Had a great freelance experience and want shout about it? Or a not so great one, and want to give others the heads up? Freelancers Union now offers Client Scorecard as a way to rate your freelance experience, even anonymously.
To rate a company, you do have become a member of the Freelancer Union. Joining is free!
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore iPad App Trailer from Moonbot Studios on Vimeo.
Being in the cover book business for 20+ years I have seen many things change and evolve within it over the years. When I started, illustrators still created art on boards, sometimes using slow drying paint and crystal varnishes they would have to blow dry to make a deadline. Then in the early 90s, computers took over type specing, Letraset, blue ink pens and mechanicals. Illustrators still did their work on boards, but scanning replaced what used to be a color slide to give to the printer.Then slowly, traditional Illustrative mediums like paint, gouache and pencil where mostly replaced by Photoshop and photographic digital imagery –sometimes made to look painterly.The quickness of Photoshop and other software programs gave art directors more flexibility in finding solutions to their covers.
The invent of the iPad and various e-readers has created another way for books and their covers to evolve and grow, with interaction. It’s already happening in magazines. Click on a flower and watch it bloom. Being that books are stories, the possibilities for visuals are endless, both on the cover and throughout.
I recently came across this article about a new interactive book app from William Joyce, animator/illustrator who has worked with both Pixar and Dreamworks. I think it’s really well done, and who knows, may be the next level for childrens’ book illustration?
You can read the entire article by John Palvus, or check out the iTunes app “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore” created by Moonbot Studios. “It’s like a well-written bedtime story and an immersive animated movie at once — without being too much of either.”
I have seen a few postings of this latest trend online recently, QR codes used on memorial sites and tombstones. While I think the idea is good, with technology changing at such a fast pace, I’m not sure how permanent these codes will be 20+years from now. Perhaps in the future, rather than a simple photo or website, families will be able to call up holograms of their loved ones to interact with.
QR codes were created by Toyota roughly a decade ago to help with their car assembly lines. They are now used by businesses to in a variety of ways to show a website, video instructions, coupons and contact information. Yes, even resumes.
One of my favorite stores is Somogyi in Paris, France (formerly known as Crystal Mosaic), named after it’s founder S. P. Somogyi, former creative director for Swarovski Crystal.
In 1960, Mr. Somogyi started working for Swarovski, first in sales and then on the creative side. In the early 70s, he started creating crystal designs for the product consumer market – tableware, decorative objects, lighting etc…
Since retiring from Swarvoski in 2002, Mr. Somogyi opened his Paris store. Working with Murano and Bohemian glass, Swarovski crystal, mosaics and precious metals, his creations are truly one of a kind. The website can’t really do justice on how the light sparkles on these pieces or the quality of the detail work all done by hand.
Happily I notice they now have an online store that ships internationally! I had the pleasure of chatting with Mr. Somogyi when I visited his store last year. He truly loves what he does and cares about the craft of jewelry making and making his customers happy. So refreshing in a world of mass production.
Tattly is a online store for temporary tattoos. Conceived by designer Tina Roth Eisenberg (better known as swissmiss), Tattly features designs by various artists. People can choose from a variety of unique tattoos that wash off with plain soap and water. Non toxic and kid safe.
I’m partial to the Pantone and Spirograph looking ones myself.
The March 2011 tsunami off the northeastern coast of Japan not only destroyed lives and homes, but history as well. Amongst the wreckage, one of the most commonly found items from recovery efforts are water damaged, scratched and torn family photographs. For many of the elderly, the old photographs predating digital technology, are their only records of the past.
Becci Manson, a professional photo retoucher, decided to do something about this. Working together with All Hands Volunteers and her worldwide network of friends and colleague retouchers, together they have been volunteering to retouch out the cracks and stains of hundreds of these damaged photos.
Serving as an example of what people can do when united together, Becci and her team offer for many who have lost so much, an amazing gift, the restoration of memories.
Please read the full article if you’d like to find out more about volunteering in this project. If you’re a professional retoucher looking to get involved, contact: photorescue@hands.org
Photo © Jill Greenberg
I have been a long time admirer of Jill Greenberg. She first came to my attention with her highly retouched “shiny people” technique often used in her commercial work, and now with her more fine art focus of monkey, bear and horse subjects.
In 2008, Greenberg shot a commissioned fashion spread for the US Olympic Synchronized Swim Team. Showcasing the swimmers in their element of water, but at the same time wearing high heel shoes to heighten sexuality, as well as shot from below thus cutting off their heads (and in my perception, further objectifying them) at the water surface. Greenberg thought this styling absurd, as high heels restrict and control movement and their heads breaching the surface emphasize the waters holding them down.
In her latest show “Glass Ceiling, now showing at the Clamp Art Galley in NYC, Greenberg gives us her own metaphorical take on the role women must play in in the outside world.
JIll Greenberg will also be speaking at the Atlanta Celebrates Photography (ACP) in Atlanta this coming October. I hope to be able to hear more of what she has to say in person!
Job: Passing Through Paradise
Client: Grand Central Publishing
Art Director: Diane Lugar
Susan Wiggs’ covers often have a romantic settings with lovely colors, so it was no surprise when my client wanted to show a pretty scene of a single woman at the beach with a beach house and beautiful sky.The story takes place in New England so they didn’t want it too tropical looking.
Using stock, I comped together a series of layouts with what I thought reflected this idea.
The editor picked one, but wanted to see different color choices since the author’s previous title had a blue sky on the cover as well.
In the end everyone liked the peachy sky. The hand lettering for the author name was provided.
Job: A Simple Winter
Client: Random House
Art Director: Lynn Andreozzi
While at a book store recently, I noticed a slew new books coming out with Amish themes in the story line. This is the first in a series of “A Seasons of Lancaster” novels by Rosalind Lauer I recently did for Random House.
We first photographed a model in studio, then after the final edit was made from contact sheets, I photoshopped her into a winter landscape I created from stock of an Amish farm.
After a series of comps were completed, they decided upon this image of a farm with horse drawn buggy.
Job: Enlightenment for Nitwits
Client: Summerjoy Press
Art Direction: Shepherd Hoodwin
My client for this job is self publishing his latest book and wanted a light hearted visual to go along with what he describes as “the first metaphysical/self help humor collection”.
Not wanting to alienate any religious groups yet wanting to depict both “elightenment” and “nitwit” together in a humorous way on the cover was a tricky balance.
After much discussion, we decided upon finding inspiration in classical religious themes from antiquity but with a comical twist. We came up with a visual balance of humor and divine inspiration with overall warm tones of red to suggest a heart felt connection. The warmer tones also match the natural color of the book’s interior pages.
