Rachelle Letain | Blog.

A fox called Waldo.

2011-03-13T20:25:00.000-07:00

I recently painted a customizable toy prototype (think 'munny') to contribute to a series that a class-mate of mine, Marta Ryczko, is launching as part of her self initiated 3rd year graphic design semester-long project. I felt that the original blank plaster form she had created kind of resembled a fox (if I imagined really hard) and this is what I came up with, a fox called 'Waldo'.

I guess there is a bit of a story as to the title I chose for this project. I figured I'd share it with you. My younger brother and I spent majority of our childhood summers in a small northern Ontario town with my Dad's side of our family. One of my most prominent memories of my Grandpa before he passed away, was how he had shown us that he had befriended a red fox that lived in the woods (which was essentially my Grandparents' backyard). My Grandpa regularly fed the fox cold hot dogs (this made them friends, you see) and called him 'Waldo'. I think that fox earned his name specifically so that my Grandpa could use the phrase "Where's Waldo?" when he would take the us out in the late summer evenings to catch a glimpse of the red pelted animal. It drove my Grandma nuts with worry, but I always liked that my Grandpa was a bit on the mischievous side, and brave enough to feed a wild fox out of his bare hand. Besides, Waldo always looked harmless enough. He was definitely more afraid of us than we were of him.

Good Looking Sans-serifs.

2010-11-19T06:31:00.000-08:00

Poster design for my typography class. We had to choose 5-10 typefaces and make somewhat of a 'list' with them. I chose 5 sans-serif typefaces I liked, the reason being that I found them 'good looking' and easy on the eyes, so to speak.

Yes, yes, I was somewhat a little lacking on concept... But I had fun with this one. It was kind of refreshing to work with some retro motifs and kind of just run with whatever spur-of-the-moment concept I came up with (Haha, I guess I'm honest).

Canvas Collective, Round 2.

2010-10-04T12:55:00.000-07:00

This is my second desktop wallpaper submission for Canvas Collective. I decided to focus on a 'sketchy' linework feel and hand-drawn type for this one... Oh, and of course a fall theme as well. It is available for download in a few different sizes/formats on Canvas' website at www.canvascollective.com where my desktop wallpaper is currently hangin' out with a lot of other cool desktop wallpapers by a bunch of talented artists.

A Little Slow?

2010-08-16T07:34:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to stop by and make mention of my apparent lack of blog posts. I wanted to reassure youthat I am still alive and still working away, but just have not gotten around to posting on my blog lately! Actually, it seems I've updated my Flickr a lot more consistantly in the past few weeks, so if you'd like to see what I've been up to, feel free to check that out.

While work has been a little slow on the personal projects side of things, I'm looking forward to getting back to doing some school-directed, and self-directed projects this fall. As well, I have been asked to continue to freelance in the graphics department at Rogers Sportsnet past my summer position expiration date, in order to continue contributing my design skills to the brand and style guide that I have been working on for the past month or so.

In any case, I hope to have something a little more meaty than just these words to share with you very soon!

Canvas Wallpaper Project.

2010-06-13T20:24:00.000-07:00

A few talented friends of mine, have been showcasing their awesome desktop wallpaper designs at Canvas, a wallpaper project run by graphic designer Erika Brouwer.

This week I submitted my own desktop wallpaper design to the Canvas Wallpaper Project! If you'd like to check that out + see a ton of other awesome designs, check out Canvas.

(Above is a preview of my somewhat nautical inspired design. Head on over to Canvas to get the appropriate sizes for actual use as a desktop wallpaper).

It's Everyone's Problem.

2010-06-08T21:13:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've found myself reading a lot of articles and opinions on the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. It seems a lot of people want to play the blame game in the case of the spill. Is it BP's fault? Or Obama's? ...I guess I sort of think this spill is in some part everyone's fault. We all depend heavily on oil to run our cars among other things, and we don't seem to ask questions enough about how our oil is being supplied and what corners are being cut in the process. After seeing some pretty horrific images of seabirds affected by the spill, this phrase and image popped into my head... and I suppose that is how this sketch came to be.

Hoping to eventually rework this into a more finished illustration. Just have to find the time! Working full time, commuting and trying to do personal work on the side is tough. Check back next week though... I am in the midst of illustrating a desktop wallpaper for Canvas!

Hope everyone is enjoying the early weeks of Summer so far!

