My Society6

About a week ago, a friend asked if he could buy a piece of my art from me (seen below). He wanted to give it to his girlfriend for Christmas. I was extremely honored. Then immediately overwhelmed with the anxiety of printing it out for him. The thought of printing another thing off at Kinkos gives me hives... they are terrible at printing imagery. And because I just moved to Indianapolis, I have no idea where a decent printing place is. Luckily he wanted to print it out himself, and I was off the hook. However I figured I needed to set something up to ease my printing woes, incase this were to ever happen again. 

Alas! I got on Society6 and created an account. I don't have great expectations of selling, but feel free to peruse my page and give me some hearts! My Society6 page: http://society6.com/AshleighLay

Happy Holidays!

A couple weeks ago, my boss gave me the task of designing the holiday cards- printed and electronic. (I've secretly wanted him to ask me for the past 4 years!) This is my interior design boss. He's beginning to utilize my graphic design skills, which couldn't be more ideal because I'm not a fan of the interiors work.

If you read this blog, you might know that I redesigned his website for him too. On the about us page of the website, I created a Brady Bunch inspired gif. He wanted that to be incorporated onto the holiday card. I also did an electronic card in Flash and put it on the website. It's currently on the homepage! 

Front of postcard

Back of postcard

Silhouettes. Why do I love them so?

Here are two pieces I did for the Children's Museum of Indianapolis. If you go to their FB page, you'll find these along with some of my other pieces! 

OMG... Fall already??!

Hey hey, for the past month, I've been juggling a graphic design freelance gig and my interior design job. I'm waiting for my graphic design/ illustration career to take over, which FYI will be very soon!! There have been times when I feel like I'm still in school. Long days. Short nights. Multiple projects. Rare free time. The only difference is getting paid for my efforts. Here was a recent assignment that turned out well. The clients were pleased. (Their logo went in the bottom right corner.)

Apple phones...

Let me get real with you. In the past few months since graduating, I've been unable to acquire a full-time job as an illustrator/designer. Several interviews and several dull bites have not led to much. Things are moving as slow as molasses, says my current boss (who has been wonderfully patient in my pursuit of happiness). However one awesome thing has come from the job hunt...  I got a freelance assignment! It was a fun little gig and ended up on a company's Facebook page! I'm famous! Hah, not quite, but it's uplifting to see my work somewhere other than on my personal sites. Also nice to know that my style is applicable to something out there!!

Out of about five concept drawings, this was the one I chose.

Flash-tastic!

I lived in Atlanta for barely a year... but it was probably the funnest year of my life (I know, funnest is not a word)! I met 5 wonderful, beautiful girls that I am lucky to call my friends. They are the sweetest, most positive people I've ever known. Everyone should have friends like them! We all live in different cities now: Portland, Denver, Cincinnati, New York, Atlanta, Beijing. Very different cities! Somehow we manage to take breaks from our busy schedules to keep in touch. For my next email update, I made this silly, little flash animation for them. Just because. Of course I already see things I want to change about it... but that's no surprise.. is it? 

This is us!

Infographic Resume

I took a brief hiatus from the job search after graduation, but now I'm back. I decided to revamp my boring resume and create an infographic. Apparently it's becoming a trend. After doing some research, I came to the conclusion that maybe it's just a trend in Europe (?). There are sites that actually make them for people... but they don't even look that great (in my opinion). I'm sure I'll change this a bazillion times. So here's round one...

Wrapping up!

My concept illustration class finished today (... you know, my Drake's Cove class).  Yay!  I came away with some good pieces, including this little guy. I decided to take a different approach with Photoshop this time. I blocked out the prime shapes then added texture to them with different brushes. I can't tell if I really like the technique or really like the composition. I think the color could use some work and the treehouse could move away from Sadie's bum, but overall I'm pleased with the outcome. And I'll probably work with this style much more.

Making GIFs

A few weeks ago I volunteered to do my employer's website. After doing my own website, I had the itch to do another. That and I can't begin to describe how awful their previous one was. It was a Flash nightmare... a constant scrolling gallery... rollovers and drop downs that never disappeared... it was bad.  

Now I'm not here to brag about how much better the site looks (though it's a vast improvement!).  I'm here to post this GIF. Initially it was supposed to be like the Brady Bunch where everyone stayed in the same spot and their heads moved. Being that there were 11 of us who needed to be incorporated, we decided it would be best if people just moved around.  It turned into a huge undertaking. There are about 30 initial images which were edited and arranged in this beast.

