This is a portfolio site by David Cole - graphic designer, illustrator, cartoonist and a lot of other related things.
See Flickr for my loose portfolio "scrapbook" and other stuff.
Motion Graphics on YouTube:
See Dog-Matic & The Beagle, a comic I'm drawing, in collaboration with Geoffrey Smith.
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I’ve made a stack of these on recycled paper grocery bags, all in different colors. My favorite are the monochrome white ones. There are more process photos on Flickr, if you’re interested in how it’s done.
These will be mounted on box canvases, about 9 x7 inches.
Another great inspiration sent over from my buddy Eric, a great how-to on making truly repeating, full-coverage patterns (not just rows and columns with spaces in between), that he found on this blog. Great stuff. I gave it a try and the results are encouraging. I’m going to try some more. For starters, here are the results of experiment #1, made up fully out of my head, on the spot, as quickly as possible. It took about an hour to get from blank page to what you see above – hand drawn, then repeated digitally. As a side note, this appears to be another piece of evidence in support of executing as quickly as possible, without over-thinking and dragging processes out. Every time I do that: better results, and more efficient. But that’s another story for another time.
For now I’m dreaming of William Morris and Lotta Jansdotter – two of my favorites, worth mentioning for anyone inclined to read further.
Update: Here is my second attempt. I like it, but I drew it at 100% scale. Next time I attempt one of these, I’ll draw it very large, and shrink for better detail.
Hand drawn, for starters, then cut, flipped, colored, etc digitally.
This will repeat endlessly, seamlessly in all directions. Cool trick.
The hardest part is deciding on a color scheme.
I spend my days toiling in the creative candy mines of Phinney Bischoff Design House. This week I’ve been working on an animated ad which will appear in movie theaters. Here’s a quick snapshot of the process so far.
After a script is approved, it is sketched as a loose storyboard, to figure out the basic idea of how the words and graphics will relate to each other, timing, etc. This is a messy process, which involves many eraser crumbs.
A sketched storyboard is usually accompanied by one or two frames, fully rendered as examples. This is a detail of one such illustration. I’ve gone to a lot of trouble to make this look like an authentic, vintage sci-fi poster, taking exception in certain details like color saturation etc, for effect.
After the storyboard and sample illustration are approved, the whole storyboard is fully illustrated so that the client can approve all visual elements and final image sequence. That will happen this week. The boards are ready.
After final storyboard approval will be animation. I’m looking forward to that. Should be lots of fun.
I’ve been working on this style/technique for a while now… gathering inspiration, scanning/hoarding textures, drawing vector plants and rockets. Most of these elements have been in my stash for a year or longer. There has been a vague vision in my head, and I think I’m finally getting it. Layers of textured paper with shadows/depth between them. Lighting applied over the whole thing to saturate the center region, while darkening the edges. Finally a lens blur to the edges to add to that perceived depth.
I love the idea that you are seeing all this inside some kind of old-fashioned Viewmaster, a projector with a thick glass lens or a Magic Lantern. In motion graphics, the layers would move/focus independently – and selectively to nail that depth of field effect – and a hint of flickering light over the whole thing could certainly add to the vintage projector feel. I wish there was a way to add that burning dust smell.
I’m sure this will evolve quickly, now that I’ve finally gained some traction. I hope so.
Nikki and I had a good time printing some shirts for ourselves and some friends last weekend. Nikki did the design, which was a big hit at our annual apple-picking/cider-pressing party. We printed them together in the garage. It was quicker and easier than I always remember. I really enjoy the results we get with our screens, which work equally well for posters, greeting cards and other paper materials as they do on fabric. The ink (we often use acrylic house paint on paper) is thick, and when used on paper it has a raised effect which is similar (although opposite in direction) to the feel of letterpress printing – and requires much less equipment. I think I’m going to do a batch for myself with some hobby-related designs – maybe mountain biking or VW bus themes. Maybe you’ll be seeing those on Etsy soon.
