Jackie Huang Blog

Liebster Blog Award

2012-02-10T18:05:00.000-08:00

I have to say it was a complete surprise to be given the Liebster Blog award by Crafting Creatures late last month! It’s been so hectic that I haven’t had a moment until now to acknowledge it but am very grateful for the honor.

The idea of the Liebster Blog Award is to spread the love from one small blog (under 200 followers) to other small blogs. "Liebster" in German means "dearest". This helps to spread knowledge and readership.

To accept the award, you must:

1) Link back to the person who gave it and thank them for thinking of you.

2) Post the award to your blog.

3) Give the award to 5 bloggers (with less than 200 followers) that you appreciate and value.

4) Leave a comment on the blogs of the five people you have chosen to let them know.

Most of the blogs I follow have well over 200 followers and those that I love often don’t display how many at all. But in accordance to the ‘rules’ established below, I’m very proud to pass the honor allow to some of the most talented people I know and went to school with:

Helen Yoon – talent, creative, and speed= a combination to die for

Paul Cohen – bold and purposeful; one of the best draftsman I know

Laura West – quick and gestural; Illustrations full of life and color

Jocelyn Liang – graphic and fashion forward; one of the fastest artists I know

Joshua Lee – beautiful and fun; has an amazing ability to capture character

New Portfolio Website!

2012-01-27T17:46:00.000-08:00

It's been a crazy, busy start to a new year but very exciting! I've got several projects lined up that I'm super excited about and can't wait to share. But in the mean time, I've finally finished creating a new portfolio website that's easily updated. So I promise this year I'll be better about updating that more often.

Enjoy!

www.jackiehuang.com

The Lovers, The Dreamers, & Me

2011-12-04T21:06:00.000-08:00

I'm happy to say I'm participating in Gallery Nucleus' "The Lovers, The Dreamers, & Me" tribute show to Jim Henson.

For this show, I decided not to do a pop-up. When I thought about Jim Henson, the song, "Rainbow Connection" came up and that's what inspired this quill. I just couldn't get the idea of curled paper connecting the characters out of my head. So this is what came out.

The show is opening this Saturday night, so if you're free, stop by and say hi!

Hyundai Pop-Up

2011-11-13T22:28:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I posted any pop-up stuff because I've been rather busy doing other paper art for clients. Well this is one I made a while back for BRC Imaginations. They asked me to do a pop-up as part of their pitch to Hyundai for a project. I based my design based off their 'geometric cloud' concept. So the pop-up was specifically customized to match their pitch book.

Overall, it was a really fun project to work one and they challenged me to make the biggest pop-up I ever have - 12.5" x 35" when opened. The funny thing is, the most challenging part is just finding the backing paper to be that big! Luckily it all worked out. And a big thanks to Willy Lew - the awesome photographer that took photos of this piece. Enjoy!

Motivarti Mentorship Program Launches Today

2011-11-07T13:51:00.001-08:00

I was so excited about this last night I couldn't sleep! Some of you may know that I founded an organization at the beginning of the year called, Motivarti. It's a resource for artists aspiring to get into the entertainment industry (animation, video games, children's book illustration, toy design, consumer products, etc).

The Motivarti Mentorship Program was designed to connect industry professionals with aspiring artists. The mentorship program is a unique and very selective program where the mentors hand-pick their mentees from a group of finalists based on an application consisting of a short Q&A, a portfolio, and resume. This ensures that the mentors will be working with someone in whom they’ve recognized key characteristics and potential, as well as a way that their professional knowledge can help you reach the next level.

We’re also pleased to be making the mentorship program available to students outside the Los Angeles area. Thanks to technology like Skype and iChat, students who would not otherwise have access to entertainment professionals can now have an opportunity to get one-on-one guidance.

Whether you’re hoping to get into visual development, concept design, storyboarding, animation, character design, or even children’s book illustration or theme park design we’ve striven to gather a variety of mentors just for you. (This list is updated often, so please check back or follow on Facebook to be notified of our most recent recruits.)

Details about the mentorship can be found on our website at http://motivarti.org/mentorship-program/

I hope you'll consider applying. Applications are being accepted from November 7th, 2011 – December 18th, 2011

Features

2011-10-22T11:09:00.000-07:00

I just got an email from Craft Fox saying they featured my It's a Small World pop-up under their Mary Blair tribute post! So I just wanted to share with you guys.

That then reminded me that I totally forgot to blog about this other post by All Things Paper by Ann Martin way back in the day. Check that out too!

I'll be better about posting articles or blogs that talk about my work. If you do a feature or something on me, feel free to shoot me an email and let me know so I can point more people your way too!

Getting into Galleries

2011-10-17T20:47:00.001-07:00

Recently, I've been asked by some people how I've been getting my work into galleries. Well, to be honest, I've just been kinda of lucky. Mainly, people have seen my work somewhere and emailed me about being in a show.

However, after meeting with these gallery owners, I asked them what they recommend to new artists hoping to branch into the gallery world. Most of them have said they are open for artists to submit their work for consideration through their websites. So look closely for something that encourages you to submit your work and then follow the directions.

One of the most popular galleries in Los Angeles is Gallery Nucleus. I have a ton of friends dying to get into this gallery and am friend with the owner so have chatted with him a bit about it. He says that popular galleries often have so many submissions they won't be able to get back to you with a yes or a no. Rarely do they do open calls, but when they do, make sure to take advantage. For instance, Gallery Nucleus had an open call for their Harry Potter show for over a year and actually didn't get that many entries.

A few opportunities now:

For anyone still looking to get into Gallery Nucleus, please consider making work for their Powers in Numbers gallery. Moderated by Nucleus, this online gallery showcases quality original artwork at affordable prices. All work measures 5"x7" and is priced at $50 or $100. Artists are welcome to submit for possible inclusion in this project. Proceeds from each sale benefits the artist's chosen charity.

Modest Fly Art Gallery is having an End of the Year “What is Modest to You” Small Works Juried Art Competition. To enter the competition, send examples of your work, a maximum of 5 pieces, with a $25 check to Modest Fly Art Gallery. If your work is not accepted into the show, your check will be returned to you. Entered works must be a maximum size of 12“ x 12” framed. If you would like to enter your work via email, please send small jpegs of your work to eerren@modestflyartgallery.com and mail your check to the gallery. The deadline to enter the show is November 12th, 2011.

Good luck to those that apply!

"A Little Big of Everything" Show

2011-10-07T23:24:00.000-07:00

I'm very excited to announce I'm going to be featured in "A Little Bit of Everything" hosted by Modest Fly Art Studio Gallery. I'll be showing there along with some very talented artists:

Jim Mullen
Eunice San Miguel
Daniaelle Simonsen
Ione Citrin
Joan Banks
Marcy Eiben
Roopa Dudley

You'll be able to catch a glimpse at all the other kinds of paper art I do besides pop-ups. So if you're in the area, "A Little Bit of Everything" group show will be having it's opening on October 14th, 2011 from 7-10pm. The show will be up until November 12th, 2011.

Hope to see you there!

Modest Fly Art Studio Gallery
7578 Foothill Blvd.
Tujunga, CA 91042

Paper Collage Artist - Nate Wragg

2011-09-25T11:55:00.000-07:00

If you're into the paper cutting stuff you should check out the amazing paper collage work of Nate Wragg. He's got a great style and I heard he even makes some of his own paper to use.

