Summer!

Hey bloggers! I'm so sorry I haven't been posting since April but I have good reasons! I have gotten a job at a bakery and have been very busy with decorating cakes!! As soon as I can I will post some pictures of my cakes :)

Until then - Rachel.

"Summer Vacation"

Hey bloggers! So I am officially on summer vacation for a few weeks - watch out for new art work and posts in the next few weeks :)

Rach

Illustrator Fun!

Hey Bloggers!

So I finally had some free time to really explore some more of adobe illustrator and ended up creating this! I think it looks pretty sweet considering I made it by accidentally clicking the wrong button. I love a happy accident! Try something new on illustrator - you never know what you may come up with :)

Happy Blogging!
Rachel

The Factory - Hamilton, ON

Hey Bloggers!

So I don't think I ever introduced who I am. My name is Rachel Milak and I am a designer in Hamilton, ON. Hamilton is a real up and coming area for designers - from illustrators to media designers.  Today I traveled down James St. North and came upon a few amazing places any designer or art lover should check out! The Factory was my favourite of all!

"The Factory: Hamilton Media Arts Centre is a not-for-profit artist-driven resource centre dedicated to the production and promotion of creatively diverse forms of independent films, videos, and other streaming multimedia art forms. The mission of The Factory is to develop and support a vibrant, sustainable, creative, and diverse community of Members and non-Members within Hamilton and its surrounding region, who are involved or interested in the Art, the Craft and the Technologies of, but not limited to the motion picture media. The Factory exists to provide access to facilities, equipment, peer resources and educational initiatives to the community of time-based visual artists, as well as to the community at large. To encourage the development and appreciation of all related visual art forms through an ongoing program of screening and events." - http://www.hamiltonmediaarts.com/whoweare.htm

While I was at The Factory I got a chance to speak with Cheryl Blankeney and I found out some really interesting things - not only about the company itself - but about how this company influenced Hamilton art lovers.

The Factory is a great place to go if you are interested in films. The Factory helps provide people with the equipment they need at reasonable prices - and helps you understand how to use them in the most effective way possible with sessions. To use there products you can purchase a membership (students too) at very reasonable prices.

The factory has some really interesting workshops for any film marker in the business if your the director, screen writer or enjoy every aspect. Cheryl told me about this cool 4 week workshop. Basically the take a one page script and break it into a story board, on the second weekend they figure of the camera, lights, etc. On the third weekend you actually make the film. On this week you do all the jobs - camera, camera assist - etc. So the cool thing is - you go in with a number of people making their own film - but using the same script. Each movie comes out differently because each person got to direct it. 

The Factory has been in business since 2004 and recently moved into their new home at 228 James St North, Hamilton, ON - definitely a must see!

So heres the sad news about The Factory. The were robbed not to long ago and lost a lot of equipment. If anyone reading knows about this equipment - you know it isn't cheap. So after all the clean up and heartache had passed on as much as possible - another hard hit came there way. The money they got wasn't fully enough to get everything back after HST. So news spread around and Gallery 205 was outraged at how much this was all costing The Factory so they decided to take action.

    

The gallery gave The Factory 3 rooms to throw a fundraiser in. The fundraiser is April 29th, 2012 from 6pm - whenever, with many local bands all donating their time for supporting The Factory.

I highly suggest taking a trip down to talk to Cherly Blakeney about The Factory - she's a true expert!

Cheryl Blakeney - Arts Administrator

infor@factorymedia.ca

"Shades"

Hey Bloggers!

So I found another word of the week and instantly got inspired! The word is "Shades". Since this beautiful weather has drawn us all outside, what better time then to pull out your shades and be in the sun!

Some other inspiration!

This is an image by Al Parker and this image inspired me to try something I haven't done before. I love how you have a realistic image of a woman in the background but then some fun vector drawn images to finish the body and hair. I liked how you can incorporate a very bold real image but use drawn images to bring it all together.

Sketches

As for my sketches, I thought about maybe doing a cut out of sunglasses, a close up on a face with sun glasses on, or doing a full person.

