folio Magazine's 2010 Eddie and Ozzie Awards!
The annual Folio awards recognize the very best in editorial and design in the magazine industry. Isn't it cool for a comics-related project to be included in the running? They announce the winners on January 13, 2011, so wish us luck!
(written for Rotary International by Diana Schoberg and masterminded by our editor, Deborah Lawrence)
The annual Folio awards recognize the very best in editorial and design in the magazine industry. Isn't it cool for a comics-related project to be included in the running? They announce the winners on January 13, 2011, so wish us luck!
(written for Rotary International by Diana Schoberg and masterminded by our editor, Deborah Lawrence)
Thursday, November 11, 2010
New Website
Hey everyone. Been very busy this week with work & school, but I wanted to mention that I've just built a new "hub" website that has my all my pertinent info, and links to this blog, art galleries, et cetera. Please check it out and bookmark it:
www.stevebuccellato.com
It includes a feed to this blog, so please be aware that THIS page will still be where I actively (or occasionally) post stuff.
Now, I gotta get back to work. I will try to post again next week. Have a great weekend, and thank you to all of our Veterans, for your service!
www.stevebuccellato.com
It includes a feed to this blog, so please be aware that THIS page will still be where I actively (or occasionally) post stuff.
Now, I gotta get back to work. I will try to post again next week. Have a great weekend, and thank you to all of our Veterans, for your service!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Advanced Typography Assignment: Part 2
Just got home from my class with a lot of food for thought (and, happily, a lot of yummy food waiting for me, because I was starving!)
In general, my "Echo Park" designs went over pretty well with the other students. But, as I expected, my type treatments were far too conservative for my teacher. He really wants us to push the limits of our creativity—and the piece's readability.
So be it!
For this week's homework, we're taking the three designs to the next level. In the spirit of the class, I'm going to throw caution to the wind and totally deconstruct them. It ain't gonna be pretty! I'll post my progress later in the week...
In general, my "Echo Park" designs went over pretty well with the other students. But, as I expected, my type treatments were far too conservative for my teacher. He really wants us to push the limits of our creativity—and the piece's readability.
So be it!
For this week's homework, we're taking the three designs to the next level. In the spirit of the class, I'm going to throw caution to the wind and totally deconstruct them. It ain't gonna be pretty! I'll post my progress later in the week...
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Advanced Typography Assignment
So, here's the latest from my Advanced Typography class. We've been working on designing a logo for a Los Angeles neighborhood, using whatever combinations of fonts & letterforms best express the area's individual character. The instructor has been really pushing us to experiment and move beyond typical, conservative designs. I suppose it's easier to reign yourself in than it is to push yourself to the limits. There have been some really interesting results from everyone in class.
For my neighborhood, I chose Echo Park, which is an historic area close to Downtown LA, near Dodger Stadium. After fooling around with many different concepts, this week we were tasked with taking our logos and incorporating them into a magazine spread of some kind. I tried three different versions, going for very different looks & feels...
For my neighborhood, I chose Echo Park, which is an historic area close to Downtown LA, near Dodger Stadium. After fooling around with many different concepts, this week we were tasked with taking our logos and incorporating them into a magazine spread of some kind. I tried three different versions, going for very different looks & feels...
This one would be in an edgy local paper like the LA Weekly or Village Voice
This one is more of a slick, glossy magazine deal. Like Dwell or similar.
This one is a big, ol' newspaper section.
These were fun. I wonder if they're too conservative for my teacher. Guess I'll find out tomorrow night & let you know what revisions I'll be doing for round two!
Saturday, October 23, 2010
More Pizza
For some strange reason, in the past year I've been approached by three separate and completely unrelated people, to work on Pizza-related logos. Since I've never worked on anything pizza-related before, I find this to be a bizarre coincidence. In a previous post, I showed off drawings for a TV show logo, today I present another fun design. Behold, The Pizza Daddy...
On this one, I only drew the pizza chef character. The typography is by John Roshell at Comicraft/Active Images. Pizza Daddy is a new restaurant that will be opening soon in Brooklyn, NY.
The third pizza job didn't advance past the sketches stage. It was for a restaurant in my neighborhood called The Good Pizza. A nice joint with very good food, run by some awesome guys (here's a shout-out to Nando and Carlos). They make an excellent spaghetti sauce, BTW (now serving breakfast!).
While we're on the subject, I just want to mention two places in LA to find the most delicious pizza. As a New Yorker, born & bred, I know what I'm talking about. First, if you want an upscale gastronomic EVENT, you must try Mozza on Highland. It is the pizzarific love-child of celebrity chefs Nancy Silverton, Mario Batali and Joseph Bastianich. UNBELIEVABLE FOOD. This placed opened in 2007 and it's still nearly impossible to get a reservation! (Just show up early and get on the waiting list; it's fun to sit at the bar and watch them make pizza) Try the Marinated Baby Peppers with Tuna for an appetizer. Trust me.
