#jimkrause

Yes! Two activities in one week! AND I got to draw!

Supplies: Pen Paper

The activity was Swirling Swirls. I had to fold a regular size piece of paper into quarters and use each quarter for the exercise. I had to imagine a two-ended swirl, draw it, and then build more and more swirls of varying sizes from the original swirl.

One more time - swirl.

I started by drawing a large S and built off from there.  I also had to retrace each swirl backwards (hence the sloppiness). When I sat back, I was actually pretty happy with with I created.

Up close, it’s messy but I like the messiness of the swirls. Once refined, I think it would be pretty.

I moved onto the next quarter panel to try another sets of swirls. This...did not turn out so good and I gave up on it rather quickly.

What....did I do!? Jim mentioned using the other panels in case of frustration so i didn’t stay here too long. Moving on...

Panel 3 turned out a little better. The original swirl wasn’t as dramatic as I started with in the first drawing. I wanted to expand the swirls to be bigger or better but I need baby steps, I suppose.

I wanted to jazz it up with a purple marker...that started dying as I retraced my steps. Typical. The flowers added a cutesy quality but I liked it.

Panel 4...was weird.  Jim suggested trying other shapes. And I did. And it was a mess. I’m embarrassed to show it but I tried! I stared at it looking for more triangles but I admitted defeat.

Ew. Just ew. But I tried and didn’t beat myself up over the lack of genius or perfection. It’s bad, though. Seriously.

So while I experienced some good swirls, the bad was BAD. I’m okay with it. It’s a learning process and each activity will force me out of my shell little by little.

And now, I can doodle in meetings with pizzazz!

Idea Index: Graphic Effects and Typographic Treatments by Jim Krause

Sit! Stay! Be Creative!

It's tough to be creative on command. And with deadlines looming, you can't wait for inspiration to strike. That's where Idea Index comes in. Don't let the small size fool you. Inside you'll discover thousands of big ideas for graphic effects and type treatments— via hundreds of prompts designed to stimulate creativity.

The cool thing about the Idea Index is applying this encyclopedia of effects and techniques in other art forms. 

Stuck on a creative project? Whip open the Idea Index at random and choose an effect. For example:

How can you use "Contrast In Weight" effect to make a sound mix more unique? Thin out the snare with EQ and beef up the bass drum? How about a little room ambience to give that flat synth part a little more presence?

How about using the "Graffiti" effect in your writing? Is there a bit of graffiti that influences the actions or thoughts of one of your characters?

Under the effect "Ornament", author Jim Krause suggests "Surprise the viewer with an ornate presentation of a common subject." How could you apply this to that documentary film you're working on?

Idea Index lists over 300 graphic effects and techniques with a page of prompts and at least 3 visuals per effect.