Hey everyone, it's me, Allison! If you've already perused this site, you've probably figured out that it's my artist's portfolio for the amateur graphics I've been designing for Figment. I figured I'd blog about my experiences as an amateur graphics designer as well.
You're probably wondering, why am I making covers on Figment? Because it's a nice side-hobby from my writing hobby that I think I have a chance at being good at. As noted, I'm an amateur; I'm neither getting nor expecting to be paid monetarily for my services. I just want to hone these skills for the future, should I ever come to the shocking realization that writing is not the highest-paying full-time occupation. If you think that's a naive outlook in life, chances are, you're probably right.
I've always wanted to be both a writer and an illustrator, but I think the former is more realistic skills-wise than the latter. (My handwriting is bad enough -- you don't want to see my drawings!) But, I've learned, one doesn't need to like Bob Ross (who is incredibly cool) or draw like Shoo Rayner (who is also incredibly cool) to call themselves an artist and actually mean it. Art comes in a lot of different forms (such as screaming,) and, most of the time, (unlike screaming,) can be appreciated by many others. The written word can be an art; when used properly, words can conjure up vivid imagery in our minds, happy and sad, beautiful and homely.
I think by putting together graphics that, using eye-catching images and pretty fonts, are pleasing to the eye, I'm also making a form of art.
PS. If I still haven't dissuaded you from wanting to see my drawings, here's a portrait of John Lennon I drew a few years ago:
You're probably wondering, why am I making covers on Figment? Because it's a nice side-hobby from my writing hobby that I think I have a chance at being good at. As noted, I'm an amateur; I'm neither getting nor expecting to be paid monetarily for my services. I just want to hone these skills for the future, should I ever come to the shocking realization that writing is not the highest-paying full-time occupation. If you think that's a naive outlook in life, chances are, you're probably right.
I've always wanted to be both a writer and an illustrator, but I think the former is more realistic skills-wise than the latter. (My handwriting is bad enough -- you don't want to see my drawings!) But, I've learned, one doesn't need to like Bob Ross (who is incredibly cool) or draw like Shoo Rayner (who is also incredibly cool) to call themselves an artist and actually mean it. Art comes in a lot of different forms (such as screaming,) and, most of the time, (unlike screaming,) can be appreciated by many others. The written word can be an art; when used properly, words can conjure up vivid imagery in our minds, happy and sad, beautiful and homely.
I think by putting together graphics that, using eye-catching images and pretty fonts, are pleasing to the eye, I'm also making a form of art.
PS. If I still haven't dissuaded you from wanting to see my drawings, here's a portrait of John Lennon I drew a few years ago:
I think I made him look a little like a cow. O.o