art – Holly Whittlef

February 26, 2014 — Comments are off for this post.

FOXY

Well helllllooooo! I wanted to start this post with an obnoxious come-on, since it seems phrases using the word "foxy" are ubiquitous when it comes to the Internet. Did you know "foxy shazam" is a thing? I had no idea the wonders of the world wide web could bring me such knowledge.

Anyways...

Last semester, one of the toughest classes I took was Illustration. I am not a born illustrator, so taking an entire class that forced my hand into drawing honestly left me feeling a lot of rage as I struggled to make my work look passable. However, I had a really great teacher who assigned us projects that incorporated illustration in a variety of mediums. One of those mediums was linocut, which refers to the printmaking process of carving out a linoleum block and inking the surface to create a relief print.

Essentially, here's how my fox went down: first, I drew a sketch. Then I traced over it with black marker and transferred the inked sketch onto a linoleum block. Next, I carefully carved out the areaa I didn't want to show up with a Speedball, drank a beer, said a prayer and inked up the linoleum block with letterpress ink. To finish, I used a proofing press to transfer it to paper.

And voila! Classy monocled foxes!

Here are my actual prints fresh off the press in shades of both black + green. If you are interested in buying one, email me at hollyawhittlef@gmail.com. I still have a few left and am also happy to print these sophisticated, cricket-loving foxies in whatever color(s) your heart desires.

Published by Holly Whittlef in art, Design

March 29, 2013 — Comments are off for this post.

ED RUSCHA: On the Road

In doing research for a school poster project, I came upon the work of Ed Ruscha. He's a conceptual and quirky drawer / painter / photographer / designer extraordinaire. In this series of paintings, Ruscha conveys the hedonistic beliefs and bohemian ideals of the Beat Generation, who longed for meaning and happiness in post-WWII America. It makes perfect sense then that this line of posters is inspired by and uses quotes from one of my all-time favorite novels, "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac.

These paintings were made in the 1950s and are simple in design, yet complex in message. Made with acrylic paint on canvas and museum board paper, I admire Ruscha's use of clean typography set against both abstract and mountainous backgrounds. I would really, really like one of these blown up on my apartment walls (my faves are the first and fifth designs).

As I created my Ruscha-inspired poster for my Typographic Design Class, I tried to keep those same design principles while infusing the poster with my own design style. The final product will be revealed very soon (once I have time to reduce the size on the ginormous 22 x 35-inch file).

[images courtesy of here and here]

Published by Holly Whittlef in art, Inspiration

January 23, 2013 — Comments are off for this post.

THE GOLDEN RECTANGLE

When I made the decision to go back to school for graphic design, I was anxiously elated to dive headfirst into Adobe InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop. To make posters, brand companies and utilize all the programs I had come to think that graphic designers used exclusively to craft the visual designs that permeate our eyes on a daily basis. I was seriously disappointed...at first.

Nearly all semester, all three of my classes strayed away from the confines of the computer. Instead, we used our hands. We painted and inked. We swished watercolor paints into both large and small brushstrokes. We ventured outside and took pictures. We bought a lot of expensive paints and materials (quinoa, chives and stencils, to name a few). And we created art! Beautifully unique pieces of art utilizing the basics: line and shape. Because little did I realize just how closely connected art and design are, kind of like conjoined twins and mullets & European men.

It was the best thing for me.

It slowed me down and forced me to hone my basics, which I honestly have lost some of since finishing my last art classes in undergrad nearly six years ago (yikes! SIX years...I can't even).

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class Design Fundamentals
what The Golden Rectangle

01 to create a b/w composition using the principles of the Golden Rectangle
02 to explore both line and shape
03 final composition will be made on an 11 x 17-inch white mat board using black ink

There are things I learned from this project. One, working with black ink is hard. Two, I am really really indecisive. And three, whether or not I like my composition (and I do really like this one), if my mom wants to frame it and put up in my parent's house, that's when I know it's successful.

Published by Holly Whittlef in art, school