Illustration Renaissance

There is a great and truthful article that gives hope for the young illustrators out there at Computer Arts website.

http://www.computerarts.co.uk/in_depth/features/illustration_renaissance

Cult of Celebrity vs The REAL Heros

I got this email today I thought I would share it. It's exactly how I feel and act.

Mary Lightfine, international ER nurse and a "Friend of The Catman Project,"
is featured in the new edition of NeuFutur Magazine. Her passionate and
incisive comments concerning Nursing are a "must-read" for those who care
about what is really transpiring within one of the most important
professions in the world.

In keeping with his stated social/artistic mission, mysterious Catman Cohen
turned down yet another interview request, instead passing the baton to Mary
Lightfine, In doing so, Catman Cohen stated that the national media
is drowning in Cult of Celebrity mind junk, that places excessive importance
upon entertainment figures as opposed to the relatively anonymous and
essential occupations now in dire deficit.

Catman Cohen recently went on record to issue the following statement:

"Just how low has America sunk such that, during a week commemorating 9/11,
the most important tragedy to befall the nation, the Media is consumed with
airhead nonsense concerning a dance performance by Britney Spears. Is it
any wonder why our children are so lost and why their priorities are so
shallow? Blame the Media, blame the advertising industry, blame the
political puppets posing as leaders, and blame yourself if you choose
passive acceptance of this dismal status quo...but do NOT blame Britney
Spears for merely being a pawn in this entire insane game."

"In a society that faces all variety of impending infrastructural crises, we
have an Establishment dedicated to narcotizing the nation with a
mind-numbing drug called the Hollywood Cult of Celebrity. Strangely enough,
while society maintains restrictions upon the distribution of narcotics,
somehow the Cult of Celebrity drug is disseminated widely and immoderately,
despite its obvious negative side effects. If we must have idols, then we
need to find new more substantive examples quickly, the kind who will
inspire our youth to pursue goals that transcend a walk down the red
carpet."

"We don't need more glitzy Hollywood award events, we need more sewage
treatment plants."

"We don't need more gargantuan shopping malls, we need more water pumping
facilities."

"We don't need more super-dome sports stadiums, we need more hospitals."

"We don't need more mean-spirited celebrity gossip-mongers, we need more
humane rescue workers, environmentalists, and human rights activists."

"We live in hedonistic, materialistic, and decadent times where this
particular perspective upsets and offends those who profit from the current
cultural swamp. However, despite those who choose to ignore, silence, or
ridicule "music with a message," I will continue to use my art as a vehicle
for sounding the alarm in a society that has been drugged into a mindless
stupor.....and the most important message I wish to convey now is this..."

"READ THE MARY LIGHTFINE INTERVIEW!!!"

NeuFutur Magazine agreed to interview Mary Lightfine in place of Catman
Cohen and you can read the inspiring interview at the following link:
http://neufutur.com/?p=682#more-682
(Vicky Asher Entertainment)
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For more information concerning international nurse Mary Lightfine, please
go to:
http://www.MaryLightfine.com (for lecture information)

http://www.NursesNomadsAndWarlords.com (for book information)

http://www.VolunteersWithoutBoundaries.com (for more volunteer
information...and we can really use a one dollar donation from everyone to
get our safe birth program off the ground in Uganda).

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Catman Cohen's Controversial New Music Video, PRAYER FOR AMERICA


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The Nursing Shortage.....and Catman Cohen
(by Mary Ruff-King)

Mary Ruff-King, an author who has worked in the medical field for many
years, is keeping Americans informed about the nursing shortage crisis and
the challenges that may befall our health care system if these issues are
not addressed in the immediate future.

http://www.articlesbase.com/medicine-articles/the-nursing-shortage-and-catma
n-cohen-an-artist-calls-attention-to-our-growing-healthcare-dilemma-215180.h
tml
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For further Info about The Catman Project.....

http://www.catmancohen.com

http://www.myspace.com/catmancohen

http://www.wholewheatradio.org/wiki/index.php/Artists:Catman_Cohen

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Jump Rope For Heart

A message from daughter, Suzanne and son Jackson,

Hi! I'm joining in the American Heart Association's Jump Rope For Heart event at my school. I've been working very hard to learn how to jump rope and I'm practicing everyday to perfect my style. I will be jumping rope to help the American Heart Association raise money to fight heart disease and stroke. Can you help me by making a donation? I get a really cool prize if I meet my goal. I will not be going door to door so this post on the family blog is the best and one of the very few ways I'm asking for donations. Thanks!


The American Heart Association's online fundraising website has a minimum donation amount of $25.00. If you want to donate less, that's ok. You can just send/mail the check right to me and I'll make sure the American Heart Association gets it.

To make a donation for Jackson go to his custom website here.

To make a donation for Suzanne go to her custom website here.

From Jay,
There are a couple of other donation opportunities throughout the year but this one is probably the most rewarding and personal since heart disease and strokes run in my family. Is so easy to do online with a credit card, but if you feel safer sending a check that perfectly OK too.

