Designing Your Own Stuff

I finally have a redesigned homepage. The original was done quickly just to get something up. Now, four months later, I have replaced it with something I actually put some work into. The paint spatters (my first page) were fun for awhile, but the new one is more like me, since I have been into adding illustrations to my blog posts. The wall in the background really is similar to the walls in my room/studio/cave, faux-painted about ten years ago. I know, it’s time to change the paint. The fish also exists in real life. (I have a thing for fish.) It’s about three feet long and made of tin. I actually carried it on an airplane from St. Thomas about twenty years ago. Fish-guy does get whimsically repainted frequently. Right now he is copper.

As it is with much of my artwork, this drawing tended to grow into something else as time moved on. The work was spread out over three days.  The drawings that are completed in the same day as they were started are actually changed less than the longer term work. I’ve come to the conclusion that this is due to waking up as a slightly different character than I was the day before; a different day, a different point of view. I have no difficulty being objective and planning the work to meet deadlines when it is for someone else. It is so much harder to design for yourself.

There is a fuzzy line between adjusting imperfections and knowing when to stop. Nothing is ever going to be perfect enough. I will keep making changes for nearly everything up to the last moment, (assuming there is a deadline,) unless it is framed and under glass. Even then, if it’s a piece I’m going to post somewhere, I will still find things to alter after I’ve taken the photos.

I found an interesting post on Six Revisions, (Useful Information for Web Developers & Designers, as it says it their subhead, and I agree); “How to Design for Your Worst Client: You,” by Francisco Inchauste, 6/1/2009. For any artist (of any kind) who has been at it for awhile, this article will sound very familiar, and a good one to keep around when you feel you need a kick in the head, or somewhere. My favorite (bookmarked for the next time I’m beyond my personal timeline) is “Rule #7: Perfection is infinite; ‘time to get rid of the inner critic.”

It All Starts Here

Edit: I've changed my blog appearance, thought I'd try something new. Sometimes simpler is better. I still like my hibiscus (it was the background art), so here it is just in case someone else liked it also.

WELCOME TO MY JOURNEY

Changing one’s life, at any age, is always a bit anxiety-prone, starting over everything at age 60 has it’s own set of problems, as well as advantages. I’ll have to discover the advantages as I go along.

FIRST, A LITTLE BACKGROUND

I’ve been an artist forever, and a graphic designer, art director, illustrator for over 30 years. I’ve been fortunate that I’ve been able to work doing what I love. I not only smoothly transitioned from the traditional drawing board to the computer, I was immersed in it. Work during the day, come home and read software manuals and books at night. I was very good at it. About 8-9 years ago, I took off for awhile. Since there had been a lull in what was a fairly successful career, I decided to take a side road. I’ve always enjoyed architectural work, since the pen & ink days, so when an opportunity presented itself to work in architectural illustration, I accepted it.