For more of a "regular" slice that will make you think you're back east, go to Tomato Pie in Silver Lake . By my reckoning, it's the BEST slice in Los Angeles (there's one on Melrose, too, but I haven't been there). These guys are from Trenton, so I may sound like a traitor to my fellow New Yorkers. Not for nothing, but I gotta say, Trenton is much closer to New York than CPK. Try it out. It's so good you will WEEP.
On this one, I only drew the pizza chef character. The typography is by John Roshell at Comicraft/Active Images. Pizza Daddy is a new restaurant that will be opening soon in Brooklyn, NY.
The third pizza job didn't advance past the sketches stage. It was for a restaurant in my neighborhood called The Good Pizza. A nice joint with very good food, run by some awesome guys (here's a shout-out to Nando and Carlos). They make an excellent spaghetti sauce, BTW (now serving breakfast!).
While we're on the subject, I just want to mention two places in LA to find the most delicious pizza. As a New Yorker, born & bred, I know what I'm talking about. First, if you want an upscale gastronomic EVENT, you must try Mozza on Highland. It is the pizzarific love-child of celebrity chefs Nancy Silverton, Mario Batali and Joseph Bastianich. UNBELIEVABLE FOOD. This placed opened in 2007 and it's still nearly impossible to get a reservation! (Just show up early and get on the waiting list; it's fun to sit at the bar and watch them make pizza) Try the Marinated Baby Peppers with Tuna for an appetizer. Trust me.
For more of a "regular" slice that will make you think you're back east, go to Tomato Pie in Silver Lake . By my reckoning, it's the BEST slice in Los Angeles (there's one on Melrose, too, but I haven't been there). These guys are from Trenton, so I may sound like a traitor to my fellow New Yorkers. Not for nothing, but I gotta say, Trenton is much closer to New York than CPK. Try it out. It's so good you will WEEP.
Advertising Design Class
Regular readers of this blog know that I've recently been taking courses at UCLA Extension, working toward my certificate in Advanced Print & Graphic Communication.
(Regulars will also notice that I've just redesigned the look of my blog. This current iteration is just an experiment; I'm just playing around with the design. This one probably wont last very long, so don't get used to it! I would appreciate some feedback, though, if anyone cares to comment)
Anyway, one of my current UCLA courses is Advertising Design, and I thought I'd share some of my schoolwork with you.
This class has been a lot of fun. We just finished a campaign for the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA), as our first project. Basically, the assignment was to design a marketing strategy to attract a new, younger demographic to the museum, using a new "Street Art" exhibition as a draw.
The first couple of weeks was all research. We interviewed people from the group(s) we wanted to attract, learning their feelings about museums, art generally, and contemporary art in particular. We gathered information about their lifestyles, interests and desires.
Using the collected data, we decided on five archetypes for our demographic groups, and then created detailed "personas" to whom we would target our campaigns. After a (short) bit of in-class brainstorming, we students were given a mere week to develop a comprehensive campaign that we had to present (with a visual slideshow) at our next meeting. It was a huge amount of work, considering that this isn't our full-time job!
I LOVED IT.
The whole process was fascinating. My presentation included 10 slides (later expanded to 14), that outlined the goals and challenges of the campaign, the results of my research, and then several slides detailing my marketing ideas, which included some changes to MOCA's programming and in-museum experience. Fortunately, we didn't need to address any particular budget for our campaigns, so we could propose anything we wanted.
Here a few highlights from my slideshow...
I really enjoyed putting together the presentation. Less fun for me was actually getting up in front of the class and presenting it; let's just say I'm not the greatest public speaker! One thing that helped was that I'd written a script to go along with the slideshow, that allowed me to go greater into depth about my ideas, letting the slides simply act as interesting visuals and bullet-points.
In "real life," my experience in the world of advertising is limited, but I must say that I find the whole process to be thrilling. I'm looking forward to the next project in school, and keeping an eye out for any "real world" opportunities that may present themselves.
(Regulars will also notice that I've just redesigned the look of my blog. This current iteration is just an experiment; I'm just playing around with the design. This one probably wont last very long, so don't get used to it! I would appreciate some feedback, though, if anyone cares to comment)
Anyway, one of my current UCLA courses is Advertising Design, and I thought I'd share some of my schoolwork with you.
This class has been a lot of fun. We just finished a campaign for the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA), as our first project. Basically, the assignment was to design a marketing strategy to attract a new, younger demographic to the museum, using a new "Street Art" exhibition as a draw.
The first couple of weeks was all research. We interviewed people from the group(s) we wanted to attract, learning their feelings about museums, art generally, and contemporary art in particular. We gathered information about their lifestyles, interests and desires.
Using the collected data, we decided on five archetypes for our demographic groups, and then created detailed "personas" to whom we would target our campaigns. After a (short) bit of in-class brainstorming, we students were given a mere week to develop a comprehensive campaign that we had to present (with a visual slideshow) at our next meeting. It was a huge amount of work, considering that this isn't our full-time job!
