Week 5, Day 5: Type Design, Part 2

I'm not sure why, but this was a real challenge for me to complete. I think that sometimes when I work hard on one project (I have been focused on a "big" logo project this week) I become so focused (like having tunnel vision creativity) that all my random thinking pertains to that one focus.  I've been thinking logo concepts all week. Other times, I can do 20 things at the same time.  It's so weird, or maybe it's just me that's weird!

This is my greyscale graphic of the quote.  I will develop it further and with color for the card later today.

Patience is definitely not one of my virtues.  Maybe that is why I love this quote so much.  Because one day we might just find the answers and not even realize it.

Week 5, Day 1: An Inspirational Sunday

This week I decided to do something a little different.  


You may notice at the top of my blog I have a saying from Rainer Maria Rilke.  I first heard this quote at the end of the semester while taking 3-D art.  It's important to understand that at the beginning of the semester our instructor came into class and said "Draw me an egg."  That was the only thing that she would say to us.  We all wondered why, but she would never say anything except "Dray me an egg."  At the end of the semester, she gave us a copy of this quote which was typed in an egg shape.

Be patient 

toward all that is unsolved 

in your heart 

and try to love 

the questions themselves. 

Do not now seek the answers, 

which cannot be given to you 

because you would not be able 

to live them. 

And the point is to live everything. 

Live the questions.

It took me a long time to understand that what she was trying to teach us is that art, like life, is a process.  You have go continue to do and search, even though you may not always understand everything.  Eventually, you might look back and say....Ooh, I get it now! And if you don't, look at what you have learned in the process. 

Last week I was contemplating what I could use for inspiration this week and started noticing signs.  All kinds of signs, and words everywhere.  Words are such a huge part of our lives.  I started thinking about how would we communicate without words? We speak, sign, read and write words.

Are you wondering where am I going? This week I am taking a journey in typography.  My format will be a little different this week, depending on where I go with it. Below are some photos that are examples of some of the many, many different places we encounter letters, words & signs. 

Transportation, to identify who it belongs to

Team uniforms
(my son, S, in '07 at the Wax Museum in NYC)

Times Square, all different kinds of signs

Museum displays
(my daughter, K, in '07
at the Wax Museum in NYC)

In case you forget what restaurant
you are eating at, or even for photos
like this one, I know where I was

This is where you are

Advertising

Store signage

Packaging

Flags to convey information:
Open, I'm a Saints Fan....

We sell this in our store...

Historical informaiton

My nephew, G, showing us on a map
where he was adopted from in Russia

Historic Site Information

Museum display information

Just a few different ways we communicate with words.

Week 3, Day 3: Creative Tuesday: Playing Clay

Today was a wonderful day.  I got to spend the day playing with my sister Kathy -- we haven't done that in a long time!  I decided that I wanted to make my own polymer clay pattern.  I knew just the colors I wanted - blues and greens and tans, like the ocean.

The Final Product:

An almost finished necklace pendant with my
polymer clay design inlay!

The Creative Process:

Of course, I started with the blocks of Primo.  My goal was to come up with 5 or 6 colors to stack and extrude to get the "Retro" pattern.  Kathy says it's the best brand for what she does.  Evidently each brand has a different consistency, the colors mix differently, and they bake differently.

These are the colors that I stared with...
plus I snagged
a couple that Kathy had already mixed.

Mixing the colors was different than any other medium I have worked in.  You have to work the clay, then work the colors together.  Sometimes you see them mix, and sometimes it's very subtle.  And, a little color goes a long way!

I started with the sand color:

My next color was a light sea foam green.  The color was too light  so I added some darker colors and sent it thru the pasta machine:

My first 2 colors:

Now I wanted to mix a darker blue/green:

Honestly, I wasn't sure that this color would come out green/blue:

But it turned out to be a pretty color, and fit right into my color palette.

Now for a lighter, sea foam green.  I love watching the colors blend as I pass the clay through the pasta machine.  I had to put it through about 30 times to get it one consistent color.

It was a little bright for my color palette.  Remember, a little goes a long way.  Obviously I used a lot!

So I added more colors.....and then some more:

And even some more....

Finally, a color that matches my color scheme!

My last color is going to be a brighter aqua color.  I loved the marble look after a couple of passes through the pasta machine:

It wasn't the exact color I wanted, but it went nicely with the color palette, so I kept it.  I am happy with my final colors.

The next step is to make little circles out of the clay with a punch.  

Then I got to stack all the circles, and roll them into a long snake so they would fit in the extruder.

Now for the fun part, twisting the extruder, cutting and stacking the snake.  It's like the grown-up version of Play-Dough.

Once I got them snakes stacked, I got to trim it and make my shape for my pendant!  

What a lot of work, I have a new admiration for all the beautiful pieces that Kathy makes.  She has endless patience with mixing colors, and developing new techniques....patience is definitely not one of my virtues!  Give me my pencil and paper, paints, or computer any day!  Just click here if you want to visit her website and see some really beautiful pieces: www.klhood.com.  She also takes custom orders if you like a style, but want different colors!