WHOOO WHOOO!

No this post is not the beginning of a Saint's chant, but I will take this opportunity to point out that they do not look nearly as unbeatable as they did 3 weeks ago. For selfish reasons I hope they do not get very far in the playoffs.

This post is about a funny commercial. Well, a set of funny commercials, but one in particular that really cracks me up. These Captain Morgan commercials, where they introduce a different type of drunk (please enjoy Captain Morgan responsibly) with the name captain "insert character trait here." This one is for captain nightowl. WHOOOO! His blinky eyes, crazy entrance and awesome demenor made me laugh so much I just had to share it with you! Check out his "YAY! They are coming to my party!" dance!!! YES!

Oh, the things you can find on the internet!

It's a long read, but well worth it (if you ask me). Message boards are a goldmine for epic lols. This guy had a really bad day.

Epic Thread

Quick Update

YO, YO, YO! SUP, SUP, SUP?

This will probably be my last update until this qtr is over (next Tuesday around 10pm), so I am gonna try and give you guys a few things to chew on.

First, I thought I would let you guys know that the Hohner ads that I put up about a month or so ago won a few awards at school, one of them being student choice for art direction. I did pretty well, I won 4 awards in three different categories (Advertising, Art Direction, Illustration, Design). That isn't good enough, though, I am gonna go balls out next quarter and hopefully get some good news to share with the unwashed internet masses (is that smell me?).

Next, I got an update on the dummies illustrations on the post right below this one. If you recall they are for my publications class. Here is the watercolored version of them.

Next, I have some cool retro comics that I drew for your viewing pleasure. They are for my brand extensions class. The lines were written by Jeff Scardino, the strapping Italian fellow responsible for the Hohner ad copy. I will reveal later what context these fit into; for now just enjoy them for what they are (random-as-shit).

Hmmmm, I am sitting here trying to think of some other stuff I can show you. Oh yeah! I got some type portraits of Dave Eggers that I did for my publications class. You wanna see em?

::waits::

OK! These are for a feature article I did where readers got to ask Eggers questions. The portraits are made up of all the questions that are asked in the article (yes, the article does exist and no, I did not write it nor did I speak to Eggers).

Ok, well that is a decent amount of original stuff, so how about an embarrassing little factoid about yours truly? Here it goes: I got the new Shakira CD and I think it is awesome. The video for She Wolf is great too. I know, I was surprised too, but I can't help the way I feel. Anyway, check it out. At the very least it will force you to re-evaluate what you think about me.

Phew! That quick update turned into one of the longest posts I've done in a while. Cool. See ya.

Dummies!

YO! Final 2 weeks of this quarter means a few things: less sleep, more Red Bull (it's an inverse relationship), lots of work getting done, and that the break is coming soon! Here are some little guys that I drew for a magazine spread I am working on. I call 'em dummies. Will post final spread when I finish it.

Oh yeah, leave some comments. I mean, if you want to. *nudge, nudge* You don't have to...but it'd be cool if you did.

Very Cool Stuff

Found this on the Hydrilla (this must be a local blog, cuz they always got Atl artists on there and they got stickers/ stencils all over town). I think that graff is very cool. I've never really tried it; it looks tough as hell to do well (I see enough toys all over town to tell me that much). These guys go by Pose and Ewok. I don't know anything about them other than than that they can paint. Check it out.

POSE & EWOK in KOREA - A Supervision Film. from Ironlak on Vimeo.

Young Guns 2010 Campaign

You know how I keep saying how busy I've been each time I post? You know how you probably utter "bullshit" or say something else to express your disbelief? Or perhaps you say it because of how annoying it is to hear the same excuse used over and over? You know how I keep saying I have whole campaigns to show you? Well I wasn't lying (completely) and I do have a campaign to show you! YAY!

Young Guns is an advertising competition for people who are under the age of thirty. You also can enter work into Young Guns if you are one of those really old people who decides to go back to school and subject themselves to the "how old is that guy?" and "I heard he was thirty-five" and the "yeah and he was really drunk last night and hitting on all the girls from school at the bar....weeeeeeeird." Well maybe not the last part in every case but def the first two and a lot of times the third as well (it's up to you, old students).

