Corktown Map

Finals, guys. I have one class left, and then I'm done with the first half of my senior year. Here's one of my final projects from the semester.

This project was to create a body of work--a main illustration, a supporting illustration, and then a series of patterns (with some alternate color schemes). I chose to base mine around one of my favorite Detroit eating areas (and historical areas), Corktown.

A map of a few Corktown places: Slow's BarBQ, Astro Coffee, the old, no longer present Tiger Stadium, Mudgie's, Green Dot Stables, the old train station, and Mercury Bar.

My supporting illustration with one of my favorite Corktown restaurants, Mudgie's.

Then a version of my map with an alternate color palette. And finally, my patterns, in two different color schemes, featuring lovely Corktown homes and the brick road of Michigan Avenue.

So there you have it. 

And yes, I do accept donations of food from any of these places. Particularly Mudgie's.

P.S. I have a Behance page. If you're into that. Click it!

Liquor Label

 Here's another alcohol-based assignment.

We had to design front and back labels for a liquor, then apply it to a container of our choice. After debating between the few liquors I enjoy (hint: not tequila), I landed on moonshine.

 I wanted to play off of one of it's various nicknames, because, let me tell you, there are some good ones--corn whiskey, donkey punch, hooch, skull cracker, bush whiskey, and bathtub gin, just to name a few. I went with the timeless and classy "Rotgut", as you can see. I mean, what else would allow me to stare at colons and other organs?

Ten Paces and Draw: Cocktails

Hello.

So, I contributed to Ten Paces and Draw again! This time around the theme was "Cocktails", which I was all over.

Check my sketch, this piece, and all the other awesome work here!

Sketchbook Buildings

I rediscovered my personal sketchbook, and paid it some much-needed attention. I have buildings on the mind.  

Chicken

For a project that was killed. Based off of this project: Rooster.

Yes, I did restrain myself from calling it something else. It took extra effort this time, too.

Orange Crush

THE ORANGE CRUSH

An illustration based on a POP (or soda, if you're 10 points lower on The Champ Scale).

I really enjoyed doing the color studies, so you can enjoy them too.

You're welcome.

Typewriter

So, I sort of forgot about this. Good thing I had critique today to remind me. I'm taking a class on "web media" (is that the right term? internet-y stuff? whatever), and for the first assignment we had to illustrate an article and create (design, code, cry over) a web page for it.

Here's a little slice of that business:

Nifty new skills.

Bad Ad Redesign: Boob Goggles

Everyone reacts differently to art.

So, the task was to take a poorly designed ad, and revamp it into something that doesn't make your eyes bleed when you look at it. Just leak milk, instead.

I selected the ad for the Dirty Show (an annual erotic art show in Pontiac). After making the remaining pages of my sketchbook into what can only be considered porn, I landed on this. Tits for eyes. Or boob goggles, I guess.

I replaced the glitter with some bodily fluids, applied some hand-drawn type, and here we are. 

What's Fashion?

 I'm taking a fashion illustration class this semester.
Clearly, because I am fashionable.

Romney

For an article about Romney's shifting stance on health care. 

Yeah, I'm relevant.

I want to keep working on likeness and exaggeration, because it's FUN. What was also fun was looking up reference. There are a lot of unattractive pictures of politicians out there. I guess that's a danger of talking in front of cameras for a living?

Jungle

So, I got an awesome suggestion to make my meat drawing into a book cover for "The Jungle", from Seabass. This is a little something I have so far, but I've been stuck. I'd like to blame the time of the summer. Can I do that? I think so?

Anywho, help?

Call Me, Maybe?

Help. I've fallen into my sketchbook and can't get up.

MORE:

http://meredithmiotkeillustration.tumblr.com/

Trip

Oh right.

I'm taking a little trip.

I'm giving Detroit a little break from me hanging around all the time, and taking off to bother New York for a few days. I took all my knowledge of perspective and scribbled this out in the middle of my packing mania (which is actually not for my trip, but for my move the day after I get back. Why pack/unpack one bag, when you can pack/unpack so many more?).

Champion. Adventure ahoy.

Faces

 

Things have been pretty nutty here mentoring (corrupting?) high schoolers at the Pre-College program here at CCS, so I haven't been able to devote my time to updating my blog (or I guess I should say blogs) regularly. Clearly, my life hasn't been as fulfilling because of it.

