After Day 2

Yesterday we had a fun day filled with the excitement of monotony.

Repetition... doing things over and over and over again. Why? Well, practice makes perfect. It is one of the things that we have heard ever since we were kids. The more you do something, the better you get at it... plain and simple.

As I walked through the classroom yesterday and observed everyone's progress I could see that some students had a tad bit of difficulty while others grasped the procedures very quickly. That does not make anyone better or worse... that just means there are different levels of comprehension. Yes, Illustrator tools can be testy, difficult to learn or cause the immediate reaction of 'W.T.H...' Grins. That is why we do repetitions. To find out what we are doing and perfect the method.

Yesterday we started the class walking down memory lane and revisiting a fun movie called 'the Karate Kid'. Why? Well, because it is the best example I can think of when expressing the importance of repetition on something that many may find pointless. What the hell does 'washing a car' or 'sanding a floor' have to do with karate? Nothing really... but it definitely helps you develop the skills of discipline, muscle endurance and strength. the same applies to repetition with tools in Illustrator.

Draw guides, click and drag, scale it up or down... dot... dot... dot... oops, erase, over and over again... grrrrr... frustrating... ok wait... try again... grrr... click and oops... oh wait... lemme try this... HEY! It worked! Now, how did I do it again? Lemme see... hmmm... click... drag... WOAH! It worked again! Excellent! I am gonna be great at this! I HOPE I remember how to do this next week!

That is what it sounded like last night, but not once did I see anyone with the face of frustration... it was more like looks of determination to get it done right, and that was very comforting to see. A student can only learn if he or she is taught the right way. That was one of the other lessons The Karate Kid taught us...

'There is no such thing as a bad student... only a bad teacher.'

So please, if you're having trouble with something, do not hesitate to ask for help. That is what I am here for. I, in no way, shape or form, expect anyone to be a master of Illustrator in 15 weeks. But I sure as hell would like to know that you are comfortable with the basic tools and enjoy creating with it. You'll eventually develop your own style and technique, and that is a good thing. My job as a teacher is to show you how to use the tools, not teach you my style, nor change your style. My job is to help you develop your talent and make great things with this program called Illustrator. I will show you how to use the tools.. and how you use them afterwards is entirely up to you.

Now, I want to share some examples of Illustrator projects I did in the past. Remember when I said to never thrown anything away? heh heh... The following images are Illustrator projects I did while I was in college back in 2006-2008. And remember, you can only get out of it what you put into it... listen and learn... take notes, practice over and over again... repeat steps over and over, time and time again, until you find that which makes your artwork pleasing to yourself first.

Once again, remember, these illustrations were done during my time as a student at Nossi... repetition is a good thing.

Anything is possible if you set your mind up for success. And that can only happen if you are passionate about what you do. Remember, nobody is forcing you to study graphic design; that was your choice. So... make this decision the best one you have ever made.

See you guys in a couple of weeks... study the Illustrator Tools and their shortcuts... and if you have time (which I am sure you will), practice what we covered in class on May 19th. There are plenty of
Open Source Illustrator Programs that are similar to Adobe Illustrator that you can use to practice. So feel free to check them out.

See you guys in a couple of weeks.

Practice makes perfect.

Wax On... Wax Off.

Later!

On A Side Note...

When it comes to finding the absolute right photo for a project, it take a lot, and I mean a LOT of digging through files, web pages and references to find that which fits your project perfectly.

It has to be an image that reflects that which represents your vision perfectly, and sometimes if the image you are looking for is impossible to find, you need to plan and schedule a photo shoot in order to complete your vision... and believe me, it is not an easy task.

But is it impossible? Heck no. It just takes time and effort... dedication to your craft.

BUT.. when in a time crunch you have no option but to use stock photography, and that can be a blessing or a hindrance, so be sure you take the time necessary to find that which represents your creation perfectly.

Don't settle for less than perfection in your creation. In the end you need to remember... your name will travel with the piece you create.

Make it worth a damn.

Be proud of what you design and say 'Yup, I did that...', then sit back and smile as you hear people offer their praises.

It's what every designer wants... to hear people say 'Wow that is awesome!'

No better feeling in the designers mind, believe me. It's not always about the monetary compensation... it's mostly about evoking the emotion you wish to achieve which separates a good design from a great design.


Been there. Done that. And I am still learning.

After Day 1

Ok,

So let's do a recap of what happened today.

14.

Yes, that is the number of students in my class. All ages and walks of life, and it was awesome to meet them all. So, what did I do? I stood up there, did my thing and talked the talk as well as walk the walk.

And what was today's first class purpose?

To get to know each other and to get to know a tiny bit of what Illustrator is about by just pushing a few buttons and doing a few design tricks... just to show the versatility in a few of the basic tools used to create vector art.

We briefly touched base on the difference between vector art and bitmap art... key word 'briefly'. The first day of class should always be to get a feel for everyone who is there, show a few things, but mostly get to know one another, and by what I could see and hear, everyone in my class is eager to learn how to use this program, which is gonna be awesome to teach. But today was a very relaxed atmosphere, no big words, no technical terms... just pushing buttons, repeating a few commands and voila... yay for Illustrator.

It reverts back to what I discussed on my first post... desire and inspiration.

So what is next? Well... the actual classes to be exact. Now it came to my surprise that this course does not call for a textbook, which my students quickly brought up as I asked if they had their textbooks... so hmm... what is to be done? Well, there are plenty of online resources that cane be of help. For example You can download the Adobe Illustrator CS6: The Professional Portfolio eBook and the Student Resource Files that accompany the text... or you can get the most updated Adobe Illustrator CC: The Professional Portfolio eBook. Now, none of these are free downloads, nor am I expecting anyone to purchase a hard copy of the book, BUT, this can be extremely helpful when wanting to study at home.