ANYWAY, Young Guns releases a brief every year and this year a few of my classmates and myself decided to try and win it. The challenge was to create the call for entry campaign for the 2010 Young Guns competition. We worked really hard on it and came up with what I think is a pretty cool ass idea. The premise behind our campaign is that Once you hit the age of 40 (or so) in the advertising industry, it is basically like turning 70 in any other industry. So veterans have to be even more wary of a young person swooping in and taking their job. Here are our presentation boards and the 2 videos we shot. Explanations for the campaign are on the boards... SO READ THEM!

The first video is the one you see upon entering the competition. The second video is what the person who is being put "on warning" will receive.

Sean Matthews- Designer

Ali Sooudi- Art Director

Cameron Templeton- Copywriter

Quick Sketch

Sorry guys, I've been SUPER busy lately. Here is a quick sketch I did in class (instead of taking notes :/ ). Enjoy!

Every Breath Cries Some Cool-Ass Ads

Here are some ads that I did with a copywriter at the Creative Circus. These mark my first foray into art direction. It was also the first time I had worked with someone to produce something, a feat which I have duplicated many times since then (a testament to 5th qtr being us designers' 'coming out party').

The client is (theoretically) Hohner Harmonicas. We wanted the tone to be very dark. Props to the copywriter Jeff Scardino for some badass words; when the copy is that vivid and styled, it makes my job that much easier. Tagline is "Every breath cries a story." Size is a two-page spread (magazine). Enjoy.

Jeff Scardino, Copywriter.

Sean Matthews, Art Director & Illustrator

AWESOME!

Sixeart is from Barcelona. People have known him as a maker of fun, colorful and awesome graffiti.

He is now known for making fun, colorful and awesome graffiti, paintings, sculptures, and more.


Sixeart is awesome.

Awesome.

A peek into my sketchbook

I opened up one of my older sketchbooks today, looking for something I could put on here. I've been really busy so far with the new quarter at school, and it doesn't appear that there is any respite in sight (le sigh). So I figured I would give you guys a little peek into my sketchbook. I don't spend too much time on anything in it, so be kind. This sketch is of Chairman Mao. I have a few compositions like these where I take portraits of famous dictators and mess with them a little. Nothing too serious; it's all fun and games! Enjoy.

Cool Music Video Animation

I found this video of The Fray's cover of Kanye West's song "Heartless." I am iffy on the actual song, but I love the video. The animation (by Titmouse studio btw) is so cool. It reminds me of the ridiculous landscapes and scenarios that I would put in the margins of my notes in grade school. Only way cooler. Mine were pretty cool tho, but they didn't move. They kinda just sat there static on the page. I need to get some of that paper.

The FRAY - Heartless from IE HAGY on Vimeo.

Oh yeah, I cannot miss this opportunity to call Kanye West a self-righteous douchebag. Take that Kanye!

Hot Girls, the Red One Camera, and the End of Photography As We Know It?

Technology is crazy. Like super crazy. You want an example? How about the Red One camera? It's the super high def video camera that is so high def that single frames of video can be used as digital photos fit for magazine spreads and other stuff that requires really high def photos. Here is some techno-babble about the camera

Typical high-end HD camcorders have 2.1M pixel sensors and record with 3:1:1 color subsampled video at up to 30fps. We deliver 11.4M pixels at up to 60fps and record RAW, or 2x over-sampled HD in 4:4:4 or 4:2:2 - your choice. That's more than 5 times the amount of information available every second and a vastly superior recording quality. Don't need all that data for your workflow? Dial it back, and keep all the other advantages of the Mysterium Super 35mm cine sized (24.4 x 13.7mm) sensor. You get the same breathtaking Depth of Field and selective focus as found in film cameras. Mysterium boasts a greater than 66db Signal to Noise Ratio thanks to its large 29 sq. micron pixels. And 11,480,800 pixels deliver resolution that can only be called Ultra High Definition.

I first learned about the Red One camera a few months back when a photographer came to speak to us at school (can't remember his name for the life of me but he was foreign and had a funny accent and the girls were crushing on him). He showed us this video of Megan Fox looking all sexy doing stuff that I imagine rich hot chicks do (wake up, walk around in panties, chill by pool, roll around in bed sheets). The video was shot using the Red One camera for Esquire magazine and stills pulled from the video were being used in the magazine as the photos (cuz they so high def, yo!). Here is the video.

Oh Snap! That is pretty cool, but the quality of the video isn't that good! Well it just so happens that Esquire decided to do another video, and I found a pretty good quiality embed for it so BOOM! This one features Kate Beckinsale and a big TV with Kate Beckinsale on it.

