Waking Illustration

New Work for Miller's

2010-06-03T17:30:00.001-05:00

Here are links to some recent work that I've done for Miller's Professional Imaging.

Miller's has recently added stickers to their line of products for their customers. I illustrated/designed some press sample sticker's to show the various uses of them. The multi-colored button and black and white damask designs are the ones I came up with here.

They are also getting ready to launch a Album & Book ordering application that will include an assortment of contemporary backgrounds and masks made by yours truly. Check out the sneak peek at what you can expect when it's launched.

Sketchbook Revisited—Baby Max

2010-05-13T20:37:00.000-05:00

I'm starting a new series in which I'll scan in old sketchbook pages I've done. I didn't realize how many sketchbooks I had until I moved some boxes from in front of one of my bookshelves to reveal an entire row of old sketchbooks. When I went browsing through some of them it was cool to look back at everything I've done and forgotten about. Also shows how I've progressed. Also, because I'm such a pack-rat, I still have stuff from grade school. This sketch is from September 14, 2002. When I was in my first drawing class in college. We were required to sketch a certain amount of time a week and had to time everything we sketched. This is of my nephew when he was a wee babe — just a quick sketch that took five minutes. I apparently wasn't interested in drawing his face in. I've noticed this as a trend in my drawings. I've never really liked drawing faces.

Crafting an MBA Book Club Post

2010-05-12T22:20:00.000-05:00

Here's my recent post to the Crafting an MBA book club blog, discussing chapter one of Business and the Buddha by Lloyd Field.

http://cmbabookclub.wordpress.com/2010/05/13/access-birthrights/

Damask Guitar Decal

2010-05-11T21:06:00.000-05:00

For my sister-in-law's boyfriend's birthday (that was a mouthful) he asked if I could do some type of artwork for his guitar. I decided to do a big damask illustration that he could place anywhere on it. I printed this on special inkjet decal paper so it can be taken off and on. It could look cool going off the edge.

Happy Birthday Mark! Hope you like it. This should be coming your way soon in the mail.

Ubridled Books Fall 2010 Catalog

2010-05-07T17:30:00.001-05:00

I recently finished up designing the bi-annual catalog for Unbridled Books. Unbridled Books is an "indie premier book publisher of works of rich literary quality that appeal to a broad audience." Here are some choice spreads from it:

Stranger Here Below by Joyce Hinnefeld

Safe from the Sea by Peter Geye

Check out the cover! I love this! The cover art is by Brian Dettmer, Brave New World, 2008, Altered Books, 5-3/4" x 11" x 8"
Image courtesy of the Artist and Toomey Tourell Fine Art

It wraps around the back. I think this is so beautiful.

Eggplant Tree

2010-05-06T22:30:00.000-05:00

I created this for Art House's "the things i dream about project," in which we were asked to "create an original piece of artwork no bigger then 4x6 inches using your dreams as inspiration."

For those who aren't familiar with Art House, they create "art projects that tie thousands of artists together – and anyone can participate."

This was so fun because I actually have dreams now! You're probably thinking "Cody, everybody has dreams!" Well, I could never remember my dreams and for the past year I've been able to remember them and boy are they weird. The inspiration for this piece came from a dream I had in which I was in my backyard and there was an eggplant tree growing out of my deck and yellow bell peppers growing on vines up my chain link fence. There were various vegetables growing wildly throughout the yard and I was thinking to myself that I needed to quickly pick all the vegetables because it seemed like, no I knew, that they were all going to be rotten the next day if I didn't pick them right then and there.

Check out my Art House profile!

Illustration Friday: Cocoon

2010-05-05T21:20:00.000-05:00

Entry for Illustration Friday's theme "Cocoon."

May Columbia Woman Recipe Illustrations

2010-05-04T17:30:00.039-05:00

The May issue of Columbia Woman magazine is out. I thought I would highlight some illustrations I did for the recipe article and go through the process I used for creating them as well.

Before I do anything when trying to decide what to design or illustrate, I read through the article. I think this is essential to anything you work on. How can you know how to effectively communicate visually without reading through the material?

This was pretty straightforward in that it was a listing of recipes with a tea party theme. I had been doing a lot of doily type frames for a project at Miller's and thought doing a doily title page for these recipes would be perfect, especially since I was in a doily frame of mind!

Here's the sketch I drew for the doily title page backdrop.

After I draw a sketch I always trace over it with a good quality, black marker. I used to just scan in the sketch but I found that I would spend more time cleaning it up in Photoshop than if I were to go over it again with a marker. Also I can decide what I wanted outlined and filled in instead of when it's in Photoshop. Here's the traced over sketch in marker.

After it's scanned in I'll mess with the colors and add textures. For the teapot, I placed it in Illustrator and used live trace to give it a smooth outline. I used the outline to offset the solid textured teapot that I made.

I started off with a teapot and teacup at first but while laying out the article I decided to just go with the teapot and doily.

So here's the finished layout. The teapot I added to the other side of the page to tie in with the title page and to add interest to the recipe text.

Here's a close-up of the finished teapot.

So if you're interested in recipes for Shrimp Canapés, Cheese Wafers or Poppy Seed Bread with Lemon Curd check out the May issue at these locations.

Crafting an MBA Contributor

2010-05-03T17:30:00.005-05:00

I am very excited to announce that I have been invited to contribute to Crafting an MBA Book Club!