I LOVED IT.
The whole process was fascinating. My presentation included 10 slides (later expanded to 14), that outlined the goals and challenges of the campaign, the results of my research, and then several slides detailing my marketing ideas, which included some changes to MOCA's programming and in-museum experience. Fortunately, we didn't need to address any particular budget for our campaigns, so we could propose anything we wanted.
Here a few highlights from my slideshow...
I really enjoyed putting together the presentation. Less fun for me was actually getting up in front of the class and presenting it; let's just say I'm not the greatest public speaker! One thing that helped was that I'd written a script to go along with the slideshow, that allowed me to go greater into depth about my ideas, letting the slides simply act as interesting visuals and bullet-points.
In "real life," my experience in the world of advertising is limited, but I must say that I find the whole process to be thrilling. I'm looking forward to the next project in school, and keeping an eye out for any "real world" opportunities that may present themselves.
Thursday, October 07, 2010
DC Super Heroes Pop-Up Book!
Hey, check this out! Almost a year ago I worked on this unusual project; an elaborate pop-up book featuring all the major DC Comics characters. The book is by Matt Reinhart, who is the author of several extremely cool books that have redefined the modern pop-up book. If you've seen his Star Wars book, you know what I mean. It's amazing what Matt and his studio do with folded paper. Take a peek...
I colored all the images in the book. No small feat, if I may say so. It involved coloring many versions of the same drawing, all chopped up into pieces that had to fit back together after printing and cutting. The whole process must be a printer's nightmare!
Anyway, I worked on this thing last winter, but just learned that is hit the book stores today. I haven't seen the finished product yet, and I can't wait to see how it turned out. If it's anything like the one test spread that I saw, the book will be awesome. And a wonderful holiday gift for the Super Hero enthusiast in your family!
Look for it--and If you happen to see the book; let me know what you think!
I colored all the images in the book. No small feat, if I may say so. It involved coloring many versions of the same drawing, all chopped up into pieces that had to fit back together after printing and cutting. The whole process must be a printer's nightmare!
Anyway, I worked on this thing last winter, but just learned that is hit the book stores today. I haven't seen the finished product yet, and I can't wait to see how it turned out. If it's anything like the one test spread that I saw, the book will be awesome. And a wonderful holiday gift for the Super Hero enthusiast in your family!
Look for it--and If you happen to see the book; let me know what you think!
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
More Class!
Wow, I can't believe it's been nearly a month since my last post. I guess things have been busy around here since the new school year started for my son, and for me.
This semester I'm taking two courses toward the completion of my Certificate in Advanced Print & Graphic Communication: Advanced Typography and Advertising Design. So far, I am happy to report that both classes are exceptional.
My last class (Publication Design ) was kind of a mixed bag. Since I work in publishing, much of the material was familiar. In addition, this particular course was taught online, and lacked the creative interaction and collaborative energy that has been so stimulating for me since I started taking these courses. I've heard many complaints from other students about the online classes at UCLA Extension. They really need to work on making the experience more interactive. By coincidence, I am currently building an online class for the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. They appear to have a much better grasp on how to replicate the classroom environment online. In some ways, my UCLA class was a valuable lesson on what not to do in that regard!
That said, the best part of Publication Design was working on the homework assignments. I enjoyed stretching my creative legs, working on the kinds of projects that don't normally cross my desk as freelance assignments. I'm really getting into the whole graphic design "thing," and would like to do more of it on the future.
In my last post, I showed off a book cover design I was working on. Since then, I received some feedback from my instructor, and I tweaked it a bit. She admonished me for stretching the type on the logo (rightly so!), and felt the gun was an unnecessary element. Below is my new version. I'm not entirely sold on it, but admit that it is easier to look at than my first attempt...
My two new courses have been very interesting, and I'm happy to be back in the physical classroom, interacting with other humans! I may have said it before, but I think I've been freelance too long! Both classes are very conceptual, and we're digging deeply into the creative processes of typography and the world of advertising. For the past two weeks in Advanced Typography, we have been playing with letter forms to give different meanings to old adages. This was a lot of fun, actually. For the first week, we had to physically cut & paste pieces of type onto paper (like making a ransom note), experimenting with shapes, sizes and space. Later, we scanned the letters and continued the process digitally, creating many versions with different meanings. Here are a couple of mine that I like...
Fun stuff. The instructor is great. He gets so excited about type that he is exactly the guy you want to teach you this class. He's really trying to push us all out of our comfort zones, encouraging us to go "out there" with our designs. I'm already learning a lot.
Tonight I have my advertising class--also great fun. We've been doing research as we build a whole campaign for an art museum. Very interesting work, I'll have to tell you all more about it later. In fact, I need to buckle down and finish my homework assignment right now, so it's time to sign off. Excuse me while I get my Donald Draper on!