2010-04-14T21:26:00.000-07:00

- Click Image to Enlarge -

Hello! Just wanted to update with a few photos of my final project of the year for my core design class. Actually, it's not this book exactly that was the project. The project we were given was to design a visual solution that would accompany and compliment the NFB philosophy documentary called 'Examined Life'. While not the actual project, the above book was required as hand in material - meant to showcase my project and the process work that got me to the final solution I chose.

Inside this 8.5" x 11" book is the design work for a street wheat-paste interest building/advertising campaign, identity branding, and a website design... All of which work together to complete my design solution to the project brief.

To be honest, I've never really made a book before, and I actually really enjoyed this (even though I was stressing out a little at times!)... It was a real learning experience and definitely helped get me a little more friendly with InDesign, page layout design and binding. Mostly, I tried to keep a consistent look/feel to the book, using design elements (taken from the project designs I did) throughout the pages. To add something a little different, I created a corregated cardboard band that holds the pages flat.

Hope you like it!

One Year Ago.

2010-03-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

Above is a screencap of my individual page on the 2009 Sheridan Illustration Grad Show website.

About a year ago, I was most likely getting down to preparing for the year-end show around this time of year. It's really kind of amazing how much can change in a year. This year, I've found myself embarking (Haha, epic?) on a new chapter. With a degree in Applied Arts (Illustration) under my belt, I am now in school for graphic design. While I do enjoy the program in general, it has definitely taken a bit of adjusting.

There are still days I miss being surrounded by illustrators, and getting my hands dirty (with graphite!) late at night while working on a new illustration piece. Now, my days largely consist of typeface talk, and working with Adobe Illustrator and InDesign. It's completely different in some ways, and very similar in others. Hopefully by the end of this program, I will be a force to be reckoned with in the illustration & design world. Haha. Two years to go, and then we'll see!

Records!

2010-03-07T08:28:00.001-08:00

(Click to Enlarge)

Over the past week, I completed one of the most trying but also one of the most enjoyable design projects I have done to date. The above record sleeves were done for a school project where the goal was to design two record sleeves that shared the same grid. One sleeve was to be designed for a band/artist whose music you like, and the other was for one you didn't like. The catch was that you had to design both as though you love them equally.

I have been a fan of Tegan and Sara's music for awhile, and so, I chose to create a new design for their latest (2009) album 'Sainthood'. Seeing as I am not the biggest fan of Avril Lavigne's music, I chose her as the other end of the deal, and designed a record sleeve for her 2007 album 'The Best Damn Thing'.

I ran into quite a few hiccups when printing and assembling the albums... But in the end, all worked out and I am happy with the end product, and looking forward to what comes next.

Interwebs.

2010-03-02T14:46:00.000-08:00

Is it time for a new website? ...Possibly! I've had my current website design (at rachelleletain.com) for over 6 months now. Taking into account my turn into the world graphic design, I have been thinking about updating my website to more accurately reflect my dual background in both illustration and design. While I still enjoy the layout of my current design, I think it'd be nice to freshen things up a little and create something that mirrors my current taste in web design.

Above are two pages of a rough website re-design that I came up with a few nights ago... It's was looking to create a portfolio website that was clean, modern, and wouldn't distract too much from my work itself. Feel free to let me know if you think it's working or not. Any and all feedback will be very much appreciated.

What are "charettes"?

2010-02-19T11:30:00.000-08:00

For my second semester of 2nd year design school, I have Patricio Davila as my core design class professor. More often than not, Patricio gives us design excercises to complete during class (he calls them "charettes") while the class takes turns branching off into individual groups of 4 or 5 to review project progress.

This week, the charette we were assigned told us to pick four words, and with those four words - we were to do a Flickr search on each word, and choose imagery from that search to use in four final compositions. Our goal in designing the compositions was to explore a common grid, digital collage, photomontage and transparency layers using photos, typography and other elements - all the while still trying to communicate the words we had searched. The words I chose were: fluffy, nostalgia, playful, and obnoxious. The results are below, in that order. I hope you like them!

(Just so we're clear, none of the photos/illustrations used in the above designs are mine. They belong to several artists/photographers found on Flickr.)

Something Small... Literally. (4" x 4" Cards).

2010-02-02T13:57:00.000-08:00

Just two small things to share with you on this update. Two small cards, in fact. The first card was made for someone who is insanely in love with Eames furniture, particularly the Eames chairs. The chair depicted is an Eames rocker. Can you tell I like puns... just a little?

As for the second card... Well, February is upon us. And we all know what that means... I would be lying if I didn't admit I sort of have a thing for Valentine's Day. I totally have been known to be a sap on the 14th (and sometimes just in general), and often at least consider endulging in dinner at Boston Pizza, just to obtain a heart-shaped pizza. In preparation for the upcoming 'holiday', I designed this Valentine that I will be handing out to whomever will take one (also known as my family and friends) on the 14th.

