Last student blog entry :( May 6, 2011
Posted by Christine in art, Class, festive, interesting, Random, Uncategorized.Tags: contact, freelance illustration, good bye student blogging!, graduation, illustration prints, murals, new illustrator, original illustration, portfolio, prints for sale
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And now my final post as a usf work-study student. Tomorrow is graduation and I will (officially) be a usf alum in…twenty one hours(ish). It’s been a pretty good time, and I’ve learned a lot, and met all kinds of great people which makes it kind of hard to leave. Today me and Sarah made fun of Rodney for the last time (officially). I ate my last breakfast of reconstituted egg product (officially, hopefully), and this is my last student blog entry (officially). But the good part about it all is that I get to make room in my life for new things.
This Sunday I will be sleeping and waking up a few times to shower my mom with praise and presents. After that I’m going to look for a part-time job (any ole thing’ll go). The rest of the time will be spent turning myself into a small business so I can start freelancing, making murals, and writing. If everything goes well I’ll be able to start supporting myself with just these things! I already have a few contacts from people I know and word of mouth. To stay on top of work I am going to fill out personal time sheets and will not work less than eight hours a day five days a week.
It’s been a pretty interesting year and for anyone who reads it’s been great sharing with you. I would say goodbye for good but Kristen tells me I can keep blogging for fun whenever I want and I might fill you in on anything new or especially interesting if it comes to mind. In the mean time here is a link to my:
PORTFOLIO: http://christineannecalhoun.wordpress.com/
and just in case you want to contact me you can EMAIL ME at: christineannecalhoun@gmail.com
If you see anything you like I’m available for commission and would love any illustration job you can throw at me. I’m trying to make it as a professional now so while my rates are going to be reasonable I can’t do everything for free anymore (girls gotta eat). That doesn’t mean I will never do pro bono work though. Anyway, thanks for reading.
Christine
p.s. By the way, anything you see in my portfolio is available for purchase as a print for fifteen dollars a pop. This includes any of the illustrations in my senior project which you can see if you follow this link:
http://www.blurb.com/books/2135085
The book will also be available to purchase in hardback soon. If you want an original prices vary but like I said I’m super reasonable 😉 Just email me if you are interested.
Ha, ha May 2, 2011
Posted by Christine in Random.add a comment
A link to generate love letters. Pretty rich.
A book a week: Senior Project May 2, 2011
Posted by Christine in a book a week, art, Class, interesting, Random.Tags: blurb.com, original illustration, poetry book, self publishing, senior project, writhe crackle and stir
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front cover of my self-published poetry book
Go to http://www.blurb.com/books/2135085 to see a preview of the inside.
I’ve mentioned a few times that I’m making a book for my senior project. Well, it’s all put together now and in the system. Since they don’t do perfect binding or hardback printing in town I had to send my file to a book making website. Most of these sites are for personal/professional photography and trade sized books. The site I used had a lot of options for size and covers and paper stock. Mine is a an 8 inch by 10 inch image wrap, that means it’s a hard back cover without a jacket, and the cover art is printed directly on the front.
There are twelve original poems on the inside paired with images that I made for my senior project class and for part of my illustration classes. Now all I have to do is wait for it to get shipped to me and we’re in business. Speaking of business, there is another cool thing about sites like this. Most of them allow you to sell your books on their site. You set your price and how you want to get paid and wa-la your book is out their in the world available to potential buyers. You only have to order one copy for yourself (at least on this site), and then you’re good to go. Once I get paypal figured out I’m going to do this myself so if you want to order a copy just follow the link. I won’t mind if you don’t though since its going to be about 36 bucks a copy plus shipping. (Because I did a hard cover image wrap it was not exactly cheap to print).
All in all it’s been a pretty cool senior project and I got to learn about self publishing via the interwebs. Cool
Books! April 18, 2011
Posted by Christine in a book a week, interesting, Random.Tags: books, cover art
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Last week I realized I’ve been working so intensely, and for so long, that I was going into maniac mode. I figured out that some of the stress had to do with the fact I would go to bed without reading anything before bed, which wasn’t good because this is usually how I de-stress. Everyone has something like that. What’s yours? Feel free to comment below.