From the CMBA blog: The CMBA Book Club is a monthly group aimed at helping you read, digest, and discuss various business books and apply the concepts in them to your own business. Each month Megan Auman of CMBA selects a book and breaks the readings into a manageable timetable. Throughout the month, you’ll be able to discuss the book over at the CMBA Book Club blog.

For the month of May I'll be reading Business and the Buddha: Doing Well by Doing Good by Lloyd Field and providing thoughts I find interesting or that seem worthy of discussion as I read the book. I'll make sure everyone reading here is updated as well. Check out my introduction over at CMBA.

Hanukkah in April Series: Miller's 2009 Slimelines

2010-04-30T17:30:00.001-05:00

Last but not least, some Hanukkah (aka Chanukkah) slimlines.

Christmas in April Series: Miller's 2009 Slimelines, Part 3

2010-04-29T17:30:00.001-05:00

And introducing: part three of the Miller's slimlines!

Christmas in April Series: Miller's 2009 Slimelines, Part 2

2010-04-28T17:30:00.001-05:00

Here's part two of the 2009 Miller's slimlines.

Christmas in April Series: Miller's 2009 Slimelines, Part 1

2010-04-27T17:30:00.000-05:00

To finish off the Christmas in April series, I'm going to be posting the Miller's Professional Imaging slimlines that I did for 2009 in three parts. I'm currently working on the ones for 2010.

So if you're a professional photographer, and you have an account with Miller's, you can use these for your client's holiday photos.

Ahhhhhh ... Spring

2010-04-26T20:38:00.000-05:00

Spring is in the air, at least it seemed like it last week in Missouri. Right now, it's chilly and wet. So to bring some springtime cheer during this necessary spring shower, I thought I'd share some of the photos I took of the blooming that went amuck.

Old dried up bee balm that I need to trim. There's already plenty of new stuff coming in.

Apple blossom.

Lilac bush.

Sedum.

I hope the sun comes back soon.

Christmas in April Series: A Holiday Card Retrospective

2010-04-16T20:16:00.001-05:00

I always have so much fun coming up with our holiday cards that I send out every year to family and friends. So to continue my "Christmas in April" series, I thought it would be fun to take a look at the cards I have made in past years.

The first card I made was in 2007. I was having a really hard time trying to figure out what to make. I wanted it to be funny, witty and everything I came up with was just not. Then my big, fat tabby cat, Murphy (aka Murphy P. Kitty, Mr. Murphy Poofy Pants, and occasionally "Tubby Buddy") came to the rescue. I started noticing that he would plop himself down in the strangest places. First he would lay in our basket we keep on the back of the toilet. We pretty much used it for extra crap (no pun intended) that piled up in the bathroom. Well, fat tubby buddy decided he could squeeze himself into it. Another time I found him in our kitchen sink that was for once not crowded with dishes. Then the funniest place that he managed to cram himself into was my crock pot that was on top of our fridge. I don't even know how he even saw that it didn't have the top on. The last place he plopped himself in to was my fruit bowl on top of our kitchen table. After each of these incidents I captured the moment and the holiday card just seemed to make itself. The front reads "relax," and the inside says,"Don't let the holiday season stress you out." Mr. Murphy's actions said it all.

In 2008, I was really itching to do an illustrated card, especially since my last card was more of a design project. Seemed fitting to do an illustrated card, right?

I had fun with this one. I painted it with oil and overlayed it with pen and ink. Then I digitally manipulated the scanned layers on top of one another. I also played with the type to make the "fa la la la la" jingle come alive so it looked like it was being sung.

It was fun to play with the bird on the Christmas light telephone wire and the cat below. A play on the one time of year when animals get along...or so it seems.

I also took an illustrative approach to last year's card, but changed up the format — I decided to do a postcard instead of a traditional greeting card.

I played with texture a lot with this one — sort of a mixed media approach. I typed out the "Have a whale of a holiday" in Myriad Pro, printed it, then re-traced to give it a hand drawn look.

At first I wasn't sure if I liked this one as much as the others. It was the quickest to make, but it seemed to have a positive response. I can't recall how I came up with the saying. A lot of times when I'm trying to brainstorm ideas stuff like that just pops into my head.

So that's all the holiday cards I've made.

If you would like to be added to my mailing list for future holiday e-cards and occasional print promotions, e-mail me at codymoore@wakingillustration.com (include name, e-mail and snail mail address). I will not sell, distribute or lease your information to third parties (but I might send you something for free!).

Christmas in April Series: Anna and Max Charcoal Drawing

2010-04-15T18:49:00.000-05:00

My older sister, Anna, wanted a drawing of herself and her son, Max, on our wedding day (we had a double wedding - hence "our" wedding). Anna said that her favorite thing about the illustration is that it reminds her of a children's book illustration. It's funny how people interpret your work because I didn't even see it that way until she said it.

I wanted to use a medium that I hadn't used in a while, so decided to do the drawing in charcoal. I was a bit intimidated by it at first, but it didn't take too long to get back in the groove of things. I've always loved the texture created by charcoal.

Christmas in April Series: Taz and Schmitty Illustration

2010-04-07T20:51:00.001-05:00

Next up for the Christmas in April series is an illustration I did for my nephew, Max.

Taz is the Chihuahua and Schmitty is the cat.

