Jessica Ledbetter » Design

Marketing Toastmasters to the Younger Generation

Jessica — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 02:21:07 +0000

Toastmasters is an organization where people can grow. They come to learn to be better leaders, better communications and more. To learn more about Toastmasters, please check out their website.

Recently, I gave a presentation at the Toastmasters District 66 Conference. I created it with Google Docs instead of Microsoft PowerPoint so you can also access it via this url: http://docs.google.com/Presentation?id=dc2j92wh_530pvmxq3hn.

What is Art?

Jessica — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 15:41:35 +0000

“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.”

- Edgar Degas (painter, sculpter) as quoted in Layout Workbook.

How to Mount Art

Jessica — Sat, 03 Dec 2005 21:53:18 +0000

It seems everyone has a different take on how to mount art for one’s portfolio or show. I recently did my first 2-D gallery show and the notice said that the art had to be framed but didn’t mention “ready to hang.” I guess I was to assume since “ready to hang” to me means you can stick it on the wall. But to this gallery “framed” meant “ready to hang” which means the pieces have to have a wire in the back. Each gallery is different but here’s another version on mounting art:

(from a museum director)

Abbreviations on the bottom:
AP is Artist’s Proof (first one you like, keep it in portfolio)
1/5 2/5 5/5
Firstnamesign Lastinitial ’05

do not use quotes for title unless it’s a quote

Use:
crescent mat board acid-free (which comes in one size: 32×40″)
3″ Borders & 4″ on bottom
8 1/2 x 11 should fit on one
white white (very white) or black board
Attach with PMA perm. mounting adhesive like spray but roll
when signing print, only use pencil
designate how many gonna make (requires thinking ahead)

Project: Depth of Field

Jessica — Thu, 27 Oct 2005 21:01:24 +0000

We’ve had a few assignments so far in Photography 101. Our first was to learn about the wonders of the filter when developing. The second was landscape, portrait and still life. The third was depth of field. I scanned in a picture with middle ground in focus.

My sinsuses really don’t like the dark room chemicals, but what are you going to do?

Black and White

From roll 2, negative 19 on October 1, 2005 at Sandy Bottom Nature Park in Hampton. Shot on 100 ASA Kodak Black and White film with a Canon EOS Rebel G And 35-80mm lens. Developed on Ilford 8×10 MGIV RC paper for 30 seconds, filter 2 and at f-stop 8. The scan isn’t as ‘rich’ as the print. Maybe because the print is glossy. I’ll get a negative scanner one of these days or a scanner that is better than a $2 special.

Color

And when I go out and do 35mm work, I try to take along the digital camera. I like the black and white version better.

Project: Golf Flier

Jessica — Mon, 26 Sep 2005 16:27:21 +0000

I was tasked with doing a quick flier for a golf tournament. I wanted to do a vector look with gradients to add a bit of depth and interest. I used Illustrator CS2.

In the Beginning

I wanted to do two fonts because I thought that was what was normal. But if they’re two fonts, one should be sans-serif and the other serif. Ok, we have this golf tournament in Williamsburg. How about something like Caslon for the bottom part? (Caslon is historic looking and Williamsburg is historic.)

(click for larger images)

I like the little yellow-red dingbat. I like the text going along the hill. I like the sky. But the two fonts don’t do a darn thing for each other. The top font goes with the style of the piece but the font at the bottom doesn’t. Also there is more of the bottom font than the top. I think another reason I grew to really not like the difference is because it almost splits the page into two equal halves.

In the End

It doesn’t really need two fonts. I miss the dingbat but it has no place in this. I tried to find a home for it but it still sits on the outside of the crop marks. There is hand-kerning and tightening of the leading in a few spots to help with readability and proximity. The ‘header’ is left-aligned. The rest is centered. I figured this was ok since the flag element helps start the centering and the path to the flag gathers up the centered elements.

(click for larger image)

The How

Since this was a quick project, there really isn’t too much complicated stuff here. It’s all in Illustrator CS2 and with heavy use of simple shapes and gradients. I did do a blending of two shapes in a spot just because but it really doesn’t need that. There’s a bit of transparency in there. And, as usual, there was a grid in there that I stuck to … mostly.

(click for larger image)

Object Blending Refresher

(click for larger images)