Norman Rockwell inspiration

One of my favorite stories my dad read to me growing up was Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Living in Missouri and visiting the family farm in the northern parts made an instant connection for me. But what stands out in my head when I think about Twain's masterpiece are the illustrations showcasing key scenes in the story. I later found out that the art was done by Norman Rockwell and I've been hooked (along with the rest of the country) ever since. I enjoy Rockwell for his humor and storytelling. The viewer can put together a whole story from a single image without needing a caption. What makes these so memorable is the background work and composition Rockwell did before the finished piece. To really appreciate the details and composition, check out several posts I ran across on Today's Inspiration. My work couldn't be picked apart so cleanly I'm sure. Much Illustration today is pretty simple, quick and to the point. Probably not stuff you would want on your wall, but back in the 40's, they took a lot of pride in their painterly efforts. I'll bet the computer had something to do with the change.

Trends in logo design so far this year

Came across the Web site, Logo Lounge over the holiday weekend that shares results of a constant study of logo trends. They list and show examples of types of logos going back to 2003. To me, this can either serve as great inspiration or show me what to stay away from when creating an identity for some company. It's nice to see what others are doing, but you also want to make an original mark for the client– so staying away from "trends" will hopefully make a lasting identity that won't have to be updated every five years. Really interesting to see the breakdown of the logos they have collected. Nice logos too! I think my Brownfields logo from last year fits in with the recycle logo trend. Who knew?

History of the praying hands

One of the classic images from my childhood and in the world of art is the praying hands. I never really thought about why we fold our hands when we pray (especially in public or in the presence of children). It is just something passed down as tradition I guess. I figured bowing our heads was to show reverence like you would in front of any king, and I suppose closing our eyes is just to help the one praying to stay focused on the one they are praying to. The praying hands actually has a lot of symbolism that I found most interesting on Steven Heller's blog for Print Magazine.

Here is the quote that I found interesting:
"One symbol that we all know, yet doubtless rarely think about because it is so invisibly common, is the ubiquitous gesture of prayer. Where did the joining of hands come from? It might surprise you to learn that it does not have a religious origin. It is not signified in the Bible. And it was not even part of the Christian tradition until the 9th century. In Hebrew and Christian custom, spreading of arms and hands toward the heavens was the prevailing sign of devotion. In The People’s Almanac, David Wallechinsky and Irving Wallace wrote that the joining of hands “leads back to men’s early desire to subjugate each other and developed out of the shackling of hands of prisoners! Though the handcuffs eventually disappeared, the joining of hands remained as a symbol of man’s servitude and submission and his inability (or even lack of inclination) to grasp a weapon.” They added that Christianity adopted “the gesture representing shackled hands as a sign of man’s total obedience to divine power."

Illustrators who inspired me last year

Hatch Show Print
Marc Burckhardt
Allan Burch
Kyle T. Webster
John Hendrix
Yuko Shimizu
Joe Ciardiello
Frank Chimero
Caroline Coolidge Brown
Al Hirschfeld
Michael Sloan
Sonia Kretschmar
Jody Hewgill
Joseph Daniel Fiedler
Andrea Ventura
Doug Erb
Anita Kunz
David Spear
(I hope these illustrators inspire you to be creative like they have me)

Movies that I found entertaining the last year

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
The Sting
Enter the Dragon
Legend of the Drunken Master
Kung Fu Panda
Nick & Nora’s Infinite Playlist
The Terminator 1
Son of Rambow
Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
1984
Unforgiveable Blackness
Freaks
The Elephant Man
Genghis Blues
Stella season 1
Hot Rod
Carnivale season 1
Déjà vu
Cars
Penelope
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Inspiration from the past year

Yesterday was my birthday and I thought it would be fun to compile a list of things that inspired me over the last year. This will stretch out over a few days of posts. First, I listen to a lot of music and it is one of the biggest inspirations to me. Creativity begets creativity – that's in the Bible somewhere isn't it? Maybe not, but it's true nonetheless. Not all of these musical artists are new or of the same genre. I just might have discovered them this year or found myself listening to ALOT of their music. The above illustration of Norwegian musician Sondre Lerche for Paste Magazine is by an artist named Yuko Shimizu. Yuko's talent for line, pattern and storytelling has shown me possibilities for my own work. But I'll save artists for another posting. OK here we go:

Anything Sufjan Stevens sings or produces
Regina Spektor – Russian-born pianist/singer with many influences from her Jewish heritage to the Bible to New York street talk
Brett Dennen – singer/songwriter who sings about social injustice
Sondre Lerche – jazzy rocker pictured above; scored music to "Dan in Real Life"
The Fray
Chris Thile – Mandolin player/genius from Nickel Creek and Punch Brothers
Switchfoot/Jon Foreman – always surprises me. Looking forward to owning JF's collaboration with Nickel Creek guitarist Sean Watkins on "Fiction Family"
Crooked Still – cool bluegrass band made up of a cello, standup bass, and banjo with Alison Krauss-sounding singer
Wynton Marsalis – best trumpet player and jazz educator ever. Loved him since jr. high.
Radiohead – I can't stop listening to their album "In Rainbows"
William Elliott Whitmore – white folky blues singer from Iowa who plays banjo. Doesn't sound white
Robert Plant Alison Krauss – album Raising Sand is a collaboration of genius
U2 – new album was OK, but they are great over all. Non-music work is inspiring as well
Bart Millard – from Mercy Me with two jazzy solo albums called "Hymned" and "Hymned again"
Panic! At the Disco – "Pretty Odd" reminds me of experimental Beatles song structures
Miles Davis – Man, this guy recorded a lot of stuff
Arturo Sandoval
Spoon
Feist
Band of Horses – not real horses
Andrew Bird – not a real bird, but he whistles
Dr. Dog – Beatles-esque modern rock. Not a dog.
Modest Mouse – Probably not a rodent.
Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele – nice ukulele work. Dare I say magnificent?
Jeremy Larson – Amazing musician who lives just up the street from my office
Mute math – invades my mind constantly
Mates of State – Husband/Wife duo. She gets a lot of sound out of the keyboard and he pounds the drums
The Real Tuesday Weld – good music from the Nick & Norah's soundtrack
Flight Of The Conchords – hilarious jokesters, have a show on HBO about trying to make it in NYC as musicians from New Zealand
Bela Fleck – Saw this banjo player in concert at Christmas with some real Tuvan throat singers
Ray LaMontagne
The Classic Crime
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin – band from Springfield making a splash nationally
Gummerman – local guy who works in Big Mama's Coffee shop. Doesn't have a full album, but he's good
Punch Brothers
Unforgiveable Blackness Soundtrack – Wynton Marsalis scored this masterpiece about the struggles of the first black heavyweight boxer
Louis Armstrong’s Hot 5’s and 7’s – this is some of the first jazz Satchmo recorded

How to reduce your PSD files size using Photoshop

Ever needed to send a layered Photoshop file over email? The file is often way too big so I usually end up burning a CD or flattening and sending a jpg for proofing. If the need is great, I might use an online Web mail software like mailbigfile.com Here is a very helpful blog on how to shrink a normal PSD file for regular emailing. Thanks Chris for letting me know about this simple trick.