Artwork for Contest to Win a Copy of The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

Here's the artwork that I created for a contest Maggie Stiefvater is hosting. It is to win an ARC (pre-publication copy) of The Dream Thieves which is the second book in The Raven Boys series.

I recently finished The Raven Boys. I read it on our Glenwood road trip. I am now antsy to read the next one. Part of me thinks that I should wait to read a series until all of the books are published.

Maggie is one of those super talented folks. She makes trailers for her books and creates playlists to help motivate her moods when she is writing.


Here's a link to some excerpts from The Dream Thieves that has been published and her page where you can see her playlist for The Raven Boys.

Here's photo of Maggie, Brenna Yovanoff (also an excellent YA author, Ellie and Christy.

And finally, here's where you can check out the other entries for the contest.

Business Cards for Coach Eric

One of Ellie's coaches, Eric, is the president and owner of Next Ascent Outdoor and Sport. He is a very generous guy. When he approached Ellie and I with a request to help him with his graphics, we were happy create some designs for him. Here's what we have come up with so far. Some of them are fronts and some are backs. Interestingly, Ellie and Ethan like the very same card. If Eric does not have a preference, I will suggest that one.

Ellie's MTB Racing League T-Shirt Design

The mountain bike league that Ellie races for had a t-shirt design contest. Here's what she submitted:


I am very impressed with her quality of design. It is a shirt that is pretty cool. There were nine designs submitted and the design that won was very different from her design. It was drawn by hand. Ellie would have enjoyed seeing people wear her design and she could have really used the Osprey backpack that the winner received. She was very gracious about the outcome. Perhaps she will give it a go again next year.

Cyclefest 2013 - A Starting Point

It felt really great to get back into Photoshop today. I started to design the postcard for the 2013 Cyclefest fundraising event for the Colorado High School Cycling League (Ellie's mountain bike league).

This was supposed to have a steam punk theme, but I also have three words to work with, so this is a start. This one is just a digital sketch, of sorts. Ellie does not actually want to be the poster girl for the event.

I thought that perhaps this version has too many words, so I took them out and added a sunburst.

What do you think? I am not at all sure that I am on the right track. I have sent these ideas to the artist that I am working with.

The Annual AVS Auctions

I am thankful for my artistic ability and my knowledge of Adobe Photoshop. I had fun designing the promotional materials for the annual auction that raises money for tuition scholarships.

For the live auction I made a batch of Dark Chocolate Chip cookies. They were paired with an organic orange creme soda and sold for $65. I was pleased with that.

For the online auction I made a bunch of different pairs of earrings. I tried to make a wide variety of designs. It is interesting to see who is interested in what. I was originally going to make something else, but changed my mind when the people who usually bid on my jewelry started to approach me with questions about what kinds of colors I would use this year.

The online auction runs until next Tuesday. You might want to check it out.

Mountain Bike Team Jersey - Final Design, I think

Here's what Ellie and I have created together. After so many design rounds, we are really happy with it.

"Pioneers, O Pioneers!" Ethan's Graduation Gift

My husband and I spend a good deal of time thinking about what to give our son for a graduation gift. I had originally wanted to give him something for college, something like a laptop computer. My husband had bigger thoughts. He wanted to give Ethan something that would last, something that would not get used up or become outdated. I had not even considered that angle and agreed with him once he mentioned it.

We thought about many different things including a book on first aid/ outdoor medicine since we know that Ethan's future holds many adventures. His thesis panel needed suggestions, so I passed on that title.

We were still searching for something more personal, a real memento of the event. The obvious choice was the "Pioneer, O Pioneer" poem by Walt Whitman that is Ethan's favorite poem and an important part of his senior thesis. Once that was decided, I needed to figure out how to present it.I started with a simple, green background. I was inspired by this poster:

When I tried it with the poem, it did not look good. It was simply too plain. Then I tried putting an image, sort of like a watermark, behind it. That just looked cheesey, like a 1970's vintage motivational poster. Then I pulled out my favorite rust textures, some grunge overlays and frames from the ever generous Shadow House Creations. Once I came up with something that Larr and I liked, I asked for feedback from a couple of my artsy friends. Mark, the owner of Husky Signs, and Kohlton's father, printed out the image on a 20"x24" scale. Once framed, I was happy. It was a real challenge to work with so much text and have it still look good. Our hope is that Ethan will remember how much we love him, how proud we are of him and how much promise his life holds. Out hope is that this simple gift will remind him of that when he looks at it.

Flames Out - Maybe a Moari Inspired Look Will Be The One

The flame design had mixed reviews. Many loved them. Others, well, not so much. So, back to the drawing, or Photoshop, board for a new design. This one is inspired by Moari art.

Still More Jersey Designs

Once you begin to show people a few designs, everyone has things they like and don't like. I had some things about the last set of designs that I did not like, namely the color gradient on the flames. The rainbow effect was not right for the team which is mostly boys. I worked on that aspect first.

