That's it! I'm done. ~updated~

Here's my final layout and an image of the front cover. Honestly, if I had a ton more time, I'd make more changes, but the thing is already assembled. I just have to pick up some ribbon tomorrow to bind it. And I really wish I could have printed this professionally. My high quality paper isn't two-sided (and it's too thick to double up), so I had to print everything but the cover on regular printer paper. I'm seriously considering bringing in a non-assembled version printed on my nice paper.

Anyway, here it is. You have to read the pages in a crisscross pattern down and then back up again because of the way I laid it out so I could print it easily.

ETA: I actually did make the aforementioned layout changes, but I'm too lazy to upload the new images.

Whew

And done. Designing and writing anyway. I still have to print and assemble my booklet tomorrow, but the design part is finished. It's completely different from my comp and I think it works. It's highly stylized and I picture it being sold at Barnes and Noble where they sell their cards and stationery. I'd really like to bind it with a ribbon and some beads, but I may not have time. We shall see. Here's the cover/backcover:

And one more time

I changed my booklet design (again). I started working on the rework and I felt like it was looking too much like a magazine layout rather than a booklet. So, I'm reworking the whole thing. It's much less complicated, smaller with more pages and one tip per page. I'm also added some illustrations, but they're just simple line drawings and a background (which is finished), so it shouldn't take me too long. I think this idea will serve the purpose of a how-to booklet better and I actually feel inspired with this design idea. That's the first time that's happened with this project. I was ready to shut off my brain for the semester after the Flash project.

Design dilemma solved (I think)

So I'm going to attempt to use a modified version of my original idea. The way I'm planning to do this is to make it a booklet that's a magazine supplement (probably Lucky). This will help with target audience and narrow my focus a bit. I think I'll probably tweek the copy focus to packing for a long weekend as opposed to just any vacation. I'm still including clothing, but not quite in the same way and I've found a way to incorporate at least one person into each photo spread. Now I just need to finish this, hopefully before Friday so I can relax on Friday night.

Midweek ramblings

I just sent my comp copy for project 6 to Stephanie and Allison. It needs a ton of refining, but I'm happy I finished it. The more I work on this project, the more I like my chosen topic. So, tonight the goal is to finish (or mostly finish) the Flash movie. I'll be happy if I get it almost how I want it and then just have a few minor tweaks over the next few days.

Words, words, words. I'm one of those people who definitely has a list of favorite words. Some of them I like because of the way they sound, some of them I like because of what they mean and some I have no idea why I like them, but for whatever reason, I think they're cool. Here's a sampling:

• serendipity (my all-time favorite word, in sound and in meaning)
• collage
• kaleidoscope
• snarky (the sound is the main reason I like this one)
• anthropology
• turtle
• dulce
• loquacious

I am so ready for this semester to be over. I'm not sure what I'll do with myself once I have my weekends back. Probably sleep. And go to the beach. And sleep on the beach.

Sunday night.

I'm feeling much more on top of things this week than I did last week at this time. My Flash movie is almost finished. I just have to finish my text and drag all my keyframes out into the timeline. I may add one more illustration, too, but that shouldn't take too long.

My concept for project 6 changed again. Mostly because I don't want to do something too complicated. So, I'm going to do "How to pack for vacation without suffering wardrobe separation anxiety" (read: stop overpacking). I've been wanting to do something fashion-related all semester and I just never felt like it was right for the project. I think this one will work okay.

On the health front, the poison on my face seems to be improving, but I'm still a little itchy and swollen. I feel pretty.

Okay. Need sleep now.

Printing project 6

Now that I've really started to think about project 6, I'm wondering how everyone else is planning on printing their booklets. Are you going to take it to a printer or try to deal with it yourself? The idea of messing with this thing myself kind of seems like a nightmare. Thoughts?

Project 6 revisited

It's Friday morning and I have yet to type a single word or draw a single line for project six. I did, however, manage to finish my classification so it's reasonable acceptable. I'm not completely happy with it, but it's fine for the comp phase. Unfortunately, I had to work through LOST last night to finish it because my computer froze and couldn't recover over an hour's worth of illustrating (which I thought I had saved, but apparently not).

