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Where Children Sleep

James Mollison has created an enchanting series of photographs about where children sleep. With a simple premise, taking photos of children and their sleeping areas (not necessarily bedrooms, tragically), Mollison has provided a global glimpse at our cultural differences and the real disparity between the haves and have-nots. I wish I had heard about this book in time to have ordered a copy before it sold out, for it is at once touching, heartbreaking, provocative, and precious:Look how seven-year-old Nepalese Indira already has the hardened stare of a manual laborer; Kentuckian Alyssa wears the dirt and expression of desperation beyond...

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Smell of Art

Yesterday, we decided to head to Culver City for a day of art gallery-hopping, something we haven't done in a while. (First, we stopped at the Counter for a burger--which was really good--since we both were starving and craving meat... a side effect of eating mostly vegetables of late.)Once we got to our favorite stretch, we realized the district was totally dead. A couple of galleries were still installing their shows for their next openings, but otherwise, not one was open! (On the other hand, if we had been in housewares-shopping mode, the nearby furniture district was totally swamped.) What...

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I recently took a class at Writing Pad, which offers seminars and courses for all kinds of writing in a hip pad with gourmet treats. The owner, Marilyn, generously offers free writing prompts at her blog, which is a goldmine for writers who want to practice, practice, practice but don't always know where to start or hit a spot of writer's block.Here are a few additional online resources for idea inspiration: Brian Stokes' Random Logline Generator: Press a button to get a quick story synopsis with characters and plot.  Wikipedia:Random: Follow the link in the left column of Wikpedia to...

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Is Good Design Good Business?

Sometimes it's hard to convince a decision-maker that design is a good investment. For some, "adequate" is enough. This weekend, while in Las Vegas, I saw a couple of examples that may illustrate the difference good design makes on a product's perceived value. We started our evening at a smaller casino with mediocre design... from interior decorating to the restaurant logos, this place could definitely be described as adequate. The main lobby was akin to a Midwest hotel lounge, and the chairs were sturdy but not particularly attractive. There was no music.Later, we found ourselves hanging out in the brand-new...

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Opening the Scope of Influences

It's easy to get lost online. You can look up nearly anything and find tons of inspiration to get things done. For creative types, I think the Internet is a blessing and a curse. Sure, you can instantly find (debatable) answers for any questions, and you can look up reference material for any subject. But like most media, the 'net is susceptible to trends and collective hysteria. Search engines, site loyalty/familiarity, marketing tactics, and relevance based on everyone's syndication of their thoughts... all of these encourage users to trod the well-worn path and hinder aimless surfing--probably the best way to...

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50/50: Words & Images for Didi Menendez

From Matthew Hittinger's blog: Grace Cavalieri and April Carter Grant have edited a wonderful anthology from writers and artists who have been published by Didi Menéndez in MiPOesias magazine, OCHO, Poets and Artists (O&S), or individual books. Each piece is about or dedicated to Didi in celebration of her long-standing commitment to advancing print and web standards for independent publishing of poetry and art.Here is the full list of contributors: Barbra Nightingale, Diego Quiros, Suzanne Frischkorn, Ivy Alvarez, Ron Androla, Nick Piombino, Holly Picano, Michael Parker, Meghan Punschke, Amy King, John Korn, Grady Harp, Jose Parra, David Lehman, Matthew Hittinger...

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In the Works...

What a weekend! I just got back from a short trip to Chicago, which was well worth the effort to get there. It was a whirlwind excursion, but I was immersed in lots of great art (and art-scene characters) and simultaneously got to catch up with my friend, Didi Menendez, who I hadn't seen in around five years. Didi publishes Poets & Artists, and she was invited by Howard Tullman to view his renowned contemporary art collection. (Didi and Howard both are great supporters of the arts.) I'm grateful that she asked me to accompany her: I served as staff...

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Study of Poet and Artist at Work

My friend Didi publishes--among other things--a magazine called Poets & Artists, which features (you guessed it) poetry and artwork. Articles that profile artists and their works are sandwiched between poetry submissions. Didi is part poet and part artist, so she is the perfect person to publish this kind of thing.For her latest project, Didi is taking the pairing of poets and artists one step further by having them collaborate on a project. I've been included as an artist and am teamed up with Denise Duhamel, who already has sent me a luscious little poem to get my art brain a-workin...

