Junior Review Gathered Process Work Part 1

Here is part 1 of process work (sketches, thumbnails) that I gathered for my Junior Review on Monday (the piece above is the final piece, and below is the process work). This is for a piece all the way back in Intro to Illustration; it involved interviewing a classmate about a memorable holiday or vacation they took (or some kind of memorable event). The person I interviewed told me about a trip he took to Amsterdam with his family, which included some details such as: lots of people biking, historical places, and many canals. In the final piece, I tried to focus on the bikes part, and also conveying the place by showing specific architecture based on photos of buildings in Amsterdam, and showing a hint of the canals; the empty space in the middle was suggested to remain empty, though I think I could put something there, maybe subtle ripples that make certain symbols that are related to Amsterdam's history.

I am testing a post from my phone to my blog. Will upload more process work soon.

This is a design I made, and then went over in Illustrator to make it look vector-y. 'Was maybe gonna use it for the mug design assignment in Illustration Topics, but ended up deciding on something else instead.

This is the sketch that I used (I believe for the final version) for a gouache assignment in Tools of the Trade, with the theme "can't live without". So, what I feel like I couldn't live without is ears, and listening/absorbing all the stuff I hear around me. I'm a pretty quiet person so I do a lot of listening... :P
These are two sketches I just brought into Illustration Topics class today for the subject of 'Opposites', specifically 'cheap and expensive' (chosen from a given list). I am going to actually change the 'cheap' one to be in a child's sandbox, with the mouse perhaps relaxing on a leaf floating in rainwater in a plastic sandbox toy or bucket.

These two are the first sketches I had for an assignment in Tools of the Trade using acrylic paint, with the theme of 'Animal/Human', which was pretty broad, but I decided on this idea of animals ruling the world instead of humans; a role reversal I guess. I also wanted to draw a determined-looking guy pooping.

More and more and more

This image (which you can click on to make larger) is the result of looking at the album covers as I arranged them below, and creating some kind of interesting vertical format piece, that's fun to travel down. It was phase 3 of a three part assignment at the beginning of Intro to GD.

This is one of the versions of the end result of trying to develop a logo identity for First Ave. in Minneapolis. It went through many stages, including a 10 x 10 matrix on which we formulated our ideas, across a variety of categories and combinations of ideas. This poster contains the majority of the logo identity creations from that matrix, and from sketches.

These (above) are the preliminary sketches for a potential product design assignment, all the way back in Intro to Illustration.

These are some smiling animal faces, for an assignment in my Illustration Topics class. These are just sketched ideas for a mug design assignment.

This an early sketch for an assignment relating to Harlequin Romance novels, also all the way back in Intro to Illustration. I had this symbolic idea about women who read the novels kind of wanting to fill an empty hole in their hearts with the romantic fluff of that genre..or something like that.

This is an early sketch, and some thumbnails on the side, for an assignment in Intro to Illustration also, about eco-friendly fashion.

This is a sketched idea for an assignment in my Intro to Illustration class (again) about government surveillance; specifically about how they record what we type (or at least that's the conspiracy).

And, here's one of a two-piece (diptych) self-portrait assignment I did for Drawing: Figure. I like this one more than the other one, in which I'm scrunching up my face (but got the proportions wrong for my head). This one's not perfect either, but I like it.

More sketches and process work

Update with some thumbnails and sketches

I don't plan on keeping up to date on this blog (there, I said it, so you can't hold me to it). I do update my website more often, actually. So, check that out here.

I do have some stuff, though..Here are some figure drawing studies and pieces from Drawing: Figure last semester. I tried uploading more but it wouldn't let me add any more to this post, so I may make another posting.

Greetins, mah name is Calvin

Firstly, here are some sketches for my Digital Illustration class so far.

(The subject title of this post is a Calvin & Hobbes reference, paraphrased. Also, the title of my blog refers to a Calvin & Hobbes anthology.)

Anyways, I feel like I have caught up with my homework pile. I hope to get started on an illustration for Digital Illustration soon; often I do not feel like I spend enough time on the pieces for that class, and I think it might be due to having four studio classes. A lot of work that has to be produced.

In other random news, carpenter ants have been having fun enjoying and exploring our apartment...for too long. We put out some Terro almost a week ago, and after a few rounds of re-applying the stuff, have hopefully gotten them to carry it back to their nest. A lot of the carpenter ants just sit and die in the Terro. Today, the smaller ants came in and hauled away some of the carpenter ant bodies. I think some of the smaller ants got drunk and died, as well. I saw limbs and body segments laying near the Terro also. Don't know what that's about.

Quick Update

Thought I'd just do a quick update.  Only a couple days left of the semester here at MCAD.  It was a pretty great year.  I updated my mnartists page: Here .  I'm having fun inking in some finishing touches on a comic assignment that I will hand in on Monday.

I have recently had lots of thinking going on in my head regarding art and MCAD and the people at MCAD and the quality and kind of work and growth as artists that students here are experiencing; and lots more.  Hard to articulate it, especially out loud, which is kind of too bad, since I could do so with some instructors.  Maybe if I wrote it out first.  Some time I'll get around to that.

Hopefully I also figure out what I want to major in soon... I'm hoping either Animation or Comic Art, or if neither of those seem like 'it', I'll do Illustration.

In the midst of homework and stuff

I have tried to do some extra drawing practice on my own recently, including some sketched out comics.  They're mostly newspaper-style, I suppose, being about four panels in length each.  I also have been brainstorming a lot of ideas for stories and settings I could use.  In fact, just now, I stopped writing and brain-storm'd a bunch of stuff.  Possibly look forward to the story of Marsita the Flower exploring issues of gender roles; or the person who flies around his house and the valley his town is located in; or the return of an old average young dude named Earl, who I used to draw lots of strips of when I was younger.  Then I will hopefully also get to use some of the pens and ink I bought, and maybe get some sort of finished (small) comic finished.

If anyone knows any good sources for information on Neil Gaiman...I'm open for some direction.  I have a mini-presentation I have to do for a class here at MCAD, and I have had a little trouble so far in finding sources, or thinking of what exactly about Neil Gaiman I'm going to research.  It seems that a lot of sources just talk about his stories and books, and not really about any themes or ideas that his work explores, which is more what I'm looking for.

I am still kind of undecided if I want to focus my studies here at MCAD on Comic Art or Animation.  I feel like Animation would have potentially greater job opportunities.  I'm not sure yet which I like more, having only done some animation.  Also, overall, I want to improve my artistic skills in general, so that I feel a little more ready going into whatever I choose to go into.

Hopefully I'll soon be trying some more to step out of this semi-shell I'm often in.  Lots of homework.  Anxiety.  Fatigue.  And I'm stubborn.  All add up to: ... It's not easy.  I guess good things don't come easy, though, of course.