However, since I'm staring down the barrel (a loooooooong barrel) of project 5, I'm not sure if I want to take on my initial idea for project six, even though I really like it. So, I might do my fallback idea of "How to watch LOST," but I'm not sure if I'll be able to stretch that out to eight pages. Of course, using lots of images would work, too. So, we'll see what happens tonight when I start working on this. This might be a pot 'o joe night, which sucks, because I woke up exhausted. At least it's Friday.

Project 6 (finally)

I think I'm going to do jewelry making for my how-to/process project. I'll do a step by step guide to making a specific necklace and possibly, earrings. I'll also include the basic tools, basic techniques and bead stores in the Baltimore area. I'll have to do my own photography for this, which should prove interesting. And I'll also need to design the necklace and make it twice, once for the initial design and once for the actual project. Fun. This also means digging my jewelry design stuff out of storage. Double fun. I don't think I'll actually have time to do all of this between now and Saturday, unless I don't bother to sleep, so my rough draft will be sort of designed, but pictureless (perhaps, I'll substitute colored pencil sketches). At least I've nailed down an idea for this project. Not that I could have started working on it any earlier than tomorrow night anyway.

Speaking of projects and workload, I'll agree with others who've said the pace of this semester is a little off. Okay, a lot off. In a real world situation, a flash project takes more time than, say, a sign or a magazine spread. However, we didn't get any more time for the flash project than any other project. It would have been uber helpful if the flash project had been introduced pre-spring break. Other than that, the other projects have been fine. It's this flash project that's throwing the whole pace of the class off.

I need another word for project. I've used it far too much in this post.

Midweek ramblings

It's Wednesday (I think) and I'm halfway finished with my illustrations for project 4. I'm not sure why I decided to illustrate all of these projects. It's kind of making me crazy and increasing the workload tri-fold. But, I'm halfway through and I'm liking the results, so no sense in backtracking now.

And project 5 is officially on hold until Saturday night. It's the only way I feel that I can get these projects done and do them right.

Project 6. Yeah. I've barely given it any thought. And the thought I have given it has been, I've got nothing. Well, not nothing, but nothing that I want to pursue. All of the ideas I've come up with are on the snarky side, but I'm using snarkiness for project 4 and I would rather avoid using it again for project 6. But, if I don't come up with anything that's not snarky (and not boring), then I guess snarkiness will rule.

Snarky. I like that word. Before we were dating, my boyfriend and I got into a debate about whether or not it was actually a word. I thought it was, he thought it wasn't. So, to prove I was right, and in true snarky form, I printed out the definition of snarky from dictionary.com and left it on his desk (we were coworkers at the time).

In between all the craziness, I managed to complete one creativity challenge project this week. It's actually from Sunday, so sadly, the past few days have been void of any creativity other than work and school. But, the school assignments are stretching and improving my skills as an illustrator, so I say they count. Hey, it's my challenge, I can make up and change the rules whenever I feel like it.

Saturday thoughts

I intended to come home tonight and work on my projects, but my brain is burning and there is no way that any good ideas are going to come out of it tonight. So, I gave myself a break and continued on my creativity challenge. Here's the result-it's colored pencil, not a medium I'm all that used to, but I'd like to learn more about it (and get better quality pencils).


I'm feeling (slightly) better about the flash project. I have to finish my illustrations and I think I'm going to change my song to Dave Matthews "The Space Between." I find it more appropriate for my story. Speaking of my story, I know my storyboard was a little cryptic, so here's the gist-
Girl needs a dress for her fiance's birthday, which is one day away. She finds the dress in the store window, buys the dress, puts on the dress and goes to visit her fiance's grave. It is the first birthday he's had since his death and it's her way of celebrating and remembering him. Morbid, I know, but I'm making it work.

Project six doesn't seem too scary. Pretty easy actually. It's just going to be a matter of finding time to actually do the work and also, you know, sleep and eat. I may be forced to regress to my undergrad tactics of putting on a pot of coffee at midnight and plowing through my work until 5 am. I'm not sure I could handle that anymore. I guess I should probably just focus on my time management skills.