John Wayne Illustrations, The Hubble Telescope, & More Pleas To Hit The Voting Booth

[John Wayne Digital Illustration. Click to enlarge. ©Amy Hood, 2011]

I did this illustration for use in an upcoming issue for a local publication. The story was on John Wayne, and I couldn't find any good hi-resolution photos of the Duke, so I decided to illustrate something. Since I have been doing a lot of star illustrations lately, I decided to do the illustration with the theme of "Orange County's Brightest Star." I used a photo of The Duke that I liked and recreated his face in illustrator using the pen tool. I just made shape after shape after shape after shape until it turned into something slightly resembling Ole' John. I wasn't too sure about how it would look at the beginning, but now that it's done I think it's one of my best illustrations yet! I used to have an unnatural hatred for the pen tool, but once you get the hang of it, it's great. For the planets in the illustration I visited the Hubble Telescope website and downloaded a bunch of their BEAUTIFUL (and FREE) images to use as a pattern. I want to paint my walls a dark blue and paint some nebula and galaxies on it. Then I could let all my friends draw their own constellations on it when they came over.

[Here's a detail of John's head that I recreated using the pen tool in Adobe Illustrator. Click to enlarge.]

Also, don't forget, today is the last day to vote for me at ArtistsWanted.org. I need all the help I can get from you lovely folks. :)

Cheers
- Amy
Listening to: Cage The Elephant's "Shake Me Down"

Design Work, Art Competitions, & John Wayne

[ "Why We Love OC" Feature. Click to enlarge. ©Amy Hood ]

Here's a layout/special feature I did for the February issue of The OC Gazette. It's our annual "Why We Love OC" feature where we ask OC's finest why they love this great county we live in. It's always a lot of fun to layout, but gathering all the quotes and keeping the participants fresh is A LOT of work. Which reminds me of some other exciting news. I'll be interviewing John Wayne's widow for a piece we are doing on the American legend. It's going to chronicle life was like with "The Duke" from the eyes of one of the people who was closest to him. I think it is going to be very interesting. 

HELP A GIRL OUT!

Also, I entered a really cool looking art competition with a pretty hefty prize. Winner get's their own exhibit and $10k! It's called "A Year In Review" and it's being put on by Artists Wanted. Check out my profile here and vote for me! I entered a little late, so I need all the help I can get! http://www.artistswanted.org/amyhood

- Amy

Listening to: Nirvana's "The Man Who Sold The World"

Inspiring me right now: Coco Pitt. Check it out:

Magazine Covers, Dr. Jekyll, and Pancake Asses

Here's some more design for you guys. It's the cover I did for the February issue of The OC Gazette. Another short post. I was going to apologize for my brevity, but now that I'm thinking about it I'm sure that your eardrums (or since this is a blog, your eyeball sockets) are silently heaving a sigh of relief at this new less-chatty, more to the point Amy Hood. I feel your pain. As a designer I spend hours sitting in this chair, my butt slowly but surely deflating into a "pancake ass" (in the words of Dave Chappelle), in front of this bright apple screen as my eye lids deteriorate from soft tissue into something closer to sandpaper.

Anyways, enjoy the brevity while it lasts. Motor-mouth, rambling Amy Hood - the Mr. Hyde to my Dr. Jekyll - will be back soon.

Inspiration of the Day: This post on my favorite blog The Selvedge Yard.
Here's a quote:

"Think anyone is drawing a parallel between you and McQueen because you’re wearing Persols? Just you. Promise– you’re the only one thinking it. Do you see what I’m sayin’? Take back your life. Make it about more worthwhile endeavors, and the style will follow. Style is a great complement to substance– but it sure the hell ain’t a substitute for it. There is no shortcut. Just a long line of wannabes. How you live your life is your brand.

Let the world feel the weight of who you are– they can worry about what you wore when you’re dead." 

- Amy
Listening to: Otis Redding's "I've Been Loving You Too Long"

Winnie The Pooh, George Parros, And Follicle Fortitude

This Winnie The Pooh clip is what actually might happen to Orange County if this rain doesn't let up soon. We'll all float away never to be heard from again. 





