Blog Flume

I am a multimedia designer and aspiring writer from Central Illinois who dreams of bigger things. You are entering the hub of my online world. Welcome. Make yourself at home, read some stuff, click a few things, maybe check out my online portfolio. And of course, if you enjoy your stay, please subscribe.

*NOTE* This blog occasionally contains coarse language. Please use discretion when viewing.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Graphic for local youth theater

This is the vector drawing I created for the t-shirts, fliers and posters of a play that my young son is in this spring. I can't take all the credit; I used Adobe Illustrator CS3 to recreate the work of artist Joseph Gleeson,which I found in a scan of a public domain printing of the stories on Project Gutenburg.

Still, it represents about 20 hours of work. I also acquired a new Genius G-Pen and I used the hell out of it. I'm looking forward to another project. Guess I can now finish the project I've been slowly working on for my teenage son's metal band.

Friday, March 18, 2011

The most engaging Alice Cooper album of all

Alice Cooper - From the Inside
Five of five stars

Alice Cooper has been reinventing himself and his sound over and over again for decades, but 1978's From the Inside stands out as the most transparent, personal and honest effort to date. Too, the musicality is unmatched in the Cooper catalog. A deeply introspective exploration of Alice's thoughts and of the characters he claimed to have met while in a sanitarium addressing his alcoholism, this is a rock album that everyone should give a spin.

Worthy of mentioning is that Cooper's songwriting collaborator on this album was Bernie Taupin, most famous for his long-time professional association with Sir Elton John. Personally, this particular Alice Cooper album ranks as one of my top three favorites, in such diverse company as Killer and Raise Your Fist & Yell, though it's more accessible than the other two for newbies to the Alice Cooper catalog or those who like their rock a little less hard. Be warned, though - it's definitely dated and a few tracks have a distinct, funky kind of '70s vibe.