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"Friday Night Football" Full Page Ad v.2

Here's something new from work. A full page ad presentation for a local magazine. It was rejected by the powers-that-be, not because it isn't any good but because it doesn't show Chris & Brad, or the Friday Night Football logo like the image below.

This represents approximately 15 hours of work. The ads combined represent about 23 hours over four days. It's not that I don't like the one the GM chose, it's just that it is not nearly as iconic as the helmet.

For the record, the inspiration for the helmet came from CBS's graphic ad for the 50th anniversary of the Grammy Awards.

Here then is the one I turned into the publisher this afternoon.

"Friday Night Football" Full Page Ad v.1

Here's my dilemma: I like this one a whole lot. That is, until I finished the helmet I was going to put at the bottom... like so. When the helmet was finished, Bent remarked that it looked too good to just sit at the bottom; that it should BE the full-page ad. I tended to agree, and even pushed it as a better ad, but Roger, the GM, thought not.

So now I look at my original, and while I liked it to begin with, I don't now. I still recognize it as a great ad [the "Friday Night Football" lettering alone took me about 4 hours!], it had fallen from grace the moment I realized just how beautiful the helmet looked.

Anyway. I was given this project on Tuesday... Noon-ish... and finished it-- mistakes, tweaks, burnt to disks and delivered, at end of day today. Three and a half days all told.

I used Illustrator CS3 and Photoshop CS3 to produce these two ads. The originals are both 2250 pixels x 3000 at 300 dpi, CMYK format [for those who wish to know]. The PDF version I turned into the publisher was 95MB... big BIG file.


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3Leaf-Final

This here is a webpage design, built entirely in Photoshop, except for the page title-- The font looked blotchy so I used Illustrator to get it smooth-lined. This is the result of yet another Photoshop tutorial, and this one has been very productive in that I've learned the use of quite a few tools with which I was "heretofore" unfamiliar.

I wish I could remember where I got the photo of the leafs so's I could give the photographer credit. Since I don't I've given credit in the footer to "the unknown photographer." And just to show you from where I started with this photo, take a gander at the original below...

I overlaid a progressively darker green over each successive leaf, and found middle ground for each leafs overlap to retain the transparency.

Anyway. I'm working hard to polish and strengthen my skills. There's not been a whole lot to do lately; the economy being what it is, but I've managed to stay busy by increasing my knowledge base. Next week however, there's a lot on my plate. A fullpage ad for a local magazine, two online contests, and a load of other mini-stuff.

Stay busy. That's the key.


On a personal note, I never thought designing a page like this would take a lot of time, but it did. I was, of course, slowed by attempting to follow the instructions of the tutorial, so I figure with a little practice I could produce pages like this far more quickly than this go-around.

Part two of the tutorial requires coding. I'll do that over the weekend and see if it validates. If it does, cool. If not, well, I can continue to do what I'm doing now and that's best expressed by the following...

"When all else fails... Experiment!"


Side Notes

I've been on vacation the last 10 days, so if you've sent me an email... I haven't read it. And I've done nothing of note to really speak of, although I've had a couple of noteful things happen to me that I may or may not choose to speak of.

One thing remains true, however. I should never go on vacation. Nothing good ever comes of it.


A discussion at another blog prompted the following response, and as the blog only allowed some 4,000 characters per comment I had to split it up into four parts. Here is my entire response in one whole piece.

The premise

I’ve been following the discussion. I didn’t have time to take a part, but I do have some time now to add my thoughts.

First, a false premise:

”That all of you ignore some or all of these [one-time held biblical precepts] undercuts your demands for case law in this issue.

Sorry, but no it doesn’t. Because the judge runs red lights and fails to give right-of-ways he undercuts his demand for case law on issues of traffic violations? That doesn’t make sense. It makes the judge a hypocrite, but it doesn’t take away from or undercut his duty to the law. And the law specifically states that homosexuality is an abomination. The fact that I occasionally eat a basket of shrimp doesn’t make it okay for other men to commit homosexual acts. Asking for chapter and verse on God’s permissibility of homosexuality is a fair question, whether or not I eat shrimp and pork. Because I do eat shrimp and pork [though not really] is not reason enough to say, “Pfft! I don’t have to answer that! Look at you! You eat shellfish and swine!”