On another note, here's a fun interview I did with Georgy Parros of The Anaheim Ducks last year for my Off The Record column. The layout (which I also did) ended up really simple, but I wanted the main focus to be on the 'stache header. I probably would have done it a little different if I worked on it today, but it's fun looking back and seeing how you've improved. 


Speaking of Georgy, what a guy. He blogs sometimes for the The LA Times and he is so witty and well spoken. (Read it here.) And that mustache - Oooo Baby! Nothing like a man with follicle fortitude. Here was my subheader: "The 6'5", 225 bl. Princeton Grad Turned Anaheim Ducks Enforcer With A Heart Of Gold And A Lip Tickler That Rivals Tom Selleck." Yep, he graduated with an economics degree from Princeton, and he's heavily involved in charitable work. Talk about well rounded. 

[Enlarge to read.]

Don't float away out there!


- Amy
Listening to: Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan's "I Still Miss Someone"

Circus Elephant Illustrations, Hilary Knight, and Where's Waldo

Here's a fun little illustration I did for the Kid's Coloring page in The OC Gazette magazine. It's kind of Eloise-y in style. I loved that book growing up. Hilary Knight's illustrations were so detailed with little jokes and hilarities hidden throughout for the critical eye. I like illustrations like that where even the background is carefully planned out. Kind of like a Where's Waldo. Another one of my favorite books growing up. My illustration isn't as clever or intricate, but I was only working with 30 minutes, so be merciful.

Inspiration of the day: Hilary Knight.

- Amy
Listening to: Johnny Cash's "I Got Stripes"

Talking With Matt Barnes on Fashion, The Killer B's, and The Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy

[ Click to enlarge. It's readable at full size! ]

Here's the interview I did with Matty Barnes of the LA Lakers for the December issue of The OC Gazette. I really like how it turned out, especially the "Firsts" part of the interview (i.e. first car, first kiss, first game...). I also really like how my layout turned out too. Short post... I know you're all thanking your lucky stars. I can't help that I ramble.

Here are days 8 and 9 of Dressember:

- Amy
Listening to: The Moulin Rouge Soundtrack

Ole Saint Nick Illustration, Deus Motorcycles, and Ella Fitzgerald

Here's a fun little illustration I did for The OC Gazette for the December issue. It's for the kids page. I was trying to think of how to draw Santa without it turning out like the same, ole, redundant Saint Nick. Thus, Santa riding a custom DEUS motorcycle (the Deus Drovers Dog II to be specific), roaring through the night, bugs bouncing off his pilot goggles, and toys hanging on for dear life. This is a bad ass Santa. (Not to be confused with that horrible Billy Bob Thornton movie Bad Santa. How does one go from Sling Blade to that?)

-Amy
Listening to: Ella Fitgerald's "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?"

Illustratrations, Matt Barnes, and The Smart Brothers

Inspired by Jen's diamond, I made my own for use in The OC Gazette this month. It's an illustration to accompany my Off The Record interview with new Laker Matty Barnes to signify his many different facets. How about his last two games? Our bench is probably better than some teams' starting lineups between Brown, Barnes, Blake and soon Odom again. I see another Larry O'Brien in our future.

- Amy

Listening to The Smart Brothers' Heavens' Gate. They're an amazing band from SD.

PG-13 Dioramas, Vintage Movie Posters, and More Design

[Front of the LN Directory Postcard.]

[Back of Postcard.]

Here's a postcard I designed to advertise the 2011 Laguna Niguel Directory. The company I work for has been designing it for the last two years, so the design team and I thought it would be fun to make the postcard into a movie poster announcing the sequel of last years directory. I got nominated for the task, while they worked on other ideas. Here's how I did it: I used wikimedia commons and found a copyright free image of a cowboy from a vintage movie poster, then erased out the background and created my own using the paintbrush tool along with other copyright free images I found on wikimedia of dark stormy nights. I found some old movie posters with great type treatment for inspiration, then headed over to dafont.com to find some vintage looking fonts to use on my own poster. I used the envelope distort tool a lot with lot with the text to get the arched 3D look. 