So I took the time and went to the library and I am infinitely happier and more at ease. So I thought I’d take the time to bore you with my recent selections. Feel free to accuse me of judging books by their covers. I LOVE jacket design, I can’t help it! Anyways, I think I got some goodies:
Literature’s Most Wanted (shameless plug!) April 18, 2011
Posted by Christine in Class, interesting, Random.Tags: creative writing, literature, literature's most wanted, poems, short stories
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guess who I am
I think I mentioned this a few times before in previous post, but my creative writing class has to get together and do a “public creative event” and advertise it to the school. We spent the last fifteen minutes or so in class for the past few weeks figuring out how we wanted to fanaggle a little blog for your reading pleasure. And finally here it is, Saint Francis’s creative writing class all together and giving you sweet, sweet literature at our shiny new blog. We don’t have everyone’s stuff up yet, but pretty soon we will and you can read at your leisure; poems, stories, whatever you fancy.
If you haven’t guessed yet, it’s a group mug shot we’ve got going here. I put it together in Photoshop a few days ago which was pretty fun considering how photogenic all of my classmates are. We even have Dr. Prall in there!
Portfolio Review Day April 18, 2011
Posted by Christine in art, Class, Random.Tags: portfolio review day
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poster/ illustration by Mikey Burton
This Thursday we had an (annual?) lecture/lunch/portfolio review at the Rolland art building. The speaker was a guy named Mikey Burton who had a lot of amazing work to show us. He had a great sketchbook and roughs to show us which was nice because you could see all the cognitive work that goes into illustration and design before a project is finally started. Also he likes beards, and bears (just thought you might like to know). Check out his stuff here: http://www.mikeyburton.com/
After that we went downstairs and laid out all our best work to be reviewed and critiqued by local art directors, Mikey came too to look at our things which was pretty cool. It was scary getting everything together and going in front of all these head honchos but it was helpful and definitely worth it. I’ve been reading up on freelance illustration and it’s sort of a dream to get all those art directors at once looking at your work. They gave me a lot of good ideas about how to present my work like taking pictures of where and how it would be used. Also taking a business class or two, and even experimenting with making my own hand drawn typefaces more often. So definitely if you come to Saint Francis or are going here for graphic arts/communication come to the portfolio review in the spring your junior and senior years. It IS worth it.
I am Going to Freelance! April 9, 2011
Posted by Christine in art, interesting, Random.Tags: freelance illustration, getting started
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self-portrait in prisma color
So when I finally graduate (in 29 days!), I am going to be a freelance illustrator. And I am going to have so much more to do, but it’s going to be everything, and I mean everything, I love to do. Here are a list of things I want to do as soon as I get out, and some of them even while I’m still in school to get a good jump on them.
1. First of all I am going to get a portfolio website going which is a small site where you present your work to the public and potential clients. Since I have all these connections at Saint Francis, I’ve already approached a few students that can do this for me. The friend that’s going to help me out already has some real-life experience and seems very efficient and good at what she does. It costs a good chunk to pay someone to do it for you, but I am going to get a discount since I am executing the design aspect of the site.
2. Go to my portfolio review! One of the great things about Saint Francis is that they give you all sorts of opportunities to network and get out into the real world. Next Thursday we are having a portfolio review where all sorts of local art directors come and review our portfolios! Having art directors look at your work is really hard sometimes, even when you get out of college, but next Thursday all I have to do is show up! I don’t have to annoy them for months just so that they’ll talk to me or anything like that! Yes!
3. Then I have to contact, contact, contact everyone– art directors and agencies everywhere–so that they might let me show them my work and credentials, ask for portfolio reviews and so on. I also need to start sending monthly postcards with a nice new sexy image that I’ve been working on, and all my contact info on the back in case they decide they want to look at my portfolio online or (miracle of miracles!) hire me for a project.
4. Leave posters, fliers and ads anywhere I can to pick up smaller local jobs so I can build up professional work for my portfolio, where real business comes into play (that means money!) even if it is just small assignments.
5. Research every single illustrator that I am in love with, and keep current with the commercial world. This would mean getting some good books about the business of freelance illustration (which I’ve already started sampling on Amazon) and subscribing to a few monthly publications, and researching potential clients that use styles like mine. One of these research projects I’ve made for myself includes going to Barnes and Noble and perusing books and finding publishers that might like my work or that publish things that I like. http://www.amazon.com/Inside-Business-Illustration-Steven-Heller/dp/1581153864/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1301020417&sr=8-4#reader_1581153864
6. Be practical and keep it real. I have been warned by illustrators, books by illustrators, and pretty much everyone that breaking into the business can be a struggle and usually takes a couple of years to get a good bunch of clients going. The dream is that eventually I will be able to support myself financially just by doing illustrations for people!
