Work in Progress*

With updating everything, I decided to try to create a repetitive pattern for the background of my blog, tiled by html coding. I just love the texture, for it to work successfully, i’d need to make the gradient possibly 50% either that or provide white boxes for posts and the information to the right.

Thomas Bird contacted me along with other artists to contribute to his Zine.

‘The brief for this issue is pretty simple everything must be done in black and white (so i can photocopy everything) each person will do 6 pages of whatever they want, short stories, illustrations, images, anything, pages must be A5 size. The theme is anti love.’ Thomas Bird

Very exciting new project, here is a sneaky preview, an initial spread.
Post Updated: 12th February ‘08

Today I designed a logo for a project by Marty Harris, Moleskine Exchange.
Blogspot Intentions: to follow the adventure of a group of artists around the world (me included), in a Japanese fold Moleskine sketchbook exchange.

Now present on: smogr.com

My first Moleskine illustration:

A spread from the Moleskine Exchange.
Medium: Pen & Silver Transfers

Starting with the image of a piano left by fellow artist Hans, illustrating by pure artistry guidance. For more information on the project, visit the blog - moleskinex.blogspot.com

Post UPDATE January 29, 2008
The artistic team have had recognition on one of the most popular Moleskine websites.
Check out moleskinerie.com

Post UPDATE February 5, 2008

The first entry in my Moleskine, influenced by the repeating pattern i designed for this blog.
Medium: Pen & Silver Transfers

This is my entry in Joyce’s Moleskine, she requested for the first entry, we introduce ourselves by drawing a self portrait. Therefore following the work by fellow artist Hans, the colour mustard remains dominant, keeping the composition flowing - collaging my figure from magazine cuts.

With much experimentation, i’ve concluded that the 2nd grid system is far more successful. Although i’m now considering whether or not the portfolio will work as a vertical reel - here is an example of the design below. The ‘about’ section does not seem to flow with the first reel entry, (covering the about section) the top section works rather well on it’s own.

[The gray block will hopefully be a photograph, professional portrait]

With the Grid & without:

I came across this old competition brief - so i decided to have a go:
CMI Logo Design Competition

“New Mexico State University’s Creative Media Institute (CMI) wants you to participate in designing its future. Here is where you come in: this creative institution will soon be printing t-shirts, letter head, business cards, updating their website and sending out memos with their new brand. It needs a piece of identity ware to go with its name: CMI wants a logo.”
cmi.nmsu.edu/news.html

Initial sketch followed by final vectored image:

This week i’ve created many grid’s for my new PDF portfolio, which will be available to download or emailed if requested. To begin with I’ve designed grids to trial which will be more successful for showcasing selected works. The wider columns will hold information about the briefs and the images themselves will be displayed along the wider columns. The narrow columns will display names. captions of images, titles and dates: a restricted field.

There will be no restrictions on how many fields are taken up by one image. Also there will be no restrictions on quotes, these can cover the wider columns. The next stage after setting up the grid is choosing a type family, in the meantime - here i have used Adobe Carlson Pro, Regular for body text, Bold Italic for sub title and Italic for the captions. These are the two finals, exploring not only the grid - but fields.

The PDF portfolio will be may be formated as a continuum, scrolling down through the selected works.

The best reference to learn about the Grid and it’s mathematical framework problem-solving:
Grid Systems in Graphic Design by Josef Muller-Brockmann

Grid 01/02
Revealing the grid (partial):

The Outcome (partial):

Inspired by “Geschichte Der Schweizer Kunsttopographie.”

Grid 02/02
This Grid would have more impact as a single screen rather than scrolling down.
Revealing the grid (partial):

The Outcome (partial):

Inspired by “Grid Systems in Graphic Design”
by Josef Muller-Brockmann.

Just watch our hobby develop!
17th January ‘08

The Whitehaven News has launched a group on Flickr called Whitehaven Snappers, a project set up by Alan Cleaver, Deputy Editor of the Whitehaven News.

“The group is open to anyone who lives in Whitehaven/West Cumbria or anyone who takes photos in this corner of England.”
Alan Cleaver

To follow the project and for more information, please visit the blog -
Whitehaven Snappers.

A big thank you to Alan Cleaver, for printing my work along with other enthusiastic photographers in The Whitehaven News.

maritime II
Whitehaven Maritime 07
Inside one of the tall ships

Dusk II
3D type: made from metal, held on bamboo sticks.
The idea being to portray a mood/atmosphere of a chosen area, a much loved project from the year of my foundation course.

Featured on Flickr’s Explore!
‘We like to call it interestingness.’

Present on Explore January 5th, 2008
Ink Landscape
#120 on Explore

Present on Explore November 1st, 2007
River Flower, Butterfly
#368 on Explore

Present on Explore October 21st, 2007
Love.
#410 on Explore

Present on Explore October 16th, 2007
Dropplets Macro
#458 on Explore

My latest fascination and love is the Lomo FishEye Camera. This is one image from the first reel. I found this form of photography really difficult - you have to judge the shot, it is all down to the right placement of the camera and the flash. With this reel being my first attempt, i now know what can be achieved with the inexpensive camera; lots of fun and great unique outcomes.

For more, please visit my Flickr link.

The repeating pattern, ideally, is going to be printed large to vinyl, possibility of sending self-promo packs to agencies. Concept needs define/modified/tweaked - very early stages.