So does this mean that photography as we know it is about to change? Is this post a harbinger of things to come for photographers everywhere? Is it time to panic in the streets? Probably not. I dunno, maybe I just wanted to put these two videos up.

Krog Street (River) Tunnel

Saw this on the Hydrilla. Famous Krog St tunnel underwater during the recent floods in GA. Just a cool ass photo. Prayers go out to all the families affected.

Stickers by Me

I decided that in order to properly pimp my blog, I should make some stickers. So I did. So far I have 3. I love the retro feel that they have.

Hope you like em!

Name my Mascot!!

So for a while now, I have wanted to take my interest in character design to the next level and actually make a 3-dimensional model of one of my characters. Well, I decided that my break from school would be a perfect time for me to undertake this project! And I am going to keep you guys updated! How lucky are you?

I started with a design, I tried to keep it simple since it is my first time. Below is my first little sketch that I did. Basically it is a sleepy monster who wanders around in a kind of zombie-state.

After I was satisfied with the character, I put it into illustrator and made a vector illustration. I also did a little bit of coloring and shading in photoshop.

The next step is to make a character design sheet that includes front, back, side and three-quarters view. Then I gotta make an intial model and then a mold. I'll keep you guys updated.

Oh yeah! I need a name for this little monster. Leave a name in the comments section with a short explanation if you like. If I choose your name, then I will give you one of the vinyl versions of this guy that I make (they are gonna be sweet and very official) for free!

A Solid Gold[en] Celebration

First and foremost, I would like to extend a welcome back to bad puns from the Daily Hat; you were missed. Saturday's in the fall mean one thing for me: time to watch lots and lots of college football. Every year there are lots of touchdowns scored and with that many touchdown celebrations performed. Most of the time they are boring and unoriginal, but every once and a while, we encounter a student athlete that "gets it." They understand that football is all about entertainment. Golden Tate, a Notre Dame wideout, "gets it."

During Saturday's game against MSU, Tate scored a touchdown, but he wasn't finished. He knew that a touchdown needs a super-sweet celebration and there was no way he was gonna dissapoint.

Sidebar: What is it with football players and the band? There is some secret dislike here. Stanford/ Cal anyone?

So Golden Tate gets the very first Daily Hat Award for Excellence in Punking Band Geeks. Congrats and keep it up!

One of my favorite parts of this video is how disappointed that Sparty seems with Golden's decision. He may be a meat-head, but the big green dude is a sensitive meat-head who doesn't appreciate bullies like Tate.

HAHA

I can only imagine what was going through this guy's head right after he walked into that beauty school. You gotta love how they wouldn't let him leave.

HI!!!

I hope there are still a few people that check the hat for updates. I know I haven't updated in about 3 week (geez!), and I'm going to blame it all on school. Well, school is over (for now) and I have a TON of stuff that I am planning on putting up here in the next few days so LOOK OUT! I've got a pretty wide range of stuff that I am going to post, from simple illustrations to packaging, to and entire branded campaign. So keep your eyes peeled (that saying is disgustin btw) and your face intact, because hopefully my sweet ass design skills will melt it off! Wishful thinking probably, but you never know.

These are illustrations I did for an art director at school. They are for a company called "One Laptop One Child" that gives poor children in africa laptops so they can get on the internets and waste time like you and I. Okay, they probably give them laptops for educational purposes. Anyhow the ads came out really well and props to Lauren Boyd and Michael Williams for the art director and copy(respectively). I hope you like them!

I love character design and had a lot of fun doing these. So if anyone needs any illustrations, holler at me!

Is it really working?

Lately, I have noticed a one-time trend in advertising that has become a full-on requirement for new campaigns: the website tie-in. Before I go into the meat of this post, I will explain what I mean by that.

When I say "website tie-in" I am not talking about a simple website that is built around the product or service, has a cool flash game, and other supplemental materials. I am talking about sites like residueisevil.com and klondikemancave.com. These sites are more like end points of an advertising scavenger hunt for sweet "unrated" and "not seen on tv" content.

You have no doubt seen the commercials that simply flash a graphic that says residue is evil .com while an ominous sounding voice says the phrase. That is it. That is the commercial. Now, I may be in the minority here, but not only do I not know what that commercial is for (I assume it is deodorant), I do not care. In fact, I refuse to go to residueisevil.com because I do not appreciate the assumption being made by whoever made this commercial. They assume that if they are coy and nondescript that I will be so overcome with curiosity that I will leave the couch and go to the computer to find out what residueisevil.com is.

