Tuesday, March 26, 2013

New Logo Image

One of my latest completed projects was to create a logo for a design professional. The logo's main emphasis was to appear as a ninja figure. I used Illustrator CS5 to create the gradations for this logo and decided to use the Mesh Tool. I will go more into how to use this tool with a separate blog article later. The mesh tool is one of several tools in Illustrator to create amazing gradations. I was quite pleased with the final result.


Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Let Some Of That Green Show

One of my favorite days for celebrating is St. Patricks Day. A chance to have some fine corned beef and cabbage with a large Guiness. Oh yes, and while enjoying the food with some down to earth Irish music. Plenty of places around Brookline such as Matt Murphy's or O'Learys. I plan to take part and be part of the festivities. Go out and enjoy yourself and meet some fine Irish friends. For more information check out: http://bit.ly/WkAMeF

This illustration was created with a pencil sketch and scanned into Photoshop. Once the image is in Photoshop I place the sketch on a separate layer and create another layer for coloring on top. Place the image in multiply mode so the sketch comes through. I create my colors and start painting. When I am finished I check out the finish version on my Epson Workforce 610.

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Some Thoughts On Being An Illustrator

As Illustrators we all want to work on exciting projects that pay well. The reality of the situation is that there are less high paying illustration commissions. This means that in order to succeed and grow as illustrators we need to think about offering new services. You might want to consider offering design, animation or video services for example.

Just because you have an awesome style and some connections. This doesn't guarantee your illustration career will survive. Once your projects are completed do you know when your next one will arrive? What are you doing to continue your creative output and have your services continue to be in demand. Solutions are all around us. It's up to you whether you have the initiative and drive to start something challenging and rewarding. What is holding you back? You shouldn't let the fear of starting a new goal or project overwhelm you. To get started think about projects that are dear to your heart and ways to make them become reality. Why not think of some goals like writing a children's book. Are comic books dear to you. Try creating a comic book. Have you always thought about putting a graphic novel together. This may be the right time to start one. App's are very popular. What do you need to do to create one? That children's project in the back of your mind just might make a great eBook project.

These are just a few suggestions waiting for you to start your goal and keep your creative drive moving forward. Remember there is no progress made without some sacrifice. Lots of opportunities exist and you should give it a try and see what you come up with. Who knows you just might enjoy your new accomplishments. Take small steps at a time and don't let the thought of what you are up against overwhelm you. You are exploring sides of your personality that you never thought possible. This should be an exciting time for you. Challenging yourself with a new goal will make you a stronger and more confident professional.

After succeeding with your new goal maybe you could write a blog article about your experiences. I am sure your friends, colleagues and professionals would like to read about your experiences. Maybe they are tackling the same challenges and would appreciate reading about the same challenges from another person in their position.  You will come across much more as a professional with a human side.

There you have it. A few thoughts attempting to become a more successful illustrator. A new project or challenge may be just what you need to get yourself back into your creative mode and and continue to develop your business into a more successful venture.

Friday, March 1, 2013

Quick Sketch Between Projects

Working on a new project and quickly did this small sketch. My usual procedure is to take my sketch and bring it into Photoshop. I change the mode from grayscale to duotone and select two colors. More work to come so stay posted.