Hot Doggin' for Charity

This is an illustration I was "commissioned" to do (free of charge) for Morgan Stanley to promote their annual Operation Christmas Child fundraiser. Why is the hot dog wearing jeans and eating cake you may ask? Well, that requires some explanation. This character was part of a poster placed around the office to remind the employees that there would be a hot dog lunch, donated baked goods and casual Friday. Operation Christmas Child* is just one of the many charities the office promotes and I'm happy to be of service any time they need a hand jazzing up their fun yet informative signage.

*Feel free to click on the link to learn more about this worthy cause.

Self Employed

As I've mentioned before I now find myself self employed. I spend my days slaving away at my home office. I find myself doing architectural design, graphic design and web design. The best part is that I find my work to be very fulfilling however the down side is that I get to handle all my own IT problems. So do the benefits outweigh the drawbacks? What are the perks of self employment you may ask? Well, here’s my top ten list of reasons:

1. Being your own boss means setting your own hours
2. Your commute consists of walking from one room to another
3. A very lax dress code (clothing optional)
4. Safer than crab fishing the Bering Sea, speaking of which you don’t miss your favorite daytime t.v. shows
5. Welcome to a world where those “questionable websites” aren’t blocked- yes I mean Facebook, of course
6. You are on a first-name basis with the mailman
7. You can listen to your music as loud as you please
8. No need to fight co-workers for fridge space just to have them eat your lunch because it’s
better than theirs
9. Very few sexual harassment issues

And last but not least…
10. There’s a pretty good chance of making Employee of the Month

Well, those are my reasons for being self employed. If I didn’t mention one that’s near and dear to your heart please post it below. I look forward to hearing from you. Now get back to work!

Chasing Steeples

My web design classes are almost at an end and I wanted to post another drawing. This is just a rough sketch from my weekend. My sister came down from Boston (you know- up theh neah Hahvad, wheh the smaht kids ah) with her new hubby Chris. This was her first trip to my new home so I wanted to do something special. With that in mind we spent Saturday with some friends hanging out in Waxah, NC at the Steeplechase. It was a great time; we enjoyed horse races, adult beverages, beautiful weather, playing cornhole and people watching.

There was more seersucker there than a KFC commercial but rather than post an illustration that depicts southerners in their most auspicious digs I chose to reflect the main event instead. And last but not least, I want to thank the Martins for organizing, implementing and hosting the whole thing- I think everyone would agree they did a terrific job. We may just have to make this an annual thing!

Rumors…

That’s right folks, I have finally resurfaced after a prolonged absence…. Despite speculations to the contrary, I have not been abducted, become gainfully employed, entered the witness relocation program, joined a cult, or forgotten about The Inkspot.

I recently started taking web design classes in January this year. I can’t tell you how great it’s been. I’ve really been enjoying it and I have been pressed to learn a lot in a short amount of time. It’s the first time I’ve been in school since I graduated from the UNCC College of Architecture in 2003. It took a little bit of an adjustment for me after being out of work for about a year now, you know - leave the house, wear clothes, and interact with others.

I have received countless letters, emails & requests in all forms demanding another post…(even one stalker) all claiming, “We want more Inkspot!”. Well, maybe I’m exaggerating slightly but for those of you who have spoken up (you know who you are) I appreciate the continued support.

That being said, I owe all you loyal followers an apology. The projects I've been working on have kept me scrambling so I have been neglecting my illustration duties, and I haven't been on my own site all that much. It’s my intent to get back into the habit of keeping the site up-to-date. I may even post some of the work I’ve done for school for your viewing pleasure...if for no other reason than to prove I am not lying about my recent whereabouts.

Score: Computer-1, Me-0

I sketched this the other day and it definitely captured the frustrations I was having with my computer very clearly so I thought I'd post it. I certainly didn't post it to reflect my artistic ability but for the way it conveyed the situation. I figured some of you could relate. Contrary to what this drawing would lead you to believe, things are going great with my new web technology classes. It's just more fun to draw circumstances in which things are less than ideal.

It really comes down to trust issues.....(right Dr. Phil?) Is my computer going to let me down? Don't I deserve better than that? You see, it promises time and again to be there for me but when I really need it, it never fails to disappoint. All in all, I have reconciled my differences with my computer for the time being. But, at the time this was a pretty accurate depiction of my point of view. On second thought, perhaps my computer isn't as responsible as one might think. Maybe I should have named the cartoon "Windows Vista Strikes Again".

"A" Student...again

That's right folks, I'm back in school. After many years away from the academic realm I have taken to the classroom once more. This is an attempt to make the most of my currently flexible schedule, to better prepare myself and find ways to improve myself for when things turn around. My course load consists of “Web Development Technology”. In other words I will be learning how to create web sites; specifically scripting, writing html code, hosting, web multimedia, domains, etc.) Sound fun?

These days, branding almost inevitably involves web design so this is the most logical addition to my arsenal. I’ve dabbled in it in the past but I really want a solid foundation to build upon. What you see on a web page is nothing compared to the formatting that is behind the scenes. (the “bones” of the web site.) That being said, I have had numerous requests for graphic design and branding work, especially in the past few months. It’s different from architecture in that the design constraints aren’t as rigorous. Art is much more “free” than having to deal with things like building codes, zoning ordinances, life safety, gravity, and things of that nature. Needless to say it has been great experience for me and I have found yet another thing I really enjoy.

So I find myself on the verge of a new endeavor, which is exciting. It’s not hard to believe I’m a student again. School or no school I love to learn, to be challenged, and this should do just that. However I find myself in familiar territory- school. What does that mean? Old habits…when I went to school the first time I doodled endlessly in the margins of my notebooks. I was faced with a lot of time spent in a classroom with a pencil in hand, new people and new experiences. This always bombards me with a lot of new observations and ideas which inevitably leads to sketching. I guess I imagined that ten years later the experience would be different. I guess we’ll see. As I always say, “Anything worth doing is worth overdoing”.

So, for your viewing pleasure I have included a sketch of a guy I saw walking down the corridors of the university. Let me just say that I have taken some liberties with the concept; please note that some names, places, desserts, etc. have been changed to protect the innocent.

Showdown

Hey everyone, here's the first post of the New Year! I decided to include something from my sketchbook archives. It hasn't been doctored or touched up in any way but that was deliberate on my part. Sometimes its the initial sketch that truly captures the idea and the personality of the charaters. I felt this was one of those instances.