The truth of the matter is, there is absolutely NO, no not ONE, verse of scripture that condones or allows homosexual behavior, be it in ANY relationship-- loving or else-wise. None. And to argue that such a question isn’t allowed to be asked by swine eaters is preposterous.

As for the consumption of shrimp and swine—and a host of other thou shalt not’s --these are still against the will of God. Paul did teach that many of these things were now lawful, but he also said they weren’t expedient…

”All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body. And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power. Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.” 1 Corinthians 6:12-20

God’s perfect will is that you abstain from shellfish and swine [among other things, like fornication, adultery, homosexuality, beastiality], but should you consume them you reap what you sow… poor food choices to bad health and early demise.

God DOES mandate. He mandates that you [insert Ten Commandments] if you want to be Holy and acceptable in His sight, without the need of a savior [PRE Christ Jesus]. But having given us a savior, he MANDATES that we accept that gift if we wish to live forever with HIM.

Feodor said something earlier on about the true Gospel… let me look…

Okay, first his definition:

”they thought they knew exactly whom the Gospel counted as righteous and whom it could not.”

But actually, a Judaizer was one who, after Paul established a church and moved on to another city, moved in and said, “yes, you are saved by grace, through faith, but now you have to get circumcised, abstain from pork, etc., burden yourself with the implacable Law of Moses[God].” But this is salvation by works. Salvation is through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ-- plus nothing, minus nothing. In the sense that a new believer had to add the Law to his worship it can be said that the Judaizer thought he know exactly whom the Gospel counted as righteous. But the truth of the matter is this: If you are genuinely saved, and the Spirit of God resides in you…….. you ARE righteous. Despite whatever sins you have, OR WILL commit. You are righteous, Sanctified, and Perfected over time into the image of His son Jesus. Not only that but if you are genuinely saved you are called by God to these things… called to righteousness, sanctification, and perfection. See Jude 1:1

Next:

“Still on the wrong side of the Gospel…”

So what is the Gospel? 1 Corinthians 15:1-4…

”Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures…”

THAT is the Gospel. That Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures. That He was buried and rose from the dead on the third day, also according to the scriptures. It’s not all that other stuff of feeding the poor and clothing the naked, etc. All THAT comes with living a genuine spirit-filled life as a follower and disciple of Christ, but it is not the Gospel.

So who is one the wrong side of the Gospel? The Gospel states both lovingly AND terribly that there is a solution to one’s sin-- including the very personal sin of homosexuality –and that solution is Jesus Christ; His death, burial and resurrection, all of which can also wash away the sin of a poor diet. Neglect the Gospel and there’ll be found no place for you at God’s table.

Is slavery, because it was regarded and given rules of governance for by God, condoned by the scriptures? Paul did say to be content in whatever station one finds himself in, but does the Old Testament law specifically state that slavery is an acceptable station for any human being? Was Slavery ever a part of God’s plan for any man? No. Just as with divorce, because of the hardness of man’s heart, rules were given by God so that no slave was mistreated.

Slavery still exists today. But that doesn’t make it right. Slavery is illegal in America, and it is good. That no one here views slavery as good and biblical is not in any way a contravention of God’s will. God’s will is that we love Him above and before all else, with every fiber of our being, and our neighbors as ourselves. How can we love our neighbor as ourselves while holding him in bondage? As property? It cannot then be righteously suggested that because one views slavery as evil that he cannot then ask chapter and verse for God’s permission of homosexuality.

Women should not speak in Churches? Yes, Paul said it, but where does he get this? He also said, speaking of his own celibacy…

”For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that. I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I. But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.” 1 Corinthians 7:7-9

Does Paul get is proscription against vocal women from the scriptures? Or from tradition? If from the former then every woman on TBN, INSP, and in Black and White churches across America, and the world which allows women a public voice is breaking God’s law. But if his proscription is from tradition, well, traditions change.

This much is true. God does use women in service and ministry. He used Deborah. He used Esther. He used Anna the prophetess. Did God break His own law by using these three women?

Boils, Blood, Dead Bodies? All of these things are still unclean. The only thing different about the times of Leviticus and today is sanitation; soaps, disinfectants, etc. Some today still live as filthy [by choice] as those in Old Testament times [as a matter of course]. Germs and disease are always unclean. But the very fact that hygiene is greatly improved [for those who choose to employ its methods], and that every child knows about germs when every adult in Jesus’ time did not, only shows that we are different today only in terms of knowledge and the lengths to which our knowledge has driven us in terms of avoiding Uncleanness.