This semester I'm taking two courses toward the completion of my Certificate in Advanced Print & Graphic Communication: Advanced Typography and Advertising Design. So far, I am happy to report that both classes are exceptional.
My last class (Publication Design ) was kind of a mixed bag. Since I work in publishing, much of the material was familiar. In addition, this particular course was taught online, and lacked the creative interaction and collaborative energy that has been so stimulating for me since I started taking these courses. I've heard many complaints from other students about the online classes at UCLA Extension. They really need to work on making the experience more interactive. By coincidence, I am currently building an online class for the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. They appear to have a much better grasp on how to replicate the classroom environment online. In some ways, my UCLA class was a valuable lesson on what not to do in that regard!
That said, the best part of Publication Design was working on the homework assignments. I enjoyed stretching my creative legs, working on the kinds of projects that don't normally cross my desk as freelance assignments. I'm really getting into the whole graphic design "thing," and would like to do more of it on the future.
In my last post, I showed off a book cover design I was working on. Since then, I received some feedback from my instructor, and I tweaked it a bit. She admonished me for stretching the type on the logo (rightly so!), and felt the gun was an unnecessary element. Below is my new version. I'm not entirely sold on it, but admit that it is easier to look at than my first attempt...
My two new courses have been very interesting, and I'm happy to be back in the physical classroom, interacting with other humans! I may have said it before, but I think I've been freelance too long! Both classes are very conceptual, and we're digging deeply into the creative processes of typography and the world of advertising. For the past two weeks in Advanced Typography, we have been playing with letter forms to give different meanings to old adages. This was a lot of fun, actually. For the first week, we had to physically cut & paste pieces of type onto paper (like making a ransom note), experimenting with shapes, sizes and space. Later, we scanned the letters and continued the process digitally, creating many versions with different meanings. Here are a couple of mine that I like...
Fun stuff. The instructor is great. He gets so excited about type that he is exactly the guy you want to teach you this class. He's really trying to push us all out of our comfort zones, encouraging us to go "out there" with our designs. I'm already learning a lot.
Tonight I have my advertising class--also great fun. We've been doing research as we build a whole campaign for an art museum. Very interesting work, I'll have to tell you all more about it later. In fact, I need to buckle down and finish my homework assignment right now, so it's time to sign off. Excuse me while I get my Donald Draper on!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Book Cover Design
Just finished my latest homework for my Publication Design class, and thought I'd share it with you all on the blogosphere. The assignment was simple; choose any existing book and redesign the cover. This one was fun--and pretty fast & easy, too!
I chose the book Red Harvest, by the great Dashiell Hammett. It's probably my favorite of his novels and if you are not familiar with it, and you claim to be a fan of hard boiled crime fiction, I suggest you buy a copy NOW! (shame on you!) This book was first published in 1929, and has had many printings with different looks. Including these:
For my version, I wanted something modern looking, but still "pulpy." Here's what I came up with...
What do you think? I kinda like it!
I chose the book Red Harvest, by the great Dashiell Hammett. It's probably my favorite of his novels and if you are not familiar with it, and you claim to be a fan of hard boiled crime fiction, I suggest you buy a copy NOW! (shame on you!) This book was first published in 1929, and has had many printings with different looks. Including these:
For my version, I wanted something modern looking, but still "pulpy." Here's what I came up with...
What do you think? I kinda like it!
Friday, September 10, 2010
Speaking of Polio...
Okay, you got me. I wasn’t speaking about polio. Not too many people I know speak or even think about polio these days. The reason is obvious; the crippling (and deadly) disease has been largely eradicated from our planet.
Older generations remember all too well the common sight of the polio stricken; walking with crutches, wearing those clunky exoskeletal braces on their legs, and the horror of those forced to live within the tomb of an iron lung. Less than 60 years ago, 59,000 Americans alone were crippled or killed by a polio epidemic. Thanks to the vaccines developed by Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin during the 1950s, we’ve been blessed with a nearly polio free existence since.
However, there are a few places left in the world that still struggle with the virus, and the people of Rotary International are among the few who continue to talk about polio, spreading awareness and actively raising money to finally destroy the disease completely. Their effort is straightforwardly called End Polio Now.
As some of you know, in late 2008, Rotary International contracted me to draw the first in a series of educational comic book stories. “Amazing Stories of Polio” depicts the history of the poliovirus and the fight to eliminate it. The story appeared first within the pages of the February ’09 issue of the Rotarian magazine, and soon after was printed as a stand-alone comic that has been widely distributed, and admired by Rotary Club members worldwide.
One such person is Steve Root of Canterbury, UK. Steve is a member of the Rotary Club of Canterbury Sunrise , a group of about 30 men and women of different backgrounds sharing a strong community spirit. A year ago, Steve contacted me with an interesting idea. He wanted to take my comic book pages, enlarge them, and display them in a storefront’s window in Canterbury. His idea was to draw attention to Rotary’s End Polio Now program and share the story with as many passers-by as possible.