I printed it out as a 5x7 and put it in an 8x10 frame with a black mat. I illustrated it in pencil — using a photo as reference — then digitally colored it in Photoshop.

Christmas in April Series: Moon Painting

2010-04-06T21:14:00.012-05:00

This week I'll be showcasing some of the Christmas presents I created for people in my family. I know it's a little late, but better late than never, right? First up is an oil painting for my mother-in-law, Mary.

I created this by applying strips of newspaper with gesso on the canvas to create a textured and layered effect, then I applied the oil on top. I didn't apply any oil on the moon because I wanted the newspaper to give the appearance of crevices and craters. I loaded my brush with turpentine to create the drips and built up the paint towards the corners. For the leaves of the trees I started out making a stamp of a leaf that I could apply to the canvas but the oil paint didn't want to transfer from the stamp to the canvas. Oh well. What I ended up doing was finding actual leaves from my backyard, painting on them and using the leaf as a stamp. Presto! It worked! I must have looked pretty funny looking for a leaf in my backyard that was alive enough in the middle of November to use.

As soon as I finish a painting that I started for my mom for her birthday, I'm going to start on another moon painting (I've done one other — for my sister-in-law — but it is currently residing with her in Virginia). I want to do a series of them and hopefully try to have a gallery show. Anyone know of someone who would be interested in showing paintings like this?

Waking Illustration Business Cards

2010-04-01T22:17:00.001-05:00

I recently had some business cards printed that I illustrated and designed.

I had them printed where I work at Miller's Professional Imaging on UV coated linen paper. I thought the linen paper gave it a fine art feel.

I created the images that were used on the business cards more six months ago. I don't even remember the reason for making them but I'm glad they came in handy. I tend to create images, set them aside, then come back to them and use them for an entirely different project. When projects like these come together, it makes me happy that I have pack-rat tendencies.

Columbia Woman Digital Issue

2010-03-31T18:33:00.000-05:00

For those of you who do not live in the Columbia, Missouri area or even if you do live in the area and haven't gotten a chance to pick up the premier issue, don't fret because the digital version is one click away!

http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/c855a62f

Sneek Peek: Columbia Woman

2010-03-30T19:30:00.009-05:00

For those of you who haven't seen the premier issue of Columbia Woman magazine, I thought I would give a sneek peek at an article that features some illustration work I did for it, in addition to the design. Above is an article written by Emily Kensington, a couples therapist who gives advice on learning how to listen to your partner to help create a strong relationship.

I remember working on this article when I was visiting my parents. When I was trying to think of imagery to work with this I was having some trouble. Luckily my whole family was there to use as a soundboard for ideas. It was my husband's suggestion (thanks Levi!) to create an illustration that referenced the old fashioned telephone that you make using cans. At first I dismissed the suggestion, but when I really thought about it I think it works conceptually to with the article, especially with the way it's designed with the headline text.

I have found that having family and friends around is great when I'm illustrating and designing because it gives me a chance to not only relax a little, but to also here different viewpoints or approaches that I might not otherwise have thought of. It also gives me a chance to take breaks and take a step back to reassess my work.

Here's a detail of the telephone.

To see a list of where to pick up a copy see my previous post.

Columbia Woman Magazine

2010-03-29T19:14:00.006-05:00

I know it's been a while since I've last posted, so I won't keep you in suspense any longer! *wink *wink There is a new publication in Columbia, Missouri called Columbia Woman magazine and I am the art director for it! It's a consumer magazine " ... celebrating the varied success women experience — as professionals, as mothers, as partners, as people," (quote is from editor Kate Smart Harrison). It was very fun to work on because of being able to create the look and feel of a magazine from the ground up, including the masthead. I also had a couple of illustrations in it! Above is the cover for the April issue.

It's a free monthly magazine so feel free to pick one up at any of these locations:

University Hospital, Truman VA Medical Center, University of Missouri Med., Columbia Orthopaedic Group, Miller Dental Associates, Columbia College, Maye Create, WIlson's Fitness, The Pasta Factory, Kelani Salon, The Marc Salon, Salon Nefisa, Boone Tavern, Clovers, Salon Genesis, Svens Cafe, Dryer's Shoes, The Coffee Zone, 9Th St. Deli, Pickelman's Downtown, Buchroeder's, Slackers, A La Campagne, Teller's, RagTag , The Clip Joint, Main Squeeze, Coley's, Addison's, Chong's Market, Top 10 Wines, Hair Care/Design by Dolores, The Underground Cafe, Vangel Marketing, Yoga Sol, The UPS Store, The Tan Co., Message Envy, Aesthetic Studio, Sir Speedy, Lordex - Spine Center, Sterling Dental Care, Bank of Missouri, Regions Bank, American Red Cross, University Physicians, Naught-Naught Insurance, Central Missouri Orthodontics, Accent Dental Center, Wilson's Beach & Tennis, Riversong Salon, Key Largo, Stewart Dental Lab, Callaway Bank, Boehmer Chiropractic , The Little Gym, Pro Dental, Columbia Vision Center, Weight Watchers, Cost Cutters, Florida Nails, Dunn Bros Coffee, The Clip Joint, Yoga 4 Everybody, Johnson Chiropratic/Health Center, MEOW/ MIZZOU Boutique, The Tan Co., Songbird Station, WIlliams & Hussey Eyecare, Edible Arrangements, Riversong Spa, Tan Rio, The Lillypad Laundry Co., The Upper Crust, Salon Envie, HyVee Gas, Lizzi and Rocco's Pet Market, Super-Cuts, TanFastic, Hallmark, Fantastic Sams, Body FX, Childern's Orchard, Studio E, Princess Nails, The Strand, Hoss's Market, Pacific Beach, America's Best Eye Care, Danny's Landscaping, Tans, Salon Rouge, Columbia Surgical, All About U, Jenny Craig, Bella Salon, Elegance Nails, Columbia Carwash, G&Ds Steakhouse, Lucky Nails, A+ Grooming, Peggy's Gifts, Cost Cutters, Gerbes, Schnucks, Hy-Vee