And if you're in the LA area, you should check out this amazing event I'm putting on with him in October.

It's A Small World Pop-Up

2011-09-13T21:00:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to say I'll be participating in another Gallery Nucleus show! This time it's the 'It's a Small World Exhibit'. There will be an opening this Saturday, September 17th from 7p-10p.

I've always been a huge Disney fan and love Mary Blair, so working on this pop-up was so much fun. For me, creating a pop-up is a different challenged than just doing illustration. You have to find a balance between the engineering and the art - one always leads the other. On this pop-up, I knew I wanted to incorporate the ride's theme song, so both the engineering and illustration needed to follow that concept. Originally I had planned to just pop-up the ride's architecture, but felt it was too empty, so I wound up putting in a bunch of singing kids. I think it added a lot of color and unity to the piece since it now feels like the kids are singing! I'm really happy with the way this pop-up came out (especially since it's only my 2nd pop-up with music!).

There will be 10 copies of this pop-up for sale (it's a limited edition and each one is signed/numbered by me). Every pop-up is completely hand cut and assembled by me. Then hand-bound with white linen book cloth that has the clock face printed on top. It even plays the first 20 seconds of the It's a Small World theme song automatically when you open it! I took a video of it below.

If you're interested in purchasing a copy, please see here. (They also have 2 copies of my Hogwarts pop-u p available too.)

full view from top view

full view from a lower angle

the front of the small world building ride

kids on the right side

kids on the left side

the outside cover has the clock face

Fall Classes Open for Enrollment

2011-08-17T22:40:00.001-07:00

If anyone out there is in the LA area and looking to subliment their art education, check out these classes and workshops I've put together through Motivarti.

The first class we are offering is Landscape Painting with Kathy Altieri. Kathy’s a production designer and art director at DreamWorks Animation. She’s also probably known as one of the best colorists in the animation industry. Kathy taught this class a few semesters ago at Art Center and I can personally vouch in saying it has been the best landscape painting class I have ever taken. (And I took 3 landscape painting classes while at Art Center). Kathy’s a very patient and encouraging teacher who can help anyone get to the next level. Check it out her e.

The second class we’re offering is Themed Environment Design with Chris Runco. You’re not going to find anyone more experienced that Chris Runco, a 35 year veteran of theme park design. Chris is currently a senior concept designer at Walt Disney Imagineering and has been there since the 1970′s. He’s designed everything that goes into a theme park from major attractions to penny-press machines. Chris is a very busy professional and we’re very lucky to have time teaching this class with us next semester. Don’t miss this opportunity! More info here.

Lastly, we’ll be offering 2 legal workshops with the infamous, Michelle Katz. Michelle has been a lawyer for over 26 years with various companies including the Writers Guild, Universal Studios Consumer Products, Paramount Pictures, and several others. Trust me when I say, Michelle knows her stuff. Not only is she super knowledgeable, but very enthusiastic about sharing what she knows with her students. Michelle will be teaching two 1-day workshops this fall.

The first, How to Protect Your Work and Not Get Sued, is all about copyrights. Michelle will cover the basics of copyrights as well as dispel the myths of copyrights. (If you take a photo off the internet and change it 10%, you can call it an original right? If you don’t know, Michelle can tell you!) In addition, she’s going to walk you through how to file a copyright with the US government. That way, if someone ever steals your work you’ll have legal ground to actually stand on.

The second workshop, Starting Your Freelance Business the Right Way, is going to cover all the things you need to know about beginning your freelance business. This is essential for anyone who is freelances, even if it’s just part-time on the weekends or after work hours. Nobody wants the government coming after them for not filing the right paper work, so let Michelle help you get your ducks in line. During this workshop, Michelle will also cover contracts – what defines a contract, how read a contract, what to do if someone breaks a contract, and how to write a contract. If you’re just starting out as an entrepreneur, please don’t miss this workshop and learn it the hard way.

For more information about any of our workshops or classes, you can read about them here and for information about registration and our policies, check them out here. Registration will end in about 3 weeks. As always, if you have any questions feel free to contact us!

An Afternoon with David Colman

2011-08-01T18:33:00.000-07:00

The second lecture in our "An Afternoon with..." series!

Sunday, August 7th, 2011
1:00 – 4:30 pm
at Gallery Nucleus (210 East Main St. Alhambra, CA 91801)

Join Motivarti and Gallery Nucleus for a special event featuring character designer and story artist David Colman.

David will discuss his extensive experience in the entertainment industry, give a demo of his character design process, and introduce and sign his new book, Animal Character Design: Grizzly Bears.

The afternoon includes:

- a one-hour lecture with Q&A, with topics including David’s approach to storytelling and character design, as well as how he crafted a wide-ranging career for himself in the animation industry

- a two-hour character design demo, in which David will explain his approach and techniques for creating engaging characters

- an artist meet-and-greet, with print and book signing following the character design demo

-an opportunity to purchase a limited-edition, numbered and signed print, which David has created exclusively for Motivarti for this event

- a raffle of the original artwork created during David’s demo; you’ll receive 3 free raffle tickets for attending, with more tickets available for purchase at the event

-a free t-shirt with the purchase of Animal Character Design: Grizzly Bears (while supplies last; offer valid only at Gallery Nucleus during the event)

Tickets (click here to purchase)
Pre-purchase before 7/31: $20
Pre-purchase from 7/31 to 8/6: $24
At the door: $28

Please note, seating is limited.

Get three free raffle tickets when you purchase an event ticket. Plus, college students show their I.D. at the door for an additional five free raffle tickets!

About David Colman
David Colman is an intensely motivated, self-taught artist with a passion for his craft. His career in the entertainment industry spans many years, and includes clients such as Sony Animation (feature and TV), Cartoon Network, Disney Animation (feature and TV), Blue Sky Studios, Nickelodeon Consumer Products, and EA Games. David currently works as a storyboard artist with ImageMovers Digital. Animal Character Design: Grizzly Bears is his third book.

About Motivarti
At Motivarti, we believe that luck happens when opportunity meets preparation. Whether you’re a working professional, recent graduate, or current student, you’ll find that our lectures, classes, workshops, and events will broaden your creative horizons, and help you make your own luck. For more information, visit Motivarti.org.

Harry Potter Pop-Ups

2011-07-06T23:33:00.000-07:00

So this weekend is the opening of Gallery Nucleus' Harry Potter Tribute Show! I managed to create two pop-up pieces for the show.

The first piece I made was a re-creation of Hogwarts. The drawing is etched into watercolor paper. There will only be four available. There are still some available here.

The other pop-up I created was the scene where Harry and Ron meet Aragog and he sends his children after them. I wanted to create this scene because it was allowed me to really play with layering for the pop-up. On top of the intricate web I cut, I included lights and a sound chip that plays the Harry Potter theme. You can see it in action in the vimeo video below (sorry about the hand held quality).

Leather cover with hand painted "HP" for Harry Potter.

Full view of interior when it's opened.

Close up of the interior when some of the lights are on.

Ron scared and Harry ready to depend them from the spiders.

Harry Potter Aragog Pop-Up from Jackie Huang on Vimeo.

Lastly, I know some people are wondering how I go about creating my pop-ups. So here's a few photos to help explain my process.

I start out by cutting and taping together scraps of paper to create a rough white mock-up. At this point, all I'm concerned about is making sure the pop-up moves like I want it to and closes flat.