I forwarded his request to my Rotarian contacts (who commissioned me) and after many months of discussions, and more time finding an appropriate venue, Steve has finally made his idea into a reality...
Here on the corner of Butchery Lane and Burgate, a busy UK high street and tourist destination (right by Canterbury Cathedral), the Rotarians have conspired to transform this storefront into one giant comic book...
Why did Steve Root spend a year on this project? In his own words...
“Polio has been eradicated from the UK for a long time. Many people now don't know the effect polio has on a person, having never seen it for themselves. I'm one of those people. I'm in my early thirties and, until reading your comic, I really didn't have the first clue about what the disease does. I have vague recollections of a sugar cube vaccination in primary school, but no first hand knowledge. Using the comic as a piece of artwork educates passers-by who stop to read it.”
In addition, the campaign will increase local awareness about Rotary in general, and their local club in particular. They also plan to try to raise some money by selling the comics in an adjacent shop and collecting donations.
How long will this display be up? “Until the next tenant arrives. That could be
tomorrow, or a couple of months, we don't know for certain.”
From my point of view, one thing is certain: this is extremely cool! It’s like having my own gallery opening in the UK! “Amazing Stories of Polio,” was a very gratifying story to work on as an illustrator. It’s not often that I get to work on projects connected to a really good cause, and I am very pleased to see my work appearing again and again in different creative ways. (Thanks, Steve!)
P.S. If you happen to be in Canterbury, Kent and see this thing in person, drop me a note here--and send me a photo of yourself, if at all possible! Wish I could be there myself!
Older generations remember all too well the common sight of the polio stricken; walking with crutches, wearing those clunky exoskeletal braces on their legs, and the horror of those forced to live within the tomb of an iron lung. Less than 60 years ago, 59,000 Americans alone were crippled or killed by a polio epidemic. Thanks to the vaccines developed by Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin during the 1950s, we’ve been blessed with a nearly polio free existence since.
However, there are a few places left in the world that still struggle with the virus, and the people of Rotary International are among the few who continue to talk about polio, spreading awareness and actively raising money to finally destroy the disease completely. Their effort is straightforwardly called End Polio Now.
As some of you know, in late 2008, Rotary International contracted me to draw the first in a series of educational comic book stories. “Amazing Stories of Polio” depicts the history of the poliovirus and the fight to eliminate it. The story appeared first within the pages of the February ’09 issue of the Rotarian magazine, and soon after was printed as a stand-alone comic that has been widely distributed, and admired by Rotary Club members worldwide.
One such person is Steve Root of Canterbury, UK. Steve is a member of the Rotary Club of Canterbury Sunrise , a group of about 30 men and women of different backgrounds sharing a strong community spirit. A year ago, Steve contacted me with an interesting idea. He wanted to take my comic book pages, enlarge them, and display them in a storefront’s window in Canterbury. His idea was to draw attention to Rotary’s End Polio Now program and share the story with as many passers-by as possible.
I forwarded his request to my Rotarian contacts (who commissioned me) and after many months of discussions, and more time finding an appropriate venue, Steve has finally made his idea into a reality...
Here on the corner of Butchery Lane and Burgate, a busy UK high street and tourist destination (right by Canterbury Cathedral), the Rotarians have conspired to transform this storefront into one giant comic book...
Steve Root and his amazing giant comic book!
Putting up the second panel
Steve Root and fellow club member, Jim Gascoyne
Ta daaaa...!
Why did Steve Root spend a year on this project? In his own words...
“Polio has been eradicated from the UK for a long time. Many people now don't know the effect polio has on a person, having never seen it for themselves. I'm one of those people. I'm in my early thirties and, until reading your comic, I really didn't have the first clue about what the disease does. I have vague recollections of a sugar cube vaccination in primary school, but no first hand knowledge. Using the comic as a piece of artwork educates passers-by who stop to read it.”
In addition, the campaign will increase local awareness about Rotary in general, and their local club in particular. They also plan to try to raise some money by selling the comics in an adjacent shop and collecting donations.
How long will this display be up? “Until the next tenant arrives. That could be
tomorrow, or a couple of months, we don't know for certain.”
From my point of view, one thing is certain: this is extremely cool! It’s like having my own gallery opening in the UK! “Amazing Stories of Polio,” was a very gratifying story to work on as an illustrator. It’s not often that I get to work on projects connected to a really good cause, and I am very pleased to see my work appearing again and again in different creative ways. (Thanks, Steve!)
P.S. If you happen to be in Canterbury, Kent and see this thing in person, drop me a note here--and send me a photo of yourself, if at all possible! Wish I could be there myself!
Thursday, September 02, 2010
Expanding Horizons
Back in May, I mentioned that I'm currently attending a program at UCLA Extension (for a certificate in Advanced Print and Graphic Communication). It's been great to stretch the old creative muscles, reacquainting myself with design principals I've forgotten, and learning many new tricks, as well as the latest trends & technologies. It has been especially fun to work outside my comfort zone, applying my art & design skills to areas that I have little or no practical experience in--this was certainly the case in the Spring semester, with my Production Design for Film & TV course.