7. Side projects. I want to be a pretty well-rounded little illustrator, so I also want to keep self- publishing (like the poetry book I’m working on now). I am also working on a novella at the moment that I would like to turn into a novel. I have also done a couple of murals (at my highschool and at my father’s business) in my life and would love to get some projects going there to make some money. Tag art is also another way to pick up some money going things like caricatures, illustrations, murals, face painting and things like that. I’m not sure exactly how they operate but I heard they have jobs available at fairs and gatherings. http://www.tagartcompany.com/about/
8. Make some money! Since there is no way the money is going to roll into my bank account immediately, I need to get a part time job going to help support myself and pay for the things I am definitely going to need in the years ahead like a really good scanner to scan my art in with, an internet connection and a monthly phone plan so that clients can get in touch with me. I can keep current on my website (and blog), and send images to clients with emails. This is not really going to work if I have to take a trip to a coffee shop or the library every time I need to check my email. Also, ART SUPPLIES, while wonderful and delicious in every way are expensive. I’m not talking a pack of crayola markers, I mean real, professional tools of the trade–archival paper, prisma color pencils, watercolor markers, whatever it takes to make things look professional and perfect and awesome in every way.
Student Show NIIIIIGHT! April 9, 2011
Posted by Christine in art, Class, Fort Wayne.Tags: hypnosis, rolland art gallery, student show night
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I advertised this earlier but TONIGHT is student show. My very last one. If you want to come it’s at
6-7:30 in the Rolland art building and the awards ceremony if from 7:30-9 at North Campus.
It is usually packed at Rolland but it’s a good time with food and all the good and best art we’ve been working on all year long. So come come come, please! DO IT! That’s it, you know you want to….
Craft Night April 9, 2011
Posted by Christine in interesting, Random.Tags: paper mache, residential life
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If you live on campus in a dorm like Bonzel you are bound to be faced with the prospect of themed evenings and events. Last Tuesday was craft night. This craft project was paper mache. Indeedy. We used all kinds of plastic bottles for the base. I used a dish detergent bottle and the top and bottom of a water bottle. I wanted to make a lady in a sexy dress but since the only colors I had were blue and yellow for the hair and skin she started to look like Marge Simpson so I went with it and there you have it.
Sooo busy (my life as a checklist) April 2, 2011
Posted by Christine in art, Class, Random.Tags: checklists, creative writing, portfolio, student show
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I have never been busier than I am this last semester of my senior year. Next week I have to get two illustrations done, my book designed, put my portfolio together, my logos printed, prepare for and interview, and build up a portfolio website in flash. Oh, and resize the billboard I made for the adfed project. And write four more single spaced pages of fiction which is about the equivalent length of an eight page research paper.
Today is the day to hang the student show. I went in earlier and got that done. Check. Seniors get the Weatherhead gallery which is the biggest one and you get a bunch of space and get to hang it on your own to make sure it looks nice and is spaced properly. I got six of my images in and they all look pretty good with white floating frames. That was another big check for this week. I spent pretty much all Monday and Wednesday and then Thursday night making them in our wood shop (which, if you’ve never used it, is exquisite).
Today I am devoting to the last section of my story for my advanced creative writing class. Since we turn in four times as much fiction as in the first class we are allowed to make bigger works, or smaller works, or any works in between. The main goal is to teach us about fiction and get us into a writing habit so we can be writers instead of just have a story we wrote one time for some class in college. My work specifically is longer and will reach the minimum for a novella by the time I’m done with it. And this might be a bit premature, but I have plans to make the story for this class part one to an even larger–get ready for it–novel.
My class is also going to be putting up a blog that fulfills the “public creative event” requirement of the class. I will definitely post a link or make a link to it through this blog when we have it up. We are pretty much just putting up stuff we are proud of or things we’ve written for class. We thought it would be a good way to keep in touch after class too and share what we have with each other and get feedback. We can also see everyone’s revised editions at the end of term instead of just the works in progress.
Huff! Now that that’s been said I’m off to get more things done on my extensive check list. Here we go.
Christine's USF Blog 