I forgot to take a photo of the pop-up before I tore it apart, but after the white mock, I draw on top of it to start refining the shapes. Then I take it apart and scan each individual piece.

Here's an example of a scanned piece of what I call, "the puzzle".

From there, I create vector lines in Illustrator. Print, cut, and assemble. You can see some blue lines, and that's me refining the shapes some more. I also mark any places that need mechanical changes and then tear apart and re-scan. Print, cut and assemble again. I repeat this process over and over until everything works. Sometimes it takes 2 tries, other times, it's taken up to 8.

Before I start illustrating the pop-up, I do a super rough color comp. This just allows me to get a sense of the color palette and value structure I'm going to strive to create.

After that, I move to illustrating each individual piece. I leave a little bleed on each image and you can see here some cut and fold lines I'll use to guide myself later.

After all of that, I move to cut and assemble the final piece. Total time to create this Aragog pop was around 25 hours?

Sneak Peak

2011-06-15T22:48:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been super busy since graduating school which is a great thing! Unfortunately, I'm not able to show most of the work I've done since it's all hush, hush and won't be released on the market until later this year or next year.

However, I have managed to squeeze in a new pop-up piece I'm making for Gallery Nucleus' Harry Potter Tribute show. Here's a sneak peak at one of the two pieces I'll be creating. Check back in a few weeks for the finished piece. I'm also going to try and post some process stuff if I can.

ImagiNations 2011

2011-05-10T19:39:00.000-07:00

Last semester, another project I filled my 'spare time' with was a project for Walt Disney Imagineering's ImagiNations Design Competition.

We received notice today that our team made it to the semi-finalist round and in fact the the 10 top teams, but they only picked 6 to move to the finalists. I have to say I didn't create much art for this project and took more of a leadership role in order to make sure the project seemed cohesive, got done on time, and fit into 8 slides. So basically all the drawings and paintings done for this project were by my very VERY talented team mates: Paul Cohen, Jocelyn Liang, and Laura West.

In this immersive ride concept, guests can step into the world of Up and take part in an “unplanned” adventure to Paradise Falls with Russell, Dug, and friends. From start to finish, the entire ride experience is divided into three parts: The Line, The Ride, and The Shop. In “The Line,” guests will wait in a queue that winds through the Wilderness Explorer clubhouse, immersing them in that world, while also getting them up to speed on what happened to Carl and Russell after Up ended. The second stage—“The Ride”—is a 4D, seated show that takes guests back to Paradise Falls thanks to an accidental take-off. The closing to the ride is the guests’ exit through “The Spirit of Adventure” dirigible, which doubles as the gift shop.

From start to finish, this ride concept allows guests to connect with their favorite Up characters, feel the excitement of soaring over Paradise Falls, and experience the stylized realism of the movie in a tactile world. As a film, Up is about opening your heart and taking chances. With our ride concept, we hope to inspire our guests to feel the same soaring wonder and excitement of exploration.

- The project was conceived by Art Center College of Design Team and created for the 2011 Walt Disney Imagineering’s ImagiNations Design Competition.
- This project is the sole property of Walt Disney Imagineering and all rights to use these ideas are property of Walt Disney Imagineering.
- The competition is a way for students to showcase their talents and for Disney to identify new talent.

Josh's Thank You Card

2011-05-04T00:53:00.000-07:00

My friend Josh made me this thank you card for graduation.

I laughed really hard when I opened it. Thanks, Josh. =)

Etsy Store Update!

2011-04-26T18:25:00.001-07:00

Lots of stuff up for grabs in my Etsy shop! Check it out soon before something you want is gone!

Juggling Bear

2011-04-25T19:17:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I finally graduated from Art Center! It's been a long hull over the past 3 years but more than worth it. I've had the pleasure to learn from some amazing teachers and meet amazingly talented peers.

This is the final piece I have to post out of all the work I created for my final semester. I think it perfectly sums up how it was my last term - juggling a lot of things all at once. Congrats to everyone who graduated!

The Story of Hansel and Gretel (and Bingham too)

2011-04-22T15:05:00.000-07:00

My big senior project this semester was developing the story of Hansel and Gretel into an eight spread pop-up book. The first thing I did was re-write the story. It never made any sense to me why those kids would want to go back to their dad if he listened to their evil step mom and left them in the forest willingly. That just seemed awful.

My next step was the break the story down into eight key moments and engineer it. An earlier post shows what the spreads look like before I illustrate them. Here are some photos of the finished book. Everything was printed at home on my Epson printer and cut out by hand before I assembled the pieces. A big thanks to an awesome photographer, Jen O'Sullivan, for taking fabulous photos.

Cover

Spread 1: Close up of Hansel, Gretel, and Bingham playing on a swing

Spread 2: Hansel and Gretel get lost by chasing after a squirrel

Spread 2: Father gathers wood

Spread 3: Hansel and Gretel are lost in the dark forest
but in the distance is a faint glow

Spread 3: Huddling under a tree

Spread 4: The witch's cottage as a ginger bread house surrounded
by confectioner's sugar or in my case, glitter

Spread 4: Close up of the cottage

Spread 4: Close up of the witch welcoming Hansel, Gretel, and Bingham

Spread 5: A candy and baked goods feast

Spread 5: Bingham knows something is not right

Spread 6: The evil witch's true identity and plans are revealed

Spread 6: Close up of the Witch's face

Spread 7: Tricking the witch into the oven

Spread 8: Close up of being home and eating vegetables

Paper to Digital

2011-04-20T20:14:00.001-07:00

One of the things I've been trying to accomplish this semester has been figuring out a method of translating the paper style into a digital medium. I went back to school in hopes of becoming a visual development artist/ concept illustrator for animation and in that world, everything these days is done digitally due to the pace of production. So these are a few pieces I created in Photoshop using the same exact method I do for paper. I'm looking forward to exploring this concept even more.

Green Quill

2011-04-19T22:29:00.000-07:00

Almost at the finish line! Thanks to everyone who came out to Gallery Nucleus this past Sunday for the Brittney Lee event. It was super packed - way more than we anticipated. So we're very excited and can't wait to announce the next one.

Right now, I'm wrapping up a few final projects. This is one I created for my Science and Sustainability class. I call it my 'green quill' since it's green and about environmentalism (the focus of the class). GreenWorks by Clorox is actually a truly environmentally friendly product. It costs just a little bit more in the store, but I hope more people buy it. I think it's worth telling companies people are willing to make small, everyday changes for the environment and that will encourage more companies to start creating products like this. Total time....30 hours?

More to come soon!

Limited Edition Sheep on Etsy

2011-04-15T10:46:00.000-07:00

It's been a crazy few weeks getting everything finished up for graduation next week! I'll be posting more work next week as we near the end. In the meantime, enjoy these little free standing pop-up sheep I made for recruiters as take-ways. I only created a run of 125 because each sheep had to be individually cut out and assembled. 100 of them will be going out to recruiters and 25 were set aside for anyone to buy off Etsy. Enjoy!

An Afternoon with Brittney Lee

2011-04-03T14:24:00.000-07:00

A friend, Laura, and I were running a club at school called, "Picture This". And now we've looking to turn it into a real business! So if you're in the LA area and like paper work, you should come check out our first event, An Afternoon with Brittney Lee.