In that class, I had to design fake websites, stage settings, show logos, title sequences and even fake products and advertisements. The instructor, Geoffrey Mandel has an impressive resume of movies and shows to his credit, including his current enviable position in the Art Department of Mad Men (love that show). Before taking his class, I had no concept of what, exactly, a "Hollywood" Graphic Designer's job entails. I must admit that I was quickly taken with the idea! His job looks pretty damned fun--especially on a show like Mad Men.
For that class, we had many interesting homework assignments. I've posted some already, but here are a couple other pieces. First, is a fake, 1960's style magazine ad...
It's okay, I guess. The shampoo looks a bit like dish soap, in retrospect. Below is a another 1960's influenced design for a floor polish bottle...
That was fun. Perhaps even more fun than creating these designs was doing the research beforehand.
While I was taking this class, by coincidence, I had the opportunity to actually do some freelance design work for a TV show in development. This is the show logo for a cooking show that will hopefully be coming to a major network soon...
It's funny. At the same time I was working on this Pizza Quest logo, I also had two other completely separate "pizza" related freelance projects come my way. I've never worked in the pizza business before, so I have no idea why they all came to me at the same time.
Anyway, that was a great class. Interacting with so many talented creative people was so stimulating that I find myself really wanting to get back into that kind of work environment. Freelancing has many wonderful benefits, but I think I'm ready for a day job!
Meanwhile, this summer I've been taking a class in Publication Design. Unlike the last class, here I'm in familiar territory. My whole career has been involved in publishing, starting on staff in the editorial & production offices at Marvel Comics in New York. There I was lucky enough to work in their Epic Comics division, where we had to package a huge variety of books & periodicals in all sorts of formats. Years later, I took those skills, as well as all I'd learned as a freelancer and as the head of a couple digital art studios, to publish my own magazine. Comiculture magazine was such a small operation that I had my hands in everything; including much of the graphic design.
I may not be learning a vast ammount of new information about publishing in this current class, but I have been challenged to apply my knowledge to create designs outside of my usual area; comics & graphic novels. So far, my assignments have included more "respectable" work, like magazine & brochure designs. I'll share a bit here, though I consider these a bit rough. Think of them more as "sketches" than finished work. or, as "works in progress..."
First (and this is really rough!) is a concept for a magazine spread, based solely one the word "paranoia." My idea is that this is an article about terrorists living among us, as represented by the Red Man. He'd appear throughout the article, if it were for real...
Next, I had to grab a bunch of images & text and create book or magazine designs with them. The timing of this coincided with my family vacation to Bonaire, so I used that as an inspiration. Most of the photos are were taken by my wife, my In-laws, or me. This was a fun and meaningful assignment because I got to relive my trip while doing my homework! Here are a couple of the spreads...
Below was another fast & dirty assignment. The instructor provided a bunch of random images, words & phrases. The task was to design a magazine spread using one of the pieces of text as a headline, and whatever art worked thematically with it. The results from the class at large were pretty varied. For mine, I took the phrase "Sky High" and the picture of a ballerina on a blank background, and took off from there. So to speak...
That was a quickie, but I'm pretty pleased with the it, though it could use some finessing.
My latest assignment was difficult. I had to take the content from my "Bonaire" project, and re-purpose it into three tri-fold brochures. The limitations were 2-color printing only, and no more than 3 font families. Here's what I came up with. Still waiting on feedback from the teacher & class, but I know this needs work!
Being in the classroom has been a blast. So much so, that I've signed up for TWO classes in the fall. In a couple of weeks I'll be starting courses in Advertising Design and Advanced Typography. I'm really looking forward to them both. I'll let you know how they go. Thanks for reading! Feel free to comment on any of this. Especially if you want to offer any constructive criticism--the whole point of my taking these classes is to improve myself, after all!
In that class, I had to design fake websites, stage settings, show logos, title sequences and even fake products and advertisements. The instructor, Geoffrey Mandel has an impressive resume of movies and shows to his credit, including his current enviable position in the Art Department of Mad Men (love that show). Before taking his class, I had no concept of what, exactly, a "Hollywood" Graphic Designer's job entails. I must admit that I was quickly taken with the idea! His job looks pretty damned fun--especially on a show like Mad Men.
For that class, we had many interesting homework assignments. I've posted some already, but here are a couple other pieces. First, is a fake, 1960's style magazine ad...
It's okay, I guess. The shampoo looks a bit like dish soap, in retrospect. Below is a another 1960's influenced design for a floor polish bottle...
That was fun. Perhaps even more fun than creating these designs was doing the research beforehand.
While I was taking this class, by coincidence, I had the opportunity to actually do some freelance design work for a TV show in development. This is the show logo for a cooking show that will hopefully be coming to a major network soon...
