Monday, June 29, 2009

Why I missed the festivities



Wanted to show up at the LJCC but was all sorts of busy with crazy map business. Ever since Chris sent out that email about University Graphics needing an artist I've been immersed in the world of Charles Aben and his brochures. here's the latest on the assembly line:

4 comments:

Chris_Garrison said...

Well at least you've got work! I hope you're demanding what you're worth from them.

It's neat to see these maps in progress. I brought some of my original map drawings to the slam, in hopes of showing you, so I was sorry you missed it. I'll just bring them again next time, or shoot me an email if you ever want to come around and have a look.

One note: Sky fades from darker at the top to lighter at the bottom. The reason being (here's the nerdy part) that when you look straight up, you're looking through less atmosphere than when you look at an angle, like toward the horizon. So you've got it upside down. Not that we shouldn't experiment with such things in cartoon worlds, but when I've tried changing it up, it always looks better when it's dark at the top. Just sayin'.

fason is a dork. said...

garrison's totally right about the sky... i run into the same thing during the day job when i have to fabricate some or all of an exterior shot. the maps look awesome, btw!

Cheese Wiz said...

Ha.Thanks Dude. I have all sorts of weirdities going on in these things due to either haste or straight up being goofy. I still haven't put people in my balloons. i envision a Cherokee County in which all balloons have gone rogue and roam the country side like buoyant sentinels. God save whosoever their sinister shadow may fall upon. Will fix the sky though. This blog rules. Their's another salty ham working with Charles and Co right now right? The name eludes me but they're doing great work. i see it at the office. is it Joe Attaway? Also, Garrison: your Greenville poster is the gold standard as far as I'm concerned.

Chris_Garrison said...

Yes, the rogue balloons must be stopped. And yes, Joe Attaway was doing it, and I guess he probably still is. Richard Thomas had some interest in the job, but I don't think they ever gave him a map to do.

> your Greenville poster is the gold standard as far as I'm concerned.

Thanks! It's probably my best, with the painterly paint done in Painter X. But the grass color is too dark, and doesn't contrast against the trees enough. The Glencoe Crossing map is fun, because of the caricatures, and I finally got the colors right on that one, so it might be my best (see my map blog). But it doesn't have a ton of businesses on it, so it's kind of weird.

Greenville really SHOULDN'T be overly admired, because I worked hard on it, and I didn't get paid enough to work hard. The perfect map is one where you work hard enough to satisfy yourself in terms of quality, but also make it simple enough so that the pay fits the time put in.