Shrimp and Lobster are unlawful because of what they are; scavengers feeding off refuse and effluvium. Swine as well. You are what you eat, it is truthfully said. Eat clean foods and your body remains clean. Eat unclean foods and you invite disease into your members. God wants us healthy and clean, to better serve Him, hence his dietary laws.

The fact that the church in Jerusalem held all things in common was not the model for the church age. And nowhere does Paul teach that Christians should live communally. Even the story of Ananias and Sapphira is misunderstood here. This man and wife were not killed by God because they desired to keep a portion of the money they received from the sale of property, but rather they died because they lied about how much they received, so as to appear to be giving everything, while holding back a hidden portion for themselves. In short, they lied to God. Were they saved? It would appear so, but they still lied, and God used their deaths as an example.

But nowhere, and I mean NO WHERE does God condone homosexuality, in any form, be it in a loving relationship or a degrading one. Paul affirmed its status as “Abomination” in Romans chapter one. Unequivocally so.

Does a homosexual wish to serve God and follow Jesus? Let him abandon his wicked ways and rely on the blood of the Lamb of God for his salvation, and the strength to live a new life in Christ. Can a saved man fall back into his sin? Of course. Has he lost the gift of salvation? Of course not. But what characterizes a man or woman saved from their sin, from those who continue to live in it? A man or woman genuinely saved will not remain in their backslidden state for long. They will repent, having been convicted and chastened by the Spirit of God within him or her. They have ceased to be “Homosexual” despite any relapse. They turn from their sin and ask God’s forgiveness through the shed blood of Christ. Homosexuality is a sin every bit as much as fornication. And just as no fornicator can find justification for his or her sin in God’s eyes, neither can the homosexual. Homosexuals living in their sin without any guilt in the face of God? I have to wonder if they are saved at all. And I have to ask if the congregation has enabled them to live a lie. Not that God’s loves them, He does. But that God has saved them from and in spite of their sin, and has allowed them to remain what they were. Abominations; affronts to God. God changes people. If he has saved these homosexuals they should have abandoned their sin.

I think the reason you don’t want to get into a discussion of chapter and verse with regard to homosexuality is because you know you can’t prove your case. God only needs to say it once for it to be good or evil. I can count numerous verses that speak of the evilness of homosexuality and its just punishments, but you can’t point to a single verse where it is condoned.

So again, if you feel homosexuality is condoned by God, please give us chapter and verse. But please, let’s leave all of the rhetorical jujitsu and strawmen out of the discussion.


Tyranny of Surf - Part 7
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Tyranny of Surf - Part 7

I've completed the floral pattern for the surfboard using Adobe Illustrator. Two hours. Total time is now 30 hours, over 25 days.



If you want to follow the progression here are the links:

Tyranny of Surf - Part 1
Tyranny of Surf - Part 2
Tyranny of Surf - Part 2b
Tyranny of Surf - Part 3
Tyranny of Surf - Part 4
Tyranny of Surf - Part 5
Tyranny of Surf - Part 6
Tyranny of Surf - Part 6b


Spent four hours in Illustrator today, working on a tropical-floral vector shape to be used on the surfboard. I'm a novice on Illustrator so it's taking me longer to get this done than it would someone with far more experience-- it's looking pretty sharp nonetheless.

I do believe I'll be taking the time to reproduce plumeria in Illustrator as well. I have to do something to stay busy, and Illustrator is yet another program I need to be proficient in.

At some point this year I need to begin, in earnest, to learn Flash. There's money to be had in Flash.

Feed the BEE, Baby! Feed the BEE!




Received in Email at work:

FYI from Corporate IT department.

Please be aware of the probability of a significant increase in Internet traffic today resulting from the worldwide media coverage of the Michael Jackson memorial. This traffic is expected to cause an extreme slowdown in Internet connectivity and in some cases a possible loss of access all together. With over 200 million people predicted to view the event on the Internet, mostly via streaming video, the heaviest impact will be felt between 12:00 – 4:00 today. Please consider these factors when prioritizing any work today that requires access to the Internet, such as OSI
usage.