This was the first take, where everyone stayed in the same spot. I think I like this one a little better.  It just needed to be slowed down.

Cuppy Cake

I found this bad boy hiding in my closet!  I painted him this summer.  I had a slight (-ly huge) obsession with cupcakes for a couple years.  I have about 4 or 5 cupcake pieces in repertoire.  But this piece is going be my inspiration for this weekend.  I'm dusting off my watercolors and adding some life to my Drake's Cove concepts. 

Last school year I took beginner & intermediate watercolor with Arthur Wang (the funniest man you'll ever meet!).  As it turned out... I was pretty decent at it.  I was even nominated for a scholarship (toot toot).  Hah, I knew I didn't stand a chance against the Fine Arts Majors, but it was nice to be considered (it was like the Oscars... everyone knew Meryl Streep was going to win Best Actress this year; the other ladies didn't stand a chance!)

A journal/planner that I designed.

  

Front & Back Cover 

I designed this as a final project last spring.  The ironic part was that I completely forgot about this until I started putting portfolios together and stumbled across it.  I was shocked.  You see, last spring was a blur.  I had two jobs, 8 classes, was a bridesmaid in 3 weddings and was lucky if I got 4 hours of sleep a night.  I was traveling every other weekend.  There was never a moment of rest.  I spent so much money on lattes...

 

Inside Cover

 

To Do Page 

This class was Styles & Concepts.  And it seemed like the only thing that got embedded into our heads was to take reference photos, use tracing paper and try to be a bad ass like our teacher, C. F. Payne.  The first semester I was using a lot of acrylics though I prefer digital.  By the time this project came around (it was a free for all), I said no more trace paper and no more references!  I do what I want!  I created these in Illustrator.

 

Monthly Page 

 Daily Notes Page

Coming up with the idea was a no brainer.  The only thing on my mind those days were dates... And how much I suck at using a planner.  As hard as I try, my brain and planners just don't work well together.  So I wanted to design something that I could use.  I can't remember why I chose the paper airplane/ banner motif (I think it might have had to do something with MIA), but I think it turned out well.  Maybe I'll make a couple more journal pages, print the book and sell it on Etsy one of these days!

 

Journal Entry Page

 

Journal Entry Page

Will Draw For Food

I made this for a promotional postcard because I need something to hand out at the career fair in a couple weeks. Who knows if I'll keep it. My mind is forever changing. I might try to make it a vignette.  Either way, I'll post the final card design when I complete it. Hoppy Easter!

Let them eat Pattycake!

With graduation and the real world looming on the horizon, I've been updating my portfolio.  I've been going through my old folders and reminiscing about old projects.  I wanted to repost this old one because it was a fun and quick assignment.  

The first part of the project was to redesign a food label.  I chose a local vegan bakery in Columbus because I wanted to design a cupcake.  I was slightly obsessed with cupcakes for awhile there.

The second part of the assignment was to create an advertisement using a classic work of art.  Marie Antoinette was the obvious choice for me because I wanted to incorporate her famous quote (which she supposedly never actually said), "Let them eat cake."  Who doesn't love a good pun? 

A siting...

Here is another scene about Drake... are you surprised? This is my only illustration class this semester which is why most of my posts are about this story. I mean, I'm taking some professional practices course (resume, coverletter & self branding stuff) but those don't produce that much imagery. Other than that, I have figure drawing, which might be a little too much for those of you who aren't desensitized to the naked body. But if you're interested in seeing graphic design projects, check out my portfolio site (alayart.com). But I digress...........

Here is the scene when Drake spots the Loch Ness Monster for the first time. This is right before the branch breaks, which is in an earlier post.  As you may have noticed, this is very rough coloring of a thumbnail in Photoshop. It seems like most of the work for this class has been put together very quickly. I'm excited about the semester coming to a close because that means I will be producing more refined illustrations! 

Another first- a storyboard!

"Yay!"  I'm sure that's what you were thinking because you've been dying for the latest Drake's Cove installment!  Well, you're in luck!  Here is a storyboard for the first scene of my story.  I'm not going to type it out... Just read through and perhaps you'll get the gist.  I know, I know, how lazy of me!

On a side note... I'm really getting tired of the name Drake.  Hah, I wonder if some parents have this problem after they've named their children...?  Maybe I'll find out one day...  

Fan art - Conan O'Brien

This is a blast from the past... I made this right before his tour after he quit his late show.  It was supposed to be a gig poster for this tour, which I never got around to because I got an A and didn't touch it since.  I've been meaning to scan this one for a long time... so here it is!  I've also added it to my portfolio site.  It's gouache on collage.