Lake Tree

2009-09-02T17:00:00.001-05:00

This tree hardly had any leaves on it. Which I think is weird considering it was the middle of August when I went camping. It looked so pretty with the lake behind it.

Giving Your Workflow Some Order

2009-08-27T17:54:00.003-05:00

I'm debuting my first guest blogger today. Her name is Rita Flórez and she is a freelance writer and copy editor based out of Columbia, Missouri. She will be providing weekly posts on freelancing advice and information. This week she included sample spreadsheets to download! Thanks Rita!

I became a full-time, professional freelance writer and editor when I got laid off from my job in January. Before that I dabbled, writing a handful of pitched stories whenever I could squeeze in time away from my job as a full-time reporter. I wanted to freelance so badly, but there wasn’t enough time in the day with full-time work and responsibilities at home, and then, as quickly as lightning strikes, I lost my job and cursed the opportunity before me. All of the sudden I was pretending that I hadn’t wanted the chance to freelance.

I’m not going to lie to you, friends: there was a lot of wallowing and Battlestar Galactica that was going on at the beginning of my new career as a freelancer. I felt like a liar, like one of those girls who moves to New York City to be on Broadway, but really ends up waiting tables after going to bad two auditions before giving up.

That’s what your career as a freelancer in any field of your choosing is likely to look like at the beginning: a series of failed auditions you go to while you work this other job to pay the bills. Eventually, something clicks, and you get the hang of pitching your ideas to editors and other potential clients. But you still get rejected a lot more than you get accepted.

That’s why record keeping is so important. I keep three spreadsheets: one to track ideas for stories I’m trying to turn into sailable pitches; another to track the pitches that are “out there;” and the third to track the status of projects that have been assigned and are in progress.

The Ideas Spreadsheet
This is a two-part process for me. I have a notebook and pen I carry around with me to record any ideas I have when I’m not near my computer. There have been so many times I’ve been running around and had a great idea for an article. But because I didn’t write it down when I had it, the idea evaporated as I went ahead with the rest of my day. Once I get home, I open my spreadsheet and log the date, a working headline that sums up the idea, an article description, what category the idea might fall under (health, human interest, technology, etc.), a list of potential publications for the idea, and a section for notes that might contain information on some background research. Click here for the sample idea spreadsheet.

Tracking Pitches
I have another spreadsheet devoted to tracking my pitches. I update it when a pitch has been rejected or accepted. This is important because you don’t want to pitch a client who has already told you she’s not interested twice with the same idea. If your idea gets rejected by a potential client, you want to be able to adapt it and move on to a different client for whom the pitch might work.

Keeping records of the progress a pitch is making is helpful for several reasons. First, as I mentioned earlier, you don’t want to re-pitch a potential client on an idea they’ve already passed on. Second, once you have a track record of pitching a certain potential client, you have a chart displaying the ideas they’ve gone for and the ones they haven’t. This information is helpful and figuring out what they do go for, making it more likely you’ll land a freelance job with them. Click here for the sample tracking pitches spreadsheet.

Project Status Spreadsheet
This spreadsheet for me is the most straightforward. Once I land a story with a magazine or newspaper, I input when the assignment was made, the name of the client, my deadline, payment information, whether services have been completed, contact info for my coordinator on the project, and a notes section detailing special instructions.

Staying on top of ideas, pitches and projects can be really tedious, but success comes from developing good habits and keeping track of where you are. I’ve included downloadable examples of the spreadsheets mentioned in this post. Click here for the sample project status spreadsheet.

Good hunting!

Rita Flórez is a freelance writer and copy editor, whose work has appeared in a variety of national and regional publications, such as GOOD, VenusZine.com and Rangefinder. Recently, she copy edited a science fiction novel for a California-based book publisher. Rita lives and works in Columbia, Mo.

Lars #32

2009-08-26T21:47:00.002-05:00

One closer to my goal of creating 50 illustrations for my Lars series. This is from when we went camping a couple of weeks ago. There's more Lars camping to come, so stay tuned!

I've Been Twittered!

2009-08-25T20:41:00.004-05:00

Yay! I was featured on today's KC Designers Who Blog series on the AIGA KC twitter feed (@aigakc). Thanks to Lorraine Reinsch of Lorraine Design for thinking of me!

I Wish People Wouldn't Lie

2009-08-25T20:31:00.004-05:00

Okay I know this is a little more graphic than usual, but I'm keepin' it real and not censoring myself. At least that's what my husband said to me before I posted this. I really wish people wouldn't lie because this is what liars look like.

Caution

2009-08-24T19:22:00.002-05:00

A bunny seems to be such a cautious creature — always on the alert. They are fast when a predator is after them! Submitted for Illustration Friday's theme, "caution."