Sunday, April 17th, 2011
1:00 – 4:30 pm
at Gallery Nucleus (210 East Main St. Alhambra, CA 91801)

Join Motivarti and Gallery Nucleus for a special event featuring visual development artist Brittney Lee.

In this exclusive event, Brittney will share her experiences with transitioning from art school into a successful career in feature animation, as well as the techniques she uses to create her exquisite paper art.

The afternoon includes:

- a one-hour lecture with Q&A, with topics including Brittney’s development as an artist, techniques for creating a fan base, and advice for making the transition to a career in the entertainment industry

- a two-hour, open-format paper demo, in which Brittney will craft an original paper work while explaining her process and techniques

- an artist meet-and-greet, with print and book signing following the paper demo

- a raffle of the original paper artwork created during Brittney’s demo; you’ll receive 3 free raffle tickets for attending, with more tickets available for purchase at the event

-an opportunity to purchase a limited-run, numbered and signed print which Brittney has created exclusively for Gallery Nucleus and Motivarti for this event

Tickets
Pre-purchase: $20 (click here)
At the door: $25

Get three free raffle tickets when you purchase an event ticket. Plus, college students show their I.D. at the door for an additional five free raffle tickets!

About Brittney
After graduating from Rochester Institute of Technology’s School of Film and Animation, Brittney moved to the West Coast with the goal of working in the entertainment industry. Over time, she created a fan base and built buzz around her playful, exquisitely crafted paper art. She currently works for Walt Disney Animation, with credits including the children’s book, Tangled: A Dazzling Day.

Desert Flower

2011-03-14T18:21:00.001-07:00

This is a paper sculpture I created for my grad show. Photo is courtesy of my friend, Craig Elliott.

Pop-Up Preview

2011-03-11T00:16:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't been actively posting lately. It's been a crazy few months as I'm working on a ton of projects for my graduation show coming in April.

For now, here's a quick preview of some paper engineering. So if you've ever wondered what my stuff looks like (or how I think) here it is! White and not really understandable to anyone, including myself sometimes. Final product photos to come in April!

Oz Video!

2011-01-06T22:50:00.000-08:00

It took a while but the video for my Wonderful Wizard of Oz App is finally up and running! So check it out on the official site, Vimeo, or YouTube.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz App from Jackie Huang on Vimeo.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz iPad App

2010-12-19T21:09:00.000-08:00

So the reason I haven't been able to post a lot of stuff I've done this semester because I've been so busy working on my app! It's been my own little side project that I've been working on with a few really talented people. I didn't want to post anything in progress until it was ready and Friday it was officially released on the iTunes store.

Discover a new kind of interactive story app for a new year! Inspired by Frank L. Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” this app contains revised text and all-new illustrations, along with the next generation of interactions that expand the possibilities of iPad storytelling.

Watch as this classic tale comes to life when Dorothy is whisked away from her flat, gray Kansas world into the colorful Land of Oz. When the images change from beautiful line drawings to breathtaking paper-cut illustrations early in the story, delightful animations and sounds will also appear. You can experience the magical Land of Oz along with Dorothy by tilting and shaking your iPad, or touching, pushing, and dragging objects around the page.

This is a truly immersive app, in which you become the storyteller by triggering interactions that further the story. With innovative interactions that take full advantage of the iPad’s capabilities, this app pushes the boundaries of what interactive storytelling can be!

Features:
• A 45-page app, with 35 pages of innovative interactions
• Revised story with newly written text
• All-new illustrations in two styles: 7 pages of masterful line artwork, and over 35 pages of full-color, paper-cut illustrations
• Interactions that relate to the plot, so that you further the story
• Illustrations with complex animations not previously seen in other iPad apps
• An array of fun sound effects to immerse you in Dorothy’s world

(Line drawings by Laura West)

Usually, I don't like to toot my own horn, but please check it out, download and rate it!

I've also shot some footage of the app and am getting it edited together for a short video. I'll post it soon.

Landscape Paintings 2

2010-12-14T22:11:00.000-08:00

So the second half of the semester was more sporadic than the first in terms of landscape painting. I wound up going to North Carolina to visit my boyfriend for Thanksgiving and did some paintings out there. It was a thousand times harder than painting in California. It was super cold out and the landscape is just dense forest. I mean, DENSE forest or just open flat land. The fall color palette was beautiful, but because there was so much saturated color from the leaves it was hard to see the accurate values. Here are two paintings I did on the spot that turned out ok.

Towards the end of the class we were asked to take what we learned from landscape painting and do some stylizations. I wound up two paper sculptures.

Moonshine

2010-12-13T23:39:00.000-08:00

I totally forgot to post about this when it came out! During my summer internship at DreamWorks I was volunteered by boss, Angela Lepito to help out Christophe Lautrette and Pierre-Olivier Vincent (POV). They had wanted me to adjust the cover of their book, Moonshine. They had some elements they wanted to delete and others they wanted to add or move around. This all sounded relatively do-able until I opened the files and found out they were flattened. I was so nervous about potentially not coming through for them that I immediately jumped into the project. Within an hour or two I contacted them to come check my work. POV came to look at it and expressed his surprise that I completed it so fast. The next day they only had a few minor changes. But it now appears as the final cover on the Moonshine book and if you look closely in the back you'll see my name mentioned in the special thanks section by Angela Lepito.

I also got do a some promo stuff for the book, like the postcard below. If you haven't checked out the book, definitely do.

Portfolio Website Launch

2010-11-11T18:31:00.000-08:00

Finally made a new website since going to USC. Something I'm not embarrassed to show. Well at least not now....I thought the same thing about my old website I designed while at USC.

Check it out: www.jackiehuang.com

Landscape Paintings 1

2010-11-06T14:02:00.000-07:00

This semester I'm taking another landscape painting class, but this time my instructor is Kathy Altieri. She's an amazing teacher. One of the best I've ever had. Not only is she knowledgeable, she's really encouraging. She'll always find something good in even your worst painting. Here are some of my favorite painting I've done in class so far. They're all in gouache with no digital touch-ups.

Eaton Canyon

Vasquez Rocks

Millard Canyon

Name Logo

2010-10-26T16:07:00.000-07:00

I created a new logo for myself and then went on to quill it. It took me about 3 hours to draw it out and then another 12 to make it out of paper. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out as refined as I had hoped. I think I might have to wind up fixing up the original drawing and just using that instead.

Dream-Con 2010

2010-09-23T20:33:00.000-07:00

So one of the other major projects I got to work on during my internship at DreamWorks was this festival called, Dream-Con. It's kind of like comic-con where artists each get a table and sell their artwork but Dream-Con is a smaller function limited to studio workers only.

I wasn't able to post these until after the event occurred, which was this past Tuesday. So here are some of the posters I got to make for the event. The dates are all off but that's b/c it changed like 3x throughout the summer.

The Save-The-Date tags were actually made and hung on the doors of some workers to encourage participation. Name tags, sandwich boards, table tents and other various things were made that all fell into the same 'theme' I designed. Overall it was really fun to be able to do branding for this event.

Stork Paper Sculpture

2010-09-05T20:28:00.000-07:00

On Monday, August 30th, one of my best friends from high school had her very first baby! So in honor of this occasion, I made her a paper sculpture as a baby gift.