Let's Catch Up Soon.

2010-01-28T09:31:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile, I know. I'm sorry. I will be coming back in full swing pretty soon. I promise.

School was off for about a month, and I really did take the time to relax and sort of regroup. I have done a few side projects (both illustration and design) in the time I had off... And I will be posting those soon.

As well, I am currently in the process of switching my portfolio over to a new website, and starting up a flickr account to which I will upload recent illustration and design work, as well as photographs (I recently acquired an old Pentax film camera).

Please stay tuned, and thanks for checking in!

Q + Snail.

2009-12-04T08:25:00.001-08:00

Well, my first semester at OCAD is coming to a close. I can't believe that. It feels like just yesterday I was applying to try and get advanced standing in their design program. Today was my last day of classes and all my final projects have been handed in - only 2 exams left to do and then I will have 6 weeks to focus on my own self-directed projects. I honestly can not wait. It will be nice to be able to catch my breath finally.

Above (and below) are both parts of my last project for my Graphic Design 1 class. To be honest, I am not sure what the purpose of this project was as far as how it will help me market myself in the future, or improve my design skills... but I did enjoy doing it. Sort of.

The challenge was to chose a living object and blend it with a letterform. First, we had to show the letterform becoming the object, and then we had to try and combine the two into one icon. I did not find this to be overly challenging, for some reason. I think maybe the reason for this was that I did a good job of picking my object and letterform and designing the object to relate structurally to the letter. In some respects, doing this, made the project a little boring for me. What I can say however, is that projects such as this one have really given me more of an appreciation for illustrator and the many tools it encompasses.

As much as the last two weeks of this semester have been a very painful and stressful thorn in my side, I have decided I have actually enjoyed this first semester at OCAD. I have met lots of really great, inspiring and creative people, and I think it'll be interesting to see what is in store for me in the second half of my first year in the design program here.

Let's talk about the WIND, not the weather.

2009-11-12T13:28:00.000-08:00

Design school has graciously given me this 5 minutes of breathing time to give you a glimpse into what I have been working on (for my Design 1 class) for the last 3 weeks: 25 individual compositions that convey the word "wind" both typographically and visually.

For the record, I didn't pick the word. It picked me... from the depths of a hat.

This has been a tedious project, and I will be beyond happy to hand this guy over tomorrow at 8:30 am. I am not exactly happy with the outcome of all 25... I think if I hadn't made the mistake of taking 7 classes + 1 tutorial this semester I would have had the chance to focus on these more as I would have liked. As with everything though, there has been lots I have learned through this exploration... and I am grateful for the experience.

Enjoy.

Coast to Coast.

2009-09-25T07:16:00.000-07:00

Coast to Coast - Mix CD
Graphite & Digital

Again with the mix CDs... Here is another one I created over the summer. This CD design illustration was created to represent a playlist of songs about California. I guess the illustration is pretty self-explanatory... although I will try to explain it a little anyways. I've been to the California coast 4 times in my life - staying a week or so each time I've been there. It sounds cheesy... but the time I have spent in California has yielded some really great experiences for me, although, surfing stands out as the major one. As it turns out, that place has become special to me... California is one of many things/places that I feel inspires me in my artistic endeavors, and speaks to me on a number of levels. I tried to use iconic symbols (and things I have encountered while in California) to illustrate the cover to make it both recognizable and personal.

If you're interested, the tracklist/back cover is below... Unfortunately, the back cover ended up being a little rushed, but I still think it sort of works with the front cover.

For the Fun of It: Summer Lunch Special.

2009-08-18T18:18:00.000-07:00

(Somewhat) Little known fact about me: I am pretty much obsessed with making mix cds.

So, when my friend Dylan (a co-worker, and my 'summer lunch buddy') told me he was turning 24 on August 12th - I saw an opportunity to mix illustration and music in a fusion of awesomeness... also known as a custom, and one-of-a-kind mix cd. And so, "Summer Lunch Special" (affectionately known as "Lunch") came into the world.

Above is the casing for the CD: a sandwich-shaped combo of stonehenge paper, graphite, ink pens, acrylic, watercolour, and basically anything else I could get my hands on. I wanted to have fun with this... and I did. The interior of the cd 'case' was another piece of stongehenge made to look like the insides of the sandwich - and it listed all the songs I put on the cd.