Oh, it must be something extremely cool! How could it not be? I mean, they don't even tell us what it is!

These kinds of campaigns began with Nike (as many innovations in advertising seem to do) many years ago with shoe commercials featuring a female sprinter ( I think it was Marion Jones). The spot is a first-person camera view of some hapless fool who is trying to race Jones, and as the chase ensues, he has to avoid various obstacles that range from annoying (barking dog) to downright deadly (flying chainsaws). The spot is cut short before it ends and the viewer is encouraged to check out a website that contains several endings for the spot.

That was a cool idea. Now it has become a contrived "must-have" for every new campaign. Sometimes this tactic fits and I am not damning those executions that are well thought out. I am, however, calling out all those other campaigns that do it, well, just to do it. A clever idea is only truly clever if it is continuous with the brand and the overall idea/ message being conveyed.

I liken this trend of slapping fancy extras onto campaigns to car customization. When you see a nice mustang that has been customized well, it looks as if the car could have come off the lot in its present state (even though it did not). On the other hand, sometimes you see a car that looks like it was customized by a blind man, it is a Frankenstein's monster, spoilers and ground effects acting as the neck bolts and orthopedic shoes.

residueisevil.com

I encourage anyone who agrees with me to do their part and not visit these websites. Just remember, every time you do, you are just proving that you are a manipulable as they think you are.

New Banner

Working on my 'shop skeelz on this one. I realized that I have been neglecting photoshop even though it is a super-dope program. Sorry photoshop; I'll never ignore you again...

Let me know what you think!

Cool Pixar Short

Partly Cloudy is a short by Pixar that accompanies the film Up (which is great by the way). It's pretty cool. You won't find it on youtube as Pixar would have it taken down almost immediately, but, have no fear— daily hat is here to help you see this awesome short! I found the embed on a Russian you-tube called RuTube. After fumbling around the site I found the embed code. Apparently in Russia, copyright laws are more lax or non-existent. Enjoy.

More school previews

In our Branding class, I have been working on branding my own non-profit that is geared towards teenagers. Instead of taking an existing idea, I decided that I would create my own non-profit (called homebase) and build it from the ground up. The project takes up the entire quarter and In 1 month, I will have to present to the class and eventually in my panel review.

Homebase is all about encouraging creative expression and growth. I wanted to come up with an image and style that I could carry throughout the entire presentation and all of my deliverables that would convey creative growth. Below is a sketch of what I have come up with, more to come later....

Brian Eno & David Byrne poster

One of the assignments in my illustration class is to make a poster. It could really be about anything, but I chose to do a concert poster for Brian Eno & David Byrne. If you don't know who these guys are click here. It isn't quite done (probably about 85%), but I thought that I would put a little preview.

I used a special technique for this poster, as we were only allowed 3 colors (with black counting as a color). My 3: orange, blue, and black. In order to get more colors, I decided to use a dot matrix overlay technique (I doubt I am the first to do this but I did come up with it independently). Basically I used squares composed of different densities of dots to get multiple values out of each color. When I overlay and print the different colors on top of each other,new colors (like the brown in the bear which is the blue and orange) are created. I tiled the squares over my image and got rid of the excess dots until I had achieved the desired shape. Pretty cool stuff.

This process also gives a modern shout-out to old letterpress printing styles and screen printing. I like old school.

Check out my bear:

OOOOOOOOH WEEEEEEE

I love Nike's new Hyperize commercial featuring 80's versions of Andre Igoudala, Mo Williams, Kevin Durant, and Rashard Lewis. Below is the extended version which is really just a full music video. I love these extended commercials. From a business standpoint it is smart as it forces people to search out the videos and watch them online (generating sweet sweet e-impressions).

One thing that I wish these corporations did was make this content downloadable and easily available through a branded web site. That way you could watch the video on a Nike youtube channel (I'm sure there is one), then click on a banner that would take you to Nike's website where you could buy the shoes while it is still fresh in your mind. It would generate and facilitate impulse buys, something that is usually reserved for gum and candy at the point of purchase. Seems pretty straightforward and simple, huh?

Bottom line is — this video is effing sweet. Kevin Durant has the funniest flow, Mo Williams the best outfit, and Rashard Lewis wins best hair running away. Sorry new A.I., you didn't win anything (best multiple-finger ring?). Enjoy.

*PROPS TO NIKE for launching the branded website!*

And on the other end of the spectrum is...