Thank you so much for your participation!

Jays' end of Summer Press Release

In June Jay was interviewed on the AM 1620 Radio Sandy Springs in GA on a show called Following Your Passions. In August Jay was featured in the international e-zine NewWebPick which has over 3,000,000 readers. Also, in August Jay has signed up with a German Art Representative dieKleinert which is forming a new USA representation. While teaching classes at SCAD-Atlanta over the summer Jay has done numerous freelance projects ranging from program cover art for the Breeders' Cup horse race (seen here), and marketing illustrations for Atlanta Gas Light, Shaw Carpet, Porsche and directly working with Kenrico, a Japanese health product company, creating a map the the Japan town of Shizuoka. In October Jay will be receive a special award from his alma-mater, LaGrange College. In a ceremony at homecoming he will be included on the Wall of Outstanding Alumni.

Illustration Friday - Momentum

Here is my Illustration Friday entry for Momentum. These were previously done but these particular versions were done as a personal exploration of a new technique and style. Basically it's Illustrator shapes imported into Photoshop with a custom painted texture of mine applied to the image using my own special technique. With the motion of these it said momentum to me. Here is a link to some more in this style.

Porsche Is Recycling Now...

...due to the ever important Professor Greenleaf posters created by yours truly. Here is a quick process of what the Porsche saw.

They first gave a very specific description of the Green Squad. You don't have to read all this, but it explains the image below.
Here's what I'm thinking - perhaps we could come up with some sort of an illustrated green mascot who bears the Porsche crest (attached). Maybe the mascot is a friendly-looking green tree with a face and limbs with hands/ fingers -- one of them pointing toward the reader. Perhaps the crest can be on its trunk. One the tree idea -- actually make them a group of three trees -- the tallest in the middle. Make it recognizable that the middle and left one are guys and the one on the right is a woman -- maybe its the way her treetop/branches is styled. In addition to the Porsche crest on their trunks (like a badge on a shirt), put: Porsche Green Squad. Perhaps you even put a green shirt on them with those words -- I don't know. You could also make the one on the left wear glasses, if you like. Have them all pointing to the reader. For the green squad, let's put them on shirts that say Porsche Green Squad with the crest underneath it like a badge. And again, a woman on the right, tallest guy in the middle and another guy maybe with spiked hair/branches or hair/branches in twists, wearing black glasses on the left. This would give them each a personality. Be sure not to put like red lips or anything like that on the woman...not that you would. In both scenarios, mascots are pointing to the reader.


This was way to complicated and too much like Treebeard in my opinion. They scratched this idea and went with this other idea they had.

Professor Greenleaf
Another idea is to make the mascot a green leaf -- a bigger version of the one you have at the top of the poster. Give him a face, as well as legs/feet/arms/hands -- and of course one hand pointing toward the reader. His one concern is making sure the names mascot is stated within the logo so that additional text is not needed. So for the leaf -- perhaps you can give him a suit coat that has the Porsche crest eblem on his top right pocket and put a hat on him that says Professor Greenleaf...and maybe have him pointing with a stick that usually denotes a professor. For the green leaf, in addition to the crest, please have him wear glasses and put his name -- Professor Greenleaf somewhere.

First Sketch

Second sketch with revisions. Mechanical engineer outfit.

Final art created in Photoshop with revisions.
Slimmer leaf, lab coat, no logo on coat, and his right hand pointing.

Prof. Greenleaf telling it to the people of Porsche.

Makes you want to choose green doesn't it!

Thanks Professor Greenleaf!

Whole process from first call to final delivery was 7 days.

Atlanta Gas Light Weather Forecast

Right after I finished the first job for AGL they wanted me to do another. This time for postcard for the Metro Atlanta area. They wanted a generic TV screen showing a 5 day forecast of 100% thunderstorms. Quite simple when you think about it, but when you actually do it there is a lot of design decisions to be made. I loosely based it on the Weather Channel screen with some significant changes. This was 80% done in Adobe Illustrator, the 20% was the clouds and distorting the flat screen elements in Photoshop to fit the screen in perspective. They wanted it cropped on the top to make the screen as large as possible on the postcard. I completed the whole screen if needed in the future. The whole process took about 1.5 days of work and 8 days of waiting for the clients response.

3-D Gas Condo

I wanted to show you an illustration I did for Atlanta Gas Light back at the end of July. It was for brochure mailer to architects and residential builders showcasing that Atlanta Gas Light now has the technology to install gas lines in high rise condos and apartments. They wanted tri-fold brochure that would fold to a 3-D building shape that would be mailed out in clear acrylic box instead of flat boring brochure. Once I get a sample I'll post a picture. This is the art I gave them flat with measurements and a 1/8 inch bleed all around. It was completely done in Illustrator. The clouds/window reflections were done with the gradient mesh tool.

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