Logo a Go-Go

Have been looking back at some of my logo designs. For every one of the these logos that made it to finished art there must be hundreds by now that didn't make the cut in the 'fine-tuning' process. Here are some of the survivors...

My Most Beautiful Creation

My most beautiful creation so far. I gave birth to Matilda on the 1st of October. She has been a delight to get to know. Been in a total oxytocin induced loved up trance over the last few months...so excuse my lack of posting.

Baby Making

10 years ago - I was knocked back from a job at Walt Disney. Then again, the character designers from Nickelodeon were all Disney Drop outs...and they built an empire. 

It gives me great pride to present this batch of character designs for a Physical Education Schools program I worked on last year. As I'm not sure when the official launch of this project is...I will just have to show - not tell. An interesting process to design characters that developed physically over time - each with very distinctive personalities and approaches to play and movement.

Just as a weird-ass aside, I was wondering why the little babies I had been creating kept on appearing, (giggling) in my dreams every night. Turns out I was pregnant! Anyway - enjoy THIS batch of babies until September! Woo Hoo!

Sexy Sporty Spot UV

I love print outcomes that are a bit special. I was so chuffed when this little beauty came back from the printer with it's super sexy Spot UV varnish. Have been really enjoying designing for Victoria University's research division - Institute of Sport, Exercise and Active Living (ISEAL). Am posting this brochure to my brother who is a Sports Science Professor and Olympic Coach. Maybe he might actually 'get' what I did with my 'arty farty'...

Excerpt Magazine Launch

Burning the midnight oil is something I have become accustomed to of late. The design and Creative Direction of Excerpt Magazine is just one of my moonlighting activities. This experience has given me the chance to work with some really amazing thinkers, artists, writers and risk takers. Teaming up with editor Amy Marjoram has been a joy. Being an Aquarius, Amy is prone to zingy cerebral late night space walks, and other manifestos. There is no end to her energy and enthusiasm.

The launch of Excerpt Magazine a few weeks ago, has been a huge success so far. Last time I checked back end stats we had more than 3000 people download the magazine. Upward ever upward!

Thank you Dan Page for this review in broadsheet. Click here to read review 

Sarah Watt (30 Aug 1958 – 4 Nov 2011)

It's hard not to sound full of wafty sentimental hyperbole when referring to the life of Sarah Watt. As a writer, Sarah was eloquent and incisive - never one to dance around the things that matter...so I will keep this brief.

The things that matter? Sarah mattered to me.  Last week Sarah Watt lost her battle with cancer. A battle she tackled with dignity and grace.

On our birthday - (we share the same date of August the 30th) we did a painting swap. In true Sarah Watt honesty, she told me she was extremely reluctant to give me her 'favourite piece'. Yesterday at the ACMI memorial this work was also featured in her montage.  It must have been special to her.

It makes me so sad that she is gone. But I have this great canvas...

Full of a strange joy.

 Copyright Sarah Watt  2011

 

The Shoe Fits

Being an earth sign I've always loved comfy shoes that place me close to the ground. Birkenstock have a rep for producing the highest quality and most comfortable shoes in the world, with a a strong environmental/sustainable platform to boot. This catalogue was produced with a debossed cover on recycled stock for a sophisticated and understated look and feel. I was also able to weave in some simple didactic illustrations. A great project hot off the press.

We are the Champions

I was really excited when Gymnastics Australia came to us requesting a revamp. Sports photography is so dynamic to work with on a compositional level. Take a look at some of the Event Branding and Annual Reports I've been working on this week.

Eat My Shorts

I have been keeping my writing skills up by enrolling in a Short Story course at CAE. As somewhat of a  cyber-narcissist, I have decided to publish my Stories each week. In the first weeks story "The Spaces Between Them' I had to change the gender of the protagonists - as the writing teacher insisted it was a female voice coming through... and that male painters would never use the colour pink. (?) So here it is - Eat My Shorts -

Click here to enter. 