Miller's Professional Imaging Slim-Lines

2009-08-21T22:19:00.002-05:00

I'm currently working for Miller's Professional Imaging as an illustrator/graphic designer. I just finished creating new holiday slim-line designs that should be available soon for photographers to offer their customers to use for their holiday cards. Check out the August newsletter.

Tree Stump

2009-08-20T16:52:00.003-05:00

I went camping this past weekend and saw this cool tree stump with mushrooms growing around it.

Wrapped

2009-08-19T17:48:00.004-05:00

Wrapped candy!!! It always seems like a person is either a chocolate person or a sugar person. Hands down, I'm a chocolate person, but hard candy seemed perfect for Illustration Friday's theme "wrapped." Comments welcome!

I Wish Flowers Could Talk

2009-08-13T20:48:00.005-05:00

Wouldn't it be great if flowers could talk? Imagine the stories they would tell. My guess is, if they are talking, it's only to children.

Impatience

2009-08-12T18:16:00.002-05:00

A lone flower can't wait to start its life. Done for Illustration Friday's theme "impatience." Comments welcome!

Maple Tree

2009-08-11T20:55:00.002-05:00

This is the view of the maple tree in my backyard when you are laying in the hammock.

I Wish Fairies Were Real

2009-08-06T20:58:00.005-05:00

I'm starting a new series called "I wish." Each week I'll post an illustration of something I wish for. This week I wish fairies were real.

Tulip Tree

2009-08-05T23:38:00.003-05:00

This is the tulip tree in my backyard. For a split second at the start of summer it blooms flowers. It's very pretty.

Modify

2009-08-04T21:47:00.003-05:00

I love how the sky is modified on the Fourth of July by fireworks. Submitted for Illustration Friday's theme "modify."

Massive Tree

2009-07-29T19:24:00.003-05:00

I'm starting a new weekly art exercise in which I'm going to draw trees. I think I have a lot of room for improvement when it comes to drawing them and I'll post them each week for you to see. Whoa man...Ha Ha!

The fact that I can actually attempt this is a big step for me. In my first drawing class we did a tree drawing exercise and I could barely even attempt it. I had a total mental block.

This is the massive tree the shades practically my whole front yard. Let me tell you, I almost got eaten alive trying to do this. The mosquitoes love me. I'm their favorite snack. Anytime I go out outside it's like they can sense I'm there and it's almost as if I can hear them say "hey, there's that Cody girl, buffet time!" So there I am sitting in a chair out under this tree in my front yard wearing jeans and a jacket with the hood up trying not to become one huge inflamed red blob from all my bites. In 80 degree weather I might add. Oh the insanity! What I do for art! It was really pretty seeing the sun come through the leaves. I used my water soluble graphite pencils for this! I love them—they are so cool.

Idle

2009-07-27T21:08:00.002-05:00

Piece done for Illustration Friday's weekly theme, "Idle." Mother always said, "too much TV will rot your brain."

R&R

2009-07-22T21:14:00.007-05:00

I know it's been longer than I usually take to post new material. I'm planning on having more stuff up next week. For the meantime I'm taking a cue from the king of relaxation, one of our cats, Bert (or as I affectionately refer to him: Bert-O-Potamus) and taking some R&R time for myself the rest of this week.

As a side note: I am currently at 31 Lars pieces for my "Lars" series. My goal is to do 50 but I'm having trouble coming up with more ideas. If you have any ideas, go ahead and leave a comment or e-mail me at codymoore@wakingillustration.com. I'm going to start integrating different projects in between trying to reach my "Lars" series goal.

Lars #31

2009-07-15T22:30:00.005-05:00

Lars isn't so tough when he's getting a bath. He's all bark and no bite.

Lars #30

2009-07-14T19:27:00.004-05:00

This is what Lars looks like when he's catching flies, sometimes successfully. We have to break him up after he's been at it for a while because I think if we let him, he'd spend all night jumping around, snarling and snatching at the air with his mouth.

Lars #29

2009-07-10T23:12:00.002-05:00

Lars relaxes while Levi reads. Usually, he ends up squirming around and Levi has to chuck him (gently, of course) on the ground.

Lars #28

2009-07-09T20:24:00.003-05:00

While me and Levi were picking blackberries, Lars was busy helping us out by eating them.

Lars #27

2009-07-08T23:44:00.005-05:00

Lars sometimes gets jealous when Mr. Murphy gets more attention than he does. He wishes he could lay on my husband, Levi's lap.

Lars #26

2009-07-07T23:07:00.004-05:00

Lars is striking a pose, shaking that tail, doing that thing. Done for Illustration Friday's theme: Shaky. Go on now Lars!

Grimm Memoriam

2009-07-03T21:15:00.004-05:00

We lost one of our cats, Grimm today. I'm very sad. He was the sweetest, most laid back cat. The best. He was such a cuddler, had the loudest purr, and liked to sleep above our heads at night. Lars and Grimm were very good buddies too, even though Lars would use Grimm as a chew toy. We buried him under our tulip tree in the back yard. I know that he is in a good place right now because he was probably an angel sent to me and was called home.

Lars #25

2009-07-02T22:55:00.005-05:00

LARS LOOK! Mr. Murphy thinks he's the Cheshire cat! What he doesn't realize is that he's fatter than the Cheshire cat and can't fit in the tree. That's okay, he'll just play it off like he meant to lay in the tree that way. Meanwhile, Lars is alert for any stray children that might venture into the yard because he knows children don't play fair.

