make.billferenc.com

Out the Window

2010-08-05T20:50:00.007-05:00

This is 1/2 of my final illustration for Allen Brewer's summer illustration class. Our assignment was to bring in a story from our childhood to exchange with another student in the class. Then we would create illustrations based on our partner's story (the writer working as the Art Director).

As we are an even numbered class, it would have worked out well, except the person who was supposed to be my partner didn't show up. Which worked out for the best! I got to exchange stories with Allen, and illustrate his story while he did mine. My story was about how I broke my arm (various times) in 8th grade. It's a long story. His story was about a visual phenomenon he experienced when he was about 9 years old. It ended with him questioning life and death, and his faith.

DEEP STUFF.

Here is my piece:

I wanted the image to feel really 'in the moment'. It's sort of about letting go of your childhood, and also about letting your self explore possibilities in the world. It's a big, open and quiet room. Very self-reflective and mysterious.

I'm still working on the other half of the assignment. For that half, we're supposed to illustrate the same story but from our perspective (the first one being from the Art Director/writer's perspective). I'll scan that in soon.

Also, P.S.- I saw Allen's illustration of my story. TOTALLY AMAZING. I want to buy it off him.

Love

2010-07-19T21:55:00.004-05:00

These pieces are about the five senses. And also love. For my illustration class!

I really like the idea of 'home'. Going home, or finding a home. I think it's always been an important theme in my work. I like drawing houses because of all the things they represent.

This series is about my home, and all the things I love/loved about being at home (in Wyandotte).

Poster!

2010-07-12T00:58:00.006-05:00

I was recently asked to be in a bike poster show at The Bikery . The theme of the show is Local/Euro: european-inspired cycling posters. Super exciting!

I decided that I wanted to screen print my posters, which turned out to be quite a challenge (I haven't screen printed in about 4 years). But thanks to my good buddy Lucas of MouseSaw, it went well! He seriously is the nicest guy ever, and totally made the whole thing possible. DEFINITELY check out his work too, he is a master!

I don't have pictures of the final yet, but here's my photoshop file:

I didn't manage to mix these colors, but the background is orange and the linework is a darkdark brown. I think it looks somewhat vintage/european. Mostly because I based it off this poster HERE.

I really like the simplicity of the image, and thought the typography was nice. As you can see, I was VERY inspired by it. I like the modernized figure though. Rolled up pants and a sweet tank top! The cap is a little throwback I suppose.

PRINTS WILL SOON BE AVAILABLE! I only got about 30 solid prints, so a very limited run! I'll take some real life pictures soon.

Some new work

2010-06-19T23:56:00.003-05:00

Just a few things I've been working on lately. I'm taking a summer illustration class taught by Allen Brewer and it's super great! It's good to have a regular schedule of making things. I'm noticing that I work in two different, but maybe not that different, styles. One is loose, lots of pencil lines (I love how graphite looks). And the other is more geometric and colorful.

Space Collage 01. Just some sketchbook work.

Space Collage 02.

She and Him.

Searching outer space!

A conversation about the creation of man.

Greetings

2010-05-18T14:22:00.003-05:00

I love images of outer space. Aliens!

I Like 2 Bike

2010-04-19T23:05:00.004-05:00

I'm so so so glad to get back in the studio again. It had been a while. I was looking back on some personal work, and the Frick this Shaz piece is one of my favorites. So I wanted to explore that style again.

I really like the final result, and I think I need to make this into a portrait series.

The Album Artwork that Could Have Been

2010-02-20T12:45:00.005-06:00

This has been an active posting month for me! Hopefully I can keep this up.

This is a rejected concept for the debut Communist Daughter album. I'm not exactly sure what happened, but they ended up going with something else at the last minute. I have my own theories.

It's going to be such a great album, and I'm pretty bummed that they chose not to use this artwork. You should definitely check them out though. They're super talented and they're great to see live.

nowhere to go

2010-02-17T16:09:00.005-06:00

The ice and snow here is melting. Winter's not over yet, but at least we're getting a little break. DON'T RELAX YET:

Nodar Kumaritashvili

2010-02-13T19:28:00.008-06:00

Today I was thinking about the death of Nodar Kumaritashvili. It just struck me as being so profound and it's hard to describe my feelings about what happened. I think I realized the impact of the situation during the one minute of silence at the opening ceremony yesterday.

Not only was the entire stadium absolutely silent, my friends and I were silent as well. It felt like the whole world had paused.