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Seen on the 101...

...2010 Honda RidgeLine overloaded with about 30 cases of Tapatio hot sauce. This quick illo doesn't really show off how much the back was weighed down (because of the angle). Next time, I'll try to get a photo. This is what I meant to post yesterday.

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Worth a Watch: Pixar Short Films

Instead of holing up in the office tonight, I'm comfortably working on the laptop on my sofa with the Pixar Short Films Collection - Volume 1 providing background entertainment. If you're interested in animation or digital illustration or painting, check it out. The first short of the collection, The Adventures of Andre & Wally B, is from 1984, when most of us didn't even have in-home computers, and despite its obvious rough edges (as compared to today's full-length wonders), it's pretty good. Luxo Jr. is the Pixar promo we all know--the one where big lamp, little lamp, and ball mess...

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5 Custom Lettering Sites to Drool Over...

As you may have guessed from recent posts and new additions to my portfolio, I currently am really focused on custom lettering (in my free time). Following are links to some of my favorite lettering design artists, who should provide plenty of inspiration to kick-start your creative ideas.Jill Bell: I think of Jill as one of my heroes, the first lettering designer to make me think, Wow, you can make a living from doing this? Cool. I wanna be like her! Her most prominent work is natural-looking script, and she has an enviable client list. I guarantee you've seen lots...

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A Year of Custom Letters

Lettercult has started an "Alphabattle" that will last a whole year. Participants create custom versions of each character of the alphabet, with the submissions being released every two weeks. The only rule is that the work should be made from scratch (and not with a font base). There have been some cool entries, and I'm looking at it as an exercise to practice character construction, proportions, etc. We're three characters in. Check out my custom A and custom B and custom C.

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This weekend, I am in Las Vegas for some family stuff. For once, our visit has coincided with the city's First Fridays gallery night, during which a normally super-sketch neighborhood becomes a welcoming stretch with open doors for art patrons. We decided to check it out while we had the chance, since our impromptu gallery visits here have always resulted in a disappointed "Oh, they're closed. Again. Or still. Or for good." The first stop was an old, two-story factory building that has been converted into a maze of mini-galleries. There must be close to 50 vendors in this building...

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Custom Lettering Inspiration

LetterCult.com, a site dedicated to "highlighting artists and designers doing remarkable work with Custom Letters," includes me on their Letter Makers list. Cool-wee. "It's nice just to be nominated," but seeing the variety of high-quality competition serves as fuel to innovate. (For instance, I could stand to broaden my hand lettering work with more modern, rustic, and purposely rudimentary styles. I also should improve precision to compare with some of those surely mad calligraphers!) Working on new hand-lettering samples will be a project for me in the coming weeks, and I'll post some pieces that pass muster, as well as...

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A Few Updates to the Site...

I made a few updates today to the Logos; Characters; Spots; and Books & Magazines sections.'Tis about time!

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So, for probably about a year, I've been seeing people using post images they created with the "Mad Men Yourself" feature at AE.com. Since its inception, the avatar generator has been improved with added features, and some of the most recent images I've seen include new backgrounds and larger sizes. I thought I'd check it out--and I'm not even a Mad Men-watcher. I've never even seen the show, but I have heard from many people that it's a great one.A+E has made a good decision in developing this lightweight app, because it's fun and allows people to easily make something...

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Have a Question about Design? Call for Submissions

I am about to spruce up my blog with some video segments I've been working on for awhile. So far, I have some that provide tips for working with a creative supplier... and some that discuss what drives designers crazy--in an effort to make communications between clients and service providers smoother (and not as a blowing-steam therapy session, I swear!). If you have any questions about working with a freelancer, design firm, or in-house team, let me know. (Or, if you're a fellow designer, illustrator, or web developer, send your questions too!) Maybe you're wondering: - How a project works...

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The "What Not to Wear" Method

On TLC's What Not to Wear, the hosts show chronic sweatpants-wearers how bad their wardrobes are by making them parade in front of full-view mirrors (while slinging insult after insult, of course), then try on ensembles that flatter their bodies and styles. This before-and-after approach allows people to see for themselves what crap they've become accustomed to and how it compares to good stuff. By now, Etsy.com is a big player in web marketplaces. DIYers can make crafts, clothing, candy, arts, anything--as long as it's handmade or hand-finished--and sell them to others through the site. Opening such a community to...