It's funny. At the same time I was working on this Pizza Quest logo, I also had two other completely separate "pizza" related freelance projects come my way. I've never worked in the pizza business before, so I have no idea why they all came to me at the same time.
Anyway, that was a great class. Interacting with so many talented creative people was so stimulating that I find myself really wanting to get back into that kind of work environment. Freelancing has many wonderful benefits, but I think I'm ready for a day job!
Meanwhile, this summer I've been taking a class in Publication Design. Unlike the last class, here I'm in familiar territory. My whole career has been involved in publishing, starting on staff in the editorial & production offices at Marvel Comics in New York. There I was lucky enough to work in their Epic Comics division, where we had to package a huge variety of books & periodicals in all sorts of formats. Years later, I took those skills, as well as all I'd learned as a freelancer and as the head of a couple digital art studios, to publish my own magazine. Comiculture magazine was such a small operation that I had my hands in everything; including much of the graphic design.
I may not be learning a vast ammount of new information about publishing in this current class, but I have been challenged to apply my knowledge to create designs outside of my usual area; comics & graphic novels. So far, my assignments have included more "respectable" work, like magazine & brochure designs. I'll share a bit here, though I consider these a bit rough. Think of them more as "sketches" than finished work. or, as "works in progress..."
First (and this is really rough!) is a concept for a magazine spread, based solely one the word "paranoia." My idea is that this is an article about terrorists living among us, as represented by the Red Man. He'd appear throughout the article, if it were for real...
Next, I had to grab a bunch of images & text and create book or magazine designs with them. The timing of this coincided with my family vacation to Bonaire, so I used that as an inspiration. Most of the photos are were taken by my wife, my In-laws, or me. This was a fun and meaningful assignment because I got to relive my trip while doing my homework! Here are a couple of the spreads...
Below was another fast & dirty assignment. The instructor provided a bunch of random images, words & phrases. The task was to design a magazine spread using one of the pieces of text as a headline, and whatever art worked thematically with it. The results from the class at large were pretty varied. For mine, I took the phrase "Sky High" and the picture of a ballerina on a blank background, and took off from there. So to speak...
That was a quickie, but I'm pretty pleased with the it, though it could use some finessing.
My latest assignment was difficult. I had to take the content from my "Bonaire" project, and re-purpose it into three tri-fold brochures. The limitations were 2-color printing only, and no more than 3 font families. Here's what I came up with. Still waiting on feedback from the teacher & class, but I know this needs work!
Being in the classroom has been a blast. So much so, that I've signed up for TWO classes in the fall. In a couple of weeks I'll be starting courses in Advertising Design and Advanced Typography. I'm really looking forward to them both. I'll let you know how they go. Thanks for reading! Feel free to comment on any of this. Especially if you want to offer any constructive criticism--the whole point of my taking these classes is to improve myself, after all!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
The Con Game
Hey all you wonderful people! It's that time of year again, and my love/hate relationship with the San Diego Comic-Con continues! Actually, there's no "hate," per se. Just mixed feelings; I've attended Comic-Con so many times, I often wonder what the point is. My problem is that if I don't go, I always feel like I'm missing something! It's a genuine dilemma! Personally, I find that the 'Con is best when I have a clear agenda; like a new book to promote.
This year, my appearance will be brief. I'm heading down tomorrow, so I'll be there all day Wednesday (for "Preview Night") and about half of Thursday. I have no exciting new projects to promote, nor do I have an Artist's Alley table this year. Therefore, I won't be hanging around any one particular place--so don't look for me! I'm mainly going to look around, see some old friends, and scout out any possible opportunities for work.
Sadly, such a brief trip means I won't see some fellow creators who won't be down until the weekend. I'll also miss some of the fun, like my friend Joanne's party which is tonight, and Thursday night's Drink & Draw party. Still, I'm looking forward to seeing as many friends & colleagues as I can, in the time I have.
Maybe next year I'll be ready for the full week of madness again! See you there!!!
:)
This year, my appearance will be brief. I'm heading down tomorrow, so I'll be there all day Wednesday (for "Preview Night") and about half of Thursday. I have no exciting new projects to promote, nor do I have an Artist's Alley table this year. Therefore, I won't be hanging around any one particular place--so don't look for me! I'm mainly going to look around, see some old friends, and scout out any possible opportunities for work.
Sadly, such a brief trip means I won't see some fellow creators who won't be down until the weekend. I'll also miss some of the fun, like my friend Joanne's party which is tonight, and Thursday night's Drink & Draw party. Still, I'm looking forward to seeing as many friends & colleagues as I can, in the time I have.
Maybe next year I'll be ready for the full week of madness again! See you there!!!
:)
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
More Coloring...
Hello there. Is it summer already??? I've been pretty busy the past few weeks, but things are settling down now. Here's a peek at some comic book stuff I've been coloring...