Earning a Lil'Quid

Hello fans, creeps...mum...the faithful handful of people that read this blog. Just wanna apologise for my lack of entries. Have been doing some serious bread-winning of late. Working on a beaut catalogue for Birkenstock shoes and other creatively sustaining graphic design projects - all top secret. Have teamed up with Sue Palmer at Liquid, and it's been a wonderful experience to work with a Creative Director with such an earthy, non-arrogant demeanour.  Am working in a beautiful sunlit studio that was once an old auto-mechanics in North Melbourne.

PS - for those disappointed by my lack of consolidated squiggles...don't worry...will be sharpening my pencils for a cartooning workshop soon...so stay tuned.

Funny Farm

Foodie feature turned out noice...There are 4 spreads for FuckFood magazine (yep that's what the mag is called - so I'm thinking it's no Junior MasterChef Spinoff)  Um. So - I'll just give you a teaser. Here's the cover.

Food For Thought

Here are some process drawings for a Farmers Markets feature, to be published in a new underground food magazine. The Art Director gave me some yummy photos to montage and illustrate - and a totally open brief. Yee-Ha Cowboy!

Thanks Mr. Walker

Previous New Media winner Rob Walker has just uploaded his Judges notes for the Newcastle Poetry Prize in New Media to his web site . This is what he had to say.

This truly is mixed media. Like watching a close-up of hand-made Chinese paper on an old projector with the new millennium bonus of interactivity. Transparent water colours on a tactile surface; interesting use of textures and choice of typography. Some of the text animation is perhaps a little contrived, but transitions between screens and animated graphic elements are technically slick and aesthetically beautiful.
The counterpoint of Chinese characters and an Australian environment, the visual construction and deconstruction of the landscape and the effective and well executed soundscape add other layers to the meaning of the poem itself – a poem which could stand alone on its own merits but now has other strata of sumptuous complexity.
Sudden rain is much more substantial and polished than its rivals. It’s clear that much more work has gone into this than the alternate entries.
It has the best use of illustration, sound, texture, animation, transitions and layout and is the most successful in pulling all of these aspects together to create an immersive experience.
I especially appreciate that there are conflicting elements which don’t attempt to reach a conclusion – richly varied, complex and contradictory – much like Life.

Rob Walker
www.robwalkerpoet.com
NPP New Media Winner 2009 and 2007

We Won!

The prestigious Newcastle Poetry Prize  New Media Award is a recent initiative to foster new directions in Australian Poetry. This year, poet James Stuart and I picked up the The New Media Award, which carries a $2000 first prize. James approached me to work on this interactive flash experience, based on a poem he penned on a family holiday. Themes of cross cultural ways of viewing landscape were explored, and was fun to animate for more esoteric ends. You can view our poem by clicking here.

For Meg's Benefit

As those close to me may know, my sister Meg has been in an accident, sustaining serious brain injury. Enter epic Fundraiser. Hosted by Julia Zemiro, Megs Benefit Comedy Night was a huge success with 400 in attendance, featuring top international comedy acts. This piece of mine went up for auction. Was nice to work big and metres high, and the themes of female collaboration and optimism were apt for the night!

Taurus

Have started a set of horoscope illustrations. The set will be restricted to female faces/hands to depict some of the elements of each respective star sign. First up - Taurus. One down...11 to go!

...and process...always drawing first...

Roar Art

Just adding the finishing touches to a personal work. It combines my two favourite things - the circus and the tarot. I have always used the 'Strength' tarot card as my own personal talisman; the woman is unafraid, undaunted, and indomitable. In some cards she opens the lion's mouth, in others she shuts it. Either way, she proves that inner strength is more powerful than raw physical strength.

Relax

Have been experimenting with some of my old doodles today. Using elements of mono-prints as texture was really effective  -  thank you for this tutorial tip by Santiago Uceda.

New Website

Have just finished the redesign of my website. Any feedback regarding user-ability will be very welcome. Click here to have a squiz.

http://www.laurajane.com.au

Canvases, Crooners & Coriander

So I asked my partner to build an illustration workplace for me. What a sweety! This beautiful sunlit warehouse studio in Footscray is the perfect place to make pictures. No excuses now! Thanks Leon.