Joanna Meach: Rule #1: Don't be a Cop-out

Some of Roxanne Daner's Work

Fall break is almost here, and so will begin the end of the semester I've been looking forward to for a long, long time. This semester has represented my transformation from feeling like a kid in a design studio to feeling like a designer. I feel like my work is constantly improving, and I'm working my ass off trying to make it better. I'm trying new things and pushing my bounds. I'm ready to get into the nitty gritty of design so I can keep learning and keep improving.

One of the things I've been wanting to do for a while was learn how to use photoshop to incorporate my drawings {as seen here}, instead of having to make them in the computer (which was all I previously knew how to do). I just posted a project about designing a poster from an emerging designer and a historically relevant designer, and although I think it was going well, it wasn't challenging me to learn anything new. I knew the idea I had and what exactly I wanted the poster to look like, and it all just seemed so easy.

Writing a 5-6 page paper to me: easy
The concept of the poster I had: easy
The technicalities of the poster: easy

It all fell like a cop-out to me. It was all too easy. So me being me, I last minute changed my emerging designer! I went with Roxanne Daner, who is awesome.

For my poster I ended up illustrating her and her dog in her style as much as I could (mine obviously still shows through). I didn't know how good I would be at adding color in photoshop, since I had tried before and it didn't go so well. I ended up coloring everything but the backgrounds with copic markers and going back in the computer and adding the concrete floor and background in PS and text in illustrator. Honestly, the more I look at it the happier I am with it.

I don't feel like it was a cop-out at all, which was bringing down the other poster I was making a lot.