LibraryYOU Header Designs

The last part of the LibraryYOU project was to design a header for their website. I worked up three concepts that I really liked. I heard back from the client yesterday and it looks like they’re going with the first one. This was a fun project and I hope to find more like it in the future.

What I’ve been up to…

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted on here. Not for lack of content, but just haven’t made the time to these last few weeks. I need to keep on this. Also, I need to update my portfolio. Anyhow, here’s some of the projects I’ve been working on since I’ve last posted.

LibraryYOU/ Escondido Library Project

I was contracted a couple months ago to design a logo, business card and promotional posters for an Escondido Library project called “LibraryYOU.” It’s a program to invite the local community in to educate each other and share knowledge, using internet tools like YouTube. I tried to keep the logo fairly simple, but incorporate some of the feelings and elements they were asking for. I’m still working on the poster designs, but below is the card.

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Vampire Chick

I wanted to get this done tonight, so tomorrow I could focus on other projects. I think I’m going to take a break from vectoring for my microstock accounts. I’m hoping my brother will step in and help me out there and vector some of the sketches I’ve come up with. Instead I need to focus more on finding a job and building a better portfolio. I definitely need more print work. I have some ideas for a few projects I could work on to help me out in that area. Again, something I keep hearing from the studios I’ve been visiting is that I’m not pushing myself enough. I also need to start putting together another portfolio book, but with out a printer, and very little funds, I’m not sure how I’m going to physically put it together. I guess I’ll have to figure it out.

Blackout Sketch

There was a lot I wanted to do last night, but couldn’t because of the blackout. I tried to draw some characters that I could vector up for my microstock accounts, but then I started drawing this. It’s from an image I had printed out awhile ago that had been lingering on my desk. I’ve been wanting to do something based on the Bride of Frankenstein for a while now, but I’m not sure what. I’m still not sure. Anyhow, I learned a couple things from this: 1. drawing by candle light sucks, and 2. I don’t sketch enough.

Some of the things I was hoping to get done last night was to go over my portfolio and see about putting together a nicer book. Also, the site here needs some reorganizing. The last three days I’ve had the opportunity to meet with the creative directors of a few design studios. Though they all differ in what I should or shouldn’t put in my portfolio, I seem to hear the same thing from them: I’m not pushing myself hard enough, and I need to make a better presentation of the work I have and the work I want to do. So, I’ve got to make some changes to my portfolio, clean it up, and come up with some pieces that really push me… but I still need to find a job. Need to pay the rent so I have a roof over my head while I work on all this. Hopefully something will turn up soon.

Yellow Haired Girl

I actually submitted this a couple days ago, but so far it’s only been accept to Shutterstock.com; it’s still pending on my iStockphoto and Vectorstock accounts. I guess I’m more interested in doing more pin-up like work at the moment. Still, I’d like to keep focusing on simple character illustrations and see how that works out for me. I need to take some time tonight and do some more sketches.

The Edgar Allan Poe Cut-Out Paper Mask

I finished another Atomic Moo project tonight. The paper-masks were an idea for a free downloadable promotional item for visitors to have, and hopefully get them to keep coming back. So far this is the second one of these masks I’ve created (the first being the H.P. Lovecraft mask).

Honestly, I wish I could do more of these. This is the kind of project I like working on and look forward to. I really wish that someday I’ll find away to make an income from Atomic Moo so I could have the time to do more of these, and other projects I have in mind. Lately though all my time is going into trying to find a job, or into the microstock illustrations (since that’s about all the money I have coming in right now). I was trying to freelance for awhile there (and still am to a degree), which I was hoping would help support me, but still give me time for Atomic Moo. Though, after a couple bad experiences from some Craigslist clients, I’ve backed off quite a bit (and developed a small fear of that site). I’m hoping within this month to find a new job (or rather I have to since I’m down to a months worth of savings), and take off some of the pressure of finances so I can focus more on Atomic Moo and projects like this.

Purple Girl

Another upload for my micro stock accounts. Again, I’m trying to keep it down to simple character illustrations, though this one did take me some time to figure out. I’m hoping the more I do of these the quicker I’ll become. Maybe find my niche.

I’ve also started uploading to Vectorstock.com. So far I’ve only had one thing accepted there (which I’m thinking about taking down…) and eleven pending. We’ll see how that works out for me.

Little Grim Reaper Illustration

Another illustration I created for microstock. This time a young Grim Reaper. I know the Holidays are coming and I should be vectoring more Christmas stuff, but I’ve always been more a Halloween kid than a Christmas kid. Hey, at least I’m drawing again…

Professional Pig Vector

I need to get back in the habit of posting on here. It seems like it’s been awhile since I’ve done it. It’s not that I haven’t had anything to post, I just haven’t had much time.

I’m still trying to make something from doing vector work for microstock. Until I find a job, or get back into doing more freelance work, it’s about all I have that’s earning me anything… and even then it’s not all that much. Especially since I went non-exclusive from iStockphoto. Right now I’m submitting to two sites (iStockphoto.com and Shutterstock.com), and hopefully soon, I’ll get my work on to others.

This image up here is something new that I’m trying. I’m getting really sick of the “trace-over” stuff, and I want to get back into doing more original illustrations. The problem is, for the amount you get back doing microstock, I can’t justify spending a lot of time on a single illustration. So I thought I would try doing single character illustrations for awhile and see how that goes. I sketched a few up today, and vectored this pig one tonight. I wasn’t really keeping track of the time on this, but including the time to draw and sketch it, I figure I spent at least four hours on this. I need to get quicker.

New iStock Upload

I just had another vector upload approved on iStock. This time I took and image of a hibiscus flower, and tried to do a clean trace over on it. Check out the rest of my iStock portfolio here.