A few weeks ago I posted a music video that was made entirely from iSight cameras. I remarked how cool it was that something so extra neat-o could be done on a low budget and how you do not need copious amounts of money to solve a problem intelligently. Well, this Absolut vodka ad has a ridiculous budget, and it is also very extra neat-o and intelligent.

So, I guess what I am trying to say is, if you have a lot of money, you can spend it and that's cool. Just make sure you do it in a smart way... yeah. Or sometimes maybe you decide not to spend all of your budget and you buy yourself a new car on the slide. That is allowed, right? Boy, I hope that is allowed. Yeah, that'd be pretty awesome..... pret-ty awe-some....

Nice Video....... BIETCH

This video is pretty cool to me for a few reasons.

1. I like hip-hop.
2. Its simple, interesting visual presentation and use of typography.
3. It taught me new slang. I embrace any chance to use new slang. Like Runners and Rippers, Beezies and Marks (okay I knew Mark already).

This video also goes to show you that if you have a laptop and a little know-how, you can make a pretty professional video start to finish. The music could be done in Garageband and the video in After Effects. The typography adds replayability (apparently not a word according to spellcheck) to the video as it makes the view want to go back and read what was passing by too quickly for most to read. Simple color scheme that is content appropriate adds to the final effect. This is how small artists should do a video. Rafael Casal just gained on listener by virtue of this video alone.

Oh yeah, the song is pretty nice too. :)

Oh Oh yeah, I'm gonna be saying bietch a lot more now...

bietch.

JAH!

So I am going to try and post more often. This does not, however, mean that the quality of my posts (or lack thereof) is going to decline (or improve?). It just means that I am going to be working a little harder. I think that I have struck a pretty good balance of original content, random web-finds, and opinion posts. This means that the type of content will not change, but the amount of it will increase. All of this at no charge to you! I mean, what a deal, right?

Below is a pencil drawing of Bob Marley that I did a while back. It probably took about 6 hours to complete (give or take). Enjoy.

"I feel tremendous strength and power for this statue"

Someone has erected a 60ft gundam in Japan in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the series that has spawned multiple spin-offs, movies, games, toys, and general giant robot hysteria in Japan and worldwide. I myself am afflicted with this illness and have been for quite some time; when I was younger I would order the models from Japan and spend hours building them.

This is the kind of thing that could only happen in Japan. Imagine if someone built a 60ft Sentinel with a bunch of X-Men fighting it to celebrate the comic's anniversary. Wouldn't happen. But if it did, I would be right there with some fake claws, leather jacket and sweet gelled up wolverine hair getting crunk. Or I would paint myself blue and wear fur and act smart like the beast (aka funniest X-Men ever).

New Banner

Check it. When it's printed out and held up close, it appears to be just the black and white lines. When it is held out at arms length, you can read the text. Pretty cool, huh?

Typecon 2009

Yesterday concluded my 1 week long adventure at Typecon 2009, and boy, are my stems tired!* I learned a lot about type, listened to a bunch of important typophiles and designers speak, and even met a few of them! Oh yeah, not to mention all the free stuff I got! I learned a few things this week:

1. I love typography, but not necessarily typeface design— I just do not have the patience for it.
2. I want a letterpress— old skool craft that yields amazing results!
3. Learning CSS and HTML is integral— gotta stay ahead of the curve.
4. My computer is a noisy mess— okay, I already knew this (:P).

So, to commemorate my type-journey, I am going to share some self portraits that I made out of type. One is hand-drawn and one is a vector illustration. ENJOY!




*Man, type jokes are so lame that they are awesome! Wanna hear another one? OKAY!

I made this one up myself:
What did the kinky type designer get his wife to do to his penis?




He letterpress it! (DRUMS)

A little creativity can go a long way

This video is pretty incredible. I love it when people use something simple and readily available (like your computer's built in webcam) and combine it with an awesome concept to make something that can stand up against videos with much higher production value and overhead costs. It reminds me of the saying "You have to spend money to make money." Which is true to some extent but if you have a great idea, you can disprove it. A lot of people think you have to spend money to make something that lots of people will want to watch (and generate those precious e-impressions— oooooooh), but if you have a great concept and willing participants, you can buck that trend as well.

Cool song, too. I have to think that creatives were involved with this video....

