The Pursuit of Glee

I am a little ashamed that no new drawings or zines have been made, but I've finally created a website for the zine I had been working on. I do plan on continuing the project.
First, I need to sell some (as in.. dozens of) zine packs, stickers, and buttons. If I do sell some zines, then I'll continue with working on the 2nd issue. Otherwise, I'll just keep drawing and wait on making the next issue.

I'd like to ask you guys to spread the word for me. It'd also be pretty cool if you bought a zine pack. The pack comes with a zine (color of your choice), a mystery button, and some stickers. You can buy one straight from the site. Payments will be taken care of through paypal.com. It doesn't seem like you have to be a paypal-er to be able to make a purchase.

The Pursuit of Glee

Christmas is near!! Happy Holidays to everyone :)

p.s. The links page is no where near complete. So, if you've contributed and do not see a link to your site, it's nothing personal! They will be up soon...

Happy Holidays!



My flight leaves tomorrow and that inspired me to do a quick holiday greeting for everyone! Also, if anyone is going to be in the Baltimore area in early January and would be interested in a dinner-time (ish?) trip to Brewers send me or Judith an email and perhaps we can all work out the best date / time for everyone. I hope everyone has safe travels!

Oh, and here is another competition reminder!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
3 x 3 Magazine - Deadline March 14th



This may seem like a little early for a heads-up, but for a piece to qualify for 3x3's next competition all artwork has to have been created during 2008 (which is going by oh so fast at this point!) Single entries are $30 and series are $35 (both five dollars less if you are a member).

Happy Circles

Hello all!

So there have been some talks going around about a small class reunion for new year's eve or around that time, and I just wanted to get a feeling of who will/can be around Baltimore around that time! I know there is a good amount of you who are still in the Baltimore/ DC Area and we wanted to know how you felt about having a get together. I will be flying up to Maryland for a couple of weeks to spend time with my family and it'd be great if I could get to see some of you!

On those lines, there is a NEW poll, in an effort to get a feeling of what are people's plans for the holidays.

Also, some great news:

As most of you know, I 've been struggling to find freelance work down here (as most of us are). Thankfully, A few days ago I was able to make contact with the editors from Free Press Houston, a small, artsy alternative newspaper produced by young designers in the area. They really like my work and there's a good possibility I will be making work for them in the near future. I am very excited about this and I feel like this will be the opportunity I was needing to get my work out there. Hence, the happy circles...
(i just realized this works great as a pattern...hmmm)
Yay!

Hope every one is doing well, and let us know if you're able and willing to get together!

My First Published Book!

It was like Christmas for me, today. My previous client and author of the book, Tad Troilo, sent me a hardcover copy of our first book! I did 10 black & white, Quentin Blake-esque illustrations for the children's novel. My name was mistakenly left out of the title page and spine. I was pissed, but it'll be way too expensive to make the changes. We will not have this problem, next time. I'll make sure of it.

Tad also made it better by telling me that he's pushing the softcover copies rather than the hardcover copies. The softcover's cheaper, anyway :)

Still, it's nice to look at the always aesthetically appealing spine of a hardcover book:


Here's the cover (I had nothing to do with it... Tad had to wrestle with Xlibris because they kept screwing with the cover and making my name too small or sticking it in weird places; I swear they do these things on purpose to rip their clients off):

If any of you are interested (the holidays are near, after all~), then you can purchase a copy (go for the softcover ;) at:
Rosie Fights the Twisted Wind by Tad Troilo & Jennifer "Bagel" Han

A bit of warning.. the samples they provide on the site are shown at an awful resolution. We don't know why they did that, either. I'll be putting up some samples of my own when I get the time. I'll keep you updated!

Also, the book will be sold on Amazon.com. Once the link is up, I'll post about it!

Stay clear of the flu!

love
Bagel

M | I | C / A Art Market

There is a good chance that everyone received a friendly reminder email about this event, but just in case here is the flyer that was sent out! I'd also like to give a mini shout-out to Kelly Lasserre, who did the hand-lettering for this year. Happy Holiday shopping everyone!

C64 Porn

Of course there was porn for the Commodore 64...
Don't ask me how I found this because I really can't remember. I wish I could...

Here's another goodie:
http://www.artbistro.com/
I'm not that articulate, so you'll just have to go there and find out what it is. To start you off, it's one of those sign up, create portfolio, and make connections kind of thing. Reminded me of linkedin.com, but much more artist specific. Though you guys might be interested! I've signed up and have been receiving descent newsletters, but I haven't fully taken advantage of it yet.

it's a small world

I thought I would take this chance to reveal the new direction my work is taking. I have been developing this portfolio secretly since beginning of Senior thesis. Viola!
http://www.eamo.com.au/

Ok, ok, I digress. An Australian illustrator by the name of Eamon Donnelly (goes by Eamo) just contacted me. Here's a brief transcript of the conversation:
Eamo: "Hey, mate. My name's Eamon and I'm an illustrator. Your name's Eamonn and you're an illustrator. Crazy!"

Me: "Whoa." (suffers identity crisis)

I won't bore you with the details, but his work is super colorful, energetic, and inspiring. Check him out!

Finally Done!

Ok, so here's a quick jpeg of one of the sides of my new biz card design. the other side will have my website and my "logo". I was trying to go for an explosion of color, not a color riot. Hopefully, this is an explosion. In a good way.

On another note, more people have been added to our blog list (thanks to Jess who has been very helpful doing some blog research). Pleas let me know if your blog is still not up.

Also! There is a new poll out people! Regrets!
Hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving Day with family and friends.

HOW Poster Design Awards - Deadline Dec. 1st

I know a ton of people here enjoy poster design, so I thought I would post about this competition! HOW Magazine is hosting for the first time an online poster competition. The entry fee is only $25 per entry. You can submit any poster design that you created (whether for fun or formally published) between July 1, 2007 - December 1, 2008. HOW will select 10 winning entries to feature online and those winners will receive a one year subscription to HOW magazine and $150 worth of HOW books.

Click Here for more info OR Click Here to enter!

Hope everyone is doing well!

Check these out!

Also

An equal parts illustration/animation/design trio based on Chicago and New York, formed by RISD alumni. Check out their website, it's pretty amazing.

Julia Rothman

For the few of us that love surface design, I give you Julia Rothman.
She has created patterns for AE Outfitters and a bunch others. Some samples are even for sale in her website!