Foot in the Door

2010-02-08T21:59:00.002-06:00

My Foot in the Door 4 submission. The show opens February 18th! I'm really excited to see all the artwork.

I wasn't really sure what to do for the show, so I doodled a bit. It sort of just built up and up until I reached this point. I like where it went.

In Iowa...

2010-01-12T22:44:00.002-06:00

DOODLES. I bought a cheap scanner for scanning at home. It really sucks. Surprise! I was crabby on 1/2/10 apparently. Luckily, all three of my needs were fulfilled. Later I drew all of Ben's parents' pets. Sitka, Loki, Rose, Angus, Nell and Tess. Dog, Dog, cat, cat, kitten, kitten. ANIMALS!

Home Sweet Home

2009-12-21T12:50:00.005-06:00

I've had quite an absence from the blogging world these last few months. My excuse is that I'm officially employed now with a 9-5 job, and it's taken me a while to get used to the lifestyle. It's difficult to find time and energy to get into the creative mindset after spending 8 hours in front of a monitor. These last few weeks I've been doing much better. I'm starting to get into a bit of a routine and it's working out for the most part.

My most recent project has been a Christmas gift for my brother. I don't think he reads my blog... and I'm just going to take the risk of him seeing his gift early by posting the final piece here.

He asked for a piece of art specifically for Christmas. When I asked what he wanted in particular, he said, "nature." So this is my brother standing at the top of the world. Look at all that nature! That's our parents' house at the bottom. 'Home Sweet Home'. The eyeballs are my favorite part. It will be a 17x22" print and I'm REALLY excited to see how it looks.

Animal Friends

2009-10-06T22:43:00.002-05:00

Something for AppleSass! It's been revised quite a bit, but I thought this was a pretty cute scene. Friends!

Cool Dudes

2009-09-07T23:33:00.003-05:00

Just something I'm working on for fun. From left to right, that's me, Ben, then Chance.

I have a workspace in my apartment, but this is the real deal. I'm teaming up with friendly friends Emma Trithart, Peet Fetcsh, and Craig Johnson to share a space in the downtown St. Paul Jax building. Pictures will come soon, or quite possibly after a while, because our studio needs some work.

Retro

2009-09-02T13:10:00.001-05:00

Here is a fun-fun-fun illustrated typeface I made for some retro Christmas cards, for AppleSass Studio! I think I need to use this font all the time.

My scanner is too small

2009-09-01T00:31:00.005-05:00

I want to scan this in, but it's too big to fit on my scanner! Also, I'm really bad at piecing things together in photoshop. So, here is a photo in low light, with some scanned in typography placed on top.

Fall is on the way, and I'm extremely excited. I love layering clothes and wearing jackets. Everyone is nicer in the fall too! No more cranky-pants. Also, I don't want to jinx it, but I think things are going to turn around in the fall. This recession has to end, and once everyone remembers how awesome autumn is, jobs are going to start appearing again and this economy is going to get back in full gear. I'm the spokesperson for the fall season. I should be hired to make people feel good, because I'm good at that.

Fun things are abound. Currently I'm an intern at AppleSass studio! I've been making lots of cool drawings and designs lately. I will post sneak peeks soon. My good friend, and former supervisor, Tanya Swanson is the founder and has been making sweet designs by herself since she started the company. She has a ton of work on her website. Super impressive! We've been working together a lot on a variety of designs. Get ready for us to take over the stationary and design world.

Vision Concert

2009-08-19T21:46:00.004-05:00

Communist Daughter show. Go! Go! Go! I like the lens diagrams on the sides. Also, that eyeball is pretty goofy.

Ben and I were brainstorming ideas for the poster when Ben suggested I just make a poster that said "It is a Communist Daughter show." I replied with, it should just be a vision test poster. The idea was born!

Home

2009-08-10T21:45:00.004-05:00

Nothing new... except for this cool color scheme!

Day Assignment (for myself)

2009-08-06T18:24:00.008-05:00

I'm trying to make a drawing every day. At least one little drawing. Anything. I made this yesterday... I think.

I really like that little character with the eye for a head. Another version is now on the wall in front of my desk. Hopefully he'll make more appearances.

Here are pictures of some drawings I'm working on, in all their blurry, poorly lighted glory:

Two pictures I took that I liked:

Alphabet in video format

2009-08-04T17:42:00.002-05:00

I love our alphabet and I love this video.

Eggmoes

2009-08-03T23:51:00.004-05:00

Ben and I recently purchased a new TV. A rather large new TV, I might add. 42" I also might add. We hooked up Ben's computer to it. I'm sitting in a living room chair, with my feet kicked up on a footrest, and a plank of wood as my keyboard/mouse pad.

It's a new experience working in Illustrator while being as comfortable as I am now. I'm used to hunching over my 13" macbook screen and zooming in and out. Squinting my eyes and shifting around in my chair to get the kinks out of my back. I do have to worry about falling asleep though. This chair is pretty comfy.

This is what I'm working on in Illustrator: Eggmoes!

My previous post contained some of the pieces. I took some out, and added a couple new pieces (mostly the multi-colored images). I'm pretty happy with the way these are turning out.

Soon I will make a quick post on the drawings I'm working on. Three large drawings! One about space. One about human animal. One about my trip to Florida. None of them are close to completion, but I wanted to show some progress.

Birdies

2009-07-30T00:48:00.001-05:00

I'm making some birdie drawings and shapes for a pattern.

oh, inverted world

2009-07-28T01:08:00.006-05:00

This is really awful, but I decided to invert my laptop screen today (ctrl+option+apple+8) to see how my digital world would look. It's... pretty bizarre. It's kind of an exciting change, although I'm not sure if it's going to affect my eyes in some sort of awful way.

I then decided, that I would see how my website artwork looks. Mostly, it's really hokey and stupid. BUT IT LOOKS SO.... what's the best word to use in high school terminology....

...SWEET.

That's the only word I can think of to describe it. I selected my favorite inverted pieces, all you have to do is hit those amazing set of keys to live the magic.

CTRL+OPTION+APPLE+8

IMAGE OVERLOAD:

A special bonus, I found this on a website (which will not be named). MY HAIR USED TO BE SO LONG. It was actually inverted on said website, so you'll have to see it normally to appreciate how long my hair was. I think this was either Junior or Senior year of high school:

A bonus fact: I painted this exact inverted picture to put in my portfolio, to bring to National Portfolio Day, to show to MCAD. I'm 100% sure this piece is why I got accepted. It obviously proved that my level of creativity was through the rough.

Font

2009-07-22T00:32:00.004-05:00

I drew out another font, this one a little more sophisticated than the last. I'm calling it Pretty Kid, after The Pretty Kids Collective for which it was made. You can see it in action on the Pretty Kids webpage.

I think my favorite letter is either the R or the M. I'm still not sure if I'm going to do numbers, but it might make this feel a bit more complete.

Thanks, Michigan!

2009-07-21T00:25:00.005-05:00

The title of this post comes off a little sarcastic, but it is NOT meant to be! I spent some time this afternoon and this evening working on a card for my relatives back in Michigan. I actually got birthday cards this year from two aunts and uncles, so I figured I should make them a card in return (my birthday is in May, I'm ridiculously late making these).

I'm going to print one out for each of my aunts and uncles though. Just to let them know I'm thinking about them and let them know how I'm doing, without mentioning my unemployed status. I think I'll steer clear of that subject.

I basically ~~copied~~ took quite a bit of inspiration (QUITE a bit) from the book cover I posted in my previous update. I just couldn't resist! The color palette, the typography, the imagery- all beautiful. The cover was illustrated by Will Staehle, who is an amazing-amazing-amazing artist/designer/illustrator. My piece comes NOWHERE near the incredible-ness of his book cover. But I do like it; very chilly and winter-y. Maybe it will keep my relatives in a cool state of mind so they don't overheat this summer.

I really like those balloons- how cute! I also am pretty fond of the font: Museo. It's a really fun style to work in, silhouettes and outlines with flat colors, I'm curious to see if I can somehow work it in with my drawing/painting style. Perhaps an experiment!

Let's just pretend...

2009-06-12T12:25:00.008-05:00

...that is hasn't been a month and a half since I last posted. Just imagine that for a second. Okay we're done. Let's talk. I wrote this pretty fast without proofreading, so sorry if I sounds like I can't write complete sentences.

I just wanted to do a little entry about some books I read over the last few months. I'm usually not much of a reader, but lately I'm really getting back into it. I think it's hard for me to get into a story, but when I do I really enjoy it.

RANT - Chuck Palahniuk
Ben made a really great joke as soon as he saw the title of the book. "Oh hey, a book titled exactly what all of his other books are about." - Ben. GOOD ONE. I've only read "Choke" and "Haunted" by Palahniuk and I was very underwhelmed. The stories were okay, but I can only listen to a limited amount of snide commentary from characters that I don't like. I have yet to read "Survivor" which I hear is his best. "Rant" is a thrill to read from start to finish. You're immediately thrown into this plot with little explanation. It reads much like a documentary, and we get snippets of people talking about the life of Buster "Rant" Casey. You're left to put the pieces of his life together. It's a fantastic ending, and if you can get through some confusion you'll be rewarded. I'll just throw a little hint out there as bait. There is a sci-fi twist about 3/4 in and it seriously blew my mind.

CITY OF THIEVES - David Benioff
Set in and around Leningrad during World War II, this coming-of-age novel is about two young men who are arrested and given two options: either secure a dozen eggs for a powerful colonel, or face execution. They go for the first option and set out to several cities in the area and face challenges along the way. The two main characters are kind of an odd-couple situation and they have to get along to save the day and blahblahblah. It reads much like an action/drama movie and it's easy to imagine this on the big screen. That's both a good and a bad thing. It's a decent story, but all too convenient for our two heroes. It kind of has a "bad things are happening but this is a lighthearted story" feeling. Which I guess is the intention.

THE GIVER - Lois Lowry
Apparently every student that made it passed 5th grade has read this book. Except for me of course. After it coming up in a few conversations over the course of a few days, I decided to go ahead and buy it. $7.00 from B&N. I knew the basic plot: A utopian society. Everyone is oblivious to the real world. No emotion. But then! A 12 year old boy is chosen to be The Receiver of knowledge. I'll let you figure out what that means. This is a book worthy of the Newberry Medal. It has some pretty advanced and adult themes for a kid's book. It's written in a very matter-of-fact way, but it makes sense and the author really captures specific moments. I really felt a strong connection to the main character. I wish it was twice as long as it is. So much more could be developed! A superb climax and conclusion to the story.

THE YIDDISH POLICEMAN'S UNION - Michael Chabon
I just started reading this one. To be honest, I only bought it because the cover art is SO GOOD! Turns out, the story is really interesting and unique. I haven't gotten far enough to give a good opinion, but I'm looking forward to reading more.

It's been a while...

2009-04-26T20:27:00.003-05:00

Well, if my goal was to not update the entire month of April, I almost accomplished it.

Things have been going pretty well lately. I started my job back on the 6th, and I actually kind of enjoy it. It's not bad. Everyone there is super friendly and the work load is the perfect. I'm typically busy throughout the entire day so I'm never bored, but there isn't so much work that I'm scrambling to get it done.

Also hey here's this. Those shoes weren't a total waste after all! Kidding... kidding. Thanks to Allison for takin' the picture!

Last night Chance, Ben and I went to the Brave New Workshop to see "How to Make Love Like a Minnesotan". Trygve's roommate Lauren (who's in the show, and seriously extremely talented) got us tickets. It was such a good show! Really funny. I made her a thank you card:

I will hopefully remember to give it to her soon. We're watching Terminator 2 right now. Ben made turkey burgers for dinner. I made guacamole. Those are other things I did today.

FAME!

2009-03-27T13:08:00.002-05:00

Sort of anyway. The poster I designed for Communist Daughter was featured as Flyer of the Week on the City Pages!

This is good for two reasons. One, it helps promote the show even more, which is great because Chance wants this show to be big. Two, it helps get my work out there! Allison commented and left a link to my website, which is great. COOLCOOLCOOL.

Also, I got offered a job! More details later. I'm absolutely relieved though. I'm really happy because the position will allow me to focus on my freelance illustration career. Yes!

Alphabetical

2009-03-26T00:00:00.007-05:00

Well, not much is on my mind right now. I'm still applying for jobs. Things are looking a little brighter, I'd say, but nothing is for sure yet and I'm getting anxious. One can only watch a certain number of episodes of Roseanne everyday at noon to pass time. Here's something I made to keep myself busy:

And who could forget this classic:

I had lunch with Sarah Hedlund today. She payed in exchange for some website help, which was great since I'm quite low on cash. We pretty much did a crash course in html/css, so I really hope it works out. She was already picking up on editing code, which is awesome since it took me forever to get a hang of it. It also means I might be an okay teacher.