Twitter is informative

I have some reserves about Twitter. On one hand, it seems like an excellent way for people with something to say to say it (I know— eloquent). Yet on the other hand, it is a place for people with absolutely nothing to say to say it. I equate this to internet pollution. I believe that at some point in time, this is going to become the downfall of the entire internet, as it becomes so over-saturated with useless knowledge that it is unusable and must be discarded like a 2-month old sponge. Then (hopefully) someone will come up with the internet 2, and we can start the whole process over again.

From Ron Artest's Twitter page:

"Played pickup bball against an 8 year old today. Beat him 47-1. I teabagged him so many times I nicknamed him Earl Gray!"

little buddy

Toof is a demented little tooth-fairy-esque character who preaches good dental hygiene and mayhem. He has a crew of evil bunnies that help him with his nefarious deeds. I would love to eventually sculpt this little guy (and his friends)!

80's EMO-DANCE-PARTY-SATURDAY!!

Step 1: Look at the ground

Step 2: Shuffle feet

Step 3: Turn 180 degrees

Step 4: Repeat.

*Brought to you by the Highland Inn*











Secret guilty pleasure IMO. If you got any favs post 'em in the comments.

I'M GONNA RUN AWAY AND NEVER COME BACK!!!

AHAHAHAHA! This is the best freakout video I've ever seen (and there are a TON of these out there....youtube). 

How does he lose all his clothes when he goes under the sheet? Why try and stick the remote up your ass? To make it all incredibly consistent he even goes into the closet for a bit. Something tells me this kid will be coming out of a whole different kind of closet in a few years. 

The brother's headgear and rubberbands are also hilarious. This family rocks.

Welcome BACK!

So for the past week my computer has been messing up and I haven't been able to make new posts! Needless to say I was quite perturbed by this, but all is well now so HAZAA! You also may notice some additions to the original artwork that I post on here. Well after talking to a few teachers and designers who would know, I have decided that I need to protect my intellectual property.

I actually hate having to put all that text on my pretty pictures, but my hand has been forced since little thieves feel the need to take other people's shit. Which is something that REALLY pisses me off (or "grinds my gears" as it were). 

FUCK PEOPLE WHO STEAL OTHER PEOPLE'S IDEAS!!!! 

Anyway, here is another character I drew recently. Inspiration was the RHCP song. 

Random mind droppings

Doing schoolwork at 2 am has become the norm for me, in fact I feel like I do my best work after midnight — kinda like a vampire. Which takes my mind (and thus, this post) back to my childhood, to a real "Ah-ha" moment for me: one of the first times I actually felt like I was a pretty weird. It was back in pre-school (I was probably 5 or 6 or so — is that still pre-school?). The teacher was going around the class asking each kid what they wanted to be when they grew up. The answers were relatively common: fireman, doctor, astronaut, policeman. 

Tangent: Isn't it funny how you start out with such grand aspirations only to be shot down later in life? I am sure half of the prospective doctors in my class are working construction or some other blue collar job (nothing wrong with that, but, let's be real, it's no doctor). Another funny thing is the 5 year old kid who said lawyer— WTF?

Anyhow, so we are sitting "indian-style" in our little circle spilling our aspirations out upon the blue-grey carpet. Doctor, doctor, fireman, cowboy, president (yeah, that guy)... Finally, the teacher comes to me. 

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

"Vampire."

"What?"

"Vampire," I repeated with a smile on my face. 

Needless to say, she gave me a look that even my 5 year old mind could comprehend as "what the hell???" The other kids (who weren't eating their boogers or picking gum off their shoes, gave me strange looks as well. The teacher moved on (she may have said something to my mom later about it but I don't recall).

To me, it was a no-brainer. My father (for better or worse) had never really censored much when I was around. I first saw the movie Aliens when I was 3. So I was well aware of vampires and all of their awesome-ness. Why wouldn't you want to be a vampire? They live forever, have awesome powers, are super cool, and get all the chicks. Busted. In fact I still want to be a vampire. Not one of those loser-ass poser vampire wannabes that wears eyeliner and dances to Joy Division while dragging on a cigarette, a real vampire. Probably will never happen, though. 

Moral of the story: being weird is cool (not that I am cool — but I am). Oh yeah, and fuck fake-ass vampires.

character sketch

Drew this little guy in class today. Yeah, he has a little anime-hair thing goin' on. What can I say, I'm a nerd!

Last night on the way home from the bar...

I love Challes Barkley. Everyone should love Challes Barkley. Welcome to the Hat, Challes.

A few thoughts...