Charming Wall

Charming Wall is an online juried gallery that sells prints of young artists' work. You can browse their store or apply to sell your own prints.

Pattern +



I have been updating this personal site for a few weeks and thought I would share my progress!
Hmm...I guess for those reading that are unfamiliar with this, pattern + is an interactive project I started back in April. Everything was put on hold over the summer, but I promised to give the site a makeover and start up the designs again once fall rolled around. The idea behind the site is that I hand-generate a pattern based on submitted responses to a series of short questions. There is no set system, which I like. Basically, I read the answers and sketch out a pattern swatch as quickly as I can. The bulk content of the site is just a gallery of all the completed designs with their coordinating responses. Eventually I am hoping to take the designs to a different medium (be it a book, or products with the designs on them, posters, etc...)

So, check it out again or for the first time and feel free to take part if you like!

Nate Williams! and yet another blog...

People in Texas say "ya'll ".
I kinda hate it.

And in the spirit of the ya'll I would love for all of you to check out Nate Williams' work, which you probably already know about, because ya'll so smart and knowledgeable and the man is clearly awesome.

There's plenty of proof here, here and here , just in case.

Also, I give you:



My new blog! (yay, like i needed another one!)
It is about DIY projects I've come up with for my apartment. So if you're into that and would like to try some of the things, feel free!

Also, you are always welcome to post your own pictures (your apt, your dog, your sidewalk, ect...), recent artwork, artists or thoughts on life in general...

Have a great week everyone!

More Progress!

I've developed my business card design further and inked it. Now i need to resolve a small composition issue and it'll be ready for color.



Also, here's a pro bono project I finished today for a very dear friend of mine.
It is unusual for me to work only in black and white, but the piece needed to reproduce well through a photocopier.


I hope you all had a lovely week!

Congratulations America!

I just wanted to congratulate all of you for this big step America has taken electing Barack Obama as your next President. I was not able to vote because I am not a citizen, but I join your celebration towards a new age in United States History. Way to go!

New Biz Card Design

So I've been working on redesigning my business cards.
Here are some roughs I've been working on.
I'm leaning towards the elaborate pencil sketch (which will be in color), but i am not sold on all of the type just yet.
The idea is to have all the info on one side, and my logo on the other side, with my website information.
What do u guys think?

Hello! It's Toohey!

I have been meaning to fill this out for sometime now. Sorry this has taken me so long to do but I am finally doing it!


1.)What have you been doing post-graduation (art-wise or life-wise) and what are your plans for the next few months?

Well I moved to Chicago and started working part time for Steve Munro, an art rep out here, (http://www.munrocampagna.com/). I have been learning the tricks of the trade and getting some contacts that I have yet to use. I also recently started to work part time at Crate and Barrel, and if you have ever worked retail you know just how grand of a job it is. The next few months I am going to attempt to open my etsy shop and sell copies of my book because a lot of people have been bugging me about not having a copy. I have also been making lots of cute stationary but I haven’t posted most of it on my blog yet for some reason.

2.)Where have you moved to (be specific: ex."hampden") ? Are you happy/excited/frustrated/ disappointed by your new location? Is there something about this new place you wanna advertise, or warn us about? (Ex. great Tex-Mex food, bad public transportation)

I moved to Chicago and it is taking a while to grow on me but I am doing my best to get over its discrepancies. I would prefer to live New Orleans, but that will hopefully happen sooner rather than later. I live in Andersonville, really friendly cute neighborhood. Lots of cute shops. The great thing about living here is public transit is amazing! The locals complain about how expensive it is, which it is, BUT its all over the city! So for people like me who don’t have a car and work downtown the el is perfect. I am not that impressed with the food and the taxes are ridiculous (10.25%). It’s just starting to get really cold here but its not bad, yet.

3.)Is there something you have created since you graduated you would like to share? (it doesn't have to be an illustration)

I have FINALLY made some stationary and some things can be seen on my blog. (http://tooheyology.blogspot.com/) I just need to paint some lines onto some things and then post it. I am also working on illustrations of animal sounds. I am finishing up an owl hoohoooooing.

4.)Which specific color have you been using/thinking about the most lately?

Uh… using mostly… looks like chocolate brown. I didn’t even realize it till I came to this question. I haven’t really been thinking about any colors really. Now I want to think about colors!

5.)Tell us something about you that has changed since we last met.

Something that has changed. Well I gained some weight. I think I want to be an art teacher considering the recent market crisis.

Illustrators 51

I just found this info online, and figured that I would give a friendly reminder to anyone who wasn't up to date with the Society of Illustrators latest competition! The Deadline is November 7th and I pulled the main requirements for quick reference below. They have everything set up online this year and so far it seems to be efficient and organized! Best of luck to everyone that is entering!

Eligibility
Any illustration created or initially published between October 1, 2007 and November 1, 2008 that has not been accepted in the Annual previously, is eligible. International entries are welcome.

Categories
All commissioned work whether published or not, should be entered in one of the first six categories: Sequential, or Series / Animation, Editorial, Book, Advertising, Institutional, and Uncommissioned.

Entry Fees
$30 per entry for non-members of the Society of Illustrators
$35 per entry for non-members of the Society of Illustrators entering Sequential or Series / Animation

Yay!

It's great to see people posting their home pictures! Please feel free to continue posting your pics up, but in the meantime...check out these artists! They are yummy.

LETMAN
(please check out his EASTPAK design. brilliant.)

Sam Winston
(very designy and fine arty at the same time)

Hennie Haworth
(Yay! ok. lots of yellow but it's worth it, i swear)

James Joyce
(don't leave without seeing Corporate Power. Bam.)

And just for fun...
a hotdog!

On another note, the poll has expired! What would you like the next poll to be?
Any comments/ question about the last poll?

Let's see... first the questionnaire, and then some room pictures...

1.)What have you been doing post-graduation (art-wise or life-wise) and what are your plans for the next few months?

When you guys graduated I was still short some credits, so for the summer I attended Millersville University to complete graduation requirements, and received my diploma at the end of August. Attending class at MU was very different from attending class at MICA, much more "normal", I guess, and strange, I missed seeing familiar faces.

Then after a few lazy weeks I found a job at a local photography studio, where I've been working since. The pay for fiddling around in Photoshop all day is decent, and having much less free time to work on illustration has made me use that time better. Oddly enough I've been more productive then in those weeks when I wasn't working.