Lars #24

2009-07-01T22:27:00.003-05:00

Lars is saying: "No I couldn't have eaten all that cat poop. I've been laying here all day."

Lars #23

2009-06-30T22:16:00.003-05:00

Entry I did for Illustration Friday's theme "Worn." This is how Lars looks at me when he's tired of me asking him to look cute. Doesn't it just look like he's saying with his eyes, "woman, I'm going to whip out a can of whoop a%# on you if don't get me another bone." Oh Larsy, I don't think you can ever not look cute.

Lars #22

2009-06-26T21:14:00.002-05:00

I have never seen a dog yawn as many times as Lars does. He is a yawn machine. Need a yawn? Over here! Lars can provide you with one. Free of charge! He makes a squeaky noise every time, too.

Lars #21

2009-06-25T21:39:00.004-05:00

Submitted for Illustration Friday's theme "Drifting." Whenever Lars smells something drifting in the air he lifts his nose in the air and gulps it in.

*** Oh and on a side note: The King of Pop is dead? Michael Jackson, was Billie Jean really not your lover? Nothing like the death of an icon to get conversations started between strangers; earlier today, at a stop light, some random woman yelled from her car, "did you hear Michael Jackson died?" We had a nice little impromptu conversation while waiting for the light to change.

Lars #20

2009-06-24T21:05:00.001-05:00

Lars spends at least a half an hour licking his lips once he's eaten all of the peanut butter out of the Kong ball.

Lars #19

2009-06-23T18:22:00.003-05:00

I love the Kong ball. Wanna know why I love it? My Larsy loves it, that's why! It was really great to give to him when he was a wee pup because he would spend a long time trying to lick the peanut butter out of it and it kept him preoccupied, instead of trying to figure out where to pop a squat in my house! Now, thank goodness he's (knock on wood) housebroken.

Vote for Me

2009-06-23T07:02:00.002-05:00

I wanted to remind everyone that Don't Panic's "Feminism" poster competition that I wrote about, is open for voting. You can vote for my poster at: http://www.dontpaniconline.com/designaposter/entry/?id=6216

Lars #18

2009-06-19T17:57:00.004-05:00

This is how Lars slept throughout the storm that rolled through today. The dog was oblivious. He doesn't seem to be afraid of much.

Lars #17

2009-06-18T17:27:00.001-05:00

It is so hot today Lars' tongue is practically dragging on the floor.

Lars #16

2009-06-17T17:46:00.006-05:00

Lars does a pretty funny thing with all his toys. He grabs them with his mouth and shakes his head back and forth as hard as he can. He grunts and walks around when he does this. For some reason he also considers his bed that we got him as a toy because he'll grab a part of it and do the same thing. It's pretty funny because the bed is bigger than him.

The toy in the video was his favorite to shake until he broke off the ball. Sometimes he shook it so hard the ball would hit the side of his head and he would cry out. What cracks me up is toward the end of this he stops for a second to look at the other toy laying across the room and then resumes shaking his toy.

Lars #15

2009-06-16T17:43:00.002-05:00

Sometimes the cats let Lars sleep next to them. They would never let him sleep on top of them like they do to each other. They probably instinctively know that he would start gnawing on them in his sleep or when he wakes up.

Don't Panic Feminism Poster

2009-06-15T19:04:00.005-05:00

Poster I submitted for Don't Panic's theme "Feminism." Raised female fists represent female solidarity and the right to define femininity on their own terms.

If I get the most votes then:

They will print 80K of each poster and they will be distributed throughout the UK
They will supply me with 20 flat copies without advertising on the reverse
They sell 20 signed and 200 unsigned copies via Don't Panic's website and split the revenue with me

You can start voting on June 22, so please vote for my poster! Pretty please with sugar on top.

Lars #14

2009-06-15T17:44:00.005-05:00

We came home one day to discover Lars had gotten his head stuck in an empty dog food bag. We let him walk around in it long enough to take pictures and a video.

I don't think he had it stuck for very long because as you can see in the video he was quite fine— he's even wagging his tail! Sorry for the bad quality, I took it with the video setting on my digital camera.

Lars #13

2009-06-12T17:42:00.002-05:00

We always try to walk Lars whenever the weather permits. When we walk him after it rains, he's so low to the ground that his whole belly gets soaked.

Lars #12

2009-06-11T19:20:00.001-05:00

Lars loves chewing on sticks.

Lars #11

2009-06-10T18:28:00.003-05:00

When Lars lays on his back like this, I always think if he could talk he would say: "Hey wanna piece of me?"

Creattica Daily

2009-06-10T17:16:00.006-05:00

I am pleased to announce that Waking Illustration has been featured in this months Creattica Community Linkup! Creattica Daily is a site of daily news and links for creatives and designers. I am very excited to be included!

Lars #10

2009-06-09T20:29:00.005-05:00

We have a park bench in our backyard that sits under a tree. Lars loves to crawl and lay on it. It's a way to get closer to the birds that he longs to catch.

Lars #9

2009-06-08T19:25:00.008-05:00

I thought that for Illustration Friday's theme "craving" it was fitting to show a sequence of images of Lars and how he acts when he gets a craving for the cats. Usually, it's poor Grimm who gets the brunt of the trauma, but he doesn't do anything to get away and by the end Lars is dragging him by either his head or his back leg.