Racial Profiling

2009-03-17T12:53:00.003-05:00

Breezy

2009-03-14T01:44:00.004-05:00

I did an illustration for Illustration Friday last week, but I didn't get a chance to scan it in until this week. Breezy was a pretty tough word, because mostly trees and things blowing around came to mind. This idea came to me because I"m really looking forward to spring, and I like riding my bike and feeling the rush of wind.

I didn't do an illustration this week. Scratch that, I just did an illustration for Heart's website, which they're currently redesigning. Wait, you didn't know I'm represented by Heart? Oh! Well. I am! They put my work up on their website about a month or so ago, and my portfolios were just printed. I haven't had any commissions yet, but I'm really hoping for one soon.

EDIT:// By the way, I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS. Words alone could not express it. When I found out Heart wanted represent me I almost lost it. I was seriously running around my house. I didn't have anyone to celebrate with so I ended up dancing around my cats and trying to get them to jump around with me. It didn't work, haha. I am on cloud nine though. I'll probably blast off into space when I get my first commission. That's right. OUTER SPACE. I need to dedicate a post to this. I'll write about it soon!\\

I've been spending most of my time looking for jobs and applying to everything possible, and I haven't been making much work lately. As you might have possibly received my massive facebook message, I'm having a huge problem finding a job. Any job. Doing anything. I would say I'm fairly desperate. Anyone know of any graphic design jobs? Anywhere?

MARCH 27TH. BE THERE.

2009-03-12T00:32:00.004-05:00

Here's a poster I designed for the March 27th Communist Daughter show. Wolves are cool. Wolves with sunglasses are even cooler.

I wish I had a bit more time to work on the typography. Things aren't lining up! However, I do like this poster quite a bit. Quite.
You should definitely check them out though. March 27th @ the 400 Bar! Apparently the sound system at the 400 Bar is rather good, and Communist Daughter sounds REALLY good live. Excited!

House Pattern

2009-03-04T23:09:00.003-06:00

Probably not the best place to live. I can't imagine walking out from a house in the middle. It took me 4EVER to get the shape of the first house right so that I could repeat it over and over. PATTERNS!

Typography (part 2)

2009-03-04T03:28:00.000-06:00

So a few posts ago I tried to take an article and lay it out. I took another swing at it:

I'm trying to figure out the grid, but I'm having a bit of trouble. I've been reading a few books (thanks to some recommendations!). Unfortunately I haven't gotten to A Type Primer yet, which is the book I wanted to pick up the most. After checking out the MCAD Library I found it's on the reserve shelf! Blast! I might buy it on Amazon though.

PS- here is a comparison:

I will make this

2009-03-03T23:22:00.000-06:00

I know what I'm going to be for Halloween next year:

via Rasmus Norlander. Click on Bokstäver.

GIRL!

2009-02-27T03:17:00.000-06:00

Brenda's birthday was today! Well... I guess yesterday at this point. I made her a birthday card but forgot to bring it to dinner to give to her! Rats! Anyway, here it is:

I guess I'm not quite finished with it, so this gives me some time to go back and add a bit more. I think I need to shade the hats and pants. I'm really happy with the drawing though, and it went fairly easy.

Sometimes when I'm drawing, it just... doesn't... work. Ya' know? You just want to sit down and draw a face or a house, or anything really, but for some reason your hand just doesn't want to move correctly, or maybe your brain just doesn't want to fire the correct synapses. In any case, it feels like shit. I hate it! Luckily, that didn't happen during this drawing. Hooray!

Typography

2009-02-16T04:21:00.000-06:00

Typography isn't my strong point. I'll be the first to admit that. I unfortunately did not take a typography class while at MCAD, and sincerely feel that I missed out on a lot. What a fool I was! I've come to learn that I'm very behind, and to quote a designer I met with in New York: "I'll be honest. I hate your typography."

That being said, I do enjoy it though, and sincerely wish I had a better understanding of it. When I see a good composition of type and image, I get a good feeling, and I think that's important. I've decided to try to and work with it more, to see if I can uncover any talent I might have. Two times a week, I will take a news article and try my best to create an interesting layout using only the original text. The focus in on the word 'try' here.

Here we go! Practice Number One:

---Original text here--- The copyright of course goes to the newspaper, as well as the image, don't sue me Evening Sun.

I kind of cheated a bit on this one and added the last line about contacting the writer. I'm already breaking my rules! This does not bode well.

