It's been a few months since sharing my activities so this may be a long one. I have several balls in the air right now but here are a few things I will cover in this post.
New large drawing and a 'secret project'
A fun collaboration
Some new picture frames!
New cover art for a local band
'Creative consultations' with fellow creatives
Mycelium - New Drawing
After several months of working in relief print for Beck's book, some digital work for a game project and some oil painting. I felt the urge to return to the first medium I fell in love with: Greylead pencil drawing. Of all the mediums, I could possibly say this is the most direct of them all (along with charcoal). The preparation stages are relatively simple, good quality paper and pencils are relatively inexpensive. I began with a simple sketch in a journal that became a little more detailed than most.
New 'Secret' Project
If you follow my Facebook page (please feel free to give it a follow), you may have noticed some sketches of animals lately. I am not allowed to fully explain all the details just yet, but it's a very exciting project that is in the very early stages. There are just a few red tape related items that need to be addressed before we are allowed to announce officially. All I can say is it's a collaboration with someone from overseas.. Stay tuned.
Collaboration with Artist Lyn Raymer
Over the past two months, I have been working with visual artist Lyn Raymer to assist her in creating a charcoal hand-drawn stop-motion animated video clip as part of an Emporium Creative Hub collaborative project. The theme is centered on 'public places', specifically the Bendigo Mall. The final production will be on public display in the Bendigo Mall on the large AV screen later in 2023.
Although I am also a visual artist/animator, my role in this project is more 'behind the scenes' with the focus on showcasing Lyn's incredible drawing talent and making the challenging process of charcoal drawing stop-motion a little less-challenging! I have been assisting Lyn in learning about the technical process/challenges of (stop motion) animation, basic photography and stop-motion 'best practice' when using a DSLR, storyboarding, project management/consultation, gathering and editing her images and converting into compatible video, and general technical support.
So far, it's been an incredibly rewarding experience seeing the project come together. Emporium Creative Hub have been great to work with and have provided a series of free workshops and offered access to their facilities. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity. More to come soon!
Woodworking and Picture Frames
I recent months I have spent a significant amount of time in the garage learning more about simple carpentry. Most notably, I have purchased a rather expensive fine tooth saw blade in order to easily and neatly cut hardwood. So far it's going very well with some much improved results.
Digital Art
I was invited to create some artwork to go along with a new single by local band Spacegoat - So it was a good chance to trial some new brushes on Affinity Photo. The final artwork ended up looking like one of my paintings! The image was completed using my computer mouse which was a rather time consuming process!
Creative Consultation - Brand Development and Marketing
In the past couple of weeks, I’ve been invited to hold two 1 on 1 consultations with individuals who are building their own personal/business brands in creative ways, and need some assistance unraveling the puzzle of ‘where to begin?’
This 'puzzled' place I arrived at a while ago before deciding to enroll in a Diploma of Social Media Marketing in an attempt to decode the mystery of how to build a compelling and engaging brand without a huge budget. My long-term vision is to upskill in the areas of brand development and marketing in order to build my own business, projects and collaborations, but also offer my services to others in whatever capacity is most appropriate.
The marketing course utilises the fundamentals of marketing but with a specialist angle that firmly places it in the 21st century. Much of the material is provided by Social Media College and has provided such a wide range of topics in a short time.
My training in social media marketing combined with experience working in education and many creative projects, collaborations and startups over the years is starting to come together in ways I never expected.
If you are interested in this. Send me an email or find me on Facebook. I have lots of tips and info on how to make the most of social media and can guide you on how to improve your overall online presence.