I've been in the design and PR business for 15+ years, and it's been 8 years since I've had a real Web site. Icolithic is going LLC, and a new site is in the works. I'm excited to finally take this to another level. We've several items in the works now including apps and designs that focus on new communication and social media. Look for new posts soon (I have several made up already awaiting posting) and new portfolio layouts.

A Little Rusty ...

So I'm getting back to my roots ... back to illustration and more traditional art. The Spring Thing is an idea to promote an upcoming event organized by an awesome group of crafters and artisans ... the D.C. Craft Mafia. I thought it would be a great way to pick up my Wacom pen and tablet and get back into the groove. Not as easy as I thought it would be ... not honing your digital painting and illustrating skills over a span of several years really atrophies one's abilities.

Here are some preliminary sketches and the initial coloring. The finished product will hopefully be done this weekend. With a few more personal projects in the works, I should be scraping all the rust from my wrists and be up to speed (and skill).

Of Mice and Men ...

Not everyone has access to Adobe's Creative Suite ... or even something compatible. I hate Microsoft products by principle as any good little graphic artist should, but when working on a template for a group of friends who have no reason (or domestic justification) to casually purchase a 1K bundle, I realized I would have to commit a sin — one usually reserved for my day job, where I have to make files for users who never venture beyond Powerpoint. It is possible to make elaborate templates in Word ... and although the finished product can be fickle to format changes, it does work.

The point to this is that the existing software, as flawed as it is, exists for the masses (PC- and Mac-users alike). As a graphic designer, I have a professional obligation to provide templates and usable documents in a format that is familiar to my client. If my work is going to be used, it has to be usable by all, not just other designers.

So, my friends have a nice template they can use ... I still have the Indesign version with the rocket-fuel injection engine.

This really is a "mouse" mouse ... click on the image to make your own.

How much was that?

There was a time when only graphic artists knew what Adobe was ... now, the name is more than industry standard — it's household... that is until the everyday computer socializer sees the pricetag. It's no wonder that Apple can gather it's flock to rally against the grand-daddy of graphic apps. I digress ... this short blog entry is not to bash the next Microsoft, it's to give the curious would-be desktop designer a resource that won't break the bank. One particular suite of applications that I've always recommended to friends and associates is produced by Serif. Their site offers many free alternatives to the high-end Adobe applications and a few unique applications that are fun (like the scrapbook application). To the professional, they are no substitute ... but for everyone else, they are a godsend.