My 2 Page Notebook

Started creating my own little notebooks to keep around work to keep around the office. What I've done is fold a 8.5" X 11" sheet of paper in half twice to form a very simple book. I needed a place to write down simple notes & thoughts threw out the day, but didn't feel like having a regular notebook taking up space on my work desk. When possible I try to put simple doodles on the covers. I usually fill one of these up a week. Notes on the inside could range from things I would like to get around the house in the future, to possible painting/drawing ideas.

The Tale of GAR the Gargoyle

My current work project is to make graphics for a children's medieval castle toy. With this project it takes 2 steps forward to go 3 steps back. I am work with other talented artist/designers trying to do something different that stands out for the artwork. Most of the medieval castle toy sets out there are the same - plan basic brick pattern on the outside and not very child like in there approach to the artwork. So, were trying to add splash of color and small details to the front of our castle so that it can stand out from other castles out there. One suggestion that was given, add gargoyles to the front of the castle. What a great & fun idea! I drew out a quick sketch, scanned my sketch and spent the next 2 hours creating a gargoyle that fit the style of our current toy line of figures. This gargoyle/cat/bat like creature was going to sit on top of our castle. But management thought this creature might scare kids, by the end of the following day the little gargoyle was removed from the castle artwork. At this point I had grown to attached to the artwork just to let it be forgotten. So, I added eye glasses for fun, printed it out and made my own gargoyle for the top of my computer monitor. With the help of some friends we gave him the name GAR!

The Skull Card

In addition to reworking my web site, I've also started thinking about illustrating a card. Currently the card centers around "Day of the Dead" skulls. The card will have 4 flaps, which fold inward. On each flap will be a skull illustrated in a different style (by hand & on the computer) but similar shape and layout. On top of each skull will be a mark/symbol that stands for one of the following - creativity, life, motivated and intelligence. When the card is fold shut, these skulls will look like a mixed pattern.

Redesigning My Website

For the last 2 months I've been trying to redesign my own website. Which means not only trying to learn what a good website layout is, but also relearning the program to layout the site. In theses last 2 months I've created a new logo for myself and created half dozen website layouts. So, far I've only liked the logo, which I started using on my blog about a month ago. I've decided not to pressure my self to put up a redesigned site that I don't really like or think reflects who I am & what my work is about. Instead I decided on a basic splash page to start with, use that as a place to start with the design and give myself a general date to get the new site finished. Why do I need a date to have it done by? Because if I didn't... I would spend another 2 months design the site over and over again, without posting a new site. If you like you can see the new splash page at the following link, click on the resume, samples, blog and flicker :www.charleclaudet.com