I like this color combo better.

I tried putting the mountains back because the coach likes them.

One of the main sponsors did not like the other flames, but Ellie wants a cool design, so I tried out another set of flames coming out from a different direction.

And here is a much more tame, safe and adult like option. I am not sure that the kids will like it as much as they would like the others. The trick is knowing how to balance the pleasures of a sponsor with that of the kids on the team.

Who knows if any of these will make the cut. That is how design goes much of the time.

GMC Team Jerseys: Variations on a Theme

Ellie and Kathy (the head coach) both liked the original design, but also asked for a little more to be added. Ethan thought there might be too many flames. He likes things very plain, so that was no surprise.

Here's the original design. Ellie thought we should add something to make the flames more interesting. Kathy thought it might be nice to add some color to the mountains.

In this variation I added the requested colors on the mountain and switched up the colors on one sleeve. This would make it easy to spot in a race, not that we expect a lot of others teams going with the same color scheme.

And then there are always variations on the enhanced flames. I wanted a more hot rod flame sort of look, but could not make it work with the time I have today to work on this project.

I'm not sure if any of these are the right design. It may just be my mood. I feel ineffectual today. The end of the school year is hard, especially this year as it has been one of the hardest years of my teaching career. Maybe I am just tired. I'll know soon enough.

Early Ideas for a Team Jersey - Ram's Head with Mountains and Flames

I am in the early stages of designing a jersey for our mountain bike team. There are requests for the ram's head we used last year, mountains and something cool like flames. Our colors will be neon yellow, grey and black. It took me a while to wrap my head around how to do it all and have it not look like it was designed by a committee.

A Successful Thesis Defense

A week ago Ethan and his dad were at school prepping for Ethan's thesis defense. It is one of the most important individual events at our school.

Ethan had really enjoyed the writing process. This surprised and pleased him. His thesis, "My Hole Life" is thoughtful, reflective and literary. The title is a play on words since he uses the metaphor of holes and digging to represent how he has lived his life thus far. He began his thesis with a description of what he learned about himself during some of his recent adventures, most notably the canyoneering trip in Utah. He then went on to describe and reflect on the various qualities he believes an effective adult possesses. He says,"The internal qualities of an effective adult are: independence, productivity, responsibility, and freedom. An internal quality is something that affects the way a person lives and conducts himself." Interwoven into his written and oral presentations the audience is treated to excerpts from Anthem by Ayn Rand, "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost, Time Enough for Love by Robert A. Heinlein and most importantly, "Pioneers, O Pioneers!" by Walt Whitman. It is the most serious piece of writing he has ever done and I am so proud of him.

Prepping for the oral presentation was a different challenge. How Ethan thought it would go, and how he needed to do it were entirely different. As a result, we were all up late last Sunday evening and he was sweating it. I knew he would do well, but it was hard to see him so stressed.

Monday came. The chairs and podium were arranged. Artifacts and slides representing his passions and adventures were displayed on a table. Guests were arriving. After a short introduction by Missa, his committee chair, in strode my boy so confident and grown up. He was poised with so much grace as he began to recite the first half of "Pioneers, O Pioneers!" from memory. It was really something watching,no, enjoying his presentation. My little boy has been replace with such a remarkable young man. I was so proud of him. He had been eagerly anticipating the Q&A part of the evening. It has always been his favorite part. He was asked some really tough questions, but answered them honestly and with integrity. At one point in the presentation Ethan talked about what it was like to have his dad be such an active and integral part of his life, helping to mold who he had become. We looked at Ethan with his closely cropped hair, his blue button down shirt, belt and pen in the pocket. Then we looked at his father, wearing the same. We had a small chuckle over that.

While he was in his private session with his panel we cleaned up. We did not doubt that he would be successful, but the waiting was hard nonetheless. He came out of the library smiling. Shortly thereafter the members of the panel arrived and congratulated him. We were all smiles and hugs. And then we all went for Victory Pie at Village Inn - a tradition at our school.

The whole evening I was struck with a curious set of responses. In many ways it seems like Ethan has been part of my life forever, and at the same time it seems like just a few days ago he was the tiny boy digging big holes in my garden with a big shovel. I am excited for what lies ahead for him. I am also a bit sentimental, knowing that he will become more and more independent and I will be increasingly on the sidelines. I know that is how it is supposed to go, but I will miss him all the same. I am so proud of him and who he is becoming.


Here's how the process goes at our school:

In September the candidate picks a panel of eight adults to help guide and advice him during his process. They are to address how they have prepared themselves to be effective adults in the larger community. After many conferences and drafts, his paper was complete and sent to everyone in the school community. On a given evening the graduation candidate does an oral presentation and participates in a question and answer session. After that the guests leave and the panel, along with the candidate, holds a final and private Q&A session. The candidate is excused from the room and the advising committee decides whether the candidate has earned a diploma, or not.