One of the great things about the Pre-College program, in a selfish kind of way, was it got me sketching more. Something about being around a bunch of people who are also super excited about art.  Who knew (ME. I DID. I GO TO ART SCHOOL).

So that's where those two sexy men from above are from. Sketchbook farts. Because I knew you needed an explanation.

Sketch dump

You know, ink. 

And one in pencil. So what. Cry about it.

Pancakes

I know there's a market for drawing actual porn,
but what about food porn? Eh?

Since I haven't had a kitchen for over a year now, I find myself drawing the foods I want to eat. Is this sad? Maybe a little, but it's usually better than trying to recreate the food in my microwave. I'm a boss at sassing up oatmeal, eggs just sounded/looked worse than they actually were, and then "grilled" cheese was just a bad idea from the start.

I may or may not be a pro at exploding soup.

Contain your jealousy and awe.

This entry may seem a little repetitive, because I posted this piece not too long ago on my Tumblr page. If you looked at it. Which you might have. I don't know. I'm not keeping tabs on you. I pretend to have a life beyond the internet.

I'm still figuring out what the difference will be between this and my Tumblr, if any, if both continue to exist. Right now the only difference is that I'm more inclined to ramble on here than Tumblr.

The lesson of all this is that I need to get my actual site all fixed up and launched.

And get an actual kitchen.

Space

Just trying to stop the space between my ears from getting larger.

Decided to get a little Illustrator workout. Here's a little simple something for Illustration Friday this week--an astronaut for the theme of "Space"! 

Meat and Skin

For some reason, the colors are odd on my screen unless you click on the image. I don't know about you guys.

Anyway, let's see what happens with these.

New Sketchbook

New sketchbook, bros.

FACT: I used my hands as reference. Hey boys.

Sketch and Society 6

hey bby

I started getting that feeling I should update my blog. Why? I don't know and I don't have to explain myself! I'm an adult!

The bundle of line above started as a study of a piece of bread (in the middle of my ongoing love affair with ink) but I plan on pushing it beyond it's current state.

In other news, I have a Society6 page going! Click this: My Society6 Shop ! I have 4 images up (for now! more to come!), but you can buy it on a variety of products: t-shirts, laptop cases, iPhone cases,  and just oh so much more!

CHECK IT OUT.

Because I said so.

Please and thank you.

Books and Music

Who's sick of this piece? DEAL WITH IT.

To continue to add to the design side of my portfolio/beef up my design skills, I made a little mock-up of a book cover using my James and the Giant Peach piece. I'm going to make it into a hardcover sleeve. I typed that because I just thought of it, and you should always type exactly what you're thinking at that exact moment, right?

 Lunchmeat. Car Alarm. Cereal.

Is it dinner yet?

PART TWO

"In the towers of your honeycomb"

Album art! What's an album? Who knows. MP3s, iPods, internet, bro. 

Anyway, I decided to take a drawing I had (the one-eyed deer, in case there's any confusion) and apply it. I thought I'd play off of Bon Iver's music, with it's Midwestern/woodsy feel, feeling of loss and calm, and then the hexagon pattern playing off of a lyric in "Towers".

You know, explanations.

More stuff to come since I've been working not unlike how I would during the school year. Except the time that I would be in classes or at one job or another during the semester, is now filled with sandwiches, friends, [craft/snob] beers, and trips around the city.

Astronaut

Don't let the helmet fool you.

Astronauts also appreciate silence.

Hey. It's summer. This is some of what I have so far. This isn't what I intended on doing tonight, or even what I was originally working on, but this is what happened. A little one-night stand. Whoops.

James updated

He's happier now.

A small change.

Peach

Here's my final final for the semester.

A take on James and the Giant Peach. I wanted to focus on James and his relationship to the peach.

All I have left is my review for the semester. I have an exciting couple of days ahead of me slicing boards, prints, and hopefully not the rest of my fingers (there has been one casualty so far). High five, guys. 

Serpent

Another project!

The assignment was to create a vector iPad poster and vector iPad rendering. 

With copy and iPad.
You see that little iPad in the corner?
All painstakingly recreated by yours truly with that sass of a program, Illustrator.

Without copy.

It was great to apply all my new Illustrator knowledge to my own concept/idea/sea serpent. 

I had some other ideas for the project that I'm looking forward to pooping out finished products for this summer. Think: body hair and spacesuits.

I'm so close to the end of the semester and finals I can almost taste the nap I will be taking. It tastes like a beer.