I am now blogging all art related news at my new blog, The Rogue Palette.
Visit it at RoguePalette.Blogspot.com
Visit it at RoguePalette.Blogspot.com
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Vector Illustrations and Why Windows Sucks
I've always dug vector illustrations and design, and I noticed that when I'm designing, I'm often making pretend with vector design. So I decided to bridge the gap and just get a vector program. I'm using Inkscape. It's an open source, totally free alternative to Illustrator.
First of all: Linux is the shit! The more I use it, the more I like it and the less I like Windows. Just the usability is so much better. When you're in a linux program, you interface with the software. With nothing but my right hand on the mouse and my left hanging over ctrl and shft, I can work uninterrupted. It was unusual at first, but now it's second nature. I keep using Ubuntu hot keys and navigation when I'm in Windows programs and I keep getting frustrated that I have to stop what I'm doing to go grab the zoom or some other thing. Linux OS and software let you operate in them uninterupted. It's just little amounts of time that you take doing these little things in Windows programs, but these little hickups get in the way of your designing/work progress.
Maybe it's not for everyone, but if a die hard Windows fan actually tried it out, I think everyone would come to same conclussion: Linux software is more productive and easier for long time use. If you're not a serious designer or computer dude, then no, it'll suck for you. If you only ever use your computer to check email and write reports in Word, then Linux isn't much use to you and you'd probably give up long before you saw the benefit.
I was hesitant at first. I use Gutsy Ubuntu, and when I first got it, I was always worried I would fuck it up in some unrepairable way. I think it was because of the terminal and that you can change so much about the OS. Anyway, now it's just awesome. Everything is easy, and maintenance is a frelling dream. (yes I said frelling. It seemed fitting here. Okay, how about fracking? ;P / )
Okay, I'm done ranting now. I'm just stoked. I just wish I had known about all this before. The OS and all the software (pretty much all) are open source and totally free, and usually miles better than their pricey competitors. Why the hell woulnd't you make the switch?
Okay, done now.
Here, this is what I did with Inkscape so far. I just started, so I'm sure you can do much cooler things in it. I'll figure it out in time.
Yeah, I couldn't get enough out of that Raven. I made the Raven for Kay's website, Raven's Writing Desk.
The Real World?
American life is coming back to me. For the past two and a half years, we've lived on our own schedules, doing our own thing on our own time and not worrying about the usual things you worry about in a usual life. We've been back for seven months and yesterday I went to a job interview. That's the crux of the usual life, and the thing we are always wary of.
It's not the usual day job though. The place is called Phoenix Art Group and I'd be interviewing for a position as an artist. So this isn't the usual trip, but it's still working for someone else, and that's something I haven't done for a while. The interviewing process itself is a bit...weird. I'm not used to it. The thing I wasn't expecting was being nervous. I wasn't in the beginning, but then I realized I actually wanted the job. If it was a waitress interview, I couldn't care less.
My error was asking the receptionist to explain how it works there. As it turns out, there's a lot of learning in the job. If you know me at all, you know learning turns me on. That's right, I can't get enough of it, and I'm particularly hungry lately for learning things pertaining to art. I'm an alright artist, but I make it all up, and lately I'm looking for some technique. Well it just so happens that they teach exactly that in this job. So this is how it works:
A designer creates a piece: acrylic, oil or metal sculpture. Then they have a show. When a company or person diggs it, the designer comes back and gathers up all his little artists and then goes on to teach them how to recreate the piece. Yeah, it's mass production, and it's for companies. A lot of it is "contemporary", the kind of artwork I can't stand, but I can't help but think of correlations to the age old art apprentice. The head guy designed it and then taught his little artists how to paint it for him. Michelangelo was not the only artist who laid his brush on the Sisteenth Chappell, it was a big project and you can be damn sure that he had all his apprentices painting that ceiling too. For all I know, the Sisteenth Chappel is the exception, but that's how it went.
Okay, this ain't no Sisteenth Chappel. This is corporate art. I'm not looking at it as great artwork, but it's the teaching in there I'm looking at. They have TECHNIQUE. They teach you how to put the paint down, what to mix it with, how to order the layers, how to use materials that I DON'T USE, and if they let me, teaching me how to do metal sculpture. I could use all of that in my own art, and make it something really great.
