WORKING IN SCOTLAND: THE FINAL COUNTDOWN....

And the last week in Scotland is here. Things with baseline are very busy because of the Connect music festival, and the screen prints are making a big impression apparently. Finishing up the Franz Ferdinand poster today and tomorrow, and gathering all the others for display in King Tuts alongside some of the highlights of American Gig Posters! The REM/T in the Park poster is being framed and put next to one of my all time fav Idlewald posters that can be found in the Masters of Poster Making book, you know the one with the "cat in the hat" stripes on the cover in that venue! The CEO of DF concerts came down to talk to Douglas and I when we went to Glasgow to have lunch with the marketing manager Keira and discuss the hand made signage/ mural we are painting on Thursday. He told us that REM loved the poster and were really impressed that an "american student" did the design and illustration for it. I was so jazzed!

Last night I went to Edinburgh to see Kate Nash perform in all her glory and her back up afro-wearing-skeleton dancers were awesome! The best part of the night hands down was when I want to the girls bathroom and saw my Connect Site map and program guide thingie sopping wet laying on the sink. I actually have made something real, and in the music industry! I got so excited I turned to the slightly off-put Irish girl and asked "Where did you get that?!?!" she replied wearily that she didn't know, it was already in here, so I snatched it up and ran out waving it about like a "sthupit git" (in scottish terms) shouting to my friends that "I MADE THIS! LOOK! I MADE THIS!!!" this was the best moment ever! They all laughed with me and when we left the gig, we went through and picked up some that were thrown on the ground. There were suprisingly less than I thought would be tossed on the floor, which was another plus!!! So the one I found is dirty, wrinkled and smells like the girls toilet.... but I made it and it was a complete surprise to find that they were handing them out at the gig!!!

Also ANOTHER big piece of news is that Scottish Hydro Electric, the sponsor for the Connect festival is making my site map into a GIANT billboard on site!! They blew up my illustrations to MEGA size! DF is also making my bendy-man illustration into the official Connect festival t-shirt and hoodie! and now everyone at the festival will now be either wearing, looking at, or (apparently to be expected at these things) relieving themselves on my design. SO COOL.

The Connect Website is leaving a lot to be desired considering design, but hey, they are promoting my map on the general info page! Check it out!

Working with Baseline has been awesome. I think I achieved a lot design wise and feel really appreciated here for my outlook on things. Being in a working studio environment has really shown me my weaknesses as a designer and forced me to understand the real world and its limitations a far amount more than the education system has been able to show me. At this point I would say that formal education teaches you design, but working with a studio and a print shop teaches you to be a designer. I never worried about file organization or work flow or money or communication enough before coming here. I didn't understand that your work in a studio faced with deadlines is not your own work, it is interchangable and because of this there needs to be a system in place that communicates your file's placement, proof version, colors used, external reference files, and file size so that if you are off sick for the day the entire studio doesn't loose a deadline or money because you have a different typeface in your computer than the rest of the studio. (And let me just say, it almost happened to me... terrifying...)

I think the biggest difference from school to studio is the fact that your work isn't precious. its supposed to be printed out hung up and discussed between everyone, it is supposed to be passed on and then back again to gain perspective. The work I have made this summer has been trashed and it has been praised in varying degrees, but the fact that I am not angry or put out when Douglas or Steven comes up and suggests things to me is great!

As for being in a print shop with no instructor to lean on even a bit, I am all for that as well. Printing by experence and not instruction is how everyone should go. I screwed up so many times this summer but every time I did Douglas and I went through all the possibilities why a print wasn't turning out, talked about it, tried things, changed factors, and gained the knowledge that only seems to come from desperation and the experence of cleaning up after a crap run of posters. I think working this way has made me a better printmaker than I was before, and definatly made me more aware of my problem solving skills.

LIVING IN SCOTLAND: LEAVING ALL TOO SOON.

I absolutely love it here. The weather is not too hot (bit rainy, but no big deal) You can drink on the trains, beer is bigger, people are friendly and accommodating, and I don't think I could have found a better psudo-family to spend my summer with than the Walkers. I am absolutely sure that this summer has been a big turning point for me. I went out! I met people! I survived the journey over and wondered about Scotland for 3 months without being robbed or stabbed or lost! (knock on wood, I still have a week to go....) I can't believe its time to go home already. Glasgow is the best city for good music. I went to some AMAZING shows this summer, and still have one more to go before I return to Tennessee. I love the feeling of being more connected to other countries, other types of people. In America, you never realize how self centered and walled off from the rest of the world's public opinion of ANYTHING. It is very humbling. I spent most of the summer going "Whats that?" or "How can you do that?" or "Can that happen?" and "Why does it work this way?" I felt completely ignorant but now I know more... a "wee" bit more anyway...