Lars #8

2009-06-05T17:55:00.002-05:00

We have a huge scratching post for our cats to relax and play. Lars doesn't see it that way. He thinks it's his bed. I often find him in there sleeping when he comes in from a hard day of frolicking outside. Another reason why I think, he thinks he's a cat.

Lars #7

2009-06-04T21:09:00.003-05:00

Here's a quick sketch I did the other day. Lars recently had a bath and a blow dry. I love it when he gets a bath because he's extra fluffy and soft!

Waking Illustration Followers

2009-06-04T09:16:00.002-05:00

I wanted to write a quick note to encourage everyone to become a follower of Waking Illustration. You can do this by clicking the "Follow this blog" button located in the sidebar. This way you can keep updated on the latest activity of Waking Illustration.

Lars #6

2009-06-03T19:51:00.003-05:00

Lars likes to sit by the Lilac Bush so that he has a perfect view so that he can look for bunnies, birds and the cats to run after. He's made a permanent path in the grass running diagonally from the bush to the corner of the yard. Even mowing doesn't get rid of it.

Lars #5

2009-06-02T20:59:00.004-05:00

I guess living with four cats has confused Lars a bit. I catch him on the back of the couch every once in a while perched like a cat.

Lars #4

2009-06-01T20:11:00.003-05:00

Here's another illustration in my "Lars" series, and a new entry for this week's Illustration Friday theme: "Adapt." I think that if Lars were to adapt he would grow membranes and become half dog, half flying squirrel so that he could finally catch those pesky birds that fly through the yard. Poor boy — he just can't jump high enough to get them!

Lars #3

2009-05-29T16:50:00.003-05:00

It's the funniest thing EVER, when you see a weiner dog hopping across the yard like a bunny.

Lars #2

2009-05-28T18:46:00.003-05:00

Lars always gets into my seed flats for the flowers I'm starting. He's destroyed so many of them, I'm starting to think he's going to sprout flowers.

Lars #1

2009-05-27T18:47:00.004-05:00

This post is for two things. One, I created this for Illustration Friday's "Cracked" theme this week. Secondly, for a project that I am starting in which I'm going to be doing illustrations of my dear wiener dog, Lars. Why? Because he so darn adorable that's why! I also think it would be interesting to do a series of illustrations, and what better subject matter than the dog that provides me with so much amusement? The terms I'm giving myself is I'll be posting one each day of the five day work week. I'm not going to set a limit because I want to see how far I can take it. So stay tuned!

New Website

2009-05-26T22:00:00.006-05:00

I just completed a website for Jennifer Kettler, a freelance photographer. She's having a gallery show at Teller's in Columbia, Missouri. It opens June 1st and will be showing the month of June. Her photos she took in Ecuador are amazing! Check it out!

Illustration Friday: Parade

2009-05-14T20:11:00.004-05:00

Here's my entry for Illustration Friday's theme: Parade. I actually did this for one of my design classes in which the assignment was to create an image that depicts the world record for the largest brass instrument. I thought it went well with this week's theme.

New Work

2009-04-08T22:58:00.008-05:00

For those who don't get Columbia Home & Lifestyle. I did some illustrations for the April/May 2009 issue.

I also did the layout design.

Here's a detail of the action. This article is about summer activities in the Columbia area for kids.

I also did the layout design and illustrations for another article.

The article is about house inspections and maintenance.

Enjoy!

Poise

2009-04-01T21:48:00.004-05:00

Illustration I submitted for Illustration Friday's theme: poise.

Birthday Bash Festivities

2009-03-30T20:56:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was my birthday. If you're in my family you know that I love celebrating my birthday. As soon as March rolls around I sit back and let the servicing begin. Just kidding. But really, it's become a tradition that me and my family go somewhere special around my birthday. This year we went to the City Museum in St. Louis. It was so fun! They have all sorts of art installations that are like giant jungle gyms for people to climb on. My husband and brother-in-law were running around like little kids!

Part of the museum was an aquarium complete with deep sea diving gear that you could have your picture taken in.

After seeing my picture, I thought it wasn't complete unless I had a big, sailor mustache!

Stoplight Fever

2009-03-27T20:20:00.005-05:00

It's stoplight fever along the mean streets of Hallsville! Stoplights were installed in place of our 4-way stop signs (at the only big intersection in town) a couple of weeks ago. People don't know what to do! Its mayhem! Drivers stop at green lights before moving through the intersection and, even worse, stop at red lights then go ahead and go through. The cops, all three of them, have sure been busy educating people about how the new lights work. One small, local shop even had a "stoplight special." Its even funnier because most of the people who live here regularly drive in and around Columbia, a mid-size college town only six miles to the south. I'm sure that none of them are dumb—it just goes to show how years of conditioning can control your actions. We're used to having stop signs at the intersection so, even when we don't see them anymore, we continue to adhere to their rules.

Eclipse

2009-03-25T20:19:00.000-05:00

Submitted as part of Illustration Friday's weekly challenge. This week, the theme is "subtract."

Web Clips

2009-03-23T22:02:00.002-05:00

I know it's been a while since I've posted. Honestly, I've had trouble figuring out what to write about. I guess I've never really considered myself a "writer." I spend a lot of time reading and viewing things though, so I thought I'd introduce my side bar of interesting things I've come across as I peruse the internet. Here are a bunch of web clips that I liked or found useful.