In the end I decided to go with the actual advertisement with a person in it. I thought it would make it really interesting and to the point.

In this idea I decided to try a knock out. I took an image and used it for the background but did a black knock out for the body. Its hard to explain in text - so I will show you.

How I did it !

First I found an image I liked and made a copy of it. Next I did a live trace and turned it into a black and white logo. After that I took out many of the extra details in the face and background.

Next I lined up the knock out with the background to create the mysterious look. I like this because it uses a realistic approach but adds some modern feel to it.

Then I started on the creator of this brand. I couldn't think of a brand name so I went to a map and searched out an interesting name that related to shades. While I was looking up that I thought about a logo and decided to go with a simple pair or sunglasses.

Finally I found Uxbridge and thought this worked and sounded appealing. This name I believe works because on sunglasses, the piece that sits on your nose is called the bridge. I added the red colour to make it stand out and have some visual difference.

In the end I added "shades for men" for a tag line and one more pair of glasses.

Hope you enjoyed my process and maybe will go out and by some shades to!

Rachel

Emotional Labour - What is it??

" What is emotional Labour? It's difficult work that other people don't feel like doing" - Seth Gordin

Hey Bloggers, Im writing today to talk to you about Emotional Labour and what it means - not only in theory - but what it means to me as well.

When designers break into the business you never fully understand how much labour is involved just to get started. Its time consuming, tiring, and very scary. To be a great designer you have to put yourselves out there - all of yourself- and show what your really capable of. There is a great pod cast by Seth Gordin about his views on what emotional labour is. ( I fully suggest listening to it - it has some great tips: http://www.cbc.ca/spark/2010/01/spark-97-january-3-5-2010/) Seth talks about how you have to be the person that wants attention and to be noticed, and to someone like me, its a scary thought. Were taught at a young age that being selfish isn't a good trait to have - but in the graphics world you need to have an attitude like that. Its not really about being selfish - but about having the quality of wanting to be known and remembered.

" The most precious thing to have is attention" - Seth Gordin

In the graphics world I found out that to get attention you have to really go out on a limb and go viral. You put that emotional labour into making something of yourself. You create blogs, flicker accounts, google +, twitter, facebook and many more websites to get your name out there. When I first heard of this it made me wonder, "well how will anyone actually find me? I've never done anything before." I realized that once one person see's what you can do - they share it - anyone else who see's it may like it and share it as well - and the chain keeps moving. Now this isn't only for graphics - anyone who just thinks "wow thats cool" can share it too. By posting what you do - I found out that people in other countries have seen what I am capable of. This whole network is all about emotional labour. Putting in that extra 10 minuets of your day, even when you really don't want to, to (not really brag) but to say "hey, what do you think" can go a very long way!

"If no one knows your ideas - they are worthless" - Seth Gordin

When I heard that statement in his podcast I was taken off guard. I thought "How can he say that? Does that mean that if I don't share them, I think they aren't good enough?" When I kept listening I realized that he didn't mean that your ideas are bad because you don't say them - but that you may miss out on a great opportunity if you don't say anything. Being in graphic design - I fully understand how heart wrenching it can be when people say your ideas are bad, and you internally think "I'm just not going to say anything else so I don't look foolish."But I also fully understand that to be someone in the graphics world - I have to put my idea's out there and know that there will be some really bad ideas - but once in a while - really great ones comes around too.

Being a young designer, the emotional labour is just beginning for me. I have long days filled with endless amounts of work to do and by 11 pm, the last thing I want to do is come to my computer again and write about what I do. I constantly have this battle with myself thinking "why bother?" until the next day when I see that someone actually looked at it. They may not leave a comment, but I know I succeeded, even in a tiny way, because I got my name out. 

"The future belongs to those who take initiative" - Seth Gordin

As an example of initiative - what you're reading is a great example, my blog. I do my best to post details of my projects in a step by step post and try to get you involved in the process. On my blog I post artist who inspire me such as Mike Barr (http://artofbarr.blogspot.com/?expref=next-blog), and Patrick Jewell (http://patrickjewell.blogspot.com/?expref=next-blog)  down the side of my blog. 

