Honing the Portfolio

Eek! It’s been almost a month since my last post. Time operates so differently when you’re in University. I certainly miss that bubble of time I had to work all on my personal projects while I was freelancing this past year. There are a few assignments though, particularly in my illustration course that I’m so excited to work on so I can have them as new gems in my portfolio.

September zoomed by and I have a handful of new portfolio pieces, from school assignments and from client work to show for it. I’ll post a new completed project every day for the next few days. This project is called Whyte Bull. It’s based on a Greek Myth about the origin of the Minotaur. The drawings are meant to show points in the story but not tell the full story, so the imagery may be a tad confusing without existing knowledge of the myth.



Let me know what you think, click to enlarge any pieces.

June 23, 2003

June 23rd 2003 was not an especially important day. It was however the last day of the school year so friend, Emily Davidson (the mastermind behind Make Work Design) and I decided to commemorate the occasion with a trip to a photobooth in downtown Edmonton. Years later, we are still commemorating it. You see, though I’d visited photobooths a few times before this, these photos inspired me to start my collection and start my quest for photobooth related knowledge.


The following year Emily and I realized the role these pictures had in my collection (which back then was maybe 75 single photos), we decided it would be fun to try to re-take them. So, on June 23rd 2004 we awkwardly struck the same poses in the same booth.


In 2005 Emily moved to Halifax and I moved to Calgary. We started taking our June 23rd photos in December when we both were home for winter break. There have been a few anniversaries when our lives didn’t intersect and we took the photos separately and then sent the other person’s half in the mail.


And as the story goes, at the start of 2011 I moved to Halifax, where Emily still lives. And so, our high school spirits continue to be memorialized.


The photos here are my half of the June 23rd series, Emily’s half are of us as enacting a scene from a horror film and us with big smiles.

Writing Right: Wrapping Up

Well, learning to become ambidextrous over the last seven months certainly has been a tiny adventure. I definitely have more control over my right hand than I used to and I have a lot more confidence using it for everyday tasks. Notably, there have been a few occasions when my left hand has cramped up after hours of illustrating digitally (tablet pens are not very ergonomic) and I have been able to switch to my right hand for simpler parts of the drawing.

Here’s the link to this month’s Ambidextrous Drawing Lesson video. As school will be starting soon this will be the last of the Writing Right project for the time being … However, a few weeks ago I received an email from a filmmaker who is interested in making a professional ambidextrous training video with me. With school, I’m too busy to take on this endeavour now but we’re going to visit the idea again in the spring to see if production will be possible in the summer. I bet it would be a hoot!

Chemistry, Biology and Life Sciences

In keeping with my Garden State project, I made a sailor inspired shirt last week and attempted to photobooth wearing it. (Yes, I do use the word “photobooth” as a verb.) The first booth I visited is in the Halifax Shopping Centre, it is often out of order and has produced both incredible and horrible photos for me in the last 8 months. Unfortunately it was an off day for the booth and my photos came out overexposed and splotchy.

I re-took my photos yesterday at a different booth (in Scotia Square) and was delighted with how they turned out. Despite being oddly teal, the images are sharp. This makes me wonder about wet chemical photobooths and what makes them vary this drastically. Both of these booths are a model 17 and are serviced by the same person. There’s still a lot I don’t know about photobooth chemistry but I’m intrigued to learn more as I do plan on buying my own within the next decade… as soon as that jar of pennies labelled “photobooth” reaches 500,000 coins.

This week I also put together my first little terrarium. This was a low-risk endeavour because I used an open container and only one plant species. I don’t have much of a green thumb but I do daydream about making a large enclosed terrarium filled with orchards. I obviously still have a thing or two to learn, as my cactus seems to be exasperated in its humid bubble in my humid bedroom in this humid city. Sorry new cactus friend.

Last month I didn’t record an ambidextrous drawing video because I simply didn’t practice enough for there to be improvements from the latest video. This month I’m happy to report that I’ve been practicing and hope the August video will be epic. It will also be my last video for the Writing Right project for a while.

Autumn is going to bring a whole lot of thrilling change! I’ve decided to do a one year Post-Baccalaureate program in Graphic Design at the Nova Scotia College of Art + Design University. It will certainly be a bit of an adjustment to be a student again but I’m really keen to learn and build up my portfolio. Currently I’ve got four illustration/design commissions on the go that I’m trying to finish before I delve into school assignments in just 2 ½ weeks. Wish me luck and stay posted for the many updates to come!

Passport Photos

In the springtime a friend and fellow photobooth lover, Marco from Northern Italy, sent me three strips taken in his own booth. (His original photos are below.) He sent them without instructions but with an understanding that he’d get something back. I like the idea of sending these once upon a time passport photos across international borders for bit of a cultural exchange.

It wasn’t until a few weeks ago that I came up with this idea which allowed us to each have a few of our own and a few of the other’s pictures.

Speaking of sending photobooth mail, my Photobooth Drawing Swap is still in full swing. Over the last six months I’ve gained a few trustworthy penpals who I’ve been swapping drawings for pictures with on a regular basis and had the occasional exciting one time exchange. Email me if you want to get some art in the mail!

Summer of Crafts & Kids

In a few days time I’ll have completed my 4400km journey from the Eastern Coast to the very middle of Canada. Yes, I’m going to Northern Saskatchewan. Why? Because, my nieces, nephew, eldest sister and her pregnant belly (who all live on the exact opposite side of the world from me) are making the 12,500km trip, so the least I could do is to meet them there.

Playing the role of Aunty Meags is a pretty great gig. I get to spend all my time reading out loud, making crafts, and for one week I will scarcely check my email inbox and not feel bad about it.

Each time I see the kids I come up with some handmade gifts and some craft ideas we can make together. The girls love playing dress-up so I made each of the kids (including the one yet to be born) a gender neutral mask of a Canadian animal.

In the last month I’ve also rekindled an old favourite past time that I’m excited to pass on to my nieces and nephew. With a dedicated friend in Halifax I’ve relearnt how to play Cat’s Cradle! If I search back far enough into my memory I think I may have learnt this classic game at my grandparent’s cabin on this lake in Northern Saskatchewan and I’m happy to pass the tradition on.

A Garden State of Mind

Many readers will recognize this film still from the iconic scene in the 2004 film, Garden State. Zach Braff’s character is trying on a shirt his aunt made with the material left over after she upholstered her bathroom walls.


In a blog post from mid-June I mentioned some summery and floral prints I bought to make a few items out of. Inspired by this scene in Garden State and the general joy of summer, I used the left over material from the shirts I made as backgrounds in some photobooth strips.


I plan to make a few more shirts and dresses in August and continue with this photobooth series.

Writing Right: Five Months In

In June my ambidextrous lessons took the backseat while more important projects (ie. paid work) took priority. I scarcely practiced for about the first three weeks of June. Last week, in a panic I tried to get in enough practice time so that there would be noticeable improvement in this month’s Ambidextrous Drawing Lesson video. One of my strategies was to draw an X on my left hand in the morning, to serve as a visual reminder to sometimes let my right hand dominate. It really worked, despite the few odd looks I got in public.

This month I made two videos! First, the expected Ambidextrous Drawing Lesson #6, I’ll let you be the judge as to whether or not I have improved. And second, a wee video called Ambidextrous Advancements, compiling the last six drawings so the progress can be seen all in one place.

View all the videos here on vimeo!