2.)Where have you moved to (be specific: ex."hampden") ? Are you happy/excited/frustrated/ disappointed by your new location? Is there something about this new place you wanna advertise, or warn us about? (Ex. great Tex-Mex food, bad public transportation)

Home. I moved back home to Lititz/Lancaster[Amish] County, PA, and I'm probably the only one who would rather be in the city. :) (I like having people around, and at least the sounds, though they might be disturbing, are recognizable in the city.) But it's really not bad at all being home.

3.)Is there something you have created since you graduated you would like to share? (it doesn't have to be an illustration)

I renovated my website. It's fall-ish now. :3

4.)Which specific color have you been using/thinking about the most lately?

For a while in the summer I was really into mint green/lime green/off white.

5.)Tell us something about you that has changed since we last met.

I've been wearing my hair part to the side. Which is only a big deal for me because it's always been parted in the center.

And some pictures. That is the room in which I live, and that is the view from the window.
I am a mess, I know :)

Wordle!

I generated this wordle (type cloud) out of the last 700 words posted in this blog. This was done using the wordle website. the words' sizes are relative to how frequent they were mentioned in the mica illo blog.

Hello everyone! It's been great to hear about what people have been up to. I thought I'd take this opportunity to share my favorite spot in Megan and I's apartment, the kitchen.
I really did not think this spot would become my favorite, but since moving in, it has really turned me onto cooking like never before. Going to this from what I had in Baltimore has allowed me to do many new, exciting things! New appliances: oven/stove, microwave, two sinks, dishwasher, wine glass rack, a bigger fridge, plenty of cabinet space/ counter space, and even spice racks built into the drawer by the oven. There's even more counter space in a nearby corner, with a wall fixture to hang pots/pans.
You are all welcome to come over for dinner.



Below is a picture of our studio. It gets great light, and has a closet to the left (not pictured, where there is room for an easel or another small desk), but as you can see, its a little barren. Megan and I have concentrated on the rest of the apartment while leaving the studio neglected. We plan on putting up everyone's postcards as soon as we can.


To see what I've been working on for my internship, check out my blog. I would appreciate any feedback or critique on sketches or finished works. More pictures to come!

-Eamonn

PODOHAMA

To those who are interested in PODOHAMA...
I've finally started to work on the website and I wanted to give you guys a glimpse of what it is so far. PODOHAMA is currently an online store for apparel/buttons/zines/etc. and I'm, obviously, the only contributor so far. I know that one can create a design and sell it on shirts of all kinds @ zazzle.com. You set a price for it and make royalties off of it. It's a cheap and easy way to start selling apparel! They also provide many other products, but I'm focusing on apparel for now. In case any of you were looking for a better provider of such services, I would check out zazzle.com. I haven't exactly tried it out yet, but reputable companies use zazzle so I'm going to guess that they'll be pretty useful.
The goal, right now is for PODOHAMA to successfully function as an online shop for my junk and for it to eventually cater to you guys, if any of you might be interested once PODOHAMA's up, running, and doing super. I don't know.. it's all just a jumble of ideas and it's all kind of up in the air, but... yeah! I'm super excited about it.

Now for the sneak peek... a corner, really.

That's all you get.
Bye

I am here!

Hey everybody, Z Bauer reporting in. I just realized I haven't posted on here yet, so here is what I've been doing!

1.)What have you been doing post-graduation (art-wise or life-wise) and what are your plans for the next few months?

I took a couple classes over the summer to clear up the credit mess with my graduation status, and now that that's taken care of I've been devoting pretty much all my free time to producing artwork, with the rest of it on trying to find a steady job. I've been working at Sonar downtown most of the summer, but its the pits only being able to work from 5pm-2am and to only find out when you're working the day before or sometimes the day of. I've recently been sending out my resume/portfolio/cover letter to a bunch of different game companies near and abroad in search of the dream job. I'm super nervous about that.

2.)Where have you moved to (be specific: ex."hampden") ? Are you happy/excited/frustrated/ disappointed by your new location? Is there something about this new place you wanna advertise, or warn us about? (Ex. great Tex-Mex food, bad public transportation)

Me and the lil' lady got hitched and moved off to live in the back country of Idaho!

Ok you caught me, Karoline and I actually moved up to Charles Village. Its been pretty awesome living here, a lot of my non-mica friends have actually moved up around the same area, and so I don't even have to drive to see people. The area itself is pretty nice too, and our apartment is almost perfect sized. I just wish I had more room to do some decent sized paintings. I do live really close to Chipotle and a 24 hour Subway now though, late night subs for the win?

3.)Is there something you have created since you graduated you would like to share? (it doesn't have to be an illustration)

I've been drawing a bunch, and all finished work has moved to the digital realm as of late. Karline and I modge-podged a periodic table of elements poster onto our coffee table, Its pretty awesome. Check out the new artwork over at the ol' bloggeroo.

4.)Which specific color have you been using/thinking about the most lately?

I've been painting a lot of browns lately, per usual. But Orange has been showing up a lot more too.

5.)Tell us something about you that has changed since we last met.

I signed up at Brick Bodies gym a couple weeks ago. I'm trying to get back in good shape. Multiple all-nighters a week in the studios wore me down.

And now, my studio nook! As viewed at 1:00am.



I know its really dark, but I do a good deal of my work in the evening/night so this is what it looks like most of the time while I'm painting. This is all crammed into the living room along with a futon, TV, coffee table, easel, bike, and a bunch of shelves. Efficient! I'll take some pictures during the day tomorrow. There are two huge windows that provide an awesome amount of sun during the daylight hours.

Whats going on?

Are you a little lost? Here's what we're doing right now. Get your pics up!
And don't forget to take the newest poll, just one more day left!!

my little corner

so this is my little corner in my house in NJ. i decided to make my workspace outside of my bedroom....i tried that before, and it never works too well. so i've got all my books and supplies and computer in one corner. its cozy (even though it looks really dark) - i probably spend 90% of my time at home here!

Sleepytime Sanctuary

I've been in Philly for two weeks now and have been loving it. My roommate and I don't have a TV, so I've been doing crafty things to pass my free time. I made a tree branch out of wire, felt, and fabric to put over my bed.
I've been frantically job searching since I've been here, so my bed and sleep have become my favorite parts of the day.

My mess

This is actually kinda embarrassing.
The undeniable evidence of my messiness finally publicly known.