Mike Barr  

                                    

Mike Barr is an Australian painter who inspired me a lot and has a really great story.

"My first artistic milestone was takiing part a group exhibition when I was only 18 years of age. It was not as a painter however, but a potter. After a large break were I dabbled every few years or so in oils and watercolours, I started in earnest about 7 years ago in acrylics. Since that time I have aquired over 40 awards and have works in collections around the world. I have written feature articles both in Australia and the UK. Beaches and moody rainy-day streets are my favourite subjects, probably because I enjoy the effects of shadow, light and reflection. Joy of Place is what I wish to share. There is enough, darkness, ugliness and works that are confusing and distressing. I vote for joy, beauty and breathtaking."

Mike is a great blogger to follow because of how he not only posts about himself - but other images, cool topics, and resources.

Rebecca Perehudoff 

Rebecca Perehudoff, the oldest daughter of William Perehudoff and Dorothy Knowles. Although a long-time resident of Chicago, Illinois, Rebecca is still well known in the Canadian art scene. On a regular basis, she returns to paint from the Northern Saskatchewan forests and lakes near the family cabin at Emma Lake. There is a consistent lightness of touch in Rebecca’s work that comes from a familiarity with her subject and an inherent confidence and familiarity with the painting process. Rebecca has stated that “a connection with nature more than site per se is a wellspring for my art”.

This work of art created by Rebecca Perehudoff is a really interesting piece because of the colours

and the brush strokes.

I love this work because the colours blend so well together but have bright splashes of green that compliment the others. I also love the scene she chose to paint. This picture is so simple but so complex at the same time. I can picture myself in a forrest like this and I can connect with the colours.

          

Patrick Jewell

The reason I am inspired and follow this man is self explanatory! His work is amazing and has a really great story as well.

"I'm a painter and a father, living and working in Brooklyn. If you knew me growing up in Toledo, you remember me as Packy. I post some images of my work on this blog, and write a little about my work and other things (e.g. art, movies, the Mets, fatherhood, life in the big city) from time to time. There are a couple links below where you can see more of my work-- at my website you'll find about 45 different images, and at my page on Picasa you can browse through several hundred more."

Patrick's painting above is a series of 3 paintings and are going to be displayed at LIU Brooklyn's Salena Gallery, March 5-30. I highly suggest taking a peek!

My own emotional labour?

 Now what do you ask is the emotional labour I do myself? My labour is posting all my works of art to all my websites.

flicker

twitter

google+

carbonmade

This truly is the definition of emotional labour! Take a peek:

Carbonmade

Twitter

Google +

Flicker

My labour is just beginning, but here is what else is in store for me. Making the decision to step out of my shell and gain the attention. Be the person that won't take no for an answer, or hang up the phone as soon as the opportunity arrises. I'm going to take the opportunities that others won't. 

Try emotional labour. It may seem like a lot of work, but its how you take your own future into your hand and make yourself known.

Take it from me, its not always easy, but in the end - I know I took every opportunity and ran with it.

Rachel.

Rebecca Perehudoff

Rebecca Perehudoff (inspirational woman)

Rebecca Perehudoff, the oldest daughter of William Perehudoff and Dorothy Knowles. Although a long-time resident of Chicago, Illinois, Rebecca is still well known in the Canadian art scene. On a regular basis, she returns to paint from the Northern Saskatchewan forests and lakes near the family cabin at Emma Lake. There is a consistent lightness of touch in Rebecca’s work that comes from a familiarity with her subject and an inherent confidence and familiarity with the painting process. Rebecca has stated that “a connection with nature more than site per se is a wellspring for my art”.

                                                                                
This work of art created by Rebecca Perehudoff is

a really interesting piece because of the colours

and the brush strokes.

I love this work because the colours blend so well together but have bright splashes of green that compliment the others. I also love the scene she chose to paint. This picture is so simple but so complex at the same time. I can picture myself in a forrest like this and I can connect with the colours.