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Some movies are visually memorable because the director uses a limited palette (or applies a filter to mute colors). Here are three favorites: Swept Away: Yes, everyone knows what a crapfest this movie was, but no one can confidently deny the beauty of the cinematography. And when it comes to the palette... Look! Even when they were in a lifeboat drifting toward a vacant island, the male star happened to be wearing some navy blue. Palette: tan, brown, gold, cream, navy blue, blackSky Captain & the World of Tomorrow: This was a so-so movie, but the overall look was remarkable...

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Me on LetterCult...

Someone added me to featured "Letter Makers" on LetterCult.com, a site devoted to custom-lettering. Nice!

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Home Sweet Home

So, we are finally in our new place. There's a lot to do before it feels homey, but we've slept here five nights and feel like it's our place... Yesterday we bought a big-ass sofa, the Lancaster from Restoration Hardware. We've been wanting it for a couple of years, and the kicker is that we negotiated the price down and got a couple thousand off the regular price! Cash is king. The bad part is that we have to wait six weeks to have it made. We have no internet right now, so I am not able to keep up...

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So Excited...

Last weekend, we bought a couple of paintings by Chase Osborne and a third by Mike Bilz (who looks like he could be my brother, by the way... definitely has some Viking blood). I think we get to pick them up today. There's not much space on our walls, but I'm sure we'll manage.

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In the Works...

...so much! I will give updates soon. I was sick on Friday and spent the whole day in bed or on the sofa. Yesterday we ran around a lot -- meeting with friends to discuss plans about a top-secret project, flying to Dan's art opening downtown (he sold 13 pieces last night!), and attending a closing party for a show he was part of in Costa Mesa. Today is all about catching up on work and relaxing in pjs. Back to work...

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Netflix Recommendation

If you like documentaries (or just enjoy movies and are interested in the business-side of movie-making), I recommend This Film is Not Yet Rated, which provides an inside look at the very small, very powerful (and very secretive) MPAA ratings board. It's a great documentary that's friendly enough for newbies to the genre yet solid enough to satisfy doc-heads like me. On the other hand, skip Zoo, a documentary about the Seattle man who died after being (purposely) sodomized by a stallion (trained by a bestiality ring). What could've been a fascinating-yet-disgusting look at social freaks who believe in inter-species...

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Tonight Was Caaarrrraaazy

So, tonight was the first Thursday of the month, another Downtown Art Walk... so instead of the usual Thursday-night activity (um, non-activity), we were at The Hive manning Dan's studio. As previously mentioned, I don't care for Valentine's Day, so that wasn't a big deal, but I am on the brink of sickness, very tired, and very behind on work.Things started slowly, but it really got busy, and since the curator was busy running around to help clients, I lent a hand in the store. I reached way back in my subconscious and pulled out my retail experience -- and...

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Yeah, I'm the Crazy One

The other night, Dan and I had plans to go down to his gallery for an event after I got off work. The artist who shares his space, Macsorro, asked us to pick him up on our way; he said he'd wait at an intersection near our house. I thought I'd save a few minutes by picking up Macsorro* if he was waiting at the designated spot when I passed it on my way home to get Dan. I had only met him once and couldn't remember what he looked like, but Dan gave me a brief description on the...

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I Paint Objects as I Think Them

"I paint objects as I think them, not as I see them." -Pablo Picasso So says Didi Menendez's art blog. In addition to being a prolific publisher, my friend Didi is a prolific painter who uses an unusual palette and a dash of cocked perspective to create her striking acrylic and oil works. Her current occupation is with poets, and she started a blog to showcase the growing series she began in November 2007. Even though I'm not a real poet, Didi chose to paint me. (Thank you for the compliment!) The small preview of the oil portrait (check out...

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Downtown LA Art Walk

Each second Thursday of the month, downtown LA crawls with hipsters and collectors looking to get drunk on plastic cups of red wine... and hot new art. The monthly Downtown Art Walk is sponsored by LA, and the City and included galleries make it easy for people easily rattled by the gritty downtown scene: Free shuttle service circles a loop lined with about 30 galleries, and most are open for extended hours for the after-work crowd. The City also provides a map to aid in self-guided tours. On Art Walk nights, I'm usually at The Hive Gallery, where Dan is...

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