Write in place
California dreamin’ I have the good fortune to be planning my first-ever trip to California, and the misfortune to wait till spring shades into summer to go. It was a tough winter. MID-JANUARY – LATE NIGHT BLACK: From the unsheltered aerie of Queensboro Plaza, P and I retreat down the stairwell to wait for the … Continue reading
Write in front of you
Mount Battie 1910, 1952, 2010. It’s uncanny. Were P and I the type to send Christmas cards, I would have appropriated this 1952 National Geographic image of a couple who could well be our doppelgangers. We took the same hike up Mount Battie in August and found the view of Camden Harbor unchanged. A greater … Continue reading
Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s erotic valentine
I recently rediscovered The Rocky Horror Picture Show after watching Glee’s Jayma Mays sing “Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me.” Trust Dr. Frank-N-Furter to end my blogging dry spell, and make me realize I have something to celebrate on Valentine’s Day—polymorphous perversity! Truly, I have been a devotee of Decadence for years. In that spirit, I … Continue reading
Steal this composition
These days I go to museums not to bathe in vague inspiration but to collect visual ideas and absorb technique. I still enjoy myself, but I notice I am picking out specific parts of a work that interest me, and that I could duplicate in my own images or design work. August, 2009. My feet … Continue reading
Black Swan tribute: erotic intensity at the ballet
Before the Black Swan, the White Swan and the dichotomy between them ever existed, there were pioneering 19th century ballerinas who defined different types in ballet. The most famous is Marie Taglioni, the first to reinforce her ballet slippers and rise up on pointe, creating the impression of floating or flying—a creature of the air, innocent … Continue reading
“Man on the street”: Playgirl van
This van stopped me in my tracks with its hilariousness. I didn’t care about coming across as a noob, I whipped out my camera for the pink twinkmobile. This is like a popup ad in van form. Oh fauxhawk, your intense squint makes you look really dim. But that’s better than McGreasy over your shoulder. … Continue reading
Old-school photo line conversion in Photoshop
It all started here: I was mesmerized, not by Steve’s mustache, but by the graphic, vibrating, toothy line screens he promised. Decades ago. Design history books had shown me the quick and dirty magic worked by slapping one of these babies on a photo. Goodbye boring, hello instant illustration. And we can keep it a … Continue reading
rebecca henretta | design » into « words 