Discussion by WFL

On the future of art, digital displays, and copyright

2009-12-09T22:33:00.002-06:00

Apologies for not posting anything for some time; I was preoccupied with other aspects of life, and felt I had nothing interesting to write about aside from my enjoyment of Laphroaig and the attractive women in my life.Artists frequently find themselves at odds with the digital medium; it's cheap to display on (free, if you go with a decent free gallery site), doesn't decay, and allows

Case Study: Commissioned T-shirt design

2009-08-29T14:30:00.002-05:00

Recently I was contacted by a friend at my college Alma Mater, Hannibal LaGrange College, about designing a t-shirt for the theatrical ministry group "New Edition". I had done some work for them previously (flyer design for a children's show for the theater department), but this would be my first paid gig.Understanding that a number of the art departments at most schools tend to get the shaft on

The State of WFL: Long time, yes?

2009-06-30T21:25:00.003-05:00

Sorry to neglect those who care to invade my life in such a way as to actually read these posts, but I've been busy....trying to be a stressed as little as possible.I've been working on misc. projects for fun, and sometimes profit, but not a whole lot of public works. I've been playing a lot of guitar, working with friends on wardrobe consultations, and just enjoying life. I don't take enough

More on Windows 7, new projects.

2009-05-31T16:38:00.003-05:00

So, I've been working under Windows 7 for a while. Overall, I like it, but I've found one issue that's a minor nuisance.When using Photoshop 6, combinations of modifier keys (shift, alt, and ctrl) can cause some hassle, especially when masking. I haven't isolated the exact problem yet, but just be aware of it. The problem more than likely will translate to newer versions, too. Haven't given

The State of WFL: Tastes like entertainment.

2009-05-23T19:02:00.002-05:00

I'm sitting here at my favorite bar, having just finished a burger, and decided I was overdue for one of these. Free, encrypted wifi FTW, thanks for Rumor Has It.I'm shooting the first pinup calendar set Monday. I'll release the individual shots in a variety of formats - prints of each will be available, as well as desktop wallpapers, so your desktop will be able to match your favorite calendar

Confessions of a Newspaper Graphic Designer Pt 3: When to give in

2009-05-12T19:24:00.001-05:00

Sometimes, you've got to say "good enough", and move on.Actually, you'll be saying that a lot - especially with the current economic state - given the nature of the newspaper design industry. You'll be heavily pressed for time, and resources are limited. Odds are, you are going with one of the lower-budget stock art resources (either free, or relatively cheap), which means, typically, lower

A tutorial for quick, striking B&W digital photos

2009-05-04T18:43:00.005-05:00

When I first pursued photography, it was on the 35mm film medium. We shot black & white, typically ISO 400 in my Photography I class. Good times were had, and the output was pleasing (even though it was a real PITA developing everything by hand myself in the darkroom - poor eyesight is NOT conducive to such activities). Eventually, I ventured into the world of digital, which was certainly a

The State of WFL: Singing and Blinging

2009-04-25T16:18:00.002-05:00

I'm sitting here outside Java Jive. It's Just Girl's Weekend here in Hannibal, Missouri, which means a whole lot of women are out and about. Sadly, I haven't seen many worthy of accosting to be a model, which was my hope.Regardless, though, the day has been productive..... Actually, I'm lying. It hasn't been productive.I slept until 1, lazily got ready, and came down to Java. I've been here

State of WFL: Moving & Grooving

2009-04-19T11:45:00.001-05:00

You may have noticed that I launched the new Music by WFL site a few days back. The design is modeled after 1920s newspaper layouts and typography. Bodoni for the flag typeface, a nice condensed typeface for the secondary headings (Libel Suit), and a mixture of serif and sans serif for body copy.Next up? Designing the Liar's Snake website. I've got the header already done; you can see it here

A Belated Week in WFL: Stuff got done.

2009-04-13T11:18:00.003-05:00

I managed to get back into full swing this weekend, finally getting some much needed design work done, such as the above graphic. What is it, you ask? Why, it's the header for the new design for my music portal. Curious about the rest of the design? You can look at the first rough mockup here. Note: This is a ROUGH mockup. There will be a number of differences between it and the final

Another Week with WFL: Getting old and catching colds.

2009-04-04T12:37:00.003-05:00

Let me preface this post with a disgusting profession of truth: nose hair sucks. It sucks to a greater degree when you have a cold and are trying to trim it.I'm drained, sitting here trying to focus on various projects, but am failing. I had intended to bring a good book to read for inspirational distraction (Asimov's Foundation - brilliant book/series), but forgot it. That's what a cold does

The State of WFL: Fine Art, Films and the French (but not French art films)

2009-03-29T12:48:00.005-05:00

This week has finally concluded, and I couldn't be more happy. There was a lot of work to be done at the newspaper. We cranked out 2 special publications, a couple special pages (Doctor's Day), and our regularly scheduled paper(s) with great voracity.One publication was our yearly Fine Arts journal, where we cover area fine arts events in schools. I designed the cover for it; went with a

The State of WFL: Tats & Flats

2009-03-17T19:40:00.002-05:00

Going to attempt to keep this one short.Current professional design activities: Designing a logo for an HCP sports Facebook fanpage (The Hannibal Courier-Post is my day job, kids). Working more on the design for the author in Connecticut; currently trying to conceptualize the first rough of the layout. I really want to make it shine for her.Current non-professional design activities: Working on

State of WFL: Rants, Robes and Rock Music

2009-03-06T15:58:00.004-06:00

I'm on my second day off from work at the newspaper, and am enjoying the freedom to be productive in other avenues.Right now, I'm sitting at the coffee shop of some rapport in my life; Java Jive, located in my town of residence. Hannibal, Missouri does have a nice coffee shop, I swear. I come here to do most of my indie work (unless it involves me or someone else getting naked, of course).

