Out and About Town Textures

Went down to the farmers market this morning with Julie and Coraline. I try to grab the camera whenever we are heading downtown. I always see something that i haven't before or the light is changing how it looks and interacts with the surroundings.

Bricks are a subject that catch my eyes quite often. These were wonderful due to the irregular coloring or staining that had taken place. The back alleys and side streets are a terrific place to find these city treasures.





While we were out i noticed how the feet and toes of my little girl contrasted the rough textures and peeling paint of the bricks and power units i had found earlier.


The next few pictures are a great example of things truly juxtapose the soft innocent qualities of a baby girl. You probably can find graffiti anywhere in the city. Some times they hit you as an interesting way at looking at life or just some bloke with nothing better to do that screw with other people. These next two cause my eye as the three of us too a break and enjoyed the breeze down by the river and boardwalk. I think it was the bright yellow stickers on this brilliant turquoise. As i got closer you could see the grim of the city dug and settled into the pores on this metal casing. Right around the corner was the next photo. I am glad to see that some people really believe in art. Choice wording though





I am finding that old painted signs continue to catch my attentions. There is just something about the look of hand painted signs. Especially one that have been around for a while and are quite faded and rusty from the exposure to the elements. A few weeks back we made trip up to GVegas to visit some friends from our ECU days. One of my favorite old sheds lives out just off the road on the way through Chinquapin. The sun was on its way down as we came back to Wilmington when we got tot ht shed. I took about 10 minutes or so taking some more pictures of the shed in this evening light.

Here is the original and one that i tweaked a little using some cross processing curves in good ole Photoshop.





TTFN

Doc

Fun With Fonts

A buddy of mine sent me this a while back and i stumbled across it again today. I really enjoyed playing with this flow chart. Some of you may have seen this already.

It's always good to have a plan instead of opening up your layout and randomly start scrolling through the list of fonts. Which i am very guilty of doing.

The Bird May Have Been Killed.

The bird might be dead.

Lydia took the stage with only 4 people Monday night. 2 of the four were there just for the tour. Looks like the rest called it quits early. While talking to Leighton, vocals, i could hear in his words, tone and body language that the break up had taken a toll on him.

I was really excited thought with the reaction that the band had when i showed up with posters i had printed. Hopefully they will help with the gas and food purchases along the rest of the tour. From what it sounds like they might only break them out once they hit their home town in Arizona. Can't really blame them though. I mean hometown heros right. Towns gonna support them with a good showing and merch sales.

Luckily he said that he would continue to write and play music. I am glad to hear that he hasn't washed his hands of it.

I hope that the posters make there way into the hands of some folks looking to have some posters made for them. It is quickly becoming a killer outlet for me to create. I do hope to continue the concept gigposter as opposed to just cranking out posters with designs on them.


Till next time

Doc

Lydia Finale: A Goodbye and Farewell

So the band Lydia is callin it quits. Unfortunate, you're thinking. I'm right there with you. If your not thinking that , you probably dont know who they are. You can check em out here.

So i took it upon myself to create a farewell poster for them to try and sell on the tour to help with the travel expenses that bands face while they do what bands do. It was interesting to try and come up with a concept for a farewell poster that wouldn't come across cheesy (if this is cheesy, let me know and i shall try and change my ways).

I was sad to hear that they were not going to be putting out music as Lydia anymore so there was a sense of sadness. However like all farewells there usually is a light at the end of a tunnel. At least farewells of friends and loved ones. There are always times when your paths will cross and you can reconnect. From what i am hearin, Lydia is disbanding but a few of the members are planning to continue writing and playing tunes in a different arrangement. And there you have it, The Silver Lining. So all that to say i didnt want a terribly sad or dark poster.

There music tends to the moody side of things as well as the ambient side of rock. Something that hinted at loss but with a sense of mystery about what was really going to happen next. The concept of letting a captured creature back into the wild or the releasing of a bird back into flight came to mind. I wanted to create a little tension by not showing the creature, in this case bird, in the actual poster but to imply its presence. Hence the feathers floating down. The bird represents the members going on to create more music now that they are "free"from Lydia. That sounds like a bad relationship but you get my meaning. Dont know if in fact it will happen or not. Has the bird been struck or flown into something and dead (there is no more music coming from them) or will the bird soar high and find its voice again to sing more songs (which i am hoping is the case).

You can check out the actual gig poster i did for the show over at GigPosters. Granted, i cheated and just added the info to this design but i think it still works and handsome if i do say so my self. If you're interested in owning one of these babys you can buy them from Lydia on tour or drop me an email Reedicus@ec.rr.com. They are not up at Etsy but i plan to soon.


TTFN

Doc

Here is the initial sketch for the poster. Seeing the bird wasn't as interesting as not seeing it.

I tried running a horizontal version of the poster just tto try it out. The format didnt lend itself to the airy openness that i wanted to capture with the release of a bird back to the wild. This layout had to much of a closed of and claustrophobic feel to it. I still like the rendering but had to can it.


First color scheme developed for the poster. In the end i felt that the red and black were to powerful a combination for the poster feel. The teal lends itself to the clean air and openness that i was trying to convey.



Here is the final GigPoster that i created with the show info.

Words of Wisdom

Far to often i find that those that have pioneered the industry before we think we started pushing the envelope, are steeped in all kinds of wisdom.

Far to often i find myself jumping behind the computer instead of really thinking through designs or illustrations. There are plenty of artist that are on the scene now that Justin Gerard amazes me with some of the sketches that he puts together. Some of the pieces he is working on for the upcoming comic con are looking pretty sweet.

All that to say i need to keep drawing, and you should probably do the same.

Etsy

i set up an etsy account a while back to sell off some of those Thermals Posters.
Got several left, and looking to make some more poster for some up coming shows here in Wilmington.

Hope to get some other prints made of earlier work and up on etsy before to long.

Good Things Do Happen To Good People

Many of you already know about The Avett Brothers. If you don't, you owe it to yourself to sheck them out.

You have to love it when the good guys that have been putting in time, blood, sweat and tears...then watch the effort pay off. The Avett Brothers have been playing tunes for ten years or so. Before that, Nemo the Back Porch Project could be heard in the halls of the ECU art building, Chico's and the surrounding streets.

Their new video that NPR showcases on All Things Considered, Showcases yet another ECU Painting Major Jason Ryan Mitcham. Probably one of the nicest fellows you'll ever met as well as a killer painter. It makes me happy when people succeed in the endeavors of their passion.


Check it out and enjoy the tunes and the thoughts behind the song and video.


TTFN

Doc

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