Criticism is welcome. Very welcome in fact. I'd like to learn my mistakes! Also, if anyone knows of a good book to learn the basics of typography, I'd like to start there and work my way up. Hopefully up is where I'll be heading.

2Wheels is go!

2009-02-13T16:54:00.000-06:00

This has been a not-so-secret project I've been working on with Lyndsey Lesh. After graduation we started trying to work together on a few projects under the team name 2Wheels Studio. Two wheels like a bike.

Our first project we started working on is a poster series called +/- (or, positive/negative). It's a series of 10 posters of negative and positive phrases and imagery that indirectly comments on our current economic and social status. Our goal is to try to get it into the Fallon Winter Exhibition. We submitted our proposal and the images over the last couple weeks, and we'll hear back soon. Wish us luck!

You can see the project, along with our newly created website, here: 2wheels Studio.

EDIT:///
Just a a little update. I wanted to post a picture of my favorite poster Lyndsey and I worked on:

Mom's Tape Recorder

2009-02-11T01:54:00.001-06:00

Ben and I wrote a short song, and recorded it on a Hitachi LevelMatic:

Mom's Tape Recorder from billbill on Vimeo.

Sorry for the crappy video. My digital camera isn't the best.

I was home a while ago, and found an old tape recorder in the basement. Apparently my mom used it when she was younger. I'm not sure what for, because most of the tape somehow got sped up and the audio is distorted. I had chance copy the entire tape onto a hard drive, so all the memories are preserved. There is however, a really beautiful song still intact. I think it was my uncle singing to one of my aunts. It's him playing the acoustic guitar and the quality of the recording is unbelievable. It's very haunting and romantic. There is also a cute, but also a little creepy recording of my brother singing the ABC's. I can post that later if I get the audio from Chance's hard drive.

Confidence Boost

2009-01-29T11:31:00.000-06:00

I have an interview for an internship today. Trygve was nice enough to send me a couple emails:

I'm nervous, but I'm ready.

My Hands are Tied

2009-01-26T23:08:00.000-06:00

Working on some typography. Can I even call it that? I guess illustrated type is more specific. There may be some legibility issues?

Last week went by super fast. This week already feels like it will go by even faster. I have an interview for an internship on Thursday. Holy cow, I really want it. I also feel like I'm juggling a lot of different projects right now, and none of them have anything to do with making an income. It's fun, but at the same time a lot of pressure because I do need a job, as previously stated.

However, I have some extremely amazing and spectacular news, but I'm waiting for something to happen before I tell everyone.

Happy Birth(yester)day!

2009-01-24T17:47:00.000-06:00

Katie and Scott had their birthday party yesterday at Nye's Polonaise. Happy Birthday to them!

BLU

2009-01-23T03:00:00.000-06:00

I really don't know how I haven't seen this artist's work before. I stumbled upon a clip of MUTO on Break, and immediately had to find the entire film.

It's unbelievable. Mind boggling. Indeed one of the most impressive and awe-inspiring animations I have ever seen. The amount of time and work put into this piece is mind blowing. Not only are these enormous paintings, but the artist displays a true talent for form, movement, and depth.

It's incredibly grotesque, but humorous and witty without feeling too immature. This film is particularly amazing:

walking from blu on Vimeo.

This makes me want to be an animator. The illustration work is really nice too. Giant 30 foot illustrations on walls.

Unfortunately, I can't find much about the artist on the internet besides a great deal of work. The wikipedia page was removed/deleted (bizarre), and I can't find any pictures of him/her/them. If anyone has any good info, let me know.

Support Intergalactic Travel

2009-01-20T17:26:00.000-06:00

It's done! Well, it might not be, but I'm pretty tired of working on it for now. I'll let it sit for a while and revisit it later and see how it looks. I also probably spelled quite a few things wrong, now that I'm reading it over...

I had to ask quite a few people for input to get this in a good direction, so thank you to those who offered feedback! I'll probably show it to a few more people and do another round of readjustments. The first block of text is straight from Wikipedia with a minor change. I wrote the info for the second block, which is entirely fictional as far as I know.

Friends in Space (progress)

2009-01-14T19:25:00.000-06:00

A bit ago I took pictures of Ben, Chance, and Emma jumping. I think Ben took the picture of me. I knew I had to do something with the pictures! They were perfect for some sort of anti-gravity scene, so today I got to work.