Nothing to relate to my studio neighbor who just so happens to be so effortlessly neat (damn youuu!) But it's true. This is my favorite spot in the whole apt, i can't deny it as i can't deny all

the time i spent sitting here. Of course i'm sitting there now as i write this.
It is not very nice to look at, but then i guess this is not about that.
If you do want something cute to look at, then go look at my living room.
(sorry, but i couldn't resist, i'm so very proud of that brick wall...)

Some new artists (to me at least)

Thought I'd share a few links to some artists I've recently found out about. Maybe you guys will get some inspo from it. Please excuse me if you seen these before. These are artists I did not know about while at mica, or maybe I did but i didn't know it.

Ken Garduno - beautiful
http://kengarduno.com/home.html

Derek Albeck - kinda reminds me of Adrien's stuff
http://www.derekalbeck.com/

Julienne Hsu - I have a feeling most of you already know this one.
http://www.juliennehsu.com/#space_cat

Tessar Lo - this guy's finished illustrations look like very polished sketchbook pages (in a good way)
http://www.tessarlo.com/

Anthony Zollo - fascinating person. this guy doesn't have a site, only myspace. I occupied his old room this summer at Ringling. His process videos are fantastic! PS that's Rob Gibbs playing the piano, second video down, i think some of you know him.
http://www.myspace.com/azollo

Kenichi Hoshine - you guys prolly know this one too
http://www.kenichihoshine.com/

Thomas Herpich - neat stuff
http://www.thomasherpich.com/index.htm

Peter Herpich - neat shit
http://www.peterherpich.com/Index.html

Eric Fortune - very interesting process
http://www.ericfortune.com/

Hope you guys found these interesting. I will make a post to the favorite spot thing soon. I just found an awesome apartment right next to Minato. So most likely that'll be my favortie spot. I'm signing the lease this Saturday!

-Jeremy

Bagel: Spot Updated

Well... I don't get out much at all and I just spend the majority of my time at my desk/studio which is really the dining room... So.. yeah... yay. I wish I had a more interesting spot to take a picture of. At least this has a dog in it? Roseanne, all nine seasons of Roseanne. Can't live without my Roseanne, sorry.

Note to Jeremy: Hahahahaha... yeah.. my dad made me put the "I Can Do It" up there :) Only thing is that I don't ever see it.... I'm too short.

This is prettier (cold night sky, my favorite):

Your favorite spot

So we came up with this fun idea.

Take a picture of your favorite place in your current apartment. This could mean the cutest or grimmiest or best illuminated or simply the place in your apartment that you enjoy the most. It could be the view from your window, your backyard, your bathroom tiles, your stylish wallpaper, your favorite poster wall or a shot of your new
kitty/puppy/plant. Pick your favorite spot. Take a picture. Tell us all about it.

We have a good variety of cities people have moved to this year,
so we should have an interesting array of pictures and stories. Let us have it!
Everybody is encouraged to participate!! Show us your new/current place!
Posting will end September 31st, so that gives you some time to cutetify your place if you want to!

Post, post, post!

Dearest Ike

Well, guys as some of you may already know, I live in Houston.
As in Houston, Texas. As in getting hit by hurricane Ike in a couple of hours.
So I'm using the last bits of whats left of my electricity to update everyone.
Yes, we're fine. We weren't called to evacuate, because we live very close to downtown and the goverment ordered us to stay put and let people that live on the coast get out into Dallas (which will prolly get hit too, eventually) and elsewhere.
Some people frantically left, and some refused to leave their beach houses.
Honestly, the hurricane is pretty huge (takes 40% of the Gulf of Mexico) , but it is only a Category 2, so we aren't that worried(i guess). We've been through worse hurricanes before (back in Puerto Rico) and usually the worst part is waiting to get back our water and electricity after the storm.
So for now we're just bumming around eating potato chips and waiting for the winds to start pounding our glass windows (yep, we totally taped them down, lol)


Oh, and we got us some miner flashlights and they're absolutely adorable.

Reporting in

1. What have you been doing post-grad and what are plans:

I've completed my internship (actually it wasn't an internship as I was not doing it for college credit; my title was "contracted artist.") at Firaxis games in Hunt Valley, and a couple weeks back I got offered and accepted a full time position as a Concept Artist which has been nothing but awesome, as its been my dream job since high school. Half the time it doesn't even feel like I'm 'at work' because of the subject and the hours, which aren't nearly as long as what I pulled last year. I'm working alongside some non-08 MICA alums you might know, like Chris Sulzbach, Brian Mahoney, Steve Egrie, and I'm working particularly close with Piero Macgowan, as he's another concept artist on the unannounced project we're working on.  

The only drawback I can see with the job, is the fact that I can't put any of the work I do online because the project is secret. This really irks me because the stuff I've been doing of late completely blows the stuff I did last year out of the water, and I'd like to put it up in place of some less interesting stuff on the website.  

No specific plans in the next couple months aside from learning and getting better and better. I've got a side project I'm workin on but its going to be a while before I'm comfortable enough with it to put it online.

2. Where have you moved?

I moved to the top of a hill in Mt. Washington, about a 10 minute walk from the lightrail, and its hard to imagine that you're still inside the city limits.  I look out my window and I see trees, at night instead of gunshots and sirens and helicopters and yelling I hear cicadias, crickets. The sky isn't as orange out here either, and the air is fresh like the country. I don't feel like I'm about to get mugged when I walk home at night, and i've found a patch of woods along a river to hike when i'm bored. A Big backyard, friendly neighbors, spacious apartment; definitely a big step in the right direction from my old tiny bolton hill affair. I had a hell of a time finding a place but I'm thankful I put in the effort.  Mt. Washington is wonderful, even though I have to lightrail to get something other than wholefoods. 

3. Something you've created you'd like to share?

 Nothing too interesting, I've been too busy either working to get fulltime, or moving into my new apartment and getting the roommate situation figured out / unpacking all my shit, and none of my bonsai trees are anywhere near presenting (give me 2 more years)

4. Which specific color have you been using/thinking about

 What I've been learning recently is to use every single color to some degree in every piece. Local colors are the devil! Though if I were forced to choose I'd have to say Purple/Violet. 

5. Tell us something about you that has changed

 I ride a bike to get around now. s'Faster than walking. 

_Bryce

International Competition

Here's a link to an international design and illustration competition,
courtesy of Alain and Rebecca!

http://www.esad.pt/titan/

Big prizes! Check it out, it might work for you!

