Once Upon a How Magazine

Back in March I sent off my book to the HOW Magazine Self Promotional Design Annual. Over the years, I've veered off into a more economical presentation style which has led my book to become more of an all-in-one type of self promotional project. The packaged includes sections for resume, portfolio images, 'personalized' thank you cards and fun take-aways.

All Images are property of Abigael Orlando and associated clientele.
ANY unauthorized use may result in legal action against the respective parties. All rights reserved 2009.

Noteworthy Blogs - Edition V

I’ve been following a few sites lately. One in particular has really sparked my interest. Mostly aimed at the newest and ‘in’ with design, fashion and style trends from everywhere, it’s been a consistently entertaining read from the day I first started clicking. If Its Hip, It’s Here has more links and back-blogs of visual fun, entertainment, and toys that creative could have a hay day with.

Recently they had an article for those who have been laid off in the recent economy, and what to do with that box of old business cards. Its pretty amusing, and you can see the whole article here. The author is on facebook, twitter, and many more sites. You can see what she is up to here.

The second site I’ve started following very recently belongs to a few old co-workers of mine. Middlebrow Comics has that real sense of true-life comedy. It throws out a new strip just about everyday. Please check it out.


They are also on facebook, twitter, and flicker.

Mr. or Ms. Me Me Me - Series Part IV of V

Five Toxic Personalities You Should Avoid
As a personal project, I’ll be doing one illustration per ‘personality’.
This is “Mr. or Ms. Me Me Me”.

Mr. or Ms. Me Me Me

Mr. or Ms. Me Me Me is probably a character you know well because they are constantly telling you about themselves. Most of their sentences begin with "I" and it doesn't matter what story they are telling as long as they are

starring in the leading role.

This sort of person is extremely boring because all of their conversations are one-sided. After awhile you get the feeling that this person doesn't really care about you or your life. That's when the frustration sets in.

If you really like the person and think that they are simply oblivious, try talking to them about it. They may just be a poor conversationalist. Say something like, "You may not mean to do this, but you never ask how my day is going and that bothers me." However, it's also likely that the person is really self-absorbed. And when that becomes apparent it's time to let them go.

All Images are property of Abigael Orlando and associated clientele.
ANY unauthorized use may result in legal action against the respective parties. All rights reserved 2009.

Self Doodle - A Retrospect

Illustration is not like riding a bike. It is more like roller-skating. Sure you've mastered it after time, but as you get older, you don't go as often, and soon years have elapsed. Suddenly you find yourself at your nephew's birthday party which just happens to be at a skating rink, and the next thing you know, you're out on the rink clinging to the wall for dear life. You forget how intimidating it can be or how frightening it is to 'let go'. You can look out across the open rink, i.e. the blank page, and freeze up.

After time, I stopped drawing as much. Soon, where a pencil or brush used to be was filled with a mouse or a stylus. Sure on occasion I had an idea for a drawing, but I was more apt to write it down and forget about it. It wasn't until a few weeks ago that I started thinking about drawing again. I wanted to bring back the 'hand-drawn' element to my work. I missed it. I missed that sense of self accomplishment when I finished a drawing by hand. So, I have been sketching more and more recently. This week I feel like I broke through that 'white page' phobia, and I can't seem to put the pencils down!

In conclusion (I know, kitschy) I am going to be presenting lots of senseless doodles. I'm afraid of facing that scary 'white page' again. I encourage you all to fight that fear yourself, and get back to something you haven't done in

a while. It is very liberating.

NPR hosted an interview with Mo Willem's recently on getting people back into drawing. You can see the interview here. You can also visit Mo Willem's Blog here.

All Images are property of Abigael Orlando and associated clientele.
ANY unauthorized use may result in legal action against the respective parties. All rights reserved 2009.

The Gossip - Series Illustration Part III of V

Five Toxic Personalities You Should Avoid
As a personal project, I’ll be doing one illustration per ‘personality’.
This is “The Gossip”.

The Gossip

"Did you hear about so-and-so? No? He got fired on Friday because he got into a big fight with the boss. It went down like this..."
Sound familiar? It's The Gossip talking. The Gossip is hard to resist because he or she is usually personable and has something interesting to say. Unfortunately, engaging The Gossip is a bad idea. Why? Because gossip is hurtful to others in almost every situation.
Hey, to gossip is to be human. But if it's in the workplace or among a tight network of friends, avoid associating with The Gossip at all costs. Eventually all of the rumors and hateful words will come back to haunt The Gossip and you don't want to be anywhere near that. One last thing: did you ever consider that The Gossip might be talking about you?

All Images are property of Abigael Orlando and associated clientele.
ANY unauthorized use may result in legal action against the respective parties. All rights reserved 2009.

Logos

Just a few logos I've done For promotions at Harrah's.

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