Tom Johnson


Michael Jackson, Dead King of Pop, will stage his greatest performance today, so great in fact that many expect internet outages across the country and, who knows, perhaps around the globe.

In the process of killing America, Pelosi and Co, on June 26th, paused for a moment of silence in memory of Michael Jackson. While they were cramming that vomitously vile Cap and Trade down America's gullet, they paused to give reverence to a pedophile and drug addict... to a man who so hated the 'Man in the Mirror' he mutilated his own face and soul... to a man who so hated what he was he chose to be white instead. They all paused for a moment of silence for a man whose only claim to fame was being freakish. Talented beyond belief, but a freak all the same.

All this while others, whose passing were far nobler, were sadly forgotten.

Despite what you may think-- having read this far --I have only pity for Michael Jackson. May God have mercy on his soul.


Tyranny of Surf - Part 6b
[Click HERE for a larger version]
Tyranny of Surf - Part 6b


Okay, I didn't like the plumeria. No... I love plumeria, I just didn't like the plumeria I added today. Up until this point everything I've done has been without the use of photographs except for the sand's texture-- that IS a photographic overlay. I'm going to have to create my own floral elements.

Some new changes have been added, however. Look closely at the lip of the wave. I added some spattering, both top and bottom.

While I was out to lunch [literally] Ben added a couple of tweaks to the script. They didn't look bad at all, but I did add my own tweaks to his addition. He added two adjustment layers: Color Balance, and Curves.

To the Color Balance AL I deleted the portion that adjusted the "surface" of the extruded script, and dropped the opacity to 70%. To the Curves AL I added another point on the curve line and warped the line to create a second steeper drop in the curve. This heightened the reds in sides and shadows of the extruded script. I wouldn't have thought of this had Ben not stuck his two-cents in, so hat tip to Ben. Without my adjustments to his, the text overall was too red. By removing that part of the AL that made the scripts surface "reddish" I've maintained the yellow feel of the lettering, and keeping the reds gives the script more of a "Golden" look.

Add another hour and a half. Total: 25 and 1/2 hours.

Still to do:

  • Some treatment to the Surfboard, utilizing the word "Tyranny".
  • Some floral, aloha shirt-styled pattern, also to the surfboard.
  • And of course, some plumeria, perhaps hibiscus.

I think I'm looking at a 60-70% completion in terms of time.


Tyranny of Surf - Part 6
[Click HERE for a larger version]

Tyranny of Surf - Part 6



Add another 5 and a half hours of work on this one.

Changed color of script. Added plumeria blossoms (more to come). Gave the board a Hawaiian name. Worked on some floral patterns (incomplete and not added here). I've also muted the reflections on the wave-- it was too bright to suit me, so I'll figure that out later.

This film received horrible reviews, but then what do I care? I don't pay attention to reviews. I know what I like. I have been fooled before, but that wasn't the case here. Transformers 2 was two and a half hours long and at no point was I ever bored. In fact, the movie was over before I could honestly account for those two and a half hours.

In short, a great film, I will definitely buy this when the DVD is released. The only question I have now is... How long do I have to wait for Transformers 3?


On a side note/plot point.

Michael Bay must not be an Obama fan. Or if he is, he doesn't mind taking heavy pot-shots at him.

Right after the opening sequence an Obama-bot policy wonk arrives at the debriefing and begins to act like a typical liberal pansy know-it-all-- on the scene by Obama's order --who later shuts down the Autobots, by Obama's express command. This film takes delight in casting this man as a first class A-hole, who hasn't a clue about what he's gotten involved in.

So how do I know this guy's an Obama-wonk? Well, the film make express reference to "President Obama" being flown to a secure location somewhere in the midwest-- I couldn't fault Obama [even a fictitious movie Obama] running for ground. After all, a bunch of giant robots duking it out in awesome urban death matches? Best to keep the leader of the free world out of the way, lest he become so much toe jam..

Final analysis? I'd pay to see this movie again, and I did NOT pay matinee price on this one.

Saw a lot of kiddies with their parents, but there was way too much sexuality and crude jokes and imagery for the kiddies... in MY estimation. Too much foul language. I'd prefer ZERO JC's and GD's. If I had kids, I would have been embarrassed for them to see and hear those things, even in the context of a fun evening at the movies.