**UPDATE**

I have been confirmed that this competition is exclusively for work that has been published during the last 5 years.Unpublished work does not apply. Just putting it out there. Good Luck.

It's Alessa, 3 hours later.

1.)What have you been doing post-graduation (art-wise or life-wise) and what are your plans for the next few months?

Well, I looked for art-related jobs (graphic design, art dept intern, art colleges, etc), and I'm still searching, but in the meantime I'm doing retail. I work at a hole-in-the-wall children's clothing/toy store called 'Kids Only'. On the downside, it's minimum wage, but on the upside, it's on Haight St, a very famous and graffitied shopping street in the heart of San Francisco. There are tons and tons of awesome restaurants there and lots of hobos and potheads to entertain the masses. So now I just want to do my own artwork in my free time, maybe do some freelance, mostly just building a bigger and better portfolio. Doing more music videos for sure!


2.)Where have you moved to (be specific: ex."hampden") ? Are you happy/excited/frustrated/ disappointed by your new location? Is there something about this new place you wanna advertise, or warn us about? (Ex. great Tex-Mex food, bad public transportation)

I'm in San Francisco and I love it. Right now, it's not the best spot. I'm about a half hour from the cool downtown areas, but still technically in the city. I'm sharing a 2-story townhouse with a couple of San Francisco State students, very nice people. I was kind of afraid to move in with complete strangers, but I knew we had some things in common and it's been really great so far. As of now, though, I'm the oldest one in the house, so we can't go to any bars. All in all, this city is pretty nice. There are a lot of creperies. It's surprising how many Europeans there are here. I hear a lot of British and Irish accents, as well as French and Italian. And of course tons of Spanish. The public transportation is one of the best systems I've seen anywhere, the weather is beautiful if you don't mind a little fog, and people will stop you on the street to tell you about their troubled childhoods. No joke, this has happened more than once. I should also mention that I drove out here on an awesome road trip! You can see pictures of the journey here
.

3.)Is there something you have created since you graduated you would like to share? (it doesn't have to be an illustration)

I've been doing some sketching and just-for-fun illustrations, but I don't have my scanner here yet. Very soon I will start working on a music video for a band called Princeton. My friend Paul is actually living with them a house in LA, so I met them when I visited/helped him move.

4.)Which specific color have you been using/thinking about the most lately?

PINK! I don't know why, but I've been obsessed with pink lately. Any shade of it, as long as it's bright. At the moment, I'm into baby pink. Recently I decided that when I have my own place, I will have a completely pink kitchen. The dishes, the cabinets, the walls, the tile, everything. I'm really excited about it.

5.)Tell us something about you that has changed since we last met.

I got my first tattoo this summer. I plan to get more. The other day it was brought to my attention that the illustration I did for the Beasts book was put on the Fantagraphics blog. I think that's cause for celebration.

Guru.com : A Rant

**Feel free to continue posting your questionnaries, if you still haven't done so. In the meantime...**
I would like to continue things by posting an opinion about a freelancing website I've been experimenting with lately: www.guru.com. Certain freelance programmer I know introduced me to it, with the hopes that I would find illustration work and I decided to give it a shot.

At first, it seemed like an excellent idea. People post their projects, and artists decide whether or not to bid for them. I saw some interesting projects and decided to join the website as a basic member. As I started searching, I realized that as a basic member I wasn't allowed to bid on most of the projects, because these were reserved for "Gurus" or "Guru Vendors". To be a "Guru" or a "Guru Vendor" one must pay a fee that varies from 75$-150$ (quaterly or annually) and prices vary depending on your trade (these are for an illustrator). The artist, (guru or not) must pay the website fees on every project that is awarded to them through the website. It sounds like it works like a artist rep would, only that the projects are never guaranteed to you when you bid for them and the clients (sadly and most usually) are more interested in picking the cheapest bidder that'll "get the job done" than an artist that would deliver quality and creative problem solving.

As a basic member, the artist has limited (and much less interesting) projects to bid from, must pay the guru.com website up to 14% in fees for any project that is awarded, and is only allowed 10 bids per month. Also clients usually specify their budget when they post their assignments, so when artists bid, they must do so within their budget limits (and many of them can be quite unreasonable).

Even after I realized this, I decided to give a project a shot. It was a logo redesign that required some hand lettering and bought all rights. The website requires you to prepare an extensive proposal (like a one-page essay) in which i detailed the reasons why i would be good for the project, my education/preparation, my experience, how much i was charging for and why, how long would it take, etc, etc, etc...) All this in addition to an extensive portfolio of images and profile, loaded with my resume, awards, specialties, website/blog and everything else they asked of me.

I priced my work properly (according to the ethical handbook and my common sense) and sent the fastidious proposal. Needless to say, I never heard anything back from anyone, and honestly I wasn't surprised. There is a sizable amount of "artists" in the network willing to do whatever for much, much less than I was.

Another thing that really irritates me about the whole way guru works (for creative content, at least) is the overwhelming amount of "clients" that are looking for artists to work on projects with little or no creative input of their own. I have seen way too many "duplicate this photo" or "vectorize this for me" or simply images in which the artist is given no concept to work from, but instead a detailed specification, like:" i want so and so standing like this wearing a sexy cocktail dress next to so and so holding a wine bottle and on the other side so and so in a suit holding a rose, for my book cover on a love triangle based on my life, ect..." (no, im not kidding)

What happened to illustrators actually thinking up the creative content they create? All this "hand for hire" attitude really makes me flinch sometimes when i see these "projects" everywhere... This is the same attitude that makes me feel like a desperate artwhore, willing to do anything for anything, regardless of my experience, portfolio, ideas, etc... just to call myself an "artist".

I must admit though, that there is a lot of people looking for artists through websites like these, and that even one successful client interaction would be all it would take to build a new relationship, but one must really, really screen through so much crap in order to bid, and then hopefully be selected. It's tough on your morale, it has definitely been on mine. That's exactly why I'm writing this rant right now :) But i believe i owe it to myself to keep trying... I also understand that these websites were designed for completely different type of freelancers (programmers,engineering, legal,sales, marketing,accounting, consulting) who dont depend as much on creativity to get their jobs done. So in that sense, I am not that surprised.

What do you think? Am I being overtly naive by expecting any more from the general public/clients? Is it pretentious to refuse to be a "hand for hire"? What would you do/ recommend in a situation like this? Is it worth it to keep on trying to get work in such an environment?

