I'm working on some fun posters for an October fun race at Devou Park. I'm inspired by some of the work of Jay Ryan and Bird Machine, although my work (bottom right) is a bit looser and less cute. There is still some time to finesse...

I'm just trying to get back to the hand-drawn work I was experimenting with earlier. I have an idea about it being Halloween but I might be missing the mark on what the event it about.

2011.27/52

"Never Go To Bed Angry" Film Poster

So for years I have been developing these films about a character named Dede Nerveux. They are my love-letters to my French heritage and the work of the Nouvelle Vague films of the 1960s. I tend to borrow a lot from Truffaut (and his alter ego Antoine Doinel), Romer and Godard with a Noah Baumbach (à la "Mr. Jealousy") romantic comedy with a dark vibe sometimes.

Like Truffaut and Doinel, Dede acts as my alter ego and although these works are fictional the writing and creating of them offers some insight and education into and of my personal views.

For this poster I was inspired by a poster for Truffaut's "Jule et Jim," mixing hand drawn elements over photography. I used interior decor elements such as wallpaper to create a pattern in the background. I also created hand-drawn type to for the word Angry to tie into the wallpaper and linework over the photography.

In the process of creating this year's poster I looked back at my process from last year. 2009 I recreated a classic poster and in 2010 I tried to put a contemporary spin on the poster. It's interesting to see the trial and error and process.

Working on a new batch of posters!

2011.26/52

German-American Fusion Dinner
"Hähnchenschnitzel mit Frische RotKraut und Kartoffelpfankuchen" (may be incorrect, my German is very bad)

My goal for "52 in 2011" was to tap into my creativity and find new inspiration, broaden my creative palette and produce a larger amount of personal work. This creativity can reach outside the bounds of visual art, as long as I am creating.

A few years ago I discovered cooking. And while I feel I am not the best, I love to refine and perfect recipes and come up with my own creations. This blog was actually started when I visited Germany, France and Switzerland on a business trip in 2006. I loved the food, but I find a lot of German food tastes like garbage in the US.

So I came up with my own spin on some German classics, mixing some fairly stereotypical dishes with healthy ingredients to make a hearty meal. I made Chicken Schnitzel with a fresh red cabbage slaw/kraut and sweet potato pancakes.

I will post the recipe in the future.

2011.25/52

NoLA!

A while back I created this "logo" from a collection of old Woodtype letterforms. I miss our vacation, it was nice! So relaxing and a ton of great food.

Trying to get back into more hand-drawn "slow design." Here is a cool process video of Kevin Tong making a poster.

2011.24/52

Foggy May in CincyTown

A really rough cell phone pic actually looks pretty nice. It was a foggy day and the typical view looking out from Eden Park was obscured. This view of the foggy lake, with the sun trying to pierce through the fog highlighting my bike resting against a tree. I love these little moments that happen during my bike commutes.

2011.23/52

Around the bend, sunrise over the Ohio Valley in March

I often stop in Eden Park for a moment of serenity during my morning bike commutes to work. I love to look out and as the sun rises it abstracts the hills and river into a series of hazy shapes and tones intersecting with each other as they disappear back into the horizon.

Sneak Peek.

2011.22/52

Snowy Creek in Red Bird Hollow

I was hiking last winter and noticed how stark and beautiful the scenery was. One could easily reduce the scene down to three tones — white, grey and black. I did add some subtle hue to these tones, a bluish grey and using a very dark brown instad of black. I brought in a surprise hit of a fourth color, a single red bird as a reminder of this place's namesake.

It took me awhile to sit down and implement my vision, but I am glad I can use this artwork to remember this year. I was hiking here with my elderly dog named Button, a 13 year old Brittany. Unfortunately she passed away this spring, so I hope when I see this illustration in the future I will be reminded of her.

2011.21/52

England-Idlewild Race Posters

I've been helping out with race promotions for a local mountain bike race. I created a sharp and angular logo, partially because I thought it looked cool, but also it ties into the park's reputation for being filled with thorny rose bushes. Once I created the identity I created a graphic architecture to play off the unique letterforms. I also created a series of icons communicating the many activities the trails provide hikers, runners, cyclists, birders and dog walkers.

I LOVE PORTLAND. And Oregon.

The Curiosity Group is a cool ad/marketing firm that specializes in creating these little paper sculptures with cute cartoony graphics. Check out the calendar of the month and build some for yourself!

Schwood, wooden sunglasses? Hells yes.

2011.20/52

Let them eat Cupcakes!

Since I am of French ancestry I like to throw a Bastille Day party — it's a different spin than the 4th and you can play up the Frenchiness a bit and act posh. Last time was a bit of a chore feeding people and being a good host, so this year I thought an after dinner cupcake party might be a bit fun, perhaps trying to pair the cupcakes with different wines.

I was inspired a Gucci script logo for the headline, but my original idea was a bit more similar to the Hostess cupcake coily pattern in the type. I created custom type design for Bastille Day, inspired by the blades of the Guillotine. And the information at bottom uses an ornate blade style box housing some classic Didot typography.

2011.19/52

Mosaic Summer Sunrise

A project I started last year, maybe an interesting concept that might inspire some further exploratory.

German illustrator Christoph Nieman was on National Public Radio's Fresh Air yesterday. It's so cool to hear a illustrator and designer interviewed. I love his work — it's very imaginative!

I came across this Dutch publication designer Irma Boom.

I saw this video on TV last night. I love the blurry light burns and quick editing. This looks real, like the band takes a Super 8 camera with them on the road. I hope I'm not duped.

2011.18/52

Super 8 Wedding Video for Brie & Pat

My In-Laws were married on the Oregon coast in 2009. I finally got around to developing the film, transferring it, editing it, etc,.

I like how Super 8 captures these rough, almost painterly impressions that leave a lot to the imagination — it's not so sharp that you relive the moment within the video — the film inspires your own memories.