I will miss my life here incredibly. I will miss the people in it.



I cannot wait to come back.


I am coming back.

The last two weeks in Scotland consists of Staci frantically trying to tie up any loose ends and ship a bunch of stuff home. Any more things learned? here you go!

1. Scones taste better here than at Starbucks back home.
2. if it is sunny in Scotland, run outside and lay on the grass for a bit. You take advantage of the brief moments of heat.
3. They do not have plugs in the bathroom for any kind of electrical equipment. So blow drying your hair in the morning becomes more difficult.
4. when going to work carry a jacket, scarf, sunglasses, extra socks, and an umbrella. prepare for all weather.
5. there is no point to a 2 pence piece. I have a billion of these things now.
6. It is a rare thing to find a Scot who likes Americana music such as Guns and Roses.
7. Drinking games with pints is difficult, Drinking games, pub quizzes, and drinking increments measured in "fingers" is even more difficult.
8. There are a million and one things Americans don't know anything about in current affairs.
9. Fake Scottish accents are a dead give-away, don't even try it.
10. Children sound smarter over here by default of accent.
11. Glasgow has a different accent than Edinburgh. Edinburgh is considered snotty and posh. Glasgow is more my style.
12. A mighty Boosh is bettter in context.
13. Electricity is payed weekly or basically on a "pay as you go" plan. so sometimes it runs out.
14. windows have two options of opening. there is also no screens on the windows.
15. Cider is a great alcoholic beverage.
16. they have small fridges... like the ones in dorms back home. and even smaller freezers.
17. They don't have jaywalking over here.
18. police don't serve too much of a purpose over here besides just looking at you when you are walking back from a pub.
19. when you know the son of the owner of a pub, last call doesn't mean last call.
20. never expect anything to go routinely, and never plan a holiday based on weather predictions.
21. They say "hi-ya!" but not "bye-ya!" so dont say it or you will look dumb... like I did.
22. They all think you know the names of every president to ever be elected into office in the US. especially if it is the last question to a pub quiz.
23. They really like the x-files over here.
24. no commerical or chain toy stores, only a couple of gas stations, and no grocery stores like you know them. They have Co-ops, tiny mom and pop shops and liquor stores instead for all the shopping needs.
25. if ever in stirling, do not go to fubar. Disco died many years ago and Fubar is like a bad cockroach from that era. it just will not die.

Birthday in Plaid wrapping paper

So it is my birthday today. a GREAT one so far! Last night my new Glasgow-native roommates/friends took me out and about in Glasgow. We were to see the Reverand Horton Heat at a venue downtown but tickets were about the equivilent of 45 dollars when only advertised at about 16 so we decided against it and instead did a brilliant small pub crawl to some places they love and I hadn't been to before. During the day my roommate "Wee Laura" bought me some AWEOMSE Buddy Holly glasses from Urban Outfitters... even says Buddy Holly on the inside of them!!!!! then she took me to some awesome vintage shops and I bought some killer gear. Sweet! Douglas gave me the day off for this plan yesterday, and Today as I am in work currently they all had gifts! I got the 2 national/royal flags of Scotland, a Mackintosh inspired fancy pen, (beautiful!) a t-shirt that says "numpty- a blundering fool, intellectually challenged, etc. "and a bottle of vodka. (haha!) Then the Douglas' wife and kids just came in and brought me a chocolate cake, and cards and the boys brought the t-shirt for me! they even sang.... it was so sweet! I love those kids! they got all dressed up for me and did their hair all cool to come and see me as well. I got big hugs from them. All and all, not a bad way to spend the big 22.

Since family can't be with me today, these guys certainly made me feel like part of their family today. I miss everyone back home! Happy birthday, Grandma! Happy Birthday Tomorrow, Dad!
Hope you are having a great day up at the lake.

Edge Poster Design

Here is one that I designed for the Edge music and comedy festival that goes on for a month in Edinburgh!

an IP work that Douglas and I are still doing. I likes it though!

Updated Connect posters

This is what I did today. Douglas and I decided to delve more into the history of Glasgow and the ship building roots. Since Franz Ferdinand come from the area it kinda made sense to see what we could do with the Macintosh influence and the history bit. This is what I got to show....