I clone stamped the faces of the cowboys out so I could write "your face here" on them. Which I thought was very clever of me. [*Gives herself a pat on the back.*] The whole idea is that your business could be one of the stars of the sequel to the LN Directory if you advertise in it. 


Part of my inspiration for this was I had just been introduced to the work of photography/diorama-maker-extraordinaire, Thomas Allen, by my dear art-loving friend Oscar. You're probably thinking, "A grown man making dioramas?" Yes, and they're the most bad ass dioramas you never saw at your 3rd grade parent-teacher night. These are PG-13 images full of violence, lust, and suspicion. Check some of his work out below. I tried finding some old books at Books Etc. the day I saw this so I could make my own, but it is really hard to find good old books with illustrations for cheap! If you find any, let me know. 

[Chemistry, 2006. 24 x 20 inches. Chromogenic print.]

[Breathtaking, 2006. 24 x 20 inches. Chromogenic print.]

[Mate, 2006. 24 x 20 inches. Chromogenic print.]

[Knockout, 2006. 24 x 20 inches. Chromogenic print.]

[Three commissioned works Allen did for various magazines.]

[Hindsight, 2006. 24 x 20 inches. Chromogenic print.]

[Distraction, 2006. 24 x 20 inches. Chromogenic print.]

[Unreachable, 2006. 24 x 20 inches. Chromogenic print.]

- Amy

Listening to: Van Morrison's "And It Stoned Me"

Buzz Aldrin, Black Bush, and Space themed Classic Rock

[Buzz Aldrin interview for Off The Record and layout. ]

Here is a layout I did for the August issue of The OC Gazette for my Off The Record interview with Buzz Aldrin. Yep, I got to talk to the Rocket Man himself. We talked about his old hometown of Laguna Beach, what it's like to be "sitting in a tin can far above the moon" about to set foot upon it, and if he get's tired of all the "Fly Me To The Moon," "Rocket Man" and "Space Oddity" references. He was a pretty straight laced guy; very nice, but VERY smart which made it a bit difficult to joke with him as he took a few of them seriously. When a 23 year old girl from Orange County with only 80% of an associates degree to her credit interviews a world renown aerospace engineer and astronaut, a piece here or there is bound to get lost in translation. All in all Buzz was brilliant and a real class act. I would ask a question and he would start reciting his scientific jargon, and even though I was so lost as to what he was saying, it somehow seemed like poetry. I guess he's really making a case for the exploration and settlement of Mars. I wonder if he's seen the "Black Bush" skit Dave Chapelle did. "We ain't stoppin' at the moon! M-A-R-S... Mars bitches!" If you have no idea what I'm talking about, take a little trip back in time to the early 2000's when ole W. was still in office by watching this hilarious vintage Chapelle skit.

- Amy

 Listening to: "Rocket Man" by Elton John

Chit Chatting with Lauren Conrad, Off The Record, and More Delectable Design

[A layout for my Off The Record Q&A Column in The OC Gazette. Click to Enlarge.]

This will be a short post. I realized, I am a designer and I really don't post that much of my design work, so I present to you the first of many "Delectable Design" installations on this blog. Disclaimer: I do realize that I am a biased observer in this scenario and that my design may not seem "delectable" to all parties. But I'm all I've got for now! I will also warn you that most of it is editorial layout, which is sometimes a little limiting in the creative department. 


The long and short of this layout is that it's an interview I did with Lauren Conrad for my monthly Off The Record column in The OC Gazette magazine. Off The Record is my baby in the magazine. I get to hunt down interesting people in or from OC and try to get them to chit chat and shoot the shit with me for a little bit. Then I take our convo and cut and edit it and we run it as a fun Q&A. I have a blast with it. I've got to talk to some of the most amazing and interesting people. My top two have got to be Dick Dale and Ron Artest. They were great because they had no inhibitions and weren't wary of the press, so they just talked as much as I would let them. It was actually hard to get a word in edgewise! It's so much nicer when they are chatty rather than having to poke and prod for some sort of a real response. 


Lauren Conrad was one of those people I swore I'd never interview because she was "just a reality tv show B-list celeb." But we got really desperate one month for an interview so I contacted her people and sure enough they were nice enough to comply and I got to eat humble pie. Lauren is a really professional and driven young lady. I mean, she has three clothing lines, she's a two-time best selling novelist, and she's only 24. Having just turned 24 on Halloween, I have to admit that my resume looks a little lacking when compared to that.