So I was told yesterday that my recent posts, while rife with entertainment value, lulz, and creative-iness (that's right), were lacking something that my past posts have featured extensively: my thoughts (in word form, or course). I accepted this constructive criticism and began to think what I could write about that would be worthy of my readers' impeccable tastes and standards. Then, in a moment, it came to me. I was challenged to impart my thoughts to the infinite nets, and this challenge I do accept. Now I think that I will challenge you to do something. 

The impetus for this request can be traced back to a similar one that I laid upon myself when I began school at the Creative Circus. I decided that I would test my limits and try and live as far out of my comfort zone as possible, thus increasing said zone (in effect re-zoning the zone). So my challenge to you is to do the same. Go somewhere you have never been before, do something that is out of character, strike up a conversation with a stranger (or if you are talkative- shut the hell up!). Leave Buckhead for East Atlanta (or vice versa). Go see a play in the smallest theatre you can find (I'm talking like 20 seats small). Give the homeless guy at little 5 points a dollar to hear his poetry. Spray-paint something - be defiant. Listen to Rascal Flatts (okay, maybe not). 

I am going to take part in this with you; I have decided that I am going to dabble in street art (graffiti, stenciling, stickers, and postering). This is something that I have never done before and is actually quite daunting considering the impressive skillz that my classmates possess, but I plan on learning as much from them as possible while I stumble through this process. I will also try my best to document it. 

So go do something out of character! HI-YOOOOOOO!

   

Motherlover

In some weird way this means happy Mother's day...

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Shaw-taaay!

Character of the Day

This little girl lives in the closet in my room. She scares the bejeezus outta me (yes, the bejeezus).

                    

Quick character sketch

I'm actually having a great day....

Enjoy.

12 Letter Story

Just a little sketch I made during Forum today. A story that uses only 12 letters. I enjoyed it so much that I think I will do more. This is also the first original piece I have posted :pats self on back:. It was just a quick sketch though so don't judge me too harshly! Enjoy!

Hey!

BTW Bowfinger is an underrated movie.

An Introduction to Typography

One thing that I consistently encounter whenever I talk to people about my schooling is a lack of knowledge regarding what typography is. It doesn't sound important or glamourous as some of the other aspects of design. I regard this as a rather large misconception. I found this on YouTube. While it may not be the greatest example of typography I have ever seen, it is pretty good and it features a funny skit from the Chappelle Show so I thought it would be a good intro for those of you who may not know about typography. Enjoy!


I'll find some more cool type and post it for yous guys. Maybe some of my own work (if I can find a camera).

WOOO!

Squidbillies is one of the most underrated shows on TV. Check it out during [Adult Swim] on Cartoon Network. Woooo!

What Do You Do Guaranteed???

This guy doesn't get it. He may have a die-cut, foil-stamped, embossed, business card on special stock with a unique fold, but he forgot to dry stamp it and add a thermographic logo.  Amateur!

Watch Your Business Card is Crap on CollegeHumor

I Just Had a Nerdgasm

Got this mash-up from 8tracks.  All respect to Team Teamwork for this Legendary mix. 

If you wanna download the entire playlist for your own listening enjoyment, follow these steps.

1) Click here

2) Figure the rest out

April Fools Wins

I turn on the TV tonight expecting to see some Robot Chicken and instead there is some 90's movie on. I am like "Wha!?" I keep watching and all of a sudden: Porn! Well sort of. It seems like Cartoon Network has pulled an April fools on us and put on some softcore porn with huge black boxes over the indecent parts. I will try to find out more about this movie; it is hilarious! There is a crazy Romanian sex-addict who has the most ridiculous accent. He is super fake, creepy, and keeps going off on these long tangents about how he knows all his friends are afraid he will "steal their women from them." They also love throwing the football.

I will ascertain more info and report back tomorrow. If you happen to read this tonight check and see if it is still on. It has all the hilarity of softcore but with none of the nudity so you aren't a creep for watching!

Some others.

Google has figured out artificial intelligence: clicky be sure to check out CADIE's blog!
Youtube is upside down: mash
Piratebay.org punks Warnerbros: press

XD

3 posts in 1 day? Bam-ba-ba-ba-bam-bamm!

Sham-Pow! Right in the Kisser!

Okay, I will start by apologizing for the cheesy title. I think I will let the article speak for itself this time...

FROM SUN-TIMES STAFF
He's known for hawking a super-absorbent towels on in commercials, but this pitch man found himself in hot water -- without the aid of a ShamWow -- last month.