Yes, I redesigned. No, I don't feel like talking about it right now.

2009-03-01T13:29:00.002-06:00

I've decided that, once every week or two, I should post something random. I may talk about what I'm working on, share a humorous anecdote, or rant on some recent event (major or minor).With the redesign finally done, I've felt as if I'm lacking in work. I'm most certainly not, of course; I've got scripts to write for Relax, a pinup calendar to plan, a few new pieces in the works, and a web

I started my own webcomic.

2009-01-30T20:14:00.003-06:00

Dubbed "Relax", my new webcomic will be a medium for creative exposition on absurdity, covering topics ranging from the plight of the Luddites (which will be an ongoing mini-series within the comic), to the casual stupidity and zealotry encountered so often in this modern-yet-sometimes-neanderthalic world. Profanity, as well as a general welcoming crude nature, blended with the occasional

Behind the Design: The Brick Oven, Pt. 1

2009-01-19T18:31:00.005-06:00

Fairly recently I undertook a semi-freebie client, The Brick Oven, for a variety of projects, including business cards, consulting, and a website design.The great part about working with people like Tim & Stacy is that they afforded me a great amount of creative freedom. I was given free reign over the entire design, which not only helps boost my own ego, but also allows me to utilize my skills

I Am The Record Label: Volunteers Needed

2008-12-28T20:45:00.002-06:00

My new project, I Am The Record Label (iamtherecordlabel.org), will need a few good people in the coming couple of months.I wish I could say it paid in money, but it won't. All proceeds generated from ad/donation revenue go to covering hosting and bandwidth costs, as well as any future costs (such as giveaways and contests for the bands & fans).What you do get from it, however is the opportunity

A change of profession.

2008-11-12T20:00:00.003-06:00

Please excuse the lack of information, criticism, or generally interesting material here. This is just for fans and friends.I'm not thinking of becoming a mechanic, but I am considering changing my professional offerings.I'm referring to web design services. While I love to do it, I can't reasonably do it independently on top of everything else, time wise. It takes too much of an investment

Ubuntu 8.10: Intrepid Ibex Review

2008-11-01T12:44:00.002-05:00

I've been using Ubuntu for about a year now, and have found that overall, it is a reliable "it just works" distro that still gives me plenty of room to tweak without having to worry about fixing any mistakes I may make. Before I used Ubuntu I was a hardcore Slackware and FreeBSD user, but as my professional obligations grew and grew, I needed a distro that I could reliably set up quickly on

From the studio: The start of a song (free demo from the new album)

2008-10-26T23:16:00.002-05:00

For those of you just here to listen, grab the demo here.This is how every blues song has started on the new album I'm working on. I lay down a rhythm track, maybe come up with some vocals, and improvise a guitar line over it.After getting the rough rhythm track, I laid down the bass drum (which is just me thumping on my desk with the mic against it) and the snaps. The vocals in this track are

From start to finish: How I design my websites (a technical guide)

2008-10-25T16:31:00.003-05:00

It always starts with a simple idea or theme. I may do a physical sketch, but nothing fancy; just basic layout of content, menus, and whatnot. I do this sketch on anything available, from notebooks to napkins. Now that I have a decent laptop, however, I'll usually skip this step and start directly in Photoshop (version 6) for the mockup. On rare occasions I'll use Illustrator (CS2), but I

The Pragmatic Artist: Utilization of stock art and photography in professional art

2008-10-04T21:12:00.001-05:00

The graphic design and digital art world both tend to stigmatize the use of stock art in major avenues, which is understandable; many designers and artists utilize stock resources in such a poor fashion that it tends to be a blight on the community rather than a boon. Another issue is when artists utilize a stock resource in such a way that the end product is practically just the stock work,

The Record Label is Dead! Long Live the Record Label

2008-09-29T20:24:00.005-05:00

Note: for those of you who don't get the above reference, get educated.UPDATE: Want to help finance the blues album? Check this out:The music industry is growing, much like many other industries. Newspapers are slowly moving online. TV is blending with the internet and the line between professional and user-contributed content is blurred in the entertainment world. Radio is.. Well, radio is

How to kill your fanbase by watermarking artwork

2008-09-21T19:01:00.002-05:00

That's right, I said it. I don't like watermarks in digital artwork. Of course, I'm more so referring to the ones that are plastered across the majority of the piece, or the ones that are completely detracting from the piece itself.I'd like to touch on a few common excuses given to watermark digital art, and respond to them in turn.Excuse #1: The artist's signature. Many digital artists make