DreamWorks Thank You Pop-Up

2010-08-29T21:02:00.000-07:00

My summer was pretty busy and packed with lots of amazing experiences. One of the greatest parts about being an intern at DreamWorks animation was the ability to get to meet and speak with lots of artists. I had the fortune of being able to meet and share my portfolio with lots of people. Some included:

Kathy Altieri (Production Designer)
Sam Michalp (Art Director)
Devin Crane (Character Designer)
Shane Prigmore (Character Designer)
Pete Maynez (Viz Dev)
Jayee Bocar (Viz Dev)
Cundo Rabaudi (Sculptor/Viz Dev)
Chris Sanders (Director)

I got lots of amazing feedback and even impressed some people with my paper work. Overall, it was a great experience and encouraging. As a thank you to my fellow DreamWorkers, I created a special handmade pop-up card.

Yes, the even the envelopes were individually crafted.

The inside of the thank you card reads,
"Thanks for helping me reach new heights!"

Close up of the card and characters

Close up of the monkeys

What the top of the card looks like

I have to give a special thanks to my very good friend and artist, Laura West! I wouldn't have been able to make all that I needed (20 cards in total) if it wasn't for her willingness to stay up with me until 3am several nights and helping me cut out the pieces for the cards so I could assemble the pieces.

Lab-apalooza

2010-07-19T23:30:00.000-07:00

So I had to wait for the event to pass before I could display any of my work. But I got to create a lot of stuff for our department's open house called Lab-apalooza. The theme and pieces are based on Lollapalooza and everything that was created had the same feel.

This was the poster I created for the event.

This is a flat view of a two sided invite I created. It was passed out by hand to all the executives in the studio. It got a lot of attention and is going to be submitted (along with photos of the event) to Fortune Magazine as part of DreamWorks Animation's application to qualify for one of the top 100 best companies to work for.

Below are some photos of the event.

Panoram

Co-worker, Tim with my signs in the background

Table set ups

Our department head, Randy wearing one of my spiffy name tags

Art Demos in the new art space

DreamWorks

2010-06-23T22:05:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted stuff mainly b/c it's been crazy busy for me. Right now I'm doing another full time summer internship at DreamWorks Animation. This time in the Show Development/Research department. (Back in 2005, while at USC, I was in their Digital Training and Technical Development Department.) It's not an official art internship but I've been doing a lot of posters and graphic work for them. I'll ask my boss and see if he'll let me post some of the stuff I've done for them on my blog.

Besides that, I have a lot of side projects going on too. Currently, I'm working on another pop up book (8 spreads this time) as an independent study with my color teacher, Richard Keyes. It's schedule to be done sometime in August but I'm definitely behind because I'm just so tired after working all day. But I plan on catching up soon. So it will get done!

In addition to that, I'll also be doing a paper sculpture for one of my long time high school friend who's having her first baby in September. It's going to be for her son's nursery so check back for that in September.

I'll try to update with more work when I finally get new work done.

Farm in Winter

2010-04-30T12:44:00.000-07:00

If you saw my previous post from Style class, we had to design a vegetable/fruit stand in middle America. So I did a pumpkin stand in the autumn and had wanted to also set it in the winter but didn't have time during the term. So here's the winter version and below it, the autumn one as reference.

Carrot Julius

2010-04-21T19:50:00.000-07:00

Another thing I did this term was help a friend, Ian Abando, out with some editing work. He did storyboards for an idea he had called, The Carrot Julius, and then asked me to cut them for him into an animatic. So check out his story blog and the animatic!

Digital Landscape

2010-04-20T20:46:00.000-07:00

Here are a few paintings we did in Digital Landscape. We painted at the LA Arboretum (in Arcadia) in gouache and then scanned the paintings to do touch ups in the computer labs. If there's one thing I've learned it's this: a better on-site paintings will yield a better digital painting.

One of my firsts (after the touch ups; I will spare you the before).

Before

After

Before

After

Style

2010-04-19T18:08:00.000-07:00

In Style class we were given various artist to analyze and then create a picture based off the prompt. Then for our final, we had to create mock portfolio pages.

A fast food restuarant with a playground in the style of William Joyce.

A music school in San Francisco in the style of Mary Blair.

A vegetable/farm stand on the side of the road in middle America
in the style of 101 Dalmations.

Grandmother's house from Little Red Riding Hood
in the style of Eyvind Earle.

Color & Story: The Prestige

2010-04-19T17:51:00.000-07:00

In our Color & Story class we had to redo the film, The Prestige. It's an amazing film and I recommend you see if you haven't. Above was all that I turned in for my final. Below are close ups.

Our color scripts were limited to 24 frames which made it kind of hard.
Yes, Lou Romano was a big influence.

Character Line Up. I didn't actually cut these out with paper.
I created vector shapes in illustrator and used the shapes
to mask colored paper that had texture.

Key Scene 1:
Angier spies on Borden's new family. It should have been his life.

Key Scene 2:
Borden is explaining to Angier that the real secret to the fishbowl trick.

Key Scene 3:
Jess comes to visit Borden in jail and Borden learns Lord Caldlow is Angier.

Key Scene 4:
A firey end as Fallon/Borden kills Lord Caldlow/Angier.

Color & Story Class Exercises

2010-04-19T17:34:00.001-07:00

A painting completed by only using two complimentary colors (blue & orange). Oh, and white of course.

We were supposed to tell two different stories. The first square's emphasis is on the kids (due to a contrast of value). The second square focuses on the monkeys (due to a contrast of saturation). The last square is what the picture looks like if everything is the same saturation and value.

This was an exercise based on colored lines. A color can change depending on what it's next to. So in the first block the same colored line but its value changes based on the background. The second block uses the same colored line but its saturation changes based on the background. The last block uses two different colors but their environments make them look like they are the same.

Guys and Dolls (Graphics for Entertaiment Final)

2010-04-18T17:09:00.000-07:00

city block in color with characters

details of the signage for the city block

Mindy's Restaurant Menu Cover

Miss Adelaide's Poster

In our Graphics for Entertainment class our instructor, Paul Rogers, had us redesign signage from the film, Guys and Dolls. We had to do a NY city block that included the Hot Box, Mindy's Restaurant and the Save-A-Soul Mission. Then we also had to design a Mindy's menu cover and a poster for Miss Adelaide's show at The Hot Box. The film was made in the 50's so I tried to do it in the style of 50's cartoons and commercials. The book, 'Cartoon Modern' was a huge influence.

Norm Schureman

2010-03-22T17:51:00.000-07:00

I usually try to keep my posts strictly about my artwork but this past weekend a legendary teacher at my school, Norm Schureman, passed away.

Norm was an amazing teacher. Truly, one of a kind. He managed to treat you as a respected colleague and in doing so made you want to do your best. Norm believed in you and trusted you. He sincerely wanted nothing more than for you to succeed and he'd do anything to help you 'take it to the next level,' as he'd often say. More than that, a couple times, he'd bring his kids to class. You could tell he was an amazing father who never sacrificed his family for all his artistic success. It was comforting to see you could have both.

The news was quite shocking since his death wasn't an accident and wasn't foreseen. He was merely at a party, got into an argument, and the suspect went home, got a gun and returned to shoot him. I really can't imagine Norm saying something to piss someone off so much to come back with a gun! He was one of the most charming and nicest people I've ever met. I still can't believe he's really gone. I had planned on going to talk to him in a few weeks about TAing for a summer class. The last time I saw him was when he entered the men's bathroom a few months ago. I wanted to stand around and say hi but felt it would be really creepy for me to hang around the men's bathroom just do that and figured I'd get another chance. I didn't. Norm's death to me is a reminder that life can be too short and unpredictable. So to Norm, thanks for reminding me to not put off until tomorrow what I can do today and that life shouldn't be all work, remember to have fun.