ShamWow pitchman Vince Shlomi was arrested last month on felony battery charges for allegedly punching a stripper, according to the Web site TheSmokingGun.com.

Police reports obtained by the site claim that Shlomi met 26-year-old prostitute Lenea Harris at a Miami nightclub, and subsequently brought her back to his room at Setai Hotel. Shlomi allegedly paid Harris $1,000 for "straight sex."

That's went things took a turn.

Shlomi told police "that he kissed [Harris] when all of a sudden [Harris] bit his tongue and would not let go," according to the report.

Shlomi then punched Harris several times until she released his tongue, and then ran to the lobby to call police. Harris suffered several cuts and fractures to her face.

Amazing Advances in Technology!

This is from the TED networking conference. Talk about incredible!

short post from LA

A few things I've noticed out here:
1.The highways don't have enough speed limit signs. I honestly saw 1 over a span of 70 miles. It's confusing and I have heard bad things about the LAPD.

2. RA's still suck. They may actually suck worse than they did before. I was in my bro's dorm (yes, I know that is about the coolest way to start a story that there is), and since it is not a dry dorm I thought I would have a beer while I enjoyed some b-ball in the common area. Aparently you can have beer if you are over 21 and you also have to agree to put up with some sophomore's shit-talk about drinking around minors. Hmmmmmmmmmm. That is bound to happen in a dorm with frosh to senior residents!

3. UCLA has an unbelievable sculpture garden and the campus itself is just gorgeous (and delightful!!!). I have always thought that UGA has a pretty campus and I still do. However, UCLA has an overall theme that is present is almost all of the buildings and it just seems better thought out overall. The sculpture garden is super-dank too.

4. Korean BBQ rocks. That is all.

On another note, I am aware that I have exceeded my bandwidth for my photobucket account and now instead of the wonderfully funny gifs there is this obnoxious white box with red x's. I am going to fix that as soon as I get back home so I can share all the other wonderfully lol-inducing images with my internet peeps!

Food (or drink) for thought

I was out in Buckhead last night and I ran into an old classmate from high school. It was not anyone who I was close to or friends with. I will never get those 5 minutes of my life back. Here are the cliffs-notes from our conversation:

me: How have you been?
him: Really good I am doing sales in Buckhead, I make a lot of money.
me: Uh, that's cool what kind of sales?
him: I sell cell phone parts. It's boring, but I am making good money.
me: Right, well that is nice.
him: Yeah I mean I graduated from state about a year and a half ago, I never thought I would be making such good money by now!
me: It was good to see you, man. Take it easy. (turns around to talk to someone else)

OHMYGODITISSOANNOYINGWHENPEOPLETALKABOUTHOWMUCHMONEYTHEYMAKE! First: you probably don't really make that much money, so get over yourself. Brad Pitt makes a lot of money. You make a decent salary for a twenty-something single person. Second: are you gonna give me some of this money? No? Then shut the hell up, I don't care. Third: you sound like a douche. A hollow douche at that. If you immediately default to talking about money, then you are probably the least interesting person in the room. I would honestly rather hear about how much you bench press rather than how much money you make. *exhales* I feel better now. Thanks internets! 

OLD SKOOL!

To all the people over 22 who have time to waste: you're welcome. To those of you under 22: you're welcome too. I don't want to leave anyone out.

CLICK ME

Excessive Ping Pong Celebration

LOL

Notice that the guy celebrating is losing 10-1.  At least he made that one point count!

Revenge is a dish best served with embarrassment sauce and garnished with sprigs of animosity

I've never been involved in a prank war. Outside of shenanigans consummated in my earlier years at UGA which usually involved various "shaming" techniques and passed out drunks, I have little first-hand knowledge of what it is like to prank someone or be pranked. But I do know something about enjoying watching other people go back and forth in bouts of revenge, each successive execution elevating the bar that much higher.
One of the best prank-wars I have witnessed is between two employees of collegehumor.com, a website I regularly visit. About a year and a six months ago, Amir, one half of the prank-war, basically ruined his buddy Streeter's then-relationship when he put a fake marriage proposal up on the Jumbotron at a Yankees game. This prank has achieved epic status, and as such, I will not embed it here. If you haven't seen it, click here .
As retaliation, Streeter pulled this prank last night at the Maryland basketball game. PWNED.

*Note that Amir's pathetic girly shot attempt leads to him falling over, adding insult to injury (or perhaps it should be the other way around).*

Watch Prank War 7: The Half Million Dollar Shot on CollegeHumor