The State of WFL: Fine Art, Films and the French (but not French art films)

This week has finally concluded, and I couldn't be more happy.  There was a lot of work to be done at the newspaper.  We cranked out 2 special publications, a couple special pages (Doctor's Day), and our regularly scheduled paper(s) with great voracity.

One publication was our yearly Fine Arts journal, where we cover area fine arts events in schools.  I designed the cover for it; went with a classic style mixed with my common form of photo manipulation.  You can check it out on DeviantArt here.

We also cranked out a special tabloid for the B & B theater that just opened up downtown here in Hannibal, Missouri.  I've got the cover and a couple pages in the art section of my site; just scroll down to the bottom.  This one I produced almost entirely myself; content was provided for us by B & B, and most of the ads were designed by our other artist.  It took me 4 and a half hours to produce the entire thing (we were a bit crunched).  I'll be doing a writeup on the start to finish process for those interested, and will also cover typography and layout choices.

Finally, I designed the first rough of my Fleur-De-Lis, which will be used as a subtle branding in some works, as well as be part of my tattoo.

Enjoy.

The State of WFL: Tats & Flats

Going to attempt to keep this one short.

Current professional design activities: Designing a logo for an HCP sports Facebook fanpage (The Hannibal Courier-Post is my day job, kids).  Working more on the design for the author in Connecticut; currently trying to conceptualize the first rough of the layout.  I really want to make it shine for her.

Current non-professional design activities: Working on a full-back tattoo that I'd like to get done.  I don't have the funds for it now, or any time soon, but should a miracle happen, I want it to be ready.  Doing script writing for Relax.

Music activities: I've been granted a muse for some great blues and alt rock guitar stuff.  I had a date this past weekend, which went very well.  Art has never tasted so good.  I'm also going to finish up another track for the industrial album (When I Became Aware); I need to write vocals, and will also be doing a remix of it.  Once finished, I'll be releasing it as a single exclusively on Amazon mp3 & Shockhound.  Going to give Shockhound a go; I think the distribution medium would be appropriate for Social Engine releases.

Because-i'm-a-narccisist-who-likes-t0-talk-about-himself activities: I dropped some change on a new ringtone for my phone (my girlfriend can claim Jimi Hendrix's "Red House" as her ringtone, now).  I browsed through Virgin Mobile's offerings (yes, I'm a cheap paygoist whore), and selected Muse's "Knights of Cydonia", one of my favorite Muse songs.  My ringtone on her phone is Supermassive Black Hole (another great Muse track), apparently, which I found amusing.  Texting me?  The intro to The White Stripes' "Conquest" is professed quite dramatically.

(thanks for listening, chillun')

State of WFL: Rants, Robes and Rock Music

I'm on my second day off from work at the newspaper, and am enjoying the freedom to be productive in other avenues.

Right now, I'm sitting at the coffee shop of some rapport in my life; Java Jive, located in my town of residence.  Hannibal, Missouri does have a nice coffee shop, I swear.  I come here to do most of my indie work (unless it involves me or someone else getting naked, of course).  Still, that is of no matter, right now..

..except for the fool who finds it to be a perfectly acceptable practice to hook up speakers to his laptop and share poor quality metal music with the rest of us while the coffee shop already has it's own - and more befitting - auditory supplements for our enjoyment.

Aah, the tasteless masses.  I digress, however.

The image displayed prominently above is from a wallpaper based on a new t-shirt design.  If you are curious about the t-shirt design, hit up the art section of my site and check under "Digital Art".  If you want to download the wallpaper, it is currently available in 1440x900 resolution here and at DeviantArt.

I'm looking at finding a better method for printing my wardrobe designs.  Right now, my current plan is to begin submitting stuff to Threadless, but I'd like to print on other kinds of shirts.  I myself enjoy thin, soft, fitted cuts, and feel like my designs would be adequately displayed on such.  Problem is, it's hard to find such products available with on-demand printing, let alone in colors I want (such as charcoal gray).  Plus, I would like to have the option of full garment printing - I don't want to be limited to a 11"x14" area on the front and back.

Ideally, I would like to print in small numbers - 20 to 50 - and sell them locally as well as through online auctions, as fine art, with some memento commemorating the purchase of such a delightful piece of attire.

One of my ex bass students just skated past on a skateboard.

I'm considering doing a series of pieces designed for printing on skateboard decks, through Zazzle.  If you are interested, chime in; let me know what artwork you'd like to see, of my existing stuff, or if you'd be interested in seeing something new.

I'm listening to a lot of two very specific bands, lately; one, JJ Grey & Mofro, whom I was introduced to by a woman whom I will be afforded a degree of intimacy next weekend (yes, a date; I do those on occasion, when I'm not so caught up trying to garner your attention).  Absolutely delightful soul/blues/funk with classic rock sounds.  I really enjoy the vocal style, as well as the balance of ballads and up-tempo tracks.  As of writing this, you can grab one track from Orange Blossoms for free from Amazon; I suggest you do so.

I also recently have become re-obsessed with Einsturzende Neubauten, the industrial band whom I attribute for inspiring a lot of my percussion and instrumentation styles, as well as general ambience.  I purchased The Jewels, which is great album.  Plenty of creative sounds and expositions of the dreams of Blixa, the frontman for the angry Germans who bang on things.

That's all I've got for you this week.  Keep an eye on the site, and on DeviantArt.  Also, don't forget to become a fan on Facebook; I'll occasionally post exclusives there.

Yes, I redesigned. No, I don't feel like talking about it right now.

I've decided that, once every week or two, I should post something random.  I may talk about what I'm working on, share a humorous anecdote, or rant on some recent event (major or minor).

With the redesign finally done, I've felt as if I'm lacking in work.  I'm most certainly not, of course; I've got scripts to write for Relax, a pinup calendar to plan, a few new pieces in the works, and a web design for an author in Connecticut; that's just my visual works.  The blues album, as well as the industrial album, are also in need of my attention.

I really need to redesign The Classic Sounds of My Life (and come up with a better name).  I've let the site stagnate, and it shows.

For those of you who know me, you know I've been open to the idea of nude modelling for a while now.  Well, when I sat down to conceive this design, I decided that it was time to put up, or shut up; rather than use a male model (I do have a couple in my contacts list who have expressed an interest), I would actually make use of myself in the grand symbolism of this website.

Granted, it's only partial nudity - no naughty bits are exposed - but it's my first step, and I felt that my junk hanging out would detract from the piece itself.  For those of you interested, I have a desktop wallpaper that you can check out:

You know what?  I like Pandora Radio, but it reminds me way too much of regular radio.  Why? Constantly playing the same songs every time I pull it up.  Of course, it also ends up deviating WILDLY from what I actually want the station to play.

Alright, that's enough for now.