The discussion is open! Please don't hesitate to disagree or be biased! I certainly am! Your opinions are always welcome, this is what this blog is for!

Hey y'all!

It's Kali. It's been nice to read up on what everyone has been doing around here and feel like I'm not the only one dealing with things. :) I think I've gotten a little less optimistic about how I can make a living as an illustrator, but hearing that everyone has struggles of their own is encouraging me to keep working through mine.

1.)What have you been doing post-graduation (art-wise or life-wise) and what are your plans for the next few months?

Welllll....since June I've been interning at Big Huge Games doing concept art for 4 days a week, and although I hate the 9-5 lifestyle and have to work overtime certain weeks, it's at least a check I can count on. Because I feel so tired coming home after work, I started out slow after graduation as far as freelancing goes, and I have yet to send any postcards.
However, I've decided to try to get myself to send out 10 emails/postcards every weekend (with varying degrees of success), and I've actually gotten a few jobs with various magazines. The most recent was with Girls Life Magazine, and the most random was with GO! magazine, the inflight magazine of AirTran airlines, haha. I was also contacted about the Popgun anthology, which should be interesting, and a roller derby gallery show in Minnesota. I would really love to freelance all the time, although the whole client-search thing is frustrating, but I guess I just gotta keep trying to power through!


2.)Where have you moved to (be specific: ex."hampden") ? Are you happy/excited/frustrated/ disappointed by your new location? Is there something about this new place you wanna advertise, or warn us about? (Ex. great Tex-Mex food, bad public transportation)

I live on Saint Paul Street in Mount Vernon now, and I'd say it's a nice change from Bolton Hill. Sam and I live across the street from each other, and I'm basically sticking around Baltimore until he graduates. What happens then is still up in the air! (I still miss sweet-home Chicago, though...)


3.)Is there something you have created since you graduated you would like to share? (it doesn't have to be an illustration)

I learned to make Oyako-don! It's a japanese dish where you cook chicken and onions in a soy sauce/sugar/rice wine broth. You then mix some eggs and pour it over the chicken and onions so it cooks in the sauce (but not too hard like scrambled eggs) and then you ladle it all over rice and it's absolutely delicious. Yummmm....:)


4.)Which specific color have you been using/thinking about the most lately?

Blue-greens/teals and peaches. I've always likeed muted blue shades and vibrant reds together, but this is a nice twist on it. :)


5.)Tell us something about you that has changed since we last met.

I'm going to join UMBC gym this week. I was never much of an exerciser before, but sitting in a chair in an office all day makes me antsy! Also, I bought a pair of high waisted teal skinny jeans this weekend. (yikes!)

Bagel here

1.)What have you been doing post-graduation (art-wise or life-wise) and what are your plans for the next few months?

Hey guys! I enrolled in an online school (Art Institute of Pittsburg) to get a webdesign diploma. There are so many jobs in that, so I figured I'd do that to make money and do illustration on the side. I've also been illustrating my second children's book. It's a chapter novel for teens. Very Roald Dahl-esque = very me. I've been having a lot of fun with that. 4 more illustrations to go! My plans for the next few months are to.. either get a crappy job to make some pocket money or just focus on school full-time and train my new dog.


2.)Where have you moved to (be specific: ex."hampden") ? Are you happy/excited/frustrated/ disappointed by your new location? Is there something about this new place you wanna advertise, or warn us about? (Ex. great Tex-Mex food, bad public transportation)

I haven't moved far... I moved to my parents'... Yeah.. It's great and really lame at the same time. Can't feel too great about myself about it, really. Finksburg, Maryland is where I be now. I'm disappointed and extremely frustrated about the fact that I'm jobless and not on my own. Very lame.. If only my parents (esp my dad) weren't so anal and naggy.. we could easily rent out to two people. They've have to share a bathroom, but they'd have their own room. It would be a smart thing to do, you know? Other bad thing is that we're 30 minutes away from everything, though Owings Mills is only 15-20 minute away. Owings Mills has pretty much everything you need.


3.)Is there something you have created since you graduated you would like to share? (it doesn't have to be an illustration)

Hm.. I've created the illustrations I've done for the book and I've managed to complete only a couple of personal pieces. I'm also working on getting my store/studio started (PODOHAMA).

4.)Which specific color have you been using/thinking about the most lately?

Hm.. lots of neon colors, mostly. Hot pink, yellow, and neon blue... You guys may notice it all over my websites/blogs/recent pieces.

5.)Tell us something about you that has changed since we last met.

We adopted our first dog! She's a year old miniature pinscher with rare coloring (chocolate/red). She's really sweet and is finally starting to come out of her shell. I've created a blog for her, actually. It would be unlike me if I hadn't...

1) What have you been doing post graduation (art-wise or life wise) and what are your plans for the next few months?

Post graduation I worked at on the hill for a month then had to dip out on them and lie about being forced to leave and go home when I knew I couldve only worked for a month haha. But I wanted to hang with everyone for a little before I left. Then I worked at Fridays for another month and had to yet again two days before I was leaving dip on them saying I got a teaching job when I really knew I was going to school this year. I am now about to start at Florida State University to get my Art Education degree so I can teach eventually. Not doin much with my illustration degree but I am gonna keep taking art classes here. I am actually in an Experimental Printmaking class this semester so that should be exciting. Ummmm Tallahassee is way too creepy for me. I went to "Booty Night" last night haha. It seems everything about Tally is related to getting fucked up and grinding on girls. I am sure you can all relate.I am living with both of my sisters which is interesting. This school is also about 400 times larger than MICA which is really scary and I have been lost for about 8 hours in it since i have been here.

2) Where have you moved to? Are you happy/excited/frustrated/dissappointed in your new location? Is there something about this new place you wanna advertise or warn us about?

Welll you neeeed a car in Tally. There is a really awesome section called Railroad Junction where there are about 30 old warehouses painted rediclous colors that artists use as studios and they open them all up for shows the first friday of the month. I havent gotten to go to the opening yet. There is every form of fast food ever invited there. Even a Sonic for all those pissed at Sonic commercials where there is none. They just opened a Tijuana Flats here for those who are addicted. We have a hurricane going on here right now so it kind of sucks. I have gotten Japanther to come down here in October if anyone is interested in staying with me. The traffic here is horrible. Everyone wears college sweatshirts and soffees and one of my teachers told me I have to wear bussiness atire to class. pretty scary.