See, now I want the job. And now I'm nervous.
I didn't have the actual interview yet. I just went in and talked to the receptionist and did the application bit. When I first came in, I just brought my portfolio. Rachel, the receptionist, tells me they only take CDs or slides and that they won't see anyone until after they have that with the application. So I take the application and ask her questions. Rachel tells me they're not looking for anyone right now, but would hire someone who really shines. She asks if she can look through my portfolio while I'm filling out the application and of course I let her. She "looks" through my portfolio, if you can call speed skimming "looking". Surprisingly, when she finishes, she jumps on the phone and calls up the person who will be reviewing my work and tries to get me an interview right there on the spot. Needless to say, this got my hopes up a bit. Unfortunately, the woman on the other end of the phone stuck to the rules and said she'd have to see the cd I put together first.
So I gather up my portfolio and go home to make the cd, put on my bio and 10 of my best pieces and hurry back.
So now, I'm waiting.... impatiently.
This is weird. I want them to be impressed by my work and give me a chance. This is a job, and I want it.
By the way, these are two new pieces of mine that I put on the CD. I think I'm getting better recently. I've been asking people to critique my work and I've been actually taking notes on what I need to improve. So these are the first two results of my note taking.
It's not the usual day job though. The place is called Phoenix Art Group and I'd be interviewing for a position as an artist. So this isn't the usual trip, but it's still working for someone else, and that's something I haven't done for a while. The interviewing process itself is a bit...weird. I'm not used to it. The thing I wasn't expecting was being nervous. I wasn't in the beginning, but then I realized I actually wanted the job. If it was a waitress interview, I couldn't care less.
My error was asking the receptionist to explain how it works there. As it turns out, there's a lot of learning in the job. If you know me at all, you know learning turns me on. That's right, I can't get enough of it, and I'm particularly hungry lately for learning things pertaining to art. I'm an alright artist, but I make it all up, and lately I'm looking for some technique. Well it just so happens that they teach exactly that in this job. So this is how it works:
A designer creates a piece: acrylic, oil or metal sculpture. Then they have a show. When a company or person diggs it, the designer comes back and gathers up all his little artists and then goes on to teach them how to recreate the piece. Yeah, it's mass production, and it's for companies. A lot of it is "contemporary", the kind of artwork I can't stand, but I can't help but think of correlations to the age old art apprentice. The head guy designed it and then taught his little artists how to paint it for him. Michelangelo was not the only artist who laid his brush on the Sisteenth Chappell, it was a big project and you can be damn sure that he had all his apprentices painting that ceiling too. For all I know, the Sisteenth Chappel is the exception, but that's how it went.
Okay, this ain't no Sisteenth Chappel. This is corporate art. I'm not looking at it as great artwork, but it's the teaching in there I'm looking at. They have TECHNIQUE. They teach you how to put the paint down, what to mix it with, how to order the layers, how to use materials that I DON'T USE, and if they let me, teaching me how to do metal sculpture. I could use all of that in my own art, and make it something really great.
See, now I want the job. And now I'm nervous.
I didn't have the actual interview yet. I just went in and talked to the receptionist and did the application bit. When I first came in, I just brought my portfolio. Rachel, the receptionist, tells me they only take CDs or slides and that they won't see anyone until after they have that with the application. So I take the application and ask her questions. Rachel tells me they're not looking for anyone right now, but would hire someone who really shines. She asks if she can look through my portfolio while I'm filling out the application and of course I let her. She "looks" through my portfolio, if you can call speed skimming "looking". Surprisingly, when she finishes, she jumps on the phone and calls up the person who will be reviewing my work and tries to get me an interview right there on the spot. Needless to say, this got my hopes up a bit. Unfortunately, the woman on the other end of the phone stuck to the rules and said she'd have to see the cd I put together first.
So I gather up my portfolio and go home to make the cd, put on my bio and 10 of my best pieces and hurry back.
So now, I'm waiting.... impatiently.
This is weird. I want them to be impressed by my work and give me a chance. This is a job, and I want it.
By the way, these are two new pieces of mine that I put on the CD. I think I'm getting better recently. I've been asking people to critique my work and I've been actually taking notes on what I need to improve. So these are the first two results of my note taking.
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