Anyways, I also laid this piece out. I prefer Adobe Illustrator to InDesign since my design style is heavy on the graphics. I hate going between Illustrator and InDesign, so I'd rather just do all of it in Illustrator, even though it's a little slower with the text. Speaking of design, it's off to work for me. Enjoy your Thursday!


- Amy
Listening to: Phil Collins' "Can't Stop Loving You" (so cheesy, but soooo good.)

Magazine Covers, More Design, and Cheesy Love Ballads

[My cover for The OC Gazette Vol 4 Issue 7]

I thought I would post some of my recent design layouts for The OC Gazette today. Below is one of my favorite layouts that I designed for the November issue of The OC Gazette for the DIY Art page. I took a photo of a rubber cement jar (in keeping with the Crafts and DIY theme of the article) and clone stamped the label clean in Adobe Photoshop. Then I took it into Adobe Illustrator and made my own labels using type treatments, the shear tool, the envelope distort option, and some crazy layering options and clipping masks. I was really happy with how it turned out.

[My layout for the DIY Art page.]

I was also really happy with my cover layout, which is at the top. The photo was taken by the talented Rani Lu Mundell. The cover girl is Sherry Lee Meredith, who just happens to be one of the nicest people I've ever met. She sponsors the Ducks Power Play Girls too. She basically knows everyone in OC. Now it's back to work on the December cover, which has been a bear... a rabid bear. But it will be great in the end! To get me through without breaking into tears I've been listening to Glee Soundtracks and cheesy love ballads by the likes of Bryan Adams, Sting, and Journey. No one makes a power love ballad quite like Bryan Adams. 

-Amy

Listening to: "All For Love," the love ballad to end all power love ballads by the trifecta of rock balladeers: Sting, Rod Stewart and Bryan Adams.

Talking with Merle Haggard, Singing Till Your Dizzy and Office Meltdowns

[Merle Haggard and legendary western suit maker Nudie Cohn, circa 1970's. © Jeff Albertson/CORBIS]

"Singing is the number one therapy. If you can get somewhere and holler for an hour and a half, you'll feel good."

Merle Haggard said this to me and I believe it. I'm that girl you see driving down the highway with her mouth wide open, belting out whatever it is I'm listening to, while you look on laughing and thanking your lucky stars that I'm in my car and not your car. You know the one. They've always got that diva scowl on. The one that says, "these lyrics are the soundtrack to my life." Sometimes they're even doing the steering wheel drums. I can't do those. No sense of inner rhythm. Despite being one of these people, nothing makes my day more than when I see another Freeway Liberace, singing at the top of their lungs as if they forgot their windows were see through; whether they're completely rockin' out, getting their bass groove on, or ready to internally combust from trying to hit those unearthly notes in their favorite Mariah love ballad. I salute these men and women. Their lives are probably 50% less stressful than the guy in the lane next to them who isn't screaming his favorite Billy Idol song. They're also probably 50% less likely to go postal on the rest of their office when their Swingline stapler gets jammed. Did we learn nothing from our high school yearbook notes? "Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching." [Author's Note: Did you know that Mark Twain is the originator of this quote? Who said Mark Twain wasn't relevant to real life.] 

[Click to enlarge.]

Here's the interview I did with the legend himself, Merle Haggard. It was fun designing the layout. My inspiration for the header was old "Wanted" posters and Country Playbills like the ones Hatch Show Print used to put out. The thing that struck me most about Merle was that he truly is the voice of the blue collar man. It's like he has no idea he's an American icon. First priority on his mind is how soon he can go fishing. That's what I love about doing these interviews - being reminded that these people who seem so unreachable and so high above the rest of us peons are just regular everyday human beings when it comes down to it. 

- Amy

Listening to: The Walkmen's "Stranded"

Ringo Starr, Walruses, and Fur Fetishes

Here's another "love doodle" I drew for our entertainment writers, Jill and Gary of TourBusLive.com. This month they covered Ringo Starr and The All Starr Band at Humphrey's by the Bay. Apparently it was an amazing show. Who would expect anything else? Check out the show review here. 