This was one of those projects where I did it for the fun of it - I started with a small idea, and just let myself do whatever I wanted with it. Sometimes it's nice to have that kind of freedom. I have been working on a few things during my spare time this summer (between working my not-so-glamorous day job) and I promise to post those soon... Stay tuned. ;-)

Playlist:

"Boy Boy" - Lissy Trullie
"Summer Special" - Land of Talk
"I Bet It Stung" -Tegan and Sara
"Let Me Know (Bonus Track)" - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
"Naive" - The Kooks
"One Shot, Two Shots" - The Format
"The Future Freaks Me Out" - Motion City Soundtrack
"Napoleon Says" - Phoenix
"Viva La Persistence" - Kimya Dawson
"Bloodline" - Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band
"Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?" - She & Him

Slow Poke.

2009-07-21T20:24:00.000-07:00

I know I have taken awhile to get back into blogging, but I swear I am still living and also have a few tricks up my sleeve. My decompressing-after-graduation stage is finally complete (took a little while!) and I am back in action.

Stay tuned for new work very soon... I promise!

Grad Show.

2009-04-20T12:38:00.001-07:00

It is almost time to graduate... and by almost, I mean that there are still a few stressful days between myself and the show that will close the 4 years I have spent studying illustration at Sheridan College.

The 2009 Illustration BAA Grad Show opening will be held at 7pm on Thursday, April 23rd at the Burroughs Building (639 Queen Street West). There will be finger foods, drinks, and plenty of illustration work to view. I would love to see anyone there who wants to come. It should make for a very exciting night.

Please visit the promotional website for more information (and to view some sample works): www.sheridanheadlines.ca

My website looks like it will soon be making its own debut, all thanks to the programming skills of my web-genius friend, Michelle Durocher. Everything is coming together, slowly but surely. I can almost feel the stress melting away. What will I do when I actually have a life after this week? Who knows... the possibilities are endless. Haha.

On a closing note, here is a sneak peek of my final narrative project, "Glory Days", that I am hoping to be able to print large-scale for the show. The piece is a fold-out visual story about my Dad's youthful glory days and the road trips he took in his last year of college.

Section of Glory Days
5" x 30" (Original)

Unbearable.

2009-04-03T17:03:00.000-07:00

Extract

8" x 8.5"

This, right here, yes... RIGHT HERE, is my final illustration assignment to be handed in for interpretive illustration class this tuesday! Can you believe it? The end is near, kids.

I'm going to go on a sappy rant in a couple of minutes, but first let me give you a little back story on my piece. 'Extract' is a illustration created to comment on asia's bear bile farming. Bear bile farming involves painfully extracts bile from gall bladders of cruelly caged asiatic black bears ("moon bears"). Bear bile is used in ancient chinese medicines, and is believed to have some healing properties to it. Bear bile farming is an un-necessary industry that continues to exist despite the fact that it is both inhumane to these captive bears, and has no proven human medicinal benefits.

The bear depicted in my illustration has his identity not only mirrored and challenged by the bile drop in behind him, but he is also caged by both the 'barred' background and the medicine packaging that restrains him. The chinese characters on either side of the bear mean "chinese medicine", and i felt that having them on either side of him would also reiterate a feeling of being trapped in the piece. Often it seems that bile bears are basically trapped by the very fact that they do produce bile in the first place, so I tried to show both that, and the commercial side of why the bear is unable to escape what he is going through. I hope that makes sense.

'Extract' is one of several projects that signal a coming close to my 4 years at Sheridan College. I have mixed feelings about the end of my college experience. On one hand, it's nice that one chapter of my life is coming to a close to make way for the next, but on the other - it's incredibly sad. I guess the thing I will miss the most about Sheridan are the people who I have spent the last 4 years with. I have never been in such an environment where artistic thinking was so widespread... I have now become so used to it, that I think I have sometimes even come to take it for granted. While I definitely plan to keep in touch with the "illokids", it is easy for me to understand why things will never be like they are now. It's hard to imagine all of us in the same place again, like we are right now while immersed in the same program, at the same college. So I guess right now I am savoring the last few drops (3 weeks or so!) of my time here in a program I love, with people that I am extremely grateful to have had the pleasure to meet in my life.

What's next? First, there is still a mountain of projects to conquer, then... Design at either York or OCAD. I have yet to choose. There is still a lot to think about!

Beef, over Air?

