Website Design

Spaced Out

copyright (c) Joan Kerrigan

I've been asked if I would create and maintain a website for our local art center. I've created 2 other sites since last year but I consider myself a total newbie at website design. For the NJPPS, I used Microsoft Publisher and for my own site, I wrote all the html code myself in notepad. Now I'm trying to learn Adobe Dreamweaver through a tutorial site called Lynda.com. It has videos to teach all kinds of software. Since I used it to learn Illustrator, I know how well it works. Now I have to get busy!

Creative Genius

"Springtime Spin"

copyright (c) Joan Kerrigan

When we returned from our Florida vacation a couple of weeks ago, I was surprised and pleased to find a check from Creative Genius in the mail. The owner of this wonderful art gallery in downtown Medford took a chance on me and my work starting more than a year ago. After many unsuccessful attempts, Julie sold five of my small matted prints! I was happy to take a few more pieces in, including "Springtime Spin". Although I appreciate the pocket change I make in microstock, it is really nice to have some of my art purchased as "art". Now I'm seriously considering participating in an art festival or two this fall. I have the tent and will need to get some display walls. I'm debating now whether it will be worth the outlay. But I probably won't know until I try.

Taking Stock on Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Halloween Spike Spin

copyright (c) Joan Kerrigan

Shutterstock finally announced its long awaited raise last Tuesday. Although not what many people fantasized it would be (and I emphasize the fantasy aspect of the forum chatter), it helps the bottom line. By the end of this summer, I should also have another small raise, so I'm not complaining but enjoying the fact that I'm getting paid at all for my pictures. I find that creating fractals and vectors to be a relaxing process, and since I'm learning as I go, I don't feel that any time I spend on it is wasted. Now I'm turning my efforts toward the fall holidays because this is when I think sales will pick up. My plan is to have a portfolio that supports the buyers' shopping lists.

Happy Mother's Day!

Lady Penguin

copyright © Joan Kerrigan

I have 2 things to celebrate today. First, Happy Mother's Day to my mother and mother-in-law. Both are wonderful mothers and have always been there for us. I hope both of your days are perfect! I have also enjoyed my own Mother's Day with our daughters and son-in-law. We all had lunch out yesterday and the girls and I had a shopping trip today. So I had 2 perfect days!

Secondly, this is my 100th post in this blog. I haven't posted everyday or even very regularly, so it's amazing to me that I've found 100 things to say. Onward and upward!

Art School

Nature's Spin

copyright © Joan Kerrigan

I started looking at some schools for information on a graduate program in fine art/illustration. I was excited to find the Academy of Art University out of San Francisco...until I looked at the price tag. At $770/unit with 63 units required to graduate with an MFA, it's not even close to being in the ballpark of what I want to spend. It looks like a great school that offers all the required classes online, but with a final cost of $48,510 plus any art materials and books, it isn't going to happen.

So once again, I'm going back to our trusty community college, BCC to take more classes toward an Applied Associates Degree in Graphic Arts and Digital Media. It's not exactly what I would prefer but I'll continue to do what I've always done in the art world--which is teach myself what I want to know.

Taking Stock on Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Mola Dog Design by Joan Kerrigan

I've veered almost completely away from what I think might sell on microstock to doing whatever I want to do. This image, and the other mola designs that I've created, were inspired by a postcard that I received from my parents as they vacationed at the Panama Canal. The real molas are made from layers of fabric in which designs are cut and then sewn into brightly colored patterns and figures. They are then attached to the women's blouses to be worn. I loved them and I loved creating my own digital designs in Illustrator as homage to the wonderfully creative Kuna Tribe women from Panama.

As an interesting aside to learning about this art form, I saw 2 walls of mola designs at Disney's Animal Kingdom last week when we stopped into the first aid station to pick up some eye drops for our daughter. I enjoyed seeing them and took pictures of some of them.

Mola Design at Disney's Animal Kingdom First Aid Center