Ethan's Thesis Defense Invitation

At AVS the seniors put together a panel of advisers to help them prepare for the next stage that the student plans to go onto after graduation. As part of the process every senior writes a formal thesis in which he/she explains what he/she has learned about him/herself and how he/she has taken responsibility to prepare him/herself to be an effective adult in the larger community. Each potential graduate works through several drafts of his/her paper. In April the potential candidate has a special event, the Thesis Defense. A week before everyone in the community, along with all of the assembly members and board of trustees receives a copy of the thesis defense. On the Thesis Defense night the student gives a presentation which includes an oral version (often slightly different from the written thesis) of his/her thesis. Some students also include personal items which may include tokens that represent his/her life. For one student it was a gallery style showing of some of his photographs. For another student that included the presentation of a one act play she wrote, directed and performed in. Some presentations are a bit more simple. After the presentation there is an open question and answer session where the student defenses him/herself and the assertion that he/she is ready to go onto the next step. Ethan's defense is coming up soon and he has been working very hard. The process has surely been one of his most important projects to date. He has learned so much about himself and the potential that he has when he applies himself. I am sure it will be a well attended event. A simple email is usually sent out, but I, being the graphic artist that I am, could not let this opportunity pass by without designing a card. Thus, here it is. The real one does not have smugged out sections. This one does simply for privacy sake.

While I type this out I hear another computer in the background. My husband has it tuned to the emergency channel. Though the weather has been so beautiful in the city, it has turned dangerously dry in the mountains. At least four major fires are blazing, growing quickly. We hear the sheriff's department deputies as they try to get the people to evacuate. Many are resisting. An 80 year old man is stuck in his home several miles up the hill. Fire crews are trying to rescue him. A man with three horses has no trailer. He has to trust that the horse loving and owning community will band together and get them all out. There is a good chance that will happen, providing they can get through the road blocks. Other folks pretend to live in the threatened areas in hopes of getting a chance to see the fire up close. In one section the fire has crowned out, meaning that the fire has reached the top of the trees and can jump from tree to tree, setting each one ablaze as the wind provides easy travel arrangements. The down side of listing to the emergency channel is that you never know the outcomes of most of the stories.

Colorado State Mountain Bike Championship Jersey Designs

This weekend we got a lot done in the garden. While cleaning up the yard and pruning a monster bush in my back yard I designed a few jerseys for the 2012 Colorado Mountain Bike Championship.

I am please and complimented to get a chance to throw my ideas into the ring.

I came up three very different ideas so far. All of them are just sketches I put together.

Each design has a few problems, but they are enough to test the waters.

Newest Graphics Project - 2012 Cyclefest Postcard

This is my newest graphics project - a postcard for the Colorado High School Cycling League's main fundraiser, Cyclefest 2012. It took a ton of time to get everything just right, but I am happy with how it turned out.

Postcard For the Colorado High School Cycling League

Ellie had such as wonderful time at the mountain bike races last fall. I am so glad that opportunity exists for her. It was only the second season.

It is important to me to be a contributing member of the groups that I am part of so I offered my skills to help design a graphs PR program for the Colorado High School Cycling League. This is a draft of the postcard. I am pretty pleased with how it is coming out. The file size is small, which worries me a bit. I will do a practice run with the printer to make sure it looks as good on paper as it does on the screen. The rider in the front is from our team.

Posters For Charity Events

This last month I've done a lot of graphic work for charity work.

This one is for the Live and Online Auctions we are hosting as a fund raiser for our tuition assistance fund. The online auction starts this evening, as does the live one. It will be a lot of fun!

This poster is for an event that my school does every year. The kids from the area schools make clay bowls. Teachers make huge crock pots of soup. We host the event at my school. People pay $5+ dollars to get a soup dinner and a ceramic bowl. All of the proceeds go to the local food bank. It is an important cause that is close to my heart as many of the kids I teach rely on the food bank to help them have something to eat.

This poster was for the End of the Season party and mountain biking season. That is Maris on his bike. His parents were thrilled that I featured him. Perhaps it feels a little bit like being well known or famous for a short while.

I enjoy having the opportunity to use my graphics skills for good.

A Little Mother & Daughter Graphic Design Goin' On

At the mountain bike race on Sunday Ellie noticed that many of the top teams had special t-shirts. She thought it would be nice for her team to have one, too. So we set out to create a design. The ram's head is different from the one on the jersey. It is one that I modified from an image I found online. I added chainring teeth to the horns and modified the face. Ellie did most of the remaining design. The bikes are Specialized Rockhoppers which we made into a graphic. Ellie has a good eye for design. We're sharing the design with the rest of the team to see what thier reaction is.

Here's a glimpse of the race. Thanks to Carrie Dittmer, Ariana's mother, for the photo.