A local shopkeeper of a mini mart on Nimitz Highway asked me to design a logo and paint it on her shop’s window.
So I drew a cartoon of a ‘Haole’ guy carrying a 6-pack and a sack of chips on 2 sheets of paper, with pencil and a Sharpie marker.
I taped the cartoon sketch to the inside of her window and painted it on the outside.
According to Google the Nimitz Mart is still there, so I called them to ask if they still had my logo painted on the window, but alas, it is no longer there.
Alas, it is gone.
But I still have the 2 sheets with the original cartoon.
I liked this guy. This was a fun project.
So, if you ever happen to be on that little stretch of Nimitz, between the Airport and old downtown Honolulu, let them know there is a logo that is still available for restoration….
I’d share it again for a beer or a package of sweet & sour Mango rind.
You’ve already heard me say how much I love Paint.Net, so there’s nothing new about that. Paint.Net just IS the greatest thing to come along in the last few years, through the hard work of developers Rick Brewster and Tom Jackson.
Just one thing though — while you can do anything you could ever want to with Paint.Net, there is ONE single feature yet missing — Brushes. Go to the Paint.Net Users Forum and you’ll see post after post, asking: “when will there be brushes?” etc.
Well just relax, everyone. Here’s the solution: ArtRage 2.5.
I needed a really good airbrush for a recent client’s job and tried out ArtRage. AWESOME! Not ONLY does ArtRage have ANY type of brush or paint effect you could ever hope for, it costs only $25, and (here’s the great part) you can use it in tandem with Paint.Net. Piece of cake.
ArtRage allows you to create multi-layered files just like Paint.Net and save them as individual files. So you do whatever you like in Paint.Net and any time you desire a brush effect, save the layer as a .PNG image
and open that image in ArtRage.
When you have the effect you like, Save the ArtRage Layer as a .PNG image.
Pick the saved layer(s) back up with Paint.Net and finish the job.
Bottom line ? Photoshop costs about $400.00. Paint.Net is free. Add ArtRage 2.5 for another $25.00 and you just saved yourself $375.00.
As a working artist I make it a point every day to study and learn something new. Now, I’m certainly not a “Geek” by any means, but I’ve been working at expanding my understanding of all of the ways I can use the internet in my work.
A few days ago I ran across several postings on Twitter announcing “Google Wave will be a tsunami” and “Google Wave will transform the way you do business” etc, so I checked it out.
After watching this presentation in bits and pieces over the last few days I have to say I believe this is going to be true. So you should make time to see this presentation yourself.
Now a lot of you at first are just going to think: “Oh, crap, that’s all we need, another Social Application to use up more of my time!” Okay, Me too, at first. But give it a couple of days to kind of sink in and then start to consider what you’ve seen here as you’re using your email, Facebook, Twitter and other tools you use in your work and communications.
With a little bit of imagination it will begin to shift your viewpoint about HOW (and why) you use different applications. You’ll start noticing a glimmer of the relationships between them and get the flavor of things to come. This one is going to be exciting. It is going to be big.
How big ? Not much, at first.
At first it’s just going to go around the arcane, inner circles of the Uber-Geek, where it already happens to be. (So if you know how to code and have an idea for a way to use it you can already sign up for an account and begin to create applications for it.)
When it finally comes into open release you will begin to see it mentioned in widening media circles – on Google accounts and Technology News feeds and blogs.
Then, after some time, Twitter will likely be the first to get a Wave application. Then Facebook. And Blogger, WordPress, Typepad.
As each of the various types of users begin to discover the growing ways to apply a “wave” and begin to think with an email that chats and collaborative albums that are social and documents that evolve, we’ll begin to see a radical shift.
Not overnight. But start to think with it. They have done something here that Microsoft will not – They’ve released it as “open-source” – Anyone with an idea may contribute a new application using Wave as its interface. You can use it on your desktop – not just online. Takes a while to grab you, but grab you it will.
Google was quite apt to choose “Wave” as the name for this application. Shakespeare gave us the phrase: “sea-change” — “Full fathom five…Nothing of him that doth fade But doth suffer a sea-change Into something rich and strange.
Well it’s another day in the studio and I’m sitting here at my digital tablet, pen in hand, and smiling like a fool.
I’m just plain happy, every day. But an entire day in the studio is just fabulous. I don’t about you, but I’m just not ever going to run out of ideas for work. So every day in the studio is another happy day.
When I get up in the morning, my studio is the first stop after the espresso machine.
My latest projects have been to pilot the use of Paint.Net and ArtRage 2.5 in tandem. Both allow painting in layers and saving those layers individually for further editing or new versions. It’s thrilling to have the use of ArtRage’s beautiful airbrush together with Paint.Net’s speed and technical effects (way too many to mention). I often go to the Paint.Net user forum and find that seemingly 90% of the questions from users or new feature requests involve brushes, so I’ll just say it again ! If you’re a Paint.Net user, go ahead and spend the 25 bucks for the pro version of ArtRage and use them together. If you’re not sure you can test the free version first You’ll miss out on the coolest features – the airbrush, and the ability to save your work in separate layers – but you’ll get a good idea.
Having those working smoothly, I recently discovered a new print-on-demand publishing platform named Blurb, that’s inspired me to dig a past illustration project out of the archives and create a new series ! So I’ll keep you posted as that progresses.
So, I’m darned happy.
Now all I need is a bigger studio and a lot more time in it !
Drawing Day 2009 is currently scheduled for June 6, 2009. Drawing Day in 2008 was June 07. Unless otherwise noted, Drawing Day will be the first Saturday of June each year.
Check out the results from our 2008 event
What is Drawing Day?
One day a year, the world stops to remember that joy we had when we first picked up a pencil and created our first piece of art – that’s what Drawing Day is all about. The goal for Drawing Day is simple – to create enough drawings to make some noise worldwide for the sake of art. 2008 was the first year of this initiative. Our goal is definitely a long-shot, but we continue to aim for 1 million drawings worldwide. We have no precise measure to know if we reach this goal. If we come close we will all definitely know. Even if we reach 10% of our goal in the first year of this initiative, it will be a great achievement but we will continue aiming for the magic million.
Why is Drawing Day important?
Illustrators and artists alike often go unappreciated. The creation of art and illustration captured our minds ever since we were children and our parents turned the pages of our first book. These stories came to life via the illustrations that took us to an imaginary world full of inspiration.
Whether you’re a professional illustrator or you just enjoy the occasional scribble, you can give back to the illustration community by drawing on this day. By injecting more and more illustration and art into our community, we are not only showing our appreciation to our fellow artists, but we are spreading awareness of the joy of drawing. It is important that you contribute – Drawing Day will only be a success if we all participate and make some noise. So, please tell your friends and spread the word.
How do I participate?
To join in on this event is simple – as simple as picking up a pencil and drawing. However, the most important part is sharing your art with the world.