My first Flash animation

Yesssssssss!...  After 2 years of wanting to learn how to make a simple animation in Flash, my dreams have come true!  Luckily I have such a sweet boyfriend to show me the basics.  I can't wait to dress this up and make it a real character!

falling

Yet another post about Drake.  Here is a quick illustration of the scene when Samson (the Loch Ness monster) realizes his identity may be compromised.  Samson finds his way into the cove, which is Drake's favorite hangout spot.  Drake happens to spot him and climbs into a tree to get a closer look.  The branch snapped beneath his weight, and Drake goes tumbling into the water.  Samson was startled by the sound of the cracking branch and turned around to see Drake falling.... 

oh the golden rule days...

I updated Drake's school attire...  

Another outfit

Today I'm having an all day movie/ digital painting-a-thon.  I have a big project due on Tuesday.  I've been hacking away at this thing for the past week, which unfortunately has been my spring break.  Here is another addition... it's Drake is his bathing suit.

The waterfall

Here is a quick study (really quick!) of the waterfall and Drake's treehouse.

I did this in Photoshop... AND I have a confession... As much as I LOVE Illustrator, there are just some things that make me want to use Photoshop.  I feel like a traitor!  There is a freedom that comes with Photoshop that I just can't get with Illustrator.  If I'm working in Illustrator, I need to have a finalized drawing (I don't know if anyone else is like that- it might just be my style and technique).  With digital painting, I can start with a rough thumbnail and dive right into the piece with no restrictions.  There's no way I could have made this illustration in Illustrator as quick as I did.  And for that, Photoshop is slowly creeping back onto my favorites list... however, Illustrator will always be #1 to me!!

My apologies to my non-illustration friends, who are probably completely clueless about this Photoshop vs. Illustrator rant.

Sneak Peek

I'm still working on this piece.  This is Drake's hideout/ tree house.  It's been about a year since I've painted in photoshop.  Man was I rusty!  

Here is a page of my thumbnails.  I was working out the area around Drake's treehouse and his home.  Not all ideas will make the cut, but I'll probably be posting a couple more illustrations from this batch.  

In case you wanted some of the story: Drake is 10 years old and lives right on Loch Ness.  His tree house is located in a cove of the loch, which is about a 1/2 mile (that's .8 km to Drake, in case you were wondering) from his home.   The cove is Drake and Sadie's favorite hangout.  Sadie is his Newfoundland dog.  Together, they have the best time.  Sometimes their friend, Claire, (a human girl) plays with them too.  To be continued!

More Drake

I added some color to Drake.  If you've looked through some of my work, you might have noticed that I don't usually use olive green... EVER.  The neutral tones are a little too plain for me.  Chances are that I will be revamping his color palette within the next couple days (mainly because this is apart of a huge project due in one week)... so stay tuned for more!!

My website

My website has finally started looking decent.

Here's the sneak peak.... go check it out!

alayart.com

Coasters

Recently I was given the assignment to design a self-promotional piece.  It was to be a quarterly mailer that advertises you (well, advertises me).  I wanted to design something that was fun and functional.  Since September, I've been working in the office (for those of you that don't know...  I've worked for the Dollries Group (interior design/space planning) for 3.5 years now and mostly remotely).  Now that I am in the office, the only thing that I really need is a coaster.  I tend to use a spare piece of 3-Form or a stack of Post-Its.  Either way, I use coasters daily.  Another handy thing for me is a calendar.

So what do you get when you combine a coaster and a calendar?  Well you get my awesomely handy coaster with a calendar on it.  In order to show off my skills and wittiness, I decided to make it a little more interesting by highlighting an odd-ball holiday for each month (ie- National Yo-Yo Day is in June). On one side of the coaster, I created a calendar and illustrated the special holiday.  And on the back there is a description of the holiday and my business info.  

So far I only have May, June and July.  But there will be more! 

Here are a couple iPhone images of the mockup.  And my business card too!

Drake

Drake is the main character in my Loch Ness story.  The story takes place circa 1930.  Below, are the beginnings of some model sheets.  I used a non-photo ink blue to rough out his clothes, then I used microns pens on vellum for the final ink drawings.  I will be adding color, texture and pattern to them next... so check in soon for those!

Presentation day

aka... draw your classmates day!

Here are some quick sketches of my classmates during class presentations yesterday.  And when I say quick, I mean QUICK!  They never held one pose for very long.  I'll keep at it, and we all can watch my progress!

Oh and I drew this little guy on my sketchbook too...