It's going to be a 16x20 digital print, and I'm VERY excited. I think I'm going to frame it and hang it in the living room. I think I'm done with Chance, Emma, and myself, but Ben needs some work and so do the kittens. Tadgh streaming across over Emma is my favorite part so far. Also, my shoes look SO COOL.

I'll post the final image soon.

A TRIP TO THE GROCER

2009-01-12T20:09:00.001-06:00

We desperately needed groceries. The fridge, practically empty. The cupboards, packed with empty boxes of cereal, half used pouches of flour, and other random unused foods, including several 25 cent Slim Jim sticks sent from my mom months ago that I didn't have the heart to throw away. All of it's gone now. We took a trip to the Rainbow Foods in Uptown.

Thanks to our handy Venn Diagram Grocery List...

The venture was very easy, and surprisingly helpful. We could see which items could be used more than once, and how we could get the best deal with our money. Of course once you get to the store you end up buying more than what is on the list (and we bought much more than what was on the list). $156.00 later we were home. Now our cupboards and fridge are packed with goodies.

///EDIT: I just realized I listed bacon twice. However, bacon is pretty good and it's worth listing more than once.

Thanks, Birdie

2009-01-09T16:31:00.000-06:00

Unfortunately this post doesn't reflect the same attitude as one of my previous entries, nor the image above. I've been pretty down in the dumps lately. A shade of blue, one might say. I'm having such a difficult time trying to find a job and it's hurting not only my bank account but my body as well. It's not just art related jobs either. Even businesses around Minneapolis aren't looking to hire anyone. I picked up an application for Barnes and Noble, and for a Kowalski's Market. Everyone is prefacing handing the application to me with "you know, we're not really looking to hire anyone...". To which I have to reply, "That's okay I'll just fill one out anyway." I'm probably going to develop a bleeding ulcer soon. If anyone hears about any job openings, anywhere, let me know/fill me in.

I REFUSE TO GIVE UP.

I've been trying to find work too. Emails, postcards, letters, more emails. It's a tough time. A while back I put together some really nice promo packets. I decided to wait until after the holidays to mail them out. Here's a few pictures (check out my two tech-decks courtesy of Joel):

I mailed out 17, but I have a few extra just in case I came across anything. They were sent out on... Tuesday. I heard back from one place already, which was really nice actually. They weren't looking to hire anyone, but I was really appreciative of the response.

So, back to the Birdie above. I received Christmas presents from Ben's parents and grandparents this year. So I made them thank you cards. They are Christmas/New Years cards that double as thank you cards. Birds with scarves- always endearing. I painted it with gouache.

CLOCKS!

2009-01-06T22:17:00.000-06:00

Monster Clock from billbill on Vimeo.

Trygve and I started a small little project called Second Hand Clocks! Mostly his idea, we're working together to recycle old clocks and clock parts and using them to make designer art pieces! I've painted two already, Trygve has one in the works, and Emma will be starting one soon. We're going to get in touch with local artists and designers to make their own, then sell them online (with the artists getting the profit).

HNY!

2009-01-04T23:53:00.000-06:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2009!

I've decided to start using blogger. Check out Shambot for previous postings. More posting is in the future. I think that will be a new years resolution. Speaking of which, I've decided to try to cut soda out of my diet. I didn't realize how much it was part of my daily routine. It wouldn't be unusual to have one or two cans of soda a day. As of midnight on January 1, 2009 the delicious, carbonated, caramel of coca-cola has not touched my lips. I've been drinking sparkling water instead. H2OH! brand. It's been working out so far, except I'm definitely going through caffeine withdrawal.

POSTER JOURNALS

2008-09-22T23:24:00.000-05:00

I bought a pretty nice digital camera a few weeks ago for my trip to NYC. I try to bring it around whenever I go out, but I usually forget or decide not to because if we're just going for a walk the pictures won't be too interesting. Not true with my last round of images. I decided to make "posters" that would be a journal or blog entry. Click on the images for a bigger version.

TOTAL GOOBS

2008-05-25T20:08:00.000-05:00

These are some funny guys I drew. They would make good letterpressed cards.

FASHION ILLUSTRATION?

2008-05-08T23:37:00.000-05:00

A photo illustration featuring sunglasses. It's very fashionable.

A REQUIEM FOR A DELICIOUS DINNER

2008-04-20T16:39:00.000-05:00

A Thanksgiving Project. Taking the idea of a hand-traced turkey to a conceptual level, I cut out the traced line and made a timeline of all the turkeys I consumed over my life.