3) Tell us something about you that has changed since we last met.

I am watching Clueless right now. The only movie other than Coyote Ugly that I have to watch if it is on. Oh and there are only 4 art ed students at my school. One had three fingers on each hand. And there are only 30 art grad students all together and only one is a guy so MICA seems like heaven right now

Mark Grambau, reporting from Bolton Hill...

1.)What have you been doing post-graduation (art-wise or life-wise) and what are your plans for the next few months?

The day before graduation I had an interview at the Towson Apple Store to handle the whole "needing money immediately" thing. A few weeks later I was hired and I have been a Mac Specialist there for about a month and a half. While it's not part of the career big picture, it's been a lot of fun. It's a job I've done before and can do without thinking too hard, and the people there are fantastic. It's been great having a new community of friends at work with my MICA community now spread out all over the country and world.

Today I actually finished labeling my several hundred postcards (I combined every mailing list I could get my hands on) and will be sending them out tomorrow. I only plan to do one or two of these giant mailings before scaling way the hell down, but let's hope it at least gets my images out there. I am fostering a couple contacts that I've made, one of which could end up with me as the primary illustrator for a new web startup. Even if that falls through, the guy spearheading it has been in Baltimore journalism for decades and is a great contact to have. Plus, he loves my work and endlessly promotes me. I also managed to find a mutual connection with someone at Blue Sky Studios, which is conveniently about 15 minutes from my home in NY. So we'll see if anything comes of that. In the mean time, I'm trying to be as optimistic as possible about art and am trying to create. Thankfully, Apple will be scaling down my hours soon (I've been there more than 40 hours a week for the last month or so) so I'll have more time to dedicate to pen and paper.


2.)Where have you moved to (be specific: ex."hampden") ? Are you happy/excited/frustrated/ disappointed by your new location? Is there something about this new place you wanna advertise, or warn us about? (Ex. great Tex-Mex food, bad public transportation)

I'm still in Bolton Hill, in the same absolutely wonderful apartment I had senior year (along with Justin Lloyd and Ian Kahler). We repainted the living room and replaced a light fixture in my bedroom, and are constantly trying to improve the place even more. Great location (corner of Lanvale and Park), great space, great landlords, great roommates. I can't complain. With my friends at the Towson Apple Store, I'm also managing to get out of the immediate "MICA bubble" a bit as well, venturing to other parts of the city and county.

3.)Is there something you have created since you graduated you would like to share? (it doesn't have to be an illustration)

Project Rooftop had a contest to redesign Superman's costume, and while I didn't make any cut for finalist or even honorable mention, the creator of the blog, Dean Trippe, left me a really positive comment on my blog, and frankly, I'm pretty proud of the work I did. I couldn't just do a straight costume change. You guys know me, I had to bring some politics into it. Check out my entry at my blog.

4.)Which specific color have you been using/thinking about the most lately?

Super warm skin tone, like, skin tone with a red light. Very "pulp" cover kind of skin. Probably because I've been living in my book "Pulp Culture" as of late.

5.)Tell us something about you that has changed since we last met.

I've played more Scrabble in the last month than I have in my whole life. And I've always played a ton of Scrabble. Feels good, keeps me sharp, and makes me aware of obscure two letter words like "xu."

Hey everybody, Bill Cotter here

The last few months have been some of the craziest in my whole life. I made a little money over the summer working MICA Pre-College which is always a blast. All of my roommates, Andrea, and a bunch of illustration undergrads were on board this year. I pretty much had no idea where I was going to move until about two weeks before I absolutely had to make a decision. I was leaning towards Chicago for a long time but in the end the breeze of the windy city pushed me towards Brooklyn. I'm living with Jason Hoffman and Adam Okrasinski which has been amazing because it's been a lot easier to tackle an intimidating city like New York with two of my best friends in the world at my side. The neighborhood is great, we live around where Jay-Z grew up so we hear his music being blasted in the streets everyday. Our neighbors are super cool too. They even have come up with clever nicknames for me like 'snowflake' or 'cracker'. We're all such great friends!!

I just started my internship in the art department of Rolling Stone. Their offices are amazing! One of my favorite parts about working there is the amazing original art hanging on the walls done by illustrators that I have worshiped for years. They have the most badass collection of 6 ft tall original Philip Burke oil paintings. RS is located in the heart of midtown right next door to Rockefeller Center (where 30 Rock takes place if anyone's a fan) and everytime that I'm on lunch break I pray that Conan O'brien will walk by so I can gaze upon his luscious melon-head. Sometimes they'll make me do typical 'intern' work like organize clippings or get coffee, but yesterday they asked me to help pick out an illustrator they need for a Metallica album review. I had a very surreal moment when I realized I was chatting with the head art directors of Rolling Stone fucking magazine, casually helping them pick out an artist. I peed a little.

The internship is unpaid so right now I'm getting paid to book bands at this awesome little venue in Manhattan. I've had a hard time making images lately, and not having access to MICA's facilities isn't helping. I think that working in an art department and sketching on the subways is striking a good balance with me at the moment. Music and art have always battled for my attention. Right now music is winning but I know that eventually I will be drawn back to art.  I miss you guys and I hope that you're doing well.

        All my best,

        Bill

hey, it's kelly...


1. after graduation, once the fog cleared, i started a really quick search for any job, nothing specific or fancy. which is exactly what i got..i worked for seven days as a server on the spirit of baltimore (in the inner harbor, lunch and dinner cruises) and it was the worst experience of my life. (oh yeah, i went to icon as well and it was crazy.)
i had written to literally 2 design places and sent out 4 postcards in the meantime. one of the design firms got back to me the next day and reminded me that i had met him at showcase (did not know this..). within a week or so he hired me for a temporary position/internship everyday 9-5. (at rutka weadock design) iv'e been here for two months doing loads of drawings and hand lettering. we're making books and travel pieces and posters for schools that will have my drawings and type on them. so its been pretty good to me. i can sort of use the computer now! design world is weird, not sure how i ended up here. but its ending in a week, and i am happy because it was pain to get here every morning. and i need to re-consider my ability to be on the 9-5 workforce.
so im going on vacation for a couple of weeks and then getting back to the search. i'm doing some freelance work on the side, kind of, and babysitting and what not, so hopefully i can find something soon so i wont panic. dont know what i want yet, i need some time to think. ill keep you updated..

