Monthly Archives: June 2010

Freelancing tips #2

29th June, 2010 on Freelancing, Life 2 Comments

Have a ‘working time’ symbol.

When I first started freelancing and was reading all these articles and books about different ways of going about it, one thing that came up often was changing your clothes for work at home as you would for a day in the office. I tried this at first, but after a while it just seemed pointless – especially as it was the middle of summer and jeans and t-shirts just wasn’t as comfortable as pyjamas. Seems to work for plenty of people, but not for me.

What’s important isn’t getting all dressed up – it’s having a symbol that you are ‘at work’, whether it’s a change of clothes, designating a particular room or computer just for work, putting on your computer glasses, tying up your hair. It doesn’t have to be big, it doesn’t have to take much time or money or be uncomfortable, as long as you know that it signifies working time.

What do you do to signify the start of your working day?

Illustration Friday: Satellite

28th June, 2010 on Art & Design 4 Comments

I try not spend too much time thinking of something clever for these topics… because by the time I’ve figured something out, the week or the inclination to draw is over!

So for this week’s Illustration Friday topic, satellite, I went with the first thing that came into my head. Which was this joke:

Yo momma’s so fat, she’s got smaller fat women orbiting around her.

So here’s my visualisation of that joke, a quick sketch in pencil:

I of course mean no disrespect to anyone’s ‘momma’ – I’m sure your mothers are all perfectly lovely.

These are my faves from last week’s theme – paisley:

Sketching: Tai Chi and Water-bending

27th June, 2010 on Art & Design No Comments

I haven’t drawn any people (who aren’t super cartoony) in a long long time, so when I felt like sketching I thought I’d give it a shot.

This character is actually from Avatar: The Last Airbender (no relation to James Cameron’s Avatar), a cartoon I got pretty addicted to a couple of years ago. One of the main things I liked about the series was the carefully researched martial arts styles that characters use along with their element to fight. The character above, Katara, uses tai chi style moves and controls water.

I’m definitely out of practice with this kind of drawing – my lines don’t have much confidence and it took me forever just to get this! So I sketched out some gestures in tai chi poses to loosen up a little:

Definitely need to keep practicing, but getting there! I experimented with Photoshop CS5′s new brushes for these – still getting the hang of the effect of different pressure, angles and brushes, but it’s certainly fun to play with.

Freelancing Tips #1

24th June, 2010 on Freelancing 2 Comments

There is life outside your apartment.

Or house, or office. If you work from home as I do, it’s far too easy to become a hermit because you sleep, eat and work at home. This isn’t particularly healthy, especially as most of that time is sitting in front of a computer. Try and go outside at least once a day – go for a walk, buy groceries, go to the gym, meet up with friends or colleagues. Fresh air and human contact does wonders for physical health, mental health and creativity. So if you’ve gone a few days without leaving your home or speaking (out loud!) to another human being, GET OUT THERE.

Cute Camera Bags

21st June, 2010 on Photography 7 Comments

I like to take photos. I like my chunky camera. I don’t like my camera bag however – functional but not exactly the prettiest of bags. A quick search made it pretty clear that plenty of women (and fashionable men?) feel the same way – it’s really hard to find a camera bag that has the desired balance of form and function.

So, my dream camera bag would:

  • look like a handbag/tote/messenger bag rather than a camera bag
  • not scream “I’m a camera bag, steal me with all of my expensive equipment and precious memories!”
  • be able to hold my DSLR with one lens attached, plus at least one lens
  • pockets for memory cards, remotes, spare battery
  • pockets for keys, wallet, phone, tissues, lip balm, sunglasses
  • comfortable to carry when full of the above items

Inspired by Camille’s post some time ago, I decided to hunt around for my dream bag. Here’s what I’ve come up with.

1: Small Yellow Nylon Camera Bag by Jill-E

I have to admit, I almost went ahead and just bought this one straight away without looking at other options. It satisfies most of my criteria, although from reviews around the net I’m not sure that it’s the most comfortable bag to carry around for long periods. The yellow isn’t really for everyone, but it does come in a few other colours and fabrics – including actual leather, which most of these ‘stylish’ camera bags seem to forgo. I love that it has lots of pockets for all those little bits and pieces, but not completely sold on the style.

2: Classic bag by Kelly Moore

This one looks more like a standard, inoffensive handbag that most women wouldn’t mind carrying, and doesn’t look anything like a camera bag at all. It’s not real leather but it is waterproof, which would stop me shrieking and hugging my camera bag close to my body when it starts to rain. It fits even more stuff than I need it to as well as lots of pockets. It is definitely on the pricier side though, and the popular colours are currently sold out.

3: Scarlet by Jo Totes

Positives: it’s red. And it’s the cheapest of the bags that I actually like. According to the photo on the site, it holds everything I need it to PLUS TWO APPLES, which is nice. It does however only have one pocket, on the interior, and again I’m not completely sold on the style.

4: Lola by Epiphanie

I think this is definitely the prettiest one of the bunch – and there’s some other really nice designs in the same store. Once again it holds everything, has a few pockets, is water resistant. I wasn’t sure the short straps would be comfortable for longer hauls, but it comes with a detachable longer strap. Also it’s red. The only thing holding me back at this stage is the price.

5: Removeable Photo Insert by Tenba

Okay yes, it isn’t a bag. But in combination with a decent bag it could be a cheaper and more customisable alternative. I’m not sure how well this would fit into handbags, but it looks like it would definitely go nicely into a regular messenger bag. I suppose you would want it to fit snugly or attach it to the inside of the bag somehow, as with the way I sling around my bags there’s a danger of the whole thing falling out into a painfully expensive mess.

At this point I’m still somewhat undecided… any suggestions or recommendations?