A Grimm Mishap

2009-03-13T18:33:00.005-05:00

After painting one evening, I was cleaning my brushes in the bathroom
sink. For those of you who don't know, it takes a while to clean off
oil paint when you are only using soap, which is all I had at the
time, so I was rockin' what I had.
 
As I was washing away, I noticed that my sweet kitten, Grimm, had
visited me by sitting on the counter. At one point, I happened to look
over at him, and at that moment, our eyes locked and we had a long
moment of just staring at each other. Then I noticed the dab of bright
blue paint on the side of his face. I looked down on the toilet where
I had set my paint palette and gasped at the sight of orange and blue
paw prints from the back of the tiolet seat to the counter to the back
of my shirt, where moments before we gazed longingly into each other's
eyes as he put his two front paws on my shoulder to bat at the plant
hanging above our heads. Needless to say he was not happy about having
to have his face and paws washed and scrubbed.

The Battle for Intricacy

2009-03-11T20:14:00.006-05:00

Submitted as part of Illustration Friday's weekly challenge. This week, the theme is "intricate."

Unused Illustration

2009-03-09T21:42:00.005-05:00

I did two different illustrations for the March/April City magazine and, unfortunately, they used my least favorite of the two. Sometimes that's just the way it goes. Here's the one they didn't use:




Below is the one they ended up going with:

For Michelle

2009-03-06T17:48:00.008-06:00

So I was talking to my little sister Michelle the other day about my blog and asking her if she had read it. Oh and for those who need a visual of Michelle, here's Michelle illustrated:

Say hi Michelle to all the viewers out there. (She says hi). But I'm getting off topic. Anyways, Michelle replied that she hadn't read them, there were too many words and that she only reads blogs for people who write Manga that have illustrations of the process of the artists drawing comic strips and that if I did that, it would be interesting and she would read it. So I made an illustration of the process of me writing this blog. Enjoy Michelle.

TV Junkie Paradise

2009-03-02T21:34:00.004-06:00

So have I mentioned that I'm a TV junkie? Well not really but I get fixated on certain shows and the latest viewing fix is Adult Swim on Cartoon Network. Aqua Team Hunger Force, Super Jail, Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job, Robot Chicken—LOVE THEM! It always cracks me up when I'm watching something and someone makes a goofy graphic design reference, either lampooning graphic design in general or using technical jargon that probably doesn't make since to most people. The other night on a repeat of Mission Hill, another Adult Swim cartoon, Andy French visits his friend, Jim Kuback, at his job and Jim makes a comment on how impressed people get when he talks about batch processing in Photoshop. Then, just a few days later on Awesome Show, there was a skit about a Bob Ross style, how to draw show in which the steps to creating a drawing were: take a photograph, then scan it into the computer and finally apply an "artistic filter." This one really got me cackling my witch laugh because it makes fun of the breakdown of art at the hands of the computer—not that technology is a bad thing for art, but lots of people really seem to be impressed by simple computer manipulations. Come to think of it, the whole style of Awesome Show sort of reflects that theme with its cheesy production values and simplistic, intentionally crappy design. But more than that, all of this commentary makes me think of how ingrained design is becoming in our culture (but that's a whole other post).

Another show that used the design niche for humor was the reoccuring skits from Late Night with Conan O'Brian skit called "Pierre Bernard - Recliner of Rage." Late Night graphic designer Pierre Bernard would sit in a recliner and bitch about random design-related issues using technical jargon and design catch-phrases that most people obviously wouldn't understand. I especially thought it was funny because it made me feel like a huge design nerd.

For those of you who haven't seen any of these shows that I'm writing about I encourage you to watch them. I promise you it'll get your witch cackle cackling.

Zapfino!!!

2009-02-25T21:00:00.005-06:00

I was reading HOW's Lounge and came across an entry that asked: Most ubiquitous typeface? So I have to chime in. It seems everywhere I go: Zapfino! I say that with the passion Steven Colbert evokes when he feels he's been given an injustice. I live in a small town just outside of a larger city but it's still Missouri—so it's not very big compared to a thriving metropolis. I've seen Zapfino used all over town. I'm sure that this injustice is being perpetrated beyond the confines of Midwestern small towns, but it certainly seems to have taken hold in my area. I've seen it used in a wedding program, which is fine if used in moderation, but it was the only font. It is not a font that should be used for text that is more than the length of a headline. I've even seen it being used as a logo! Zapfino! (Imagine Colbert swinging his fist in the air). Seriously, why would someone decide to use it as a LOGO? Not cool man, not cool. It's horrible to reproduce and I'm of the opinion that you shouldn't just strictly use a font as a logo without altering it to make it your own. It's been played out on fliers, postcards, magazines—can't we move on? Now shout with me people: Zapfino!!!

Think-writing aloud

2009-02-22T14:22:00.000-06:00

As I'm think-writing aloud I'm wondering what other people have written for their first blog entries. It seems so awkward. I've read my fair share of blogs and it seems as if they've all been writing forever. I always feel like I come into things halfway between the action, but I guess that's the nature of the internet, it is so fluid and ever-changing.

I am very proud of my accomplishment of getting my website and blog up. It's been a long time coming. I almost can't believe that it's done. Well, not really done because now the real work begins! I hope you enjoy my website, and check in for regular updates to my blog.