KevinKeeganPro.com Blog

Last quarter I took my first Illustrator class at Chattahoochee Tech.  First off, AWESOME PROGRAM.  Now, for our first project we were required to take a photo of our choosing and turn it in to a vector graphic with color.  Ok…so I decided to propose a challenge to myself and do a self-portrait.  Self-portraits have always been something that I veered away from, but this seemed to be a good opportunity to face that fear head on…when else was I going to.  I was also inspired to do so after seeing my friend Tracy’s self portrait vector project she completed at the Art Institute of Atlanta.

So here it is…I think it is pretty decent and also hilarious…a true representation of the goofy side that only a few people in my life get the privilege of seeing.

I’m back in school again. I ran into my editing instructor at Wendy’s a few weeks ago and we started talking about how everything was going on campus. He mentioned that there is a new program at Chattahoochee Tech in Digital Media Production/Arts. I asked if an Illustrator class was included in it and he said yes, so I was sold. Also I’ve already completed about half the classes when combined with my other degree, so this one shouldn’t take more than 3 quarters to complete. In addition to Illustrator, the degree will also require classes in Cinema 4D, Maya, Dreamweaver, and Flash. Very exciting stuff.

Sometimes all you need to make your design more interesting, is to use some kind of element or symbol to help draw the composition together. A resource is right at your finger tips. Your keyboard. Let’s take a business card for example. Maybe it’s something relevant to your email address like an “@”. An “@” that is oversized (it’s vector-based, so it won’t pixelate), maybe a contrasting color, can all help set off a certain part of your design that you want to emphasize.

A graphical element can be a very simple and powerful asset to a design. It’s something that catches the eye and can be very relevant and literal to the point you’re trying to get across or it can be a little something that ties it all together visually, or both. So, if you’re missing just a little something, don’t forget to look down.

Often times I turn to books, magazines, or anything else I happen to come across for ideas. Joey, from Wrecked Magazine, pointed out and poked fun a little bit at my taking of random pics with my blackberry’s camera. The truth of the matter is, you never know what or where inspiration may come from. It doesn’t have to come from one particular image or scene that you come across but… that one image or scene could just help add that missing element in a project you’ve been working on.

But other than pictures I take, one of the main sources I have been using lately to get creatively inspired is this series of books. I have two so far, 1000 Type Treatments and 1000 Graphical Elements, both put together by Wilson Harvey and published by Rockport Publishing. They offer such a diverse range of real world works that you’ll never have a creative dry spell again. Check them out.