Graphic arts: April 2007 Archives

It felt like Christmas the other day when I got my second monitor.

Why two monitors?
Two monitors give me a bigger workspace. The monitors are connected to one another, so as I move my mouse to the edge of the screen it continues to show up on the other screen. And vice versa.

I use the bigger monitor to work on my art and the smaller monitor is where all my tools and palettes are when I am working in Photoshop, Illustrator and especially Flash.

It's great cause now I don't have to constantly open and close my palettes or tools.

I don't know how I survived on one monitor.

One of the reason's I wanted to name my blog Artist's Bloc is that, well, just like writer's block, I get stumped. But luckily, I have my trusty Design Editor Ted to help me out. (Everyone should have one of these in their newsroom.)

The story was about how there is a growing trend in new employees quitting their jobs, some almost as soon as they start. It's not that I couldn't come up with an idea, it's more or less I couldn't come up with a fresh new idea. See, I do some sort of employment/business illustration once or twice a week, and sometimes my ideas get stale. It's kinda like every year when a reporter has to cover Ground Hog's Day, it gets to you after a while.

But back to the point. Ted has helped me out numerous times with different ideas. Some I like, some I don't, but the important thing is, when he helps me brainstorm, it helps get my creative juices flowing.

Here are his sketches he came up.

By the way, Ted is a talented artist himself.

Here is where I eat, sleep and breathe graphic arts... OK, maybe not sleep. I'd probably get fired if I slept at my desk... But I definitely do a lot of eating at my desk.

A This is my big 20-inch computer monitor. This is where I get jiggy with graphics.

B Ahh, my toys, I was a very deprived in my childhood. I never had a Hungry, Hungry Hippo, and now I have the travel-size version. (I was not a deprived child, my parents are wonderful people.)

C There's one of my cat doodads. I have many, I luv cats...

D My trusty Hi-Liter, I use this to mark-off corrections I made on proofs I get back from the reporters.

E That's my Power Mac G-5, it purrs like a cat. (Ha! Another cat reference)