Sign a Day

My current Illustration assignment grew out of a long ago project - to create fridge magnets depicting pairs, things that go together in the minds of Ymns.

You're talking that Jargoon again Awa Rich. Splane please.

You'll have to read Mitch Benn's book Terra. Just say the word, it sounds like...?

After a few preliminary sketches I remembered the HazMat labels that were everywhere in the lab I worked in back in the early 70s. I'm sure you'll recognise them from the backs of trucks.

I used the HazMat design because it's bold, simple and easily recognisable. So whoever created the original design did a good job. You see one of these and you immediately know what kind of peril you're in.

Fridge Magnets

I created these using iDraw, a vector illustration app for the Mac and iPad. It works like Adobe Illustrator but at a fraction of the price.

An advantage of vector graphics is they are scalable. if you enlarge them they don't go frilly around the edges like bitmapped images.

That's what the kids call pixelating intit Awa Rich?

Enlarged Bitmapped Image

Enlarged Vector Image

A disadvantage is - because you are plotting points, joining them up with lines then filling the shape with colour - creating them can be very time consuming.

Vector graphics lend themselves well to diagrams, plans and cartoon images. Some artists manage to create realistic looking images. Lots of practice I guess.

This one took me all afternoon!

The images for the fridge magnets were not depicting hazards unless you're a moth Awa Rich! but it got me thinking about hazards in a different way. Particularly the way people will exaggerate a trivial situation for effect.

Sometimes people can go beyond exaggeration.

Christmas can be a hazardous time, so  last year, in a public spirited gesture I sent this to all my friends and relatives.

This is all old stuff Awa Rich. What about the new stuff?

I'm just setting the context. Patience is a virtue.

But prudence is a bitch! Do you know how long I've waited to work that one in Awa Rich?

When opportunity knocks norl that!