Cat Paper Sculpture

2010-03-09T20:20:00.000-08:00

My club called Picture This at Art Center holds a weekly drawing contest. Next week Jean Mitsunaga from our career development office is going to come speak. She's been the most helpful and generous person to our club. She even donated her week's drawing contest prize and 8 Art Center t-shirts as gifts to our other speakers. Thus, instead of giving one her of her own gifts I decided to do a quick paper sculpture of the word for that week, 'cat'.

So to Jeanie, thanks for always being there to help us untangle ourselves.

Tsz's Name Quilled

2010-03-09T20:18:00.001-08:00

I did this a long time ago, back in December as an xmas gift for a friend. It's her name, 'Tsz" quilled in her favorite colors, black and gold.

Dewey Cox Bobble Head

2010-02-21T11:59:00.000-08:00

For my Graphic Design for Entertainment class, we were told to create a piece of memorabilia that Dewey Cox would display on his wall. Dewey Cox is a fictional character whose life is based on a parody of Johnny Cash. It's a great movie ad you should watch it if you haven't seen it, 'Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story'.

Rapunzel

2010-01-31T17:40:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to finish this paper illustration for the last four weeks and I finally decided to do it (mainly b/c it was taking up space on my working desk and was driving me nuts). When I create these paper illustrations it's like putting together a puzzle and I try not to glue anything til I'm close to the end in case I decide to change my mind. However, this means that it's also really easy to loose these tiny pieces of paper that look like trash so I have to try and avoid moving it as much as possible. Now with school starting up I needed my space back and finished this as fast as possible. Actual size is 9" x 20". Total time it took from concept to framing....15 hours?

Jake Paper Sculpt

2010-01-13T19:40:00.000-08:00

When I went home this past winter break I realized how old my dog was getting. It made me pretty sad and so I think I may have over showered him with hugs. I imagine this is how he probably felt. (By the way, he's not a fox, he's just a red husky which makes him look like a fox.)

Dynamic Sketching Final Book

2009-12-14T23:05:00.000-08:00

For our final project in Dynamic Sketching we were told to do a 'best of' our drawings from each of our 8 field trips. I repeated my theme of interactivity from my scrap into my book. So there are pull tabs and spinning wheels and some pop ups in there.

I have some still photos of the book and included a video minus sound (tv was playing some CSI in the background) because you can better see the book. Pardon the amateurish way it as done and the glitch here or there where the tabs get snagged. The awkwardness is me trying to get it work.

Dynamic Sketching Scrap

2009-12-14T22:52:00.000-08:00

One of the assignments in Dynamic Sketching was to do 'scrap' which was supposed to be doodles and sketches on random stuff like napkins, coasters, books, etc. I asked at the beginning of the semester if I could do dimensional and/or interactive work instead of flat drawings and my teacher was sure. So here's some of what I did.

Where the Wild Things Are pop up diarama

Squid vs. Octopus

Combination Lock using zoo animals

Paper toy Cowboy

Digital Life Final

2009-12-14T22:48:00.000-08:00

This is a painting about Rashid, a famous storyteller in this decrepit village. He's such a wonderful storyteller that people create makeshift stages in alleys and monkeys stop their chattering from the rooftops just to hear him speak.

Digital Life

2009-12-14T22:45:00.001-08:00

In class paintings from my digital life class. Thus they were done digitally using a combo of Photoshop and Corel Painter. I'd say about 1.5 hrs per painting is what we were given.

Bryn's Thank You Card

2009-12-09T17:31:00.000-08:00

This semester at school I joined the DotExchange Mentorship Program and was lucky enough to have an amazing mentor. Her name was Bryn Imagire and she works at Pixar as an art director! She's the nicest person ever and very patient. I asked so many questions and she answered them all plus more! It was a great mentorship exchange and has really influenced me in big ways. So I made Bryn a thank you card for encouraging me to pursue what I love and one of the things is pop ups! Thus it only seemed fit to make her a pop up card.

Handmade Card + Handmade Envelope

Outside of the card reads: "Just Wanted to Say..."

Inside of the card

Rest of the card reads: "Thanks a bunch!"

Close up of monkeys inside

CTN Expo

2009-11-20T21:31:00.000-08:00

The CTN Expo was this weekend in Burbank, Ca. I got to go with a few friends and it was pretty cool. They had studios there to review portfolios as well as give you feedback. Although I didn't get my portfolio reviewed, it was still a cool experience and gives me some idea of what to do and look forward to next year.

Luckily, I was able to meet one of my favorite artists, Brittney Lee. Originally I thought about commissioning her to do a piece, but picked something up at the expo instead. I love her work and how she combines the ideas of animation/character/storytelling with paper work. The following is the piece I got from her. Really beautiful stuff.

Call for Entries

2009-11-04T22:13:00.000-08:00

For my Digital Life class midterm, we were assigned to do a poster of some sort. I choose to do the option of a Society of Illustrators call for entries poster.

My concept was to do the Pied Piper 'calling' all animals together just like the call for entries flyers gather artists together.

This is the poster when you first view it.

It then unfolds into this long procession.

Sketches of the back and front ends.

Sketch of the middle traffic jam.

Landscape Paintings

2009-11-04T22:03:00.000-08:00

Here are some landscape paintings I did over the course of the semester.

The infamous Art Center Bridge.

A digital painting of the Art Center driveway.

Digital painting of koi fish swimming at Descanso Park

This weird purple cactus at Descanso Park

A pond at Descanso park

Digital Master Copy

2009-09-28T19:30:00.000-07:00

For our first assignment in Digital Life we had to copy a master's oil painting but do it digitally. I used a combination of photoshop and corel painter to redo N.C. Wyeth's Indian with Lance.

Little Red Riding Hood

2009-08-12T15:06:00.000-07:00

For my final in my 3d pop up engineering class, I decided to retell the story of Little Red Riding Hood. It's done through 5 scenes stuck together, so it creates a 360 degree story. This is known as a carousel.

First round of designs for little red & the wolf.
The wolf kind of looks like a cat-bear.

Sketches for the wolf meeting little red.

Front and back cover.

Top View

Hand lettered font on the front done with gold paint.

Front cover corner image.

Little Red Riding Hood leaves her house with a basket of goods for her grandmother.

Along the path she meets a wolf who convinces her to stop and pick flowers.

By the time she gets to her grandmother's house,
the wolf has eatten her grandmother and is waiting for Little Red in the bed.

When she meets the wolf, he jumps out of bed and gobbles her up.

But in the end, the hunter comes and saves the day,
so Little Red is reunited with her grandmother.

3d Pop Up Peacock

2009-08-12T15:00:00.001-07:00

In class we were told to create a personal promo, so I created a 3d pop up. They're pretty rare to find and cool when you do.

Peacock in mock up stage.
Ugly and unshaped with white paper and lots of tape.

This is the artwork on the peacock. It's done through quilling paper.

Close up of the quilled paper.

Finished peacock.

Folded Flat.

The head.

It was a promo so has my contact info.

Pop Up Projects

2009-08-12T14:58:00.001-07:00

Castle back lit

Owls in a Tree Card
Close up of owls. A good reuse of my design 2 patterns.