2. i moved to charles village (harwood) very spontaneously. me and my boyfriend moved in with nick djandji and david meinrath in a whole rowhouse on 28th street (between guilford and barclay). i am loving it so far. we have lots of space and everything is renovated and we have a front porch, which is all i really needed. we just sit outside all nite. along with lots of other people on their porches, hanging out, drinking and playing cards. the neighborhood is really different from what im used to in mt.vernon, but its awesome, its...less mica. its all rowhouses with all the porches connected. its a little more east baltimore, a little less charles street. now we do things on greenmount, when before we thought we would just be killed there. but its actually great. but i guess its not for everyone. depends on what youre interested in. anyway, there is a lot to do nearby and lots of places to eat that we never knew existed. so far, so good.


3. well yes there is, but i dont have time right now to change the types of files to link them, so maybe later? or on my blog or something, one day.
its been pretty sad though, i haven't done anything for myself. i have no excuse. other than that i draw all day and i dont want to at nite? i will make something for myself eventually. no pressure.

4. um, i think about all colors all the time. i dont know the answer to this one.

5. not sure about this one either. my hair is longer. i wear earrings sometimes! i use the computer more. i drive to work in my boyfriends car and i cant parallel park. i have to go to bed earlier. i live with 3 boys. i have a garden, thats not doing too well. i have a fish thats not doing too well. and i have house plants that arent doing too well. but i am good.

hey guys, it's shaina.

1.)What have you been doing post-graduation (art-wise or life-wise) and what are your plans for the next few months?

I've been working in Harbor East at Baltimore Magazine since the end of May as the ad designer & production assistant. I have my own business cards for the company & parking space in the garage..HA That's going pretty well..and I've been doing a bit of freelance for this barbershop on Calvert street. I feel like a grown up..?

2.)Where have you moved to (be specific: ex."hampden") ? Are you happy/excited/frustrated/ disappointed by your new location? Is there something about this new place you wanna advertise, or warn us about? (Ex. great Tex-Mex food, bad public transportation)

I moved to Locust Point, that's about a mile south of Federal Hill, it's a lot cheaper and not as busy. It's a two story town house and my roommate is a grad student at MICA. We have a little backyard/cement area fenced in.. and our own washer and dryer! niceness

3.)Is there something you have created since you graduated you would like to share? (it doesn't have to be an illustration)

basically I do a lot of sketches when i'm at work and it's slow.. but besides that for now, if you look in Bmag you will find ads that I've designed!

4.)Which specific color have you been using/thinking about the most lately?

red.

5.) Tell us something about you that has changed since we last met.

Nothing really has changed. Um..I got a new ipod.

*** Oh! I have an update! I am going to be the editorial design assistant starting this upcoming month!!

Q+A from Jess Neil

1.) What have you been doing post-graduation (art-wise or life-wise) and what are your plans for the next few months?
I have been working full-time as a graphic designer at Spur Design over in Hampden. It's a design firm owned by two freelance illustrators, so my assignments have been really unique and our clients are usually more open minded. I have been learning all kinds of great information for those interested in being a freelance illustrators (I think this blog is a great place for me to write some posts for you guys about how my bosses go about promoting themselves and their work!) I love the consistency of the 9-5, but within the next month I am going to start taking on a few free-lance web projects which I am very excited about!

2.) Where have you moved to (be specific: ex."hampden") ? Are you happy/excited/frustrated/ disappointed by your new location? Is there something about this new place you wanna advertise, or warn us about? (Ex. great Tex-Mex food, bad public transportation)
I moved to Mt. Washington (I am about 5mins away from amazing glaze, which I know a handful of people are familiar with location-wise) and I am really happy with my change of location. I am surrounded by trees but still close enough to the city to visit when I want to. Really adorable sushi place near me as well!

3.)Is there something you have created since you graduated you would like to share? (it doesn't have to be an illustration)
Like many others, the work I have been doing isn't in my hands to pass around online. I did the program for icon5 (which I also went to, and it was insane but entertaining) and if you get the illustration directory no.25 when it comes out I did all the index/inside page design! I am however promising myself to pick up my pattern project (which I think most of you have done). I have about 52 more designs left and then I am going to work on making everything into a book! I'll post stuff on that once I get it rolling.

4.) Which specific color have you been using/thinking about the most lately?
I am always thinking about greys and mustard yellow.

5.) Tell us something about you that has changed since we last met.
I am going to follow the trend here and talk about my hair. I have side-swept bangs now (I got my hair cut at this really cute place in hampden called Sprouts, kinda pricey considering I am used to free hair cuts from friends but totally worth it!)

Hey guys, Becca reporting in

1.)What have you been doing post-graduation (art-wise or life-wise) and what are your plans for the next few months?


In the middle of June I started working full-time at a Toy Company in Rockville, MD (close to D.C) as their Graphic Designer/Illustrator/Toy Concept Artist/phone bitch (until they hire a new secretary, hopefully SOON because illustrators are socially awkward.) It's been pretty great! I've worked on previously started projects their old designer had begun and I've also been doing a lot of original surface designs and etc; I also just finished a mini-children's book to go with a set of adorable finger puppets.

2.)Where have you moved to (be specific: ex."hampden") ? Are you happy/excited/frustrated/ disappointed by your new location? Is there something about this new place you wanna advertise, or warn us about? (Ex. great Tex-Mex food, bad public transportation)

I moved from B-more to a little Hicky Suburb area called Laurel, MD - at least I don't feel like I'm gonna get jumped getting my mail. My apartment is nice, it has wood floors which is rare outside of the city and I painted most of it nice bright, beachy colors. The downside is that the train runs right behind my building - I guess I'm getting used to that. It's location is good from what I want now - close to my job in the DC area and also close to the Boy in Catonsville.

3.)Is there something you have created since you graduated you would like to share? (it doesn't have to be an illustration)

I'd like to, but I can't! When our catalog comes out in January, I'll be able to post the stuff I've been working on at work. Until then, my sad un-updated blog will suffice.


4.)Which specific color have you been using/thinking about the most lately?

deeeeep, jewel toney peacock blue green

5.)Tell us something about you that has changed since we last met.

Hum, my hair is auburn and longer. I got a tan (which, for me, means I am slightly less zombie looking). I have also gained 7 pounds since I just got back from vacation with the Boy's family and they eat delicious food that makes my stomach cry with joy. BEGONE, CRUEL ARM FLAPS.