Progress and how it's probably not spring yet

I'm in town today, waiting for a meeting with my client-through-Design-Studio at four...so I have about 5 more hours to hang around.  "Hang around" will actually = tackle more  of my monumental mountain of homework and projects soon, but as I am still waiting for the caffeine to kick in enough for my brain to function at it's peak, I thought I'd drop a little status update journal.  

I have actually been making some progress with my homework and getting most of it done, with the help of my to-do list of doom.  

My extra projects are coming along fairly well, too....I struggled horribly with the third spread in my book (first of the two images below), and it took way longer than it should have before I reached a point where I was...grudgingly accepting of it, though still not HAPPY, per say.  Especially with as much I like the page preceding it, it feels like a step down.  If I have time at a later date (see: post graduation) I hope to go back and fix it, but for now it will just have to do.  However, on Tuesday, after fighting with that page for three-and-a-half days, I finally got it "finished" AND did the line art and base colors for the next two pages and completely finished one of those two (second of the two images).  Hopefully I will get the second done tonight, and a third this weekend (I'm aiming for 3 per week, which is a LOT.) 

(I think the second bear looks a little too eye-lash-y.  I'll have to fix that.)

The sketches for the Gay and Lesbian Community Center that I posted in an earlier journal seem like they are really likely to fit the bill for what the center wants...which I should be finding out in my meeting later today.  I have nearly finished the cleaned-up line art on one of the two and hopefully will have something good to show them today.  

*Edit-->make that two of the two...look how cute and romantic:

...yeah, I have an assignment that is basically drawing cute yaoi and yuri.  AWESOME.

 Also, my portfolio arrived yesterday and the laser etching looks lovely, and I ordered my business cards last night.  On Saturday I plan on going down to Commonwealth Press and placing the order for my screen printed t-shirts.  At some time in the next few days I will order my very own shiny new copy of CS5. 

And our AT&T contract finally expired, so yesterday I joined the 21st century and got a smart phone.  I can now go on the interwebs from anywhere (though I really don't like the mobile facebook interface) and take pictures and play bejeweled on my phone.  And text, which was not covered under my old plan and drove a few of my friends crazy.  Yeah...I'm joining the 2002 part of the 21st century.  I get that.  

The weather has been relativly warm this past few days (and I don't mean warm for winter in PA, thus, 25 degrees...it is almost 60 today!) and the sheet of ice that is our driveway is finally melting.  Though I love winter, I am kind of hoping it is over and that spring is starting early, and that when my mom comes out for my graduation next month, she will be greeted by sprouts and blooms and greenery of full spring, rather than the soggy dead brownness of early spring....but as this is Pennsylvania, I know that snow is entirely possible until Easter.  I have only lived here 4 years or so and I have seen snow on Easter.  So I expect that any day, a cold front will blow in and freeze us all over again.  At least the driveway will get a chance to melt first.  

The mountain of homework beckons, and I'm out of things to write about, except how I fervently hope that some day I figure out how to end pieces of writing gracefully.  Not like this.  

Stuff to be excited about

Today is Friday of week five, which means, five more weeks to go.  

I still have a lot to do, but I have been sticking pretty well to the lists and goals I am setting myself, and am making, if not headway, at least...stay-stillway:  

I have the first two spreads/four pages of the book I'm re-illustrating finished.  

I submitted a design I did to the latest AIGA contest, "Context". 

I have a very exciting informational interview planned with awesome Pittsburgh illustrator Rhonda Libbey for this coming Monday, and have been invited to drop by the Pittsburgh Society of Illustrators meetings -- which I sadly won't be able to do this month, but hopefully in March or April.  

And I am even mostly keeping up with my schoolwork -- a fact that amazes me.  

All the same, regardless of how much work I get done (unless I utterly flail for the next five weeks) I'm going to be happy when the end of March rolls around.  

I think I want to go to The Melting Pot to celebrate my success.  Dipping stuff in other stuff that is melted sounds like a good way to do so.  

Something about inertia and drag...

...has got to explain my current level of motivation.  I have my to-do list in site of my seat, and though it is full of stuff, it isn't too totally daunting.  It's doable.  In fact, I already did one thing on it today.  One of the more time-consuming things.  

And after expending all that energy, I feel done like something that is a clever euphamism about cooked food.  I already DID homework.  I don't WANT to do more.  

Sadly, what I really want to do is clean my house.  It is so dirty that I'm kind of embarassed to be sitting in it.  And, were this any other quarter, I would make an executive decision and set my homework aside for the day and try to find out whether there is a dead mouse under the sofa again or if I just REALLY need to shower...but right now, I have a strictly laid-out schedule that has no room for foolish things like 'hygene' or 'dishes'.  I like to think that if I just got on the ball and busted out stuff on the list for today I would have time to clean at least a little after, but I know this stuff always takes longer than I expect it to.  

I keep trying to kickstart myself mentally, thinking "3...2...1...AND GO!"...but it doesn't really work.  I feel like a lawnmower after that little rubber button thingy is pushed too many times and it floods or chokes or whatever, and you give the cord a mighty yank that dislocates your shoulder, and the engine turns over...twice...veeeeerrrrryyyy sssslowwwlllyyyy, and then sputters to a stop.  

I think, perhaps a few minutes spent with a trashy novel, a cup of tea and  a clove may help.  

just add water

Today has been a busy day.  

I had my exit interview, during which my counselor and I discussed my employment prospects and I got excited about the future. 

Then I went to Design Studio an acquired three new tasks to add to my to-do list during a client meeting and another one during the tail end of class. 

I had my financial aid exit interview, during which my counselor and I discussed how much money I now owe, and I got less excited about my future.  On the other hand, I became much more motivated to get a job and to really promote myself.  

I approved the layout for the laser etching on my portfolio case. 

I plan to spend the rest of the evening getting my submission for AIGA ready and working on the first two pages of the illustrated 'children's book' I need to have finished within five weeks.  I think if I can have 2 spreads (four pages) per week done, I might just make it.  

Every time I think I'm on track and should be okay so long as I stick to my schedule...I scroll down my to-do list and find something I have forgotten about.  

Today is cold and dreary and damp...the chill is seeping into my fingers, so now I'm going inside.  

What I'm working on right now

Today I took photos (with proper lighting and everything) of some of my more three-dimensional design pieces:

Also, I'm working on some rough concepts for the Pittsburgh Gay and Lesbian Community Center.  I like these ones particularly:

I really hope I get to develop these further, 'cause I think they're kind of adorable.  

And now, back to homework and The Daily Show. 

*And an outtake, where my cat attempted to help: