Twitter Ideas

These are my blue birds after transferring my sketches into digital illustrations.

sketches

This is an assignment in which we were required to create some birds for Twitter. The Twitter logo is a simple blue bird and many designers create different blue birds that people may purchase or download to display on their home page. We were to create 5 of our own versions of this bird. Here are the sketches I started with.

Now and Then

This is a project in the study of shapes. We were to create two compositions with a similar theme using card stock to cut and paste. One was to be created using only geometric shapes and the other using only curvilinear shapes. The top piece is an old car from the 70's that I choose to create with geometric shapes because cars then were very boxy. The piece on the bottom I chose to create an Audi R8 with curvilinear shapes. I created this one in curvilinear shapes because modern car today are much more rounded. I also chose the colours very carefully in order to create certain contrast. First of all the two time periods in which the cars are from create contrast alone. Also the brilliant red versus the dull grey create contrast. Even the individual pieces have contrast with the red versus white and the black and grey versus white. I chose the old car to red red because the sharp colour helps define the sharp edges in the piece. I chose greyscale for the newer car because the duller colours emphasize the curving lines. There is also the unity of each piece containing white and grey and both subject matters are cars.

I hope you've enjoyed this piece as much as I did creating it!

Zoo Signs

This is a project where we were required to create signs that would be seen in a zoo for various animals. These signs could only be created in white and the background colour that was provided. Also these signs needed to be readable by all ages.

The Lady Jays

This was a logo I redesigned for a lady's weekends that my grandma, aunts and cousins on my mom's side of the family. Her maiden name is Jay, hence the blue jay.

Type Face Buck

This was a project that we had to create an illustration using only type characters.

Contrast with Type

The purpose of this project is to create contrast through colour, size, width, shade using only type characters.

Photography

"Desire over Duty"

"Come As You Are"

(will contain a guy sitting in the front row with his head in his hands)

"Beyond the Pulpit"

Well this summer I have been studying the church a lot and thinking a lot about how it functions. These pictures each have their own meaning and message that I hope to soon turn into paintings.

Expressive Words

A couple expressive words and an expressive phrase for Typography class.

Can you figure out what the phrase says?

Back At It

Well it has been a while, but summer is now over and i'm back to high-speed internet that is actually high speed! So I will get back to continually updating my blog for whoever cares to follow along for the ride!

Worship: A Reaction

by Jon Allison

 

       People often think that worship is simply singing songs of praise. It is so much more than this! Praise comes from the mouth but worship comes from the heart. Singing can be used for worship but it is simply a means of worshipping God through praise. Today’s contemporary music is full of emotion that creates a feeling inside of us that moves us, but this is not necessarily worship. Worship is not a feeling. It’s an act. Emotion is not wrong but we can often be distracted by it.

            There is such a huge divison in many churches dealing with music. The older people in the church enjoy singing hymns because it is the style of music that they have always sang. Hymns are very beautifully written that contain so much thought and doctrine. These are great to sing praises to God and worship Him. The content is very rich but the music it self is much slower then a chorus. The youth of today enjoy much faster, upbeat music such as chorus’. They feel that hymns are old and boring. This music contains much simplier doctrine yet there is a lot of emotion built into the music.

            It doesn’t matter how we worship God because everyone worships in a different way. The important part is that we worship Him and worship Him with our very best. People worship God in different ways just as people gets excited for their favorite sports team in different ways. Some people go crazy and are very enthusiastic when their team scores a goal. Others simply smile and beam with joy but they keep their emotions inside. The same thig happens in worship. People who raise their hands before God should not feel uncomfortable doing so, but they should also not look to the next person and expect to do the same. In that same way those who don’t lift their hands should not feel obligated to, nor should they look down upon thos who do. Anyone who has time to judge the other in a time of worship is not worshipping God themselves. Worship is between ourself and God, no one else.

            God being master over the universe, Creator of all and the giver of life ought to be worshiped every moment that we live. But how much time do we take daily to stop and reflect on God and worship Him? We need to spend time in worship of our God each day.

            In order to worship God we need to understand both who He is and who we are. God is the creator of all things, He is omnipresent and omnipotent, the Alpha and Omega. He transcends both time and space, and He is a God who loves us! We are human, physical beings that have both a beginning and an end, sinful creatures that are destined to eternal death, helpless and lost, yet loved by God Almighty.

            The reason we ought to worship God is not because He needs it or requires it and not because it makes us feel holy. Rather we worship God because it is our reaction as a creature before our creator, a son before a father and a prince before a king. We worship God because His greatness is so overwhelming we cannot look at His face. He is in absolute control of our lives and He guides us down the pathway life. We ought to fall facedown and worship Him. We need to surrender everything we have and everything we are to Him. To surrender your heart to someone mean that “if” they fail you wou will be broken and have nothing left.

            When we seek God and begin to know and experience Him, we see how awesome He really is. Our reaction to this is worship. It’s a reaction to what He did for me in love to rescue us from a state of hopelessness and give me life. We must worship God because of who He is and what He has done.

“Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”

                                                                        -Psalm 100

Year: 2009

Medium: Adobe InDesign

My final project of the year was to design a newsletter and for every article we wrote our selves we would receive extra credit. I wrote one article of my studies this past year on worship. It's titled "Worship: A Reaction." This past year I have spent a lot of time studying the topic of worship. Really when we look into it, it becomes alive and real. Worship is so much deeper then many of us perceive, as we all see it sometimes as simply singing. Read through these articles because they will challenge you more then you realize and open your eyes to the depth of worship!

Identity Project

This was an assignment where we had to create a company and design a logo, letterhead, envelope, and business card. This may be legit one day, we'll see I guess.

Liberty University Visual Communication Arts Program

Year: 2009
Medium: Adobe InDesign

This was an assignment given that required us to create a brochure for the art program here at Liberty University. The first image is (from left to right) the inside flap, back, front (the outside opened up). The second image is the inside opened up.

one life

year: 2009
medium: Adobe InDesign/Adobe Photoshop/Adobe Illustrator

This piece shows a person with a blank face representing everyone. We always see ourselves as one person living our own life and maybe only 0.01% of the worlds population even know you exist. We are just one person, but as Christians we represent the Lord Jesus Christ and though Him we can have an impact on this world! I am tired of people, including myself, whining and complaining about things that are wrong with our world. People complain that things aren't being done properly and so on. It is too easy to sit in a pew and point the finger at a messed up world and people failing trying to make and impact. We need to be the change that we want to see in this word! The only reason things are the way they are is because you haven't changed it yet! We need to change this world for Christ. With God as my strength I can change this world. Care to join me?!

eternal life

year: 2009
medium: Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop

This is an ad in a response to the iPod ads. Except this ad is selling eLife (eternal life) rather then iLife (a life about me). Clearly no headphones because the figures are dancing about as a reaction the the gift God has provided them with.

Special thanks to adam docksteader as he and myself are the images in the ad! also this inspiration came while adam and i were working out! haha

Old Mill Townhomes

year: 2009
medium: Adobe InDesign

This project required us to find an ad in the newspaper and recreate it. The first image is the original ad and the second image in my recreation.

The Last Man

year: 2009

medium: Adobe Photoshop

This is my first time creating a computer illustration. I used photoshop to copy a real photograph of myself when I used to play hockey in Canada. I obviously did not play for team Canada as the logo on the jersey shows but I put this in for three reasons: first because we had a lame logo, second because it matches my pads and most importantly to also show that hockey belongs to Canada.

Walk by Faith

year: 2009

medium: oil on canvas

This piece was inspired while singing a song at my church in Virginia, Bedrock Community Church. The idea that I have passionately put into this painting is the idea of faith. However, we do not have a blind faith! The blindfold simply represents that we don't always know where God is leading us, but we know He is there. This knowledge of God's presence in symbolized by the outstretched arms reaching toward the light that ultimately represents God in all His glory. This is an eventful painting to me as I have had to trust God a lot in where He is leading me, not always knowing where I will end up. This is why I am at Liberty, God has brought me here over OCAD (Ontario College of Art & Design), a big art school back home. Our faith is not blind even though we may not know where we are headed, but we do know who we are following.

Prayer

year: 2009/07

medium: oil on canvas/Adobe Photoshop

This is a cover for a bible study book I made for my church, Bancroft Bible Chapel. This is a previous painting of mine "Surrendered Heart" except I have photoshopped the Lord's prayer on it and I have also added a sepia mask.

Wadsworth's French Cuisine Fine Dining

year: 2009

medium: Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator

This was for a menu I designed for a friend of mine at a culinary arts school. He was to create a full menu of dishes for his mock restaurant. I designed him a menu for his fine dining restaurant.

Captain Blood

year: 2009

medium: Adobe InDesign

The same class as my previous project. This time we were required to a old fashion theater poster without and images. We had to show visual hierarchy.

Silent Gatherings

year: 2009

medium: Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop

This was my first project at Liberty University. We were given all the text and the image of a hand. We were required to design a poster for this event and we MUST use all text without eliminating ANYTHING or shortening ANYTHING, we also had to use the image provided. This was also my first time working in Adobe InDesign.

Time Flies

year: 2008

medium: acrylic on canvas

This was a piece that I did for an exam with a three hour time limit. Again I attempted to take another shot at abstract and I feel 

this time was quite successful. Image one shows my sketch that gave me the idea as I was doodling one day. The second image shows the finished product as it displays a very free and imagination like feeling. It is shows how time can not be contained as it continues to fly by.

Never Look Down

year: 2008

medium: acrylic on board

This project was to create a book cover. However, I have always been interested in writing a book about something in terms of my faith. So I took this opportunity to design a book as though it was my very own. Maybe I'll end up writing it someday, we'll see.

Burton: icthus

year: 2008

medium: coloured ink

This project was to create a product design. Because of my love for snowboarding I designed my a snowboard that incorporated my faith. It is a Burton board, however I created my own type of board with my own design. This board is called the "icthus" which says "fish" in greek (in greek it is "IXOYE"). This is where the Jesus fish originated from. In the word "fish" (IXOYE) each letter is the beginning of a name for God. I=Jesus, X=Christ, O=God, Y=Son, E=Saviour.

Winning Season

year: 2008

medium: acrylic

This piece was an experiment in order to try a different technique which turned out okay. This was my last season of Huskies Wrestling in high school. In the end I graduated high school with an above 80% winning average. Unfortunately my OFSAA run was ended in the first round with a torn ACL. A very bitter ending to my last year of wrestling!

Woodpile

year: 2008

medium: pencil

This piece was created as a memory of all the times that my family and I would cut and split wood for the winter. There are many memories from laughs to tears to close calls. All in all they are great and wonderful memories simply because it's my family! There is nothing better then being able to spend a day in God's creation whatever you may be doing as long as you take the time to admire His wonder.

Heart

year: 2008

medium: coloured pencil

This project required an organ from the human body to be drawn in coloured pencil. At the time I was studying the heart in Kinesiology class and was very intrigued with its complexity and how it fuels the whole body. (and people still argue against intelligent design!)