I’m honored to do work for the Group Health Foundation. Oct. 21 is their first Goblin Gallop. It’s a “5K Run and Walk, Kids Dash and Toddler Trot” at Marymoor Park in Redmond. Costumes are encouraged, so it should be a blast for kids and adults. The event’s cute mascot is the goblin “Garth”, he was created by designers at the presenting sponsor GLY Construction. I got to work with him and created some other halloweenie characters to keep him company.  Besides building the Goblin Gallop WordPress site I designed other materials needed for the event including Facebook cover, poster, forms, advertisements, coloring sheet and promotional giveaway items. It was a super fun project. (Oh it’s not quite done yet, signage is on the t0-do list!)

Recently I was asked to create an illustration for the cover of National Graphic Artists Guild newsletter. Design Education of the Future by Dave Malouf was the feature article I was assigned to illustrate. It’s a deep, serious subject, but I had fun with it and didn’t fall into the trap of adding too many literal elements. I love shapes and this piece gave opportunity to play with them. Plus I got to include a couple of movie inspired details. Can you find them?

I kept seeing links on Twitter to charming retro styled photos, “Instagrams”. Hmm, I see the link “get the free iPhone app“. So I did, now I’m hooked.

I’m not one to play games on my iPhone. I know folks how have scores of apps on their iphones, while I just have a couple of screens worth. I make good use of the phone’s practical functions, checking email while I’m away from my desktop machine, searching locations and mapping routes (my favorite iPhone function), I check Twitter for news headlines and tidbits from people I follow, oh, and I occasionally make a phone call or text my spouse what ferry I’ll be coming home on.

But now I find myself activating my phone, snap and share photos and browse the photos of complete strangers on Instagram. I’m a sucker for the dreamy quality of these blurry little square photos.

What’s Instagram? They say: “It’s a fast, beautiful and fun way to share your life with friends through a series of pictures. Snap a photo with your iPhone, choose a filter to transform the look and feel, send to Facebook, Twitter or Flickr – it’s all as easy as pie. It’s photo sharing, reinvented.” In short, a photo snapped with your iPhone becomes a lovely image (assuming you start with a decent composition and subject).

You can also send the photo to Tumblr and/or email it. On your iPhone, besides processing and posting your photos, you can browse popular images, “Like” and comment on images, and follower other users. There’s a screen where you can see a list of recent activity. You see images that were “liked” by the people you follow, and if anyone liked or commented on your images. I haven’t figured out all the ins and outs. I hesitate to jump into another social medium, another time suck, but I’m enjoying this. I’m making eye candy for myself, and hopefully others will “like” what I post.

Where’s the Instagram website? How can I browse Instagrams on my desktop web browser? Oddly Instagram doesn’t have a website to display the content. There are 3rd parties filling the void. Ink361 is working nicely for me. Now when I see an instagram link I’m likely to take a look.

Although there are lots of folks posting photos of their lunch or the shoes they’re wearing, I’m focusing on Pacific Northwest nature and landscape images under my alias Fernwoodsy. Please follow me If you’re using instagram. Apologies in advance for the occasional cat or dog image.

This Modern Blue Jay design is available on cards and gift items at Matissimo, my Zazzle shop.

Photographer JR’s work is deeply moving. Watch this video and be awestruck by the scale and impact of his work. He’s embarked on a global art project that is powerful, so much so he won the  2011 TED Prize. His winning wish: ”I wish for you to stand up for what you care about by participating in a global art project, and together we’ll turn the world…INSIDE OUT.”

This is an inspiring example of how powerful art can be. Whether it’s in your neighborhood or across the globe. Learn about this TED prize winner. You can even participate in the INSIDE OUT global art project.

The Birds & Bunny design is available on cards and gift items at Matissimo, my Zazzle shop.

See some of the illustration superstars pictured (with red eyes) on the perky Fernanda Cohen’s Drawger blog post. Including the mysterious Jason Holley who created hilarious videos that were shown between sections of the program. Hopefully they’ll be posted somewhere soon —they are surely to be YouTube blockbusters (amongst illustrators, A.D.s and designers anyway). I’m so glad I went and am very thankful to all the volunteers and staff that produced the conference. It was a jolt of positive energy for many isolated illustrators, or should I say designer/illustrators and illustrator/educators and students. (Maybe 2% were solely illustrators.)

For myself, highlights were talks by fashion “lifestyle” illustrators Bil Donovan and John Jay Cabuay. It was a treat to hear the amazing, illustrator and NY Times blogger Christoph Niemann share his inspirations (including maps) and his design driven process. Almost every attendee I spoke to said Wayne White’s talk was their favorite (or their new imaginary boyfriend @designjunket). I can’t describe it only to say this man is a genius. Authentic, charming and well, you just had to be there (sorry). Or, buy the book, Maybe Now I’ll Get the Respect I So Richly Deserve a monograph of his 30-year career, edited by multi-talented Todd Oldham (also a fascinating ICON presenter). Yes, I think Mr. White deserves lots of respect (and many laughs too). See UK illustrator and ICON presenter Rod Hunt’s photos of ICON 6, including Wayne White shown with some of his word paintings.

Ahh, there was so much more to ICON 6, but I’ll never eat dinner if I keep going on and on. Hmmm, I wonder where ICON 7 will be.

(Addendum: First of Jason Holley’s ICON funny (yet a bit sad) videos posted on vimeo. The voices and timing are “fabulous”. Also, for more ICON 6 links and conversation ICON info search Twitter for #ICON6)

See a slideshow of drawings and photos from the workshop.

CP is abandoning their model of empowering creators to build their own brand and control their content to one where they control the market. They say it’s to improve the customer experience.

Most of my sales come through the Marketplace, so I will be affected. CP is mostly a fun sideline for me, but this action by CP sours my enthusiasm. I really feel for those with highly successful shops, like one of my favorites “Obey the Purebreed”. Maybe CP will be cutting side deals for select creators to stay, who really knows. If not many will be cutting out the Marketplace entirely and/or moving to the big competitor Zazzle.

It’s a cold, cruel world. CP has made a pure business decision to change their fundamental model. They may regret it.

Zazzle here we come. Now if only I had snagged “matissimo” as my user name way back in 2004 when I first signed up. Someone else has it, but they’ve posted no products. Zazzle “matissimo” who are you?

P.S. CP also announced it changed the Marketplace search platform to bring the best designs to the front and reduce redundant designs. I welcome this change because in the past you had to wade through a lot of junk to find quality. Just too bad this change comes along with the price fixing. Maybe CP will back track.