While googling old Beatles music videos and scenes from A Hard Day's Night and HELP! I found my Halloween costume for this year. How fun would it be to get a group to dress up as the Walrus and his posse from the "I Am The Walrus" video (check it out below)? The eggmen would be really easy. The only real big ticket item would be the Walrus suit. I bet we could find one on ebay. Who's with me?! 

In other news: I'm on a fur kick. Before you go digging around your garage for your old bucket of red paint, you should know that it's faux. It started with a vest, then it moved onto a purse (OK, this one isn't faux, but it IS vintage - so that makes it only HALF as wrong), and now I've got my sights set on a jacket. I know, it sounds a little overboard. But look at it!

[Kimichi Blue Lady Bird Faux Fur Coat. Possible early birthday present to myself?]

It's almost like Pheasant feathers or something. I promise I wouldn't wear it with green pleated khakis. I don't know about that. The best part? It's only $148! Which is $148 more than I have since I'm trying to buy a new (new-used that is) car at the end of the month. It still doesn't beat the deal I got on my vintage purse. I got it on ebay for $35! It didn't have a chain, so I picked one up at Michael's for $3, harnessed my inner pre-schooler, and got crafty. 15 minutes, a few cuts and blisters and $38 dollars later, and Amy's Got Fur on the Boulevard (to the tune of "Fred's Got Slacks on The Boulevard").

[My new-old vintage fox chain purse.]

 - Amy

Listening to Tim McGraw's "I Need You"

Even Esquire Makes Mistakes

[Figure 1. Click to enlarge.]

I caught a mistake in Esquire Magazine! [See Figure 1. See it? In the flag tab?] To me, Esquire is the be all and end all of magazines when it comes to innovative, accessible, just damn clever design. So to catch a design blunder between their envy-worthy covers made all those mistakes I've made (how many times can a designer forget to use true black?!) in The OC Gazette over the years feel a little less weighty.

[Figure 2]

That being said, I hasten to add that when you weigh that tiny mistake against the issue as a whole, it's a mere drop in the bucket. One gem from this issue is "The Discerning Man's Guide To Grooming." [See Figure 2.]

If it's something I hate, it's a man who refuses to take care of his hair. Wherever it may dwell. I don't ask much. I pretty much like a man scruffy and grungy and smelling of wood and gasoline. But please... take care of the hair. The hilarious and very helpful guide includes "How to Properly twirl a Mustache" (if I was a guy I'd definitely have a lip tickler), and "How to Control Your Eyebrows." The final step to the latter is: "Lick the thumb and pinkie of your left hand. Starting at the middle of your brows, smooth outward. Proceed with confidence." Nothing like a good Graucho Marx reference.

This section also includes a funny ode to Antonio Banderas' cologne and how it may be the only cheapy, celebrity namesake scent that isn't horrible. The only problem? "The real trick is where you store it: at the very back of your medicine cabinet, turned around, so no one will ever know."

Call me strange, but women's magazine's don't come close to providing the kind of knowledge I glean from the witty and informative pages of this men's magazine. So, step it up Elle and Vogue. I can only read so many "How To Get Smokey Eyes" and "How To Tell if He's Into You" guides.

- Amy
On my iTunes: The Growlers' "Her Command"

P.S.  After posting this blog, my designer friend Leon Ingram (who works for Disney) told me he could totally go for a sawdust/gasoline scented cologne, and so after deciding to add whiskey into the mix, he came up with the ingenious name for our new men's scent: "Dusty Whisk - A fragrance by Hoodgram" (our last names cleverly joined into one). After both agreeing this was a million dollar idea, Leon posted the initial promotional ad for said cologne on my facebook. Here it is:

 

[Click to enlarge.]

Director of Design for Churm Media, Luke Hodsdon, is raving about Dusty Whisk: "No more rolling around in the garage to get that perfect scent!!"

A Happy Graphic Designer

A fun little illustration I did one day to get the creative juices flowing.

On my iTunes: Tokyo Police Club's "In a Cave"