Magazine Findings Sketch #4

Sketch #4 • 1 hour 10 minutes

This sketch is pretty self explanatory. Two fish in a fish bowl. I feel like I’m starting to have a better understand for concept now. Hopefully I’m doing this project right!

Magazine Findings Sketch #3

Sketch #3 • 45 minutes

Magazine Findings Sketch #2

Sketch #2 • 1 Hour

This concept feels like the camera just zoomed in really close to the city that was off in the distance in Sketch #1. Any one else get that feeling?

Magazine Findings Sketch #1

Sketch #1 • 45 Minutes

This idea is solely based on piecing stuff together to make a composition. Using only the transparency to adjust the opacity of the layer to get it working the way I want. My next go around might include some drawing over the top of it. I feel like this sketch was a stream of conscious idea more than anything. Just trying to loosen up and not over work or analyze my concepts. On to #2!

Found in a magazine.

So this weeks assignment finds me in magazines. I must collect a wide range of imagery that sparks any kind of interest to me. Here is what I’ve found so far. Enjoy! 

Now all I have to do is take these found pieces and create 4 compositions out of what I’ve found. I’ll post them as I finish them! 

Goodbye New York.

Goodbye New York. You were everything I was hoping you would be! Thanks for showing my wife and I a good time. A huge shout out to Doug at Macy’s and his entire team for being so awesome and passionate about what you do. Also thanks to John and his whole crew over at Macy’s Parade Studio for showing me that you can still be a child at heart even when your older. The experience at the studio left me on a emotional and spiritual high to continue pressing forward and following my dreams in my design and illustration career. Your team truly made Angie and I feel like apart of the family in the short time we spent with you. We look forward to seeing the finished work in November!

Lots of photos from the city will be posted very soon. But sorry folks you won’t be able to see any of the photos from the Macy’s Parade Studio. You’ll just have to take my word for it, this Thanksgiving parade is going to be INCREDIBLE!

Just landed in New York with my wife! Hello Big Apple!

CTA Rides and Daily Strides

Well I’ve been out and about running errands all around town. One of my assignments for this week was to take photos of interesting lighting and anything that had colors that grabbed my attention. I also made it a point to pay close attention to mood and texture. So some of the photos may be apparent in what I found interesting and others may not. I’ll be leaving for New York in less than eight hours and plan to photograph as much as I can while I’m there for the three days.


If you’d like to view the photos closer up just click on the photo and it’ll take you to a separate gallery.

Wacom Cintiq for sale!!

I posted a thread over at conceptart.org attempting to sell my Wacom Cintiq. If your interested respond to this post or the thread over at concept art! Thanks!! 

My first process post. So it begins.

This is my first post for my working process in my Illustration Technology class. I’ve had blogs before and never been any good at keeping up with them on a regular basis. Maybe I don’t have the self motivation to actually write about what is going on in my life or the desire to rant and rave about likes and dislikes about design, illustration, or music. So I must say this part of the class is going to be a bit of a love hate relationship even though I spend a lot of time on the internet. Most of the stuff I do when I’m on the internet requires no mental processing what so ever. Just something to pass the time.

The first week I was asked by my instructor Marla Campbell to think about possible stories or topics I might like to illustrate and develop over the course of the semester and right after I received the assignment I began to write a story. But feeling a little reluctant about my story writing skills I thought about a few possible options.

1. Beginning the process of developing what I thought would be a great project for my thesis in my last semester. A children’s book that helped parents/adults understand the reality of childhood schizophrenia.

2. Revisiting Disney characters that had relationships (i.e. Mickey and Minnie or Aladdin and Jasmine) and what might their children look like.

3. Revealing the true meanings behind children nursery rhymes (i.e. ring around the rosy, rock-a-bye baby, etc.).

After verbalizing those options to Marla, I realized that I wasn’t really intrigued by any of those ideas. We decided that the very first idea I started to develop would be the best option and the one that I would be most excited about over the course of the semester. She reminded me that I didn’t have to be a professional story writer to deliver the concept of the story visually. That statement alone eased any other apprehensions I had about developing a believable story and the characters involved. 

So for this week I have a few things to tackle. Here is what I have to do.

1. Take pictures of places, objects, lighting, etc. that I’m inspired by and post them on the blog. Focus specifically on lighting and color. This will help generate a reference library to aid the development of the environments in the story I have written.

2. Develop the story more. I will post the summary of the story once I get it approved by Marla.

3. Sign up as a member at cghub and conceptart. Here are the direct links to my user profiles. 
http://jgirton.cghub.com/

http://conceptart.org/forums/member.php?u=205874

4. Start developing some loose concept drawings on environments and character ideas.

In the following weeks I will be posting more and more of my process. So please help me out in this process and submit your comments and critiques on what ever you would like. Thanks in advance.