DONATIONS! The end of January is upon us, and the requests have started coming in!

Last year, I had the pleasure of donating posters for a variety of events and fundraisers. If you're interested in a donation in 2009, there are a couple of things you need to keep in mind. The more time you give me to get something together for you, the better - at least one month if you are within Canada, and at least two months if you are contacting me from the U.S. There is always the risk that an item may get held up at customs. This is almost never an issue, but it does happen. I will need the name of your organization (and website), the date by which you need the item, and an address where I can ship it. Since I will inform you when an item has been shipped, I also kindly ask that you inform me when it has been received. It may not sound like much, but I can assure you that a request for a donation followed by... nothing... will result in my respectfully declining future requests. A little courtesy is appreciated.

If you would like a donation for your rescue/adoption group, please contact me at: info@posterhoundz.com. I wish you all the best with your fundraising efforts in 2009!

Attempts at a Hound with a More 3-Dimensional Feel

I occasionally try to draw a hound in Illustrator with a little more dimension. The goal (eventually) is to create images that appear as though they are in 3-D!

The "Science" of Illustrator

Ever hear the saying "the more you know, the more you don't know?" I learned this first hand as a grad student. After nearly five years of never ending articles and text books, what did I learn? I learned that all that reading may result in a little bit of knowledge, but it's more likely to simply generate more questions... which stimulates more reading.. you get the picture. To some, this might be utterly frustrating. Not for me. This is why I love what I do, and it's one of the things I love about Illustrator. After two years, I'm still learning new things.

Then there are the applications that I do know, but repeatedly fail to take advantage of (I've been known to be slightly stubborn). Above represents a finished project, complete with the pencil sketch I started with. The ability to use layers is probably one of the more powerful tools in Illustrator. However, this image represents ONE big layer. No real explanation there. Also, Illustrator allows you to use an existing pencil sketch, and then literally work over top of it. Not me. The inset pencil sketch was simply drawn as a reference. I subsequently went into Illustrator and literally recreated it. What can I say? Sometimes I'll admit to re-inventing the wheel, simply because it works for me.

While we're on the subject of learning Illustrator, the first thing I did when I purchased it was to invest in a good book. I'll admit to buying a standard CS2 manual. You know the kind. At least 500 plus pages of (not always useful) information. My best investment as a beginner was Cross and Kloskowski's Illustrator CS2 Killer Tips. This compact book is definitely worth the investment if you're new to Illustrator.

Me and My Art

I make my living in London, Canada where I work as a scientist. I work long hours, most days of the week. When I'm not planning or analyzing an experiment, I'm hanging out with my husband and our three greyhounds, or playing around in Adobe Illustrator. The story of my website starts in 2006. I have always loved to draw, but the responsibilities of daily life and work had all but killed my childhood hobby. Three years ago, I flew home to surprise my dad for his 70th birthday. My parents had recently down-sized to a much smaller home and, when I got through the door, my dad eagerly showed me something they found in the process of packing up their previous home. He unveiled a large sketch pad I had used as a kid. They were amused by it, and refused to throw it away. The last (completed) drawing in it was dated March 31, 1986. I was 16, and it was pretty good! But looking at those sketches made me a little sad. It had been virtually 20 years that I had put my hobby away so that I could become a responsible adult, and train for a job that would pay my bills. After seeing my old drawings, I decided that I would at least try and make a commitment to doing things now and then that might help take the edge off of a stressful work life. About a month after that visit, I downloaded a free month trial of Adobe Illustrator and, five months after that, launched my website PosterHoundz.com

When I picked up Illustrator, I turned my attention to our three dogs. Jack, Stuey and Dave are ex racing dogs – all imports from tracks in the U.S. None of them were terribly good at it, which is why they currently grace our home with their presence. They remain the inspiration for most of my work.

My goal in 2009 was to start up this blog as a way to update my portfolio with illustrations (finished and unfinished), and communicate with customers. Over the past two years, my style in Illustrator has really evolved, and a blog is the perfect way for me to update where I'm at, what I'm thinking and where I'm headed.

All the best in 2009!