We’re getting Jenn lots of great jobs. That’s a good thing. But she was a bit feeling swamped, so she came in and I went over my time management system with her. It involves big chunks of time and post-its. We determined that she prefers a visual/tactile rather than electronic system.

She went home and emailed me this, and here’s what she had to say:
“I’ve gotten myself on a schedule: I assigned myself projects to work on each day and posted the dates at which they’re due at a client’s. I got myself an actual, physical calendar (I just don’t have the discipline to organize around one of those computery ones). Now I can literally see where I’m at on any given project.”

Yesterday I showed you the roughs for Thrivent. This is the finish that Elke did for the art director on the topic of fund managers. Her design sense is impeccable and her textures are rich. Her highly-controlled monochromatic palette is compelling. It’s basically fine art with a concept.

Which rough do you like the best? See which piece the art director selected and Elke’s beautiful finish. It’s slightly different than any of these. I’ll upload the finish tomorrow. Stop back and see it. It’s so beautiful.

Here’s Lisa DeJohn’s rough for the Land of Nod cover. Giving the art director such a clear, clean rough prevents problems down the road.

Here is the charming finished illustration:

Here is my watercolor palette and here is my oil palette.

Good
Solving something so differently than other mediums
Having a truly endless possibility to personify or characterize a concept
Being able to merge a label from the gutter with a piece of hi-tech foil
Being witness to whimsical, crazy and fantastic juxtapositions
Sketch, fax, snack, reply, converse, snack, create, glue, scan, deliver, elate all while listening to your favorite record
Surprise checks hiding between Capital One and Mortgage bill
Check envelopes with more than one check
An art director saying they love it

Not so good
Managing time in order to get the quality and vision you want
Having art director’s vision too tight to see a true potential
Mostly getting the type of work you show, seems limiting at times when you can do so much more
When an art director says it’s not working and the glue is already dry
10 rounds of changes on a budget of $250
Dealing with some art directors who deal in fear of editors who deal in bad communication

One of my favorite gardeners is Diane Bigda. Here, with her cat in her garden, and a few of her lovely ink brush drawings.

Isn’t it fascinating to see how an artist works? Here’s what Elke has to say:

“[This rough] is about something we call in Germany “our inner swine”. This creature (it is a mixture between dog and pig) can be blamed for our lazyness – and the story is about how to deal with him. [Below] you will find two sketches and the final illustration.”

Again, a fascinating glimpse into the mind of Elke. Here’s what she says: “This illustration is about the importance of reputation and was published in a Swiss economy magazine. [Below] you will find two sketches and the final illustration.”