Things I need to do

Before I start working on my Moments of 2009 posts I want to play around with some things first. For one thing it's about time I start organizing my photos and I also need to draw some more. I was just looking at some of my photos now and wow, New York really was an awesome city. I really hope I'll be going back this year!

Custom gelaskins

I'm thinking about making a custom gelaskin for my iPhone and Macbook Air. I think it's pretty awesome that you can make your own and have something completely original with your own design. Maybe I should get one with my Eiffel Tower design, or maybe something completely different.

002 - Eat me...gently...

Drawing Holly

This is a quick sketch I did of Holly, the writer of the wonderful and addictive Decor8blog. I read it every day and it has greatly influenced my view on decorating and loving your home. Holly is very pretty and she recently posted a wonderful wintery photo of herself that I had to draw. This might not be the only time I try it though, as I'd love to draw it in another style as well.

001 - Catman

So, I'm going to jump on board with the whole "create something every day" trend. A lot of people are doing it to stay creative and to help them think out of the box. It isn't so much about the quality of the work but more about being active. Here's my first submission:

Catman - pencil drawing

The Graphic Arts Institute of Denmark 2006

Since I was 15 I've only wanted to go to one school and that is The Graphic Arts Institute of Denmark. Back when I was in the eighth grade I got an internship at Disney's Danish department. My advisor told me that the best education I could possibly get in Denmark if I wanted to be a designer or be in advertising, was at that school. So for years I kept the school's name on a note in my drawer, waiting to be old enough to apply. In 2006 it was finally time and I was scared to death. Only 30 people get in every year so my chances were slim. There was an extensive admission test where you had to create a poster, do an ad campaign and show your versatility by designing numerous illustrations based on an apple. I was sure I wouldn't get in and I was a wreck all three days the test lasted. I'd have to wait for months to get the result so when I finally got my admissions letter I was extatic. I got in! I couldn't believe it! And to this day I'm still so thankful for pulling through. My boyfriend was also very supportive and helpful.

We had to make everything out of paper and computers weren't allowed which made it that much more difficult. Here's the work I did for the admission test:

Finishing Multimedia Design school 2006

I had been a student for two years now at the Multimedia Design school in Copenhagen and was finally finishing. I had learned a lot about media design and had decided that I wanted to fullfill my dream of becoming a graphic designer and illustrator. Throughout my time at the school I worked with all kinds of projects and programs and got a better understanding of how everything worked. My work was very crude but it's fun to look back on.

                                My first attempt at webdesign.

                                A later attemt at webdesign.

Our second year we got an assigment to design an online game for girls. This was the first time I tried vector graphics, photo realism, illustration and character design. I loved it! And I seemed to be fairly good at it as well. Our game was voted the best game of our class which was very cool. Afterwards our project advisor hired me to work on a real online game for girls called Powerbabe and I ended up working there for four years and eventually becoming the editior as well as designer. Here's some examples of my work for the first game prototype.

                             Vector changing room made in Flash

As our final project on our second year we decided to continue working on the game concept though we had to start over. It was a lot of fun and we got the equivalent of an A so we vere very happy with it.

Here's an example of my very first portfolio site:

My 2009

I'm looking back on 2009 and it really was a great year for me. A lot of cool things happened in my life and I had some pretty great experiences. I want to pay tribute to 2009 as well as the last decade, so I'm going to write a series of post about the more memorable moments. So get ready for a stroll down my very own Memory Lane.

Pastries in Prague

Last April and this Christmas my boyfriend and I went to Prague and were really taken in by the gorgeous architecture, lovely weather and ESPECIALLY their wonderful local pastry called trdlo or trdelnik. Apparently it means “crazy” bread. It’s sweet bread dipped in toasted almonds and sugar then heated on metal pipes. The blog Gastronomy Domine illustrates it very well. It was a really delicious snack and I just couldn’t stop eating them. I even bought one the last day there and had it for breakfast the day after we arrived home in Copenhagen. Trdlo could be found at the lovely Easter or Christmas markets that were scattered all over central Prague and the small stalls had huge styrofoam trdlo’s hanging from the roofs as signs. It was really lovely and it was perfect for the holiday season. I'll write more about Prague later but for now I'll leave you with pictures of this delicious pastry.

Resolutions

So I was thinking about my New Year's resolutions and decided to write a list here. Maybe that will make me stick to it more, being public and all! So here goes:

Be creative!
Nothing's impossible
Strive to reach your goals
Be yourself
Don't discourage and stay true to your vision
Stop worrying so much
Don't stress about the future, live in the now
Exercise more and stay healthy
Eat sensibly
Make more time for friends and loved ones
Don't worry about not being good enough - just do your best!
Dare to dream!

I think that's it! And the basic message is to be true to myself!

New Years Eve 2009

Wow, I had the most wonderful New Year's this year. It was the perfect way to enter a new decade. My boyfriend and I decided to just stay at home and do some of the things we normally don't have time to do even though we want to. So we played Guitar Hero, watched movies, made a wonderful dinner, and just cuddled up. We made my favorite lasagna. I love it so much so it was perfect for New Year's. I also got to use my pretty pink crystal glasses from Cristal d'Arques that I got last year for Christmas. They are so cool. Neon pink crystal from Paris. Gotta love it. We were also very lucky in the fireworks department. They were spectacular even though we didn't really expect anything as we don't exactly live in Central Copenhagen. All in all a very good day for the both of us. I hope you all had a very happy New Year as well. :D

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I wish everyone a very happy New Year!

My work

I’ve been very busy working lately. Here’s what my in-game character looks like at the moment. Made all the clothes and stuff myself. It’s part of what I do. I’m also the editor and I love it. I’ve also added some miscellaneous pics of some game characters. I love trying to figure out what the kids like and will be most excited about having in the game. I try to make as many different designs as possible and I've come to know so much more about fashion than I ever imagined. I've been working with online games and fashion since 2005 and I just can't seem to shake it. It just sticks with me - thankfully.

Introduction

I might as well introduce myself before I start blogging too much. I'm a female illustrator and graphic designer located in Copenhagen, Denmark. I'm half Danish and half American but have only recently visited the US for the first time. I'm an inspiration junkie so I surround myself with all kinds of crazy stuff all the time. My mother-in-law thinks I'm insane. Fortunately she loves me anyway. I live with my boyfriend and our two little lion head bunnies. All and all we're a happy little family. At the moment I'm working on an online game universe for kids and teens as well as involved with different freelance projects. I'll be using this blog to post personal stuff including my illustrations and it'll almost be like a work diary. I also have another blog that I use for posting stuff that inspires me. So hope to be very active here and to get some perspective by archiving everything. Hope you'll enjoy this blog if you stumble across it. xoxo

Missing NYC

I just came across my NYC pictures and this was such a lovely moment. It was very hot as it was summer and I finally got to cool down with an icy tropical drink at Dunkin' Donuts. I was so relaxed and ready for adventure. I hope I'll be going again next year.