Pencil vs. Pixel

Since my third quarter with Design Communications at UCLA Extension has come to a close, I have been spending my time enjoying the summer and putting new projects into motion. This past quarter was the most rewarding for me in so many ways. Since joining the program I have gained so many skills to take my photography and art to the next level. However, this past spring gave me so much more than that.
Part of the reason I began the program in the first place was because I felt that art was becoming so digitally driven and that my traditional by hand methods were becoming obsolete and outdated. So in an effort to stay artistically compeditive, I began courses in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and the like. Over the first two quarters I learned that great art can still be created entirely in digital format and personal style can still translate through a mouse with a little practice and tons of patience. However, this past quarter I learned that I was wrong about the digital progression of art.

Typography Assignment: Hand Lettering

Even though digital methods are an amazing tool, I found that many of the best artists out there are still beginning work entirely by hand; and in many cases, only using digital methods for final touches and production. Artists are still current and will continue to be regardless of their medium because when it comes down to it, it's always going to be about the ideas. The realization that work by hand will never be replaced entirely by computerized tools has sparked a deep resonating creative breakthrough. Now I fully feel that I am not becoming obsolete and being able to draw and paint really is an amazing talent to posses. I feel lucky and energized that I've come to this understanding at this point in my career. While I take a break from classes this summer to process this,  I look forward to starting the Fall quarter with a whole new outlook on art and creativity, which I'm certain will directly contribute to gaining even more out of my future classes.

Best Music Video: Golden Ace Award Winner!

The music video for The Damsells & The TC4's "How Deep Is The Night" has won the Golden Ace Award for Best Music Video at the Las Vegas Film Festival! This music video was directed by Peter Monro and Cinematography by Arron Torres. The Theatrical Lighting was done by myself. Here's the link to view the video!

"How Deep Is The Night" music video

The Henry Clay People EP Release Concert

In an attempt to catch up on life before vacation, I am only now blogging about this fun show! In May I designed the lighting for the local band, The Henry Clay People. It was a two night performance at The Satellite club in Silverlake, celebrating the release of their newest EP, This Is A Desert. This was the first performance for the band since their return from playing at the Coachella music festival. Both nights of the shows were equally fun and exciting. The Henry Clay people definantly brought on some huge challenges for me in the lighting department.

The band wanted something simple design wise. Nothing too showy. The performance was meant to feel like a fun show in their home town; which it was. To keep this hometown club feel, I decided to not to do too many internal cues within the songs and I stuck with the house rig. I kept it simple. Though the show was not a simple task at all. Each night had a different set list, doubling the number of songs for me to learn. Plus, the band was very fond of improvising and changing the set list mid performance and sometimes even mid song! They for sure kept me on my toes. The spontinaety and energy that The Henry Clay People bring to the stage make them so fun to light. I had a great time designing for some real rock and roll music and thoroughly enjoyed my lesson in improvisation. Next time, I'll be sure not to have many plans regarding cueing and instead just go with the flow and feel the music.

To hear their music visit The Henry Clay People's website or Facebook.

Also, every Monday in June I will be back at The Satellite lighting for The Californian's Residency. It's a free show!

Vacations Are Never Long Enough

Recently, I returned from a family vacation in Maui, Hawaii. As you'd expect, it was paradise. I took this opportunity of visiting paradise by photographing the scenery. Photographing Maui was challenging because I was trying not to shoot any cliche imagery you see representing Hawaii, like the beautiful palms on the beach and numerous hibiscus flowers. However, I discovered that those things are just unavoidable and by the end of the week I found my memory car full of floral and palm images. Turns out that these things I though to be somewhat cliche representations of Maui are truly what makes it so beautiful and unique. So, with mai tai in hand I embraced the beauty of the scenery around me and let go of trying to find some different way to photograph a place that's been photographed endlessly and loved for what it is.

To view my Maui photo album. 

Les Blanks Album Release Show

Photo Credit: Angela Holtzen

It seems that this spring is the season for local Los Angeles bands to be releasing new albums. This past Friday, April 29th, I designed lighting for the band, Les Blank's special performance. This show was held at The Satellite, formerly known as Spaceland, in Silverlake. This long awaited album release called for some specially tailored lighting to enhance the music. My approach to designing this show was to utilize colors from the album cover as well as using complimentary color combinations. With a palette of firey oranges and ambers paired with cool cyans and blues, the look of the show was able to look more customized and appropriate for their range of songs.

Photo Credit: Angela Holtzen

Les Blanks is an incredibly fun band to light since their music has a ton of energy with complex builds and punchy moments. Mid set they bring the momentum down to a more isolated and serious tone with a touch of moody saloon style vibe at times.
Lighting shows at Spaceland is somewhat chalenging since their control console is very outdated and limiting in regards to timing. Thanks to the power of power strips, the additional fixtures I brought to create textural patterns and dramatic shadows were able to be manually controlled. Despite the technical challenges I faced, this show went very well. Hopefully some day I'll be able to light this band again with a set up where I can really do their music justice.

To hear the new album in it's entirety, please visit the website for Les Blanks.
These photos of Les Blanks by photographer Angela Holtzen at Pictures That Rock.


Coming up in May on the 13th and 14th, I'll be back at The Satellite designing lights for The Henry Clay People's EP Release. This is expected to be another exciting show!

The Damsells & The TC4 Pink Vinyl EP Release Show

Photo Credit: Brandon Priesont

The record release show for The Damsells and The TC4 was held at The Echo on April 15th. For this ultra retro girlie group, I brought in some special hot pink heart templates to add to the fun, festive vibe of the event. Also, to make this night more exciting than an everyday performance at this club, I went with a more glamorous inspired lighting approach.  By using various shades of pink the look could be more varied and by adding a little boost in the intensity of the front light on the ladies, they were able to stand out against a number of musicians on stage that night.

Photo Credit: Brandon Priesont

The Echo has a small stage with a limited number of lighting instruments. The club has mostly LED fixtures which helps to create more variety with color mixing. I also brought in some gels to alter the existing incandescent fixtures. Manually controlling all the instruments via faders and bump buttons  made it possible for the lighting really helped to enhance the songs for this special occasion.

To listen to the record please visit the website for The Damsells & The TC4.
Photos By Brandon Priesont

A New Quarter

Illustrator 2: Calender Assignment

 I have completed my second quarter at UCLA Extension for Design Communications! This was another amazing quarter with so many creative and skill building assignments. Constantly I'm amazed how quickly I am learning the Adobe software and finding ways to apply it to my professional work on a daily basis. My newly developed skills are helping me to visually express my creative ideas and design concepts in new ways. Taking these classes has helped me to catch up with the quickly changing creative world which has progressed quite a lot even since I graduated college six years ago.
     Upon beginning these classes, I did not intend to pursue graphic design as most of my colleagues have. But, I have found that graphic design can be far more creative than I had expected. It's actually quite fun and relevant to almost everything artistic! I am very excited to continue to apply graphic design tools to all of my future creative endeavours. I am beginning the third quarter with a new set of classes which I'm expecting will expand my skill much further. Sadly, I am now half done with the classes I had planned on taking. 

Entertainment Design: Video Game Title Treatment Assignment