Will Weston Classes

2009-08-12T14:55:00.001-07:00

Here are some pieces from a class I took with Will Weston.

Design of Submarine built by an 8 yr old from everyday parts.

An evil beaver damn based of City of Darkness

Keep Oceans Blue Quill

2009-07-23T19:13:00.000-07:00

For one of our classes we had an opportunity to do a piece for the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific. I'm not sure if mine will be displayed alone in a frame of collage with others yet. Either way I finally finished it. This piece took me about 30 hours from concept to photography.

finished piece

just started quilling (about 3 hrs in).
you can see the drawing on a sheet of paper underneath.

about half way done.

almost finished

close up of project during progress

close of up top half

close up of later half

what this looks like from the side

Animal Magic Finals

2009-06-24T21:24:00.000-07:00

Here are the 6 animal magic finals I turned in. They all revolve around word play so the title actually plays a part for creating a meaning.

"Nothing But a Bunch of Asses"

If a Woodchuck Could Chuck Would, How Much Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck?"

"Lion + Tiger + Bear = Oh, My"

"Duck, Duck, Duck, Chicken"

"Clown Fish"

"Portrait of American Alligators"

Animal Sketches

2009-06-23T12:18:00.000-07:00

Here are a few composite sketches from my sketchbook during my 'Animal Magic' class. I know, the name is really stupid but the administration came up with it. You get lots of weird looks when talking to friends about your 'animal magic' homework. They think you go to Hogwarts or something. Anyways....

Wildlife Waystation & Wildlife Learning Center

Reptiles
(brought to school)

LA Zoo

Hooved Animals
(brought to school)

Farm Animals
(brought to school)

Long Beach Aquarium

On Site Perspective Sketches

2009-06-15T10:38:00.000-07:00

For my creative perspective class, we were told to go to various locations and draw a sketch what we saw. Here are a few that I did. The perspective's not perfect by any means, but it was on site with a pen and no ruler. What do you expect?

Americana (at Brand)

Archstone Glendale (poolside)

Little Tokyo

Old Town Pasadena

North Hollywood (across from the Animation Guild)

100 Drawings in 100 Days (15-21)

2009-05-23T17:44:00.001-07:00

Word 15: "Silence"

Word 16: "Questioning"

Word 17: "Blood"

Word 18: "Rainbow"

Word 19: "Gray"

Word 20: "Fortitude"

Word 21: "Vacation"

100 Drawings in 100 Days (8-14)

2009-05-16T18:53:00.000-07:00

The term started so it's getting more difficult to find time to do these. Thus some of them are very rough, so forgive me. But at least I got them done.

Word 8: "Innocence"

Word 9: "Drive"
(self driven)

Word 10: "Breathe Again"

Word 11: "Memory"

Word 12: "Insanity"
(The Art Center orange dot logo)

Word 13: "Misfortune"

Word 14: "Smile"

"Ambidextrous" up for sale

2009-05-16T15:38:00.002-07:00

After a few weeks of test prints from various on-line printing companies, I finally found one that does a good job. So if you'd liked the excerpts from "Ambidextrous" you can buy the full 50 page book from Blurb.

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/677324

100 Drawings in 100 Days (1-7)

2009-05-09T20:05:00.001-07:00

I started this group on face book with people from my school. Our plan is to do 100 drawings in 100 days.

Each day I reveal one word for us to draw. Doing it this way will prevent us from skipping words b/c 'I can't think of anything.' The goal of this 'game' or assignment is to help practice our drawing skills as well as our ability to be creative.

The words range from things such as "cat" to "breathe again". So it's all about interpretation and there's no set drawing style so experimentation is open as well. Drawings can be really finished or just doodles if you don't have much time.

I do them at baseball card size: 2.5" x 3.5" mainly b/c it's small so less intimidating. Also because Strathmore makes paper this size and sells them in packets called, Artist Trading Cards.

I'll do an update each week of my drawings. So here is the first week's drawings.

Word 1: "Introduction"

Word 2: "Love"

Word 3: "Light"

Word 4: "Dark"

Word 5: "Seeking Solace"

Word 6: "Break Away"

Word 7: "Heaven"

Sketching for Illustration (Kato Paintings)

2009-04-22T18:52:00.000-07:00

It turns out that in Sketching for Illustration you don't do as much sketching as you do painting. Here are some paintings from the class.

HW: paint a billion t-shirts ignoring the shadow side

An in-class painting where I actually got paint to cover just about the entire canvas. This is not done, so don't judge too harshly.

Kato's midterm: a practical joke still life. My joke is your keys in the jello. It promptly fell apart right after I painted it.

Kato's final: a crime scene. My scene is of a murder.
Garbage bags containing dead chopped up bodies, a shovel in the back and a Clorox spray bottle for clean up.

Charcoal Drawings with a Clunky Eraser

2009-04-22T18:45:00.000-07:00

Torture. Pure and utter torture. I hate being dirty and this exercise gives you black buggers for weeks. Not to mention it gets all over anything you touch and makes you look like a chimney sweeper. Still, the point was to get dirty and to let go. After all, you're using a paper towel with charcoal dust to get the gestural shape of the figure. Then going back in with a pencil to get some more detail. Finally, you're using a big fat Steadler eraser to create form. The trick is to hard edges vs. soft edges.

So after class ended, I asked my teacher, Bob Kato, if there was a cleaner way to re-create this exercise. Because in all honesty, they are some of my best drawings from school so far. He said yes: Photoshop. Give it a try!

Drawing for Illustration- Take 2

2009-04-22T18:38:00.000-07:00

In-class drawing where we were just getting into exaggeration. Originally, I made her hair just a little big, but then went way more. I tried drawing her face (I hate drawing faces) and made her cross-eyed by accident. Thus she has a fly on her nose so it isn't as weird.

I was told that in class, we were gonna get to draw siamese twins. I thought it would be like real Siamese twins. Nope, just two models in one big dress. It was hard to tell at first because you didn't wan to stare, but then you realize that they look nothing alike and you've drawn one of them in your last class.

I went kinda crazy for our last drawing. It was of a mermaid. Not sure if I like it or not.

Analytical Figure Drawings

2009-04-22T18:32:00.000-07:00

These are the typical hw assignments for Analytical Figure Drawing. We copied statues and had to draw all the muscles underneath the figure, then label it all.

A foreshortened pose from class.

I did an auto adjust in photoshop and thought the brown paper made it kinda interesting.

Another in class Analytical Figure Drawing.
This is how my drawings looked without an auto adjust.

Dog Urn for Jake

2009-04-22T18:23:00.000-07:00

For my final in my Materials of Art & Design class (essentially shop class), I created an urn for my dog. No, he's not dead yet. Kinda creepy and morbid, but I wanted him to have a nice resting place rather than be thrown in a ditch with all the other dogs. I feel that he deserves more than that. I even kinda cried in class about it during my final presentation. I didn't think it meant that much to me, but I guess the thought of my old dog dying got to me.

Front view of my dog urn. About 18" high.

Side view. About 8" wide.

The top is made from aluminum (from recycled cans).
The bottom is made from Honduran Mahogany.

This is what the inside of the base looks like.
It's a lot harder and more expensive to make than you'd think.

