Happy Birthday Dad

This is the invitation that I designed for Dad's last birthday (the BIG 5-0). It was fun to take my mom to Paper Depot to pick out paper, and isn't the picture of little Kenny so cute?

 

Happy Birthday Dad, love you!

Read more about how to do your own invites here.

Auggiesaurus

In 2007, I was asked to design a dinosaur for the Diggin' Dinos Citywide Summer Celebration to Honor 100 Years of the Science Museum of Minnesota. My dino was sponsored by Augsburg and lived in Murphy Square located in the center of campus for the summer. Murphy Square, the oldest park in Minneapolis, was also turning 100 that year, and the park and surrounding community became my theme. You can read more about the Auggiesaurus here.

 

 

Creating this dino was the most unique experience I have ever had! It was also a TON of work.  I even made a small model of the dino where I drew out where everything would go before I went to the "paint-off" at the River Center in St. Paul. I spent a few days working on him, and it was rewarding to work side by side with other local artists and their dinos. We all started from the same mold, but it was surprising to see how different they all looked in the end.

That fall, Auggiesaurus was auctioned off with the other dinos and taken away from Augsburg and Murphy Square.  A year or two later my dad saw a green dino on the banks of the Mississippi during a kayaking trip near our home. He couldn't quite tell if it was Auggiesaurus, but I like to believe he has a new home overlooking the great Mississippi.

Studio Art Portfolio

I've been digging back into my old art projects recently, and it has been fun to see what I was busy with a few years ago. It also makes me a bit sad that I don't have time to do this type of work now. After an eight hour day trying to be creative on the computer, I just don't have the brain power to paint a watercolor. Hopefully after I finish my psychology classes I will be able to use some of my free time to get back at it!

A piece of work, like a good song, can bring back some great memories:

 

Eggs was one of my first projects for a drawing class freshman year of college. I was encouraged to enter the piece in the Student Juried Art Show and it got in. It was so exciting to get recognition as a freshman. This piece now hangs in my mom's sewing room, and every time I see it I chuckle because it's just a drawing of eggs.

 

This is another favorite. This was my last drawing for a life drawing class I took the summer after my sophomore year.  I felt like this was the first time I really "got" how to draw a face.  Of course, I don't think I could do one now since I am so out of practice, but it feels good to know that I was capable of this. I call this guy Captain because he reminds me of Captain Hook, and he might just have a hook for his right hand—you never know!

Addicted to Instagram

 

I love instagram... and it's a free iphone app! It doesn't get much better than that. Here are some photos I took on our recent trip to Vegas.

Recollections—Alumni Juried Exhibition

A new show in both campus galleries features the artwork of Auggie alumni. The collection is a great mix of style, medium, texture, and subject.

 

The postcard announcing the juried show was a recent project of mine. Usually designing a postcard with multiple images (that typically don't work well together) is a huge challenge. The art for this show varies in color and style which can make the design process even more of a struggle. However, using small thumbnails of the many images and choosing a highlight color that can be found in many of the thumbs worked well. Even better, each artist in the show has at least one image featured on the postcard and the final product gives the viewer an idea of what to look forward to when visiting the exhibition.

Stop by if you get a chance. The show is open until late October. More information about the exhibition can be found here.

This is Making Me Smile Today

This cutie is posted on my Pinterest on the "Made My Day" board.

 

I am continuing to fall in love with Pinterest. I now have the app for my iPhone so I can browse updated boards on my way to work (Don't worry, I don't drive and Pinterest—I ride public transportation). And I am finding more and more great boards to follow. It's amazing how many laugh-out-loud funny, insanely creative things you can find on the internet.

Featured in the Now

The cover story of the new issue of the Augsburg Now tells the stories of seven Auggies—some international students and other students who studied abroad—all who have global connections. Auggies are truly everywhere!

I designed the layout for the story and am so pleased with how it turned out. The first spread, a full-page map highlighting the students in the story, is my favorite.

 

 

This was such a dynamic layout to work on. It's always exciting to have a design idea/look in your head and be able to realize it on the page.