So what will be happening next week? We will be focusing on creating basic artworks. So here is what will be covered... the Tool Panel and another thing that will be helpful is knowing about keyboard Shortcuts.

Hope these items come in handy. Save these links because they will be used quite a bit...


See you next week.

First Day of Class

It is one of those mornings where the day starts off with the feeling of anticipation; a tad bit of excitement if you will... but I will keep this post short this morning.

Today is the first day of classes at The Nossi College of Art and plenty of things can happen today. People will be walking through the doors at the college with the hopes of learning something and the instructors will be waiting in their classrooms with the hopes of being understood and not looked at with odd stares. Heh heh... yes it is good to have a sense of humor.I am looking forward to meeting my students and starting this day in a positive way.

In the meantime, feel free to check out my Online Portfolio built on a site called CarbonMade. A great tool for designers who are looking for a fast, user friendly interface to showcase their work, plus a basic online portfolio via this site is free.

Ok, enough for now... Have yourselves a great day.

Welcome

To all of you who decided to click the link to this blog, I bid you welcome. This is a brand new blog as I am starting a brand new chapter in my life. Yes, I have had plenty of successful blogs before, but with a change in the times, comes new anecdotes to share. Yes, I am starting a fresh blog with the purpose of sharing experiences in this chapter of my life. But with every beginning comes a story behind it, so shall we proceed?

I am a graphic designer, and I have been working professionally in this field for a little over 6 years, however I have been working with design ever since I was 17. Now... my first actual experience in the design world was at the age of 13 at a small screen printing shop in the town of Ponce, Puerto Rico… where I made $2.50 an hour. Yes, I would wake up every morning at around 6 and hop on public transportation and take the ride 20 miles away to go to work with my brother, who was the administrator of the place. Those were good times…

Let’s fast forward a bit. Now, I work as a Graphic Designer for the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corporation in Nashville, TN. I have been here for almost 4 years and I obtained this job shortly after graduating from the Nossi College of Art. Let’s see… I graduated in April 2010, and had employment with the NCVC in September of the same year. I also work as a Freelance Graphic Designer for Hi5 Creative, another Nashville based design entity. And last but not least, I am also an Instructor at my former college, The Nossi College of Art, where I teach Adobe Illustrator.

Out of these three jobs I would have to say that the one I was most passionate about obtaining in my early years as a designer was the opportunity to teach. So let me share a bit of the recent history of how I got to where I am today…

I remember voicing my interest and desires to become a teacher early in my 2nd semester while in college, and I recall my instructor pulled me aside and told me to ‘switch colleges ASAP’ because I was in the wrong college to pursue my dream in teaching… I thought that was rather odd because I really liked where I was; being that the classes were intimate, the student groups were small and I felt there was more potential for individual help when needed. Plus, I had a new child in my life and the college I was currently at was close to home for me and I did not want to have to expand my commute.

So I stayed put and gave it my all. I studied, I collaborated with classmates, I sought help when I needed it from my instructors and I kept my head down in concentration to do what I had to do to be the best I could be. I can assure you that it was not a walk in the park because life has it’s challenges and we have to adapt. So for my four year tenure at the college I did the best I could, and my classmates referred to me as 'the overachiever'. That was pretty funny, but I was determined to be the best I could be, not to outshine anyone else, but to satisfy myself and my abilities.

And with that I achieved a few accolades..to include two Most Creative Awards, the Perseverance Award, the Talent Discovery Award and Best in Show in 2010. I also received a Silvery Addy in Non-Traditional Advertising.

I had my first 'Spotlight' in the newsletter EDGE from Nossi when I achieved my Associates Degree.

Two years later I graduated Magna Cum Laude in April 2010 with my Bachelors Degree, and I had my Alumni Spotlight...

My classes were educational of course, but that can only happen with two things… an instructor that teaches you what you need to know and an open mind in the student who really has the desire to learn. Pretty simple, right?

Of course it is… and that is what brings me to my 'pondering point'...

Why is it that there are not more successful graduates working in the field? Especially if they were studying their chosen career path, taking advantage of the financial aid and spending their days inside classrooms in order to achieve their dream of working in this field?

It’s all about the desire and the inspiration…

The student has the desire to achieve something… so they enroll in college for it.
The instructor offers their knowledge, thus bringing about the inspiration… to maintain the students interest in their chosen field. In my opinion, that is how it should work.

Now, I can spend countless hours typing away and sharing views or whatever about how some situations can cause  either the desire or the inspiration to get lost. But I won’t, and I will summarize it with one sentence…

"Everyone lives their own life and is responsible for the choices they make."

If I am not mistaken, no one has twisted a students arm and told them that they will study a certain career path. And I know for a fact that no one is going to study what they have no interest in. And with that being said, I know that individuals who have been given the opportunity to teach will not be spending their time keeping their students down and not showing them how to achieve success. It is, obviously, a team effort… played by two individuals.

So, with that being said...What is my role to play in this 'team effort'? Plain and simple.

I want to see my students succeed, and I want to be instrumental in their success by sharing my experiences and knowledge. But that can only happen if the student has the desire to learn. That will help me become the best instructor I can be, by inspiring them and keeping their desires for success alive.

Sounds like a win-win situation to me.


So, let’s get this party started, shall we?

Thanks for stopping by.