Ambidextrous

2009-04-17T13:49:00.000-07:00

(Forward) I began this book as a study of left-handed vs. right-handed drawings. Originally, I wanted to become very sensitive to the types of lines and weights I was putting down. I thought that by drawing with my left hand (my non-dominant hand) it would force me to pay closer attention to the marks I was making. But I also had a major concern that the quality of my drawings done with my left hand might suffer. Instead, something amazing happened.

Drawing with my left hand gave me freedom to try new things and make mistakes. After all, I could always claim, “Well, it was done with my left hand. What did you expect?” And although the marks that my left hand made were shaky and sometimes uncontrollable, they were fresh and lively. When I stepped back from a drawing I would be surprised to see that a distorted face was still an easily recognizable face. I was even more shocked to find that sometimes a left-handed face was more interesting than a right-handed face.

When I returned to make right hand (dominant hand) drawings I used those left hand ‘mistakes’ as inspiration. Some of my right hand drawings clearly reflect those inspirations, sometimes to the point where it becomes hard to distinguish the difference between a right hand and a left hand drawing. So inside each drawing I have inserted an insignia to signify whether the drawings were done with my right hand or left hand or sometimes both. I hope you enjoy!

The following are excerpts from the book (total of 50 pages). It can also be purchased at http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/677324

Expressive Type

2009-04-17T11:57:00.000-07:00

My fancy Dr. Seuss inspired 'A'. My teacher didn't like it very much b/c the 'a' got lost. But it was still a cool drawing.

For one of our assignments, we had to create a logo for a restaurant. I choose this great place back in St. Louis called "Pastries of Denmark." I probably would have used a more script-like font but we were forced to design something that was more San Serif.

My final project for Expressive Type was to create a CD cover. I choose to do an emblem for the violinist, Vanessa Mae. Her music is based off classical stuff but with a modern twist (sometimes techno stuff and weird sound effects). So my emblem has just her initials with swashes to recall the look and feel of the violin scroll as well as a baroque feel.

Digital Illustration Stuff

2009-03-19T18:32:00.001-07:00

My business card I designed in class. I made the peacock by cutting up the font and reassembling it from pieces.

In Digital Illustration we had to make paper dolls. I did a circus series with a ring master, a circus cage, and a big blue bunny on the inside.

The template for the Big Blue Bunny inside the circus cage. You can print this out and make it yourself if you'd like!

Our last assignment was to create a character and put them on a product. I created a penguin named, Miles, who was targeted towards 5-7 year olds. I put him on lunch products kids might take to school.

Lunch box set.

This was a soup container with pop out spoon. I put Miles fishing for fish on the side.

The spoon has a small fishy on it.

The white lunch box with Miles on it.

Side view to show how skinny it is.

When it's opened it's a really cool lunch box.
I spent forever looking for the prefect one and I even use it!

Inks Drawings

2009-03-19T18:13:00.001-07:00

This is a cat doodle I did with Higgins Ink in Expressive Type class. We were supposed to writing the word, 'dracula' but got bored really quickly and started drawing animals. I call him 'Catula' or 'Dracucat'.

An in-class drawing from this past week. We were supposed to exaggerate some aspect of the figure so I made his head big and shrunk his gun and legs.

Drawing for Illustration

2009-03-14T15:18:00.003-07:00

This was a drawing we did in class starting from the head and working our way up to the feet. It's probably the first in-class drawing I've ever done that I didn't hate.

Another drawing done in class working with the idea of black mass. Was she hairy or is that just the shadow side? Maybe a little bit of both?

Kato Master Copy

2009-03-14T15:18:00.001-07:00

We had to do a master copy for my Sketching for Illustration class. I chose to do N.C. Wyeth. We had to copy the original painting stroke for stroke, color for color, value for value. Thus I don't care if its bragging because I worked long and hard on this stupid thing so I was glad to see that "A-" on the back.

3d Abstraction from Nature Dolphin Shell - Design 2 Final

2009-03-14T15:16:00.002-07:00

For my design 2 final project, I did a 3d Abstraction of a Dolphin Shell. It's this creepy looking purple, pink, black seashell with spikes.

3d turn around of the final sculpture. It's made from plywood, acrylic and MDF. All done on the laser cutter. It's put together like a puzzle and yes, it's as complicated as it looks.

My idea came when Jon was taking about the idea of space, interiors and exteriors. So I literally created a box and broke it apart. I opened some spaces and closed others. The clear acrylic was was used as a device to 'close' space b/c it physically blocks it but is clear so is also 'open.' The acrylic also acts as a support device. I got the shapes by taking photos of my shell from 6 sides (top, bottom, front, back, side, side) then live traced them in illustrator and simplified. It turned out pretty good in the end but I struggled for a long time to come up with the concept.

Origami Kit- Design 2 Midterm

2009-03-14T15:16:00.001-07:00

For my Design 2 midterm I created a line+dot Origami kit. This is the box I made for it - the materials are white book cloth that I ran through my inkjet printer.

Inside were 18 little booklets. Each booklet is self contained.

This is the sequence in which the book is opened. First line is the front and back of the booklet. When you first open it, you'll see my design (in this case symmetrical balance) and the name of the origami animal (owl) with an interesting fact. When you flip the page you'll see a National Geographic photo of that animal that is also an example of the design concept (symmetrical photo of an owl). Then a couple of pages of directions followed by a pocket in the back that holds square origami paper of my design for you to use as you fold. It's complicated, I know.

My favorite design. We got to choose a word or film and create a line + dot composition based off its idea. My word was "neat" which means clean and organized yet interesting and innovative.

The symmetrically balance composition.

The asymmetrically balance composition.

Emphasis by anomaly. Can you find it?

Self Portraits Galour!

2009-03-14T15:15:00.000-07:00

Our final drawing for Comp & Drawing was a self-portrait in the style of Ingres. I didn't really get it, but this is how it turned out anyways.

For my Head and Hands class, we had to draw one hundred 3"x4" portraits. We chose 25 artists from 3 categories (Western Artists, Japanese Woodblock Print Masters, and Masters of American Comics). We copied three of their portraits and drew one self portrait in their style. The we cut and glued them to a 30x40 board for final presentation, as well as creating a hand bound self portrait book featuring the 25 self portraits. My favorite blocks from the 3 categories follow.

Yoshitoshi
Charles Schulz

James Montgomery Flagg

Kate's Wedding Photography

2009-03-14T15:14:00.003-07:00

I offered to be my friend, Kate's, wedding photographer to help her cut costs. I didn't do the best job since I'm not a professional but there were some really cool shots that came out of it. This one is of Kate beautiful as always, but even more so on her wedding day.

This is what her future family is going to look like. Too cute.

I caught an action shot of the flower girl doing a twirl. I remember when I was a flower girl and my youngest sister shouted, "Why is Jackie getting married?" as I walked down the aisle. It was embarrassing even then.

Best friends! I'm so glad no one was blinking and the smiles were perfect!

Party favors that were so cool! They were seeds inside so extra environmentally special.

I Do Photography Too!

2009-03-14T15:14:00.001-07:00

I used to be a photofreak in high school. I'd have my fancy 35mm camera with me every where and annoy my friends to death. Here's a portrait I took of Jake. He's was so young.

This is the photo that Frank and I developed together back in high school. We spent hours talking while waiting for things to set. It was some of our best times.

The Chicago Art Museum. The lighting was just so awesome I had to capture it. I still love it to this day.

Just for Paul

2009-03-13T15:47:00.001-07:00

i was forced to create this blog for paul. hi, paul.