2009-03-20T10:50:00.000-07:00

Beef Over Air

My newest illustration. Created with the intention to accompany a NY times article I read in the summer about the how the beef industry actually produces more 'pollution' in a year than even cars do. The article shocked me and inspired this illustration and a few lifestyle changes on my part, so I am grateful to have read it. Overall, I am happy with how this piece came out, and I think it communicates the point without getting too graphic, and still having an honest, yet 'playful' way of saying what has to be said. I actually just found out this image was chosen as the main image representing me in the 2009 Sheridan Illustration Grad Book that will be published this spring. It's kind of exciting.

Unfortunately, I have to keep this entry short and rant-free, as I have to rush off... It's been a busy day and continues to get more busy! I will write more about what's up and what I've been working on in my next entry. Peace out.

Not so Furrrr-iendly.

2009-02-24T12:59:00.000-08:00

Meet the Parents
8" x 10"

This illustration done for my thesis centers around the fur-trade industry. I wanted to sort of "humanize" the animals who live and die for the industry by illustrating a raccoon dog whose 'parents' -are now little more than fur trim on winter coats.

The fur industry hits a certain sensitive note with me, which is why I decided it would be the subject of my most recent illustration. It's hard to imagine that animals are raised simply for the skin on their backs... This illustration is probably seen as a bit of a downer again, but fur is an issue I feel that people sadly do not know the reality of.

I have mixed feelings on the outcome of this piece, although I do feel that I was partly successful in keeping the "brutality" of this piece subtle while allowing it's message to be to the point, without being too harsh/graphic on the eyes.

I'm excited about the near future as I have come across a really great opportunity for some freelance work. I was recently contacted by the band Boo Hoo, and if things go smoothly - I may soon be starting work on a cd sleeve design for them. If you have a free moment and would like to check out some new music, head to their website to listen up!

Something Worth Knowing...

2009-02-11T10:23:00.000-08:00

A Plastic Problem
8" x 7"

The above is my second piece done this semester for my Illustraton Thesis class. This semester, I chose to center my illustrations around the topic(s) of environmental issues, and animal welfare. Both are subjects I am deeply concerned with, and would like to help bring awareness to. My way of coping with these disturbing world issues, and finding a way to feel less helpless in my position to stop them, is to speak about them through my illustrations. For anyone who knows me, they know I always have some kind of shocking article, or documentary I've seen to talk about. I have really become all about opening my eyes to the hidden, dirty secrets of the world.

What I have learned is that the Northern Pacific Gyre "Garbage Patch" (an area in the ocean, 30 metres deep, full of a sort of plastic 'soup' that is 2 1/2 times the size of Texas) is possibly one of the world's dirtiest secrets.

Plastic is all around us, many of us throw it away every day, and what I think most of us don't realize is that it never is fully gone when we throw it away. Plastic does not biodegrade. Plastic either ends up in landfills, or in the ocean, where birds like the albatross, mistake it for food and feed it to their young. During the summer, my Dad showed me an article in the Globe and Mail about the Garbage Patch, it was something I had never heard of and upon knowing of it, became overwhelmed. For my illustration I decided to focus on the effect the Garbage Patch has on animal life.

Albatross are large seabirds who spend 6 months raising their young, and in recent years researchers have started to discover that nearly half of Albatross chicks die from being fed plastic accidentally by their parents. I find this absolutely devastating... But it isn't only the albatross who are affected by this, it is the entire food chain, and soon it will soon be us.

It's depressing stuff, I know... But, please take a step toward change, and become aware by watching the below...

Numero Uno.

2009-02-10T21:19:00.000-08:00

AVENUE, Guide To Going Green on Valentine's Day
10" x 19.5"

I guess I sort of bailed on my last attempt to have a blog but here I am trying again. I will try to be more faithful to the updating process this time. Life is hectic and busier than I expected as in my final year of illustration, at Sheridan and I barely have enough time to breathe let alone commit to updating a blog... but! I feel like blogs can play an integral role in motivating someone to keep producing new work because their old work will always be up on their blog to reflect on. With that said, I hope you like the newest illustration I have posted for you above. It is an info graphic (with not a lot of info graphics, because I couldn't see how graphs or charts would apply to the topic I chose) designed as a proposal for the National Post's AVENUE page.

I decided to choose the topic of "going green", as it seems to be a prevalent, and popular topic in the news and in entertainment today. I combined the idea of being eco-friendly with the upcoming wasteful yet widely celebrated "holiday" of Valentine's Day, and then of course - the above was born. I really enjoyed this project and being able to blend design and illustration into a final product. I really have begun to feel that just as much as illustration is a passion of mine, so is design... As cheesy as it does sound, in a way, both have my heart.