These 2 jobs were kind of fun because I got to play around with the color styles a bit. The Deadpool story is very moody and cinematic, jumping around between a lot of different locations and scenarios. I really pushed myself to come up with different & interesting color schemes for each scene jump to help tell the story. For the Valentine story, Dan wanted a simple rendering style on the figures, with more painterly backgrounds. I used Luc Jacamon's excellent work on The Killer as an inspiration.
Today, I'm finishing up some commercial storyboard work. Here's a simple frame...
The line art is by my pal, Don Hudson. This commercial is supposed to emulate a music video or something.
That's all for now! And hey--who's going to Comic-Con???
From X-Men Origins: Deadpool #1, art by Leo fernandez
From Valentine: Plan B for Blonde, line art by Dan Cooney.
These 2 jobs were kind of fun because I got to play around with the color styles a bit. The Deadpool story is very moody and cinematic, jumping around between a lot of different locations and scenarios. I really pushed myself to come up with different & interesting color schemes for each scene jump to help tell the story. For the Valentine story, Dan wanted a simple rendering style on the figures, with more painterly backgrounds. I used Luc Jacamon's excellent work on The Killer as an inspiration.
Today, I'm finishing up some commercial storyboard work. Here's a simple frame...
The line art is by my pal, Don Hudson. This commercial is supposed to emulate a music video or something.
That's all for now! And hey--who's going to Comic-Con???
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Author Fair Aftermath
Last week's 10th Annual Author Fair in El Segundo went well. Don Hudson and I improvised a demonstration on drawing comics that was pretty amusing. It evolved into a format where I took general questions from the audience, while Don drew requests on a large sketch pad. Ultimately, we came up with an impromptu 6-panel comic story about a polar bear.
Afterwards we separated, Don remaining in the Children's section of the library, so he could talk about his work on the Warriors series with the kids. My printed work was deemed more "mature," so they sat me upstairs in the main library, along with my pal Tricia Riley Hale, author of Grand Theft Galaxy. We spent a pleasant hour or so, chatting with library patrons, and all went out for beer afterwards.
Good times. Thanks to all of you who came by to see us!
photo by Shawna James
Afterwards we separated, Don remaining in the Children's section of the library, so he could talk about his work on the Warriors series with the kids. My printed work was deemed more "mature," so they sat me upstairs in the main library, along with my pal Tricia Riley Hale, author of Grand Theft Galaxy. We spent a pleasant hour or so, chatting with library patrons, and all went out for beer afterwards.
Good times. Thanks to all of you who came by to see us!
Friday, June 04, 2010
Author Fair This Weekend
If you're in West LA this Sunday, June 6th, drop by the El Segundo Public Library, and say hello! I'll be participating in their 10th Annual El Segundo Author Fair. The event goes from 12:45 PM to 4:30 PM and includes appearances by about 35 authors who will be signing their books. There will also be discussion panels, poetry readings, children’s activities, and music.
I will be doing a “Comic Book Artist Demonstration” from 1:30 to 2:00, along with my good pal Don Hudson, artist of TOKYOPOP'S Warriors mangas, Gunpowder Girl and the Outlaw Squaw and Forever Amber. I'm not exactly sure what we'll be demonstrating, but I know it will be great! After that, I'll be doing a book signing from 2:15 PM to 3:25 PM. You can also meet the lovely & talented Tricia Riley Hale, writer of TOKYOPOP's Grand Theft Galaxy!
You know you want to!
El Segundo Public Library
111 W. Mariposa Avenue
El Segundo, CA 90245
View Larger Map
See you there! (I'll be there from 1:30-3:30)
I will be doing a “Comic Book Artist Demonstration” from 1:30 to 2:00, along with my good pal Don Hudson, artist of TOKYOPOP'S Warriors mangas, Gunpowder Girl and the Outlaw Squaw and Forever Amber. I'm not exactly sure what we'll be demonstrating, but I know it will be great! After that, I'll be doing a book signing from 2:15 PM to 3:25 PM. You can also meet the lovely & talented Tricia Riley Hale, writer of TOKYOPOP's Grand Theft Galaxy!
You know you want to!
El Segundo Public Library
111 W. Mariposa Avenue
El Segundo, CA 90245
View Larger Map
See you there! (I'll be there from 1:30-3:30)
Monday, May 24, 2010
Fake Website
This week's homework assignment for my class in Graphic Design for Film & TV was to design a fake website. Something that would appear in a film or TV show on a background computer monitor, or one that an actor might interact with. I decided to do the homepage of a corporate website. The corporation in question? Omni Consumer Products from the movie Robocop...
The large image is actually a slideshow of different OCP projects, like "Delta City," and "Ed-209." Another fun assignment. Now, back to my "real" work...
The large image is actually a slideshow of different OCP projects, like "Delta City," and "Ed-209." Another fun assignment. Now, back to my "real" work...
Friday, May 21, 2010
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