I love hand drawn type, and YouWorkForThem’s got a whole collection on sale.
via design work life
Archive for March, 2010
One of my Project 25 goals for this year is to do at least one design tutorial each month. I decided to start with an Illustrator tutorial from graphic designer Chris Spooner for creating a doodled business card. This was my first time really using Illustrator, and it took me a bit (read: most of the afternoon) to get somewhat comfortable with the menus. After I finished the tutorial, I decided to create a card that incorporates some editing marks.
This reminded me of a sketch I did several months ago, where I recreated my blog header using editing and punctuation marks. So I played around some more to see how well my pen and paper doodle translated to the screen.
Overall, this tutorial made me realize I don’t have the fine motor skills required for detailed work (especially after a bucket of coffee), which makes me appreciate those who use the tool to create art even more. I’m sure I’ll do more Illustrator tutorials in the future, but for now I’ll stick to the pen tool I know best—the red pen of doom.
Six hours of work condensed into two minutes. Amazing.
Found on BoingBoing via @gracesmith
- Do a homestay to improve my language skills. [August 2010]
- Walk on the Great Wall of China. [March 2010]
- Edit one NaNoWriMo novel.
- Wear a kimono.
- Buy a new Mac.
- Read five books from Random House’s Best Novels list. [2/5]
- Visit Hokkaido.
- Travel to at least two countries. [1/2]
- Own a pair of knee-high boots.
- Make a curtain of snowflakes.
- Make homemade bread. [June 2010]
- Try yoga.
- Submit a piece of writing for publication. [July 2010]
- Take a piano lesson. [July 2010]
- Embellish a sweater.
- Start a dream journal. [May 2010]
- Do at least one design tutorial each month. [3/12]
- Complete the 100 Pushups training program.
- Buy or make handmade birthday presents.
- Add three new samples to my portfolio. [1/3]
- Apply to grad school. [September 2010]
- Watch Star Trek: Original series, animated series, and movies 1-3.
- Get my wedding ring resized.
- Make marshmallow fondant.
- Track all the books I read.
I am excited and honored to announce that I have been invited to be a virtual guest speaker for Professor Martine Rife’s class at Lansing Community College, Authorship in the Digital Age. I will be talking about international/cross-cultural communication in regards to my experience as a professional writer in Japan, and I would love to share others’ thoughts as well.
If you’re a professional writer, editor, or designer who works with international/cross-cultural audiences, please take my survey. It will take about 10 minutes, and your comments on cultural differences, copyright and fair use, and authorship will be shared with the class in April. If you have any questions about the survey or additional comments you’d like to share, just let me know. Thanks!
Victoria’s Secret just launched their Love My Body campaign, and the use of models with flawless bodies sends mixed messages about beauty and body acceptance—especially when compared with the Real Beauty campaign from Dove.
Which one makes you love your body?
It’s finally March, which means spring is just around the corner, soon there will be a week of cake, and it’s National Reading Month. Some ways to celebrate:
- Donate a book to your local library, school, or nonprofit
- Break out your favorite Dr. Seuss book for March 2, “Read Across America Day” and the author’s birthday
- Join a book club
- Volunteer to read or tutor others in reading
- Treat yourself to a book on your wishlist
And of course, read voraciously. My reading goal is to finish the three books on my bookshelf right now:
What will you be reading this month? What books do you recommend?
Poor writing often is a simple form of obfuscation, and copy editors beat the drum for clear writing. Everyone benefits when we understand each other.”
– Mark Allen, Editors fight the good fight for clear communication
