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I did a guest post on nicolejensen.com, about the Semi-Permanent Brisbane conference. I’ve gone into more detail than I did in my own recap of the event, raving about the good stuff and ranting about, I mean suggesting fixes for some of the bugs.

Nicole blogs about event management and other issues within her own particular geekdoms – do check her out!

Yesterday I attended Semi-Permanent 2009 in Brisbane at the Convention Centre. I left feeling overwhelmed, inspired, intimidated and SORE… my head was so full of ideas that I was a little scared, truth be told. I guess if you are scared of ideas, you shouldn’t go to these things

The highlights of the day for me:

Timba Smits is a co-founder of Wooden Toy magazine, a marvelous publication that I’ve only just heard about this year in the backwaters of Brisbane! So much of what he talked about I could relate to: working obsessively, being anally retentive about certain projects, hand lettering, going the long way around instead of using shortcuts… seriously, the guy is doing exactly what I want to be doing!

Ron English was inspiring because he has balls. I would be too nervous to go paste up my own versions of billboards but the guy has nerves of steel! I have a terrible memory for names, so I didn’t realise exactly how much of his work I was familiar with either. Most of the anti-theistic/ atheistic billboards I had seen before, not to mention the fat Ronald McDonald and Obama Lincoln!

I was looking forward to the session from XYZ Studios because I’d seen several of their advertisements before and was way into it because of all the hand drawn animation. I loved seeing just how much effort the guys put into their projects, and I was surprised to hear that Tim Kently, the founder of the studio, taught himself animation! Self taught people always seem more approachable and down to earth, and they give me hope

It was also awesome to listen to Scott Dadich from Wired talk about their typographic systems at the magazine, mostly everyone was scribbling furiously when he reeled off the font families the publication uses! Also filed under “What an Awesome Freaking Job” was The Glue Society – a collective of creatives that do cool shizz. They’ve done said cool shizz for “The Chaser’s War on Everything”, ESPN, 42 Below vodka, Virgin Mobile etc etc etc. When I grow up I want to make money from ideas!

Unfortunately, I can’t speak rapturously of the venue. The seats at the Brisbane Convention Centre are not for people with hips! I’m keenly anticipating a bruise on my right hip… I know I’m fat, but I have never encountered stingier seating! I was seriously uncomfortable about 70% of the time, and I couldn’t get up and move around because people were stealing seats and there was never enough time! Debbie Downer also reports that the breaks were too short, there weren’t any activities that fostered participation or networking, food and drink stuff was too far away, our lunch break was too short, etc etc etc. I think Semi-Permanent events can be more than just talking heads, and I’m hopeful that the organisers will see just how awesome the scope is for the conference!

Today I volunteered to pack swag for Semi-Permanent, and we were done in super record time. See, we were moving like ninjas, my phone/camera couldn’t catch up

I was excited to see my drawing in the book! It started raining as I was waiting for Nick to pick me up so my book got a little damp

Swaaaaaag. My fingernails are buggered now after handling so much paper. They used to be terrible at my old job when I’d be dealing with freshly printed stuff all the time!

aaaand I have to show you these pens that are in the swag bags… There are SO many different colours!

I was just recommending Illustration Friday to Tea when I thought I’d check out this week’s word. SIMILAR! It’s pretty awesome that I’ve done something that ties in so well quite by accident twice now! I am the IF psychic.

If you click on the picture it’ll take you to the Red Bubble page where you can enbiggen it to see the subtle variations in the hand colouring. Basically I printed the drawing out on my inkjet four times, hand coloured each girl, and then scanned them in and lined them up. It’s funny how I incorporate second generation scanning sometimes, maybe it’s the graphic designer in me? I do wish I could be one of those artists who plans everything out so that the final piece is all traditional, but it seems I like to take drawings on a journey of digital and traditional mutilation.

In which I admit that I don’t suck as much as I like to think

In other news, I just got an email this morning advising me that Heroine will be published in the 09 edition of Semi-Permanent. Props must be given to @mimobase and @annarchy for encouraging me to submit some pieces. I very nearly didn’t because I have a knack for predetermining my own failure, quite incorrectly in many cases it seems!

I am still hoping that my husband can spare the time to help me code the new layout for this here blog. I’m so sick of this layout!

Does anyone else whisper “White Rabbit” (or “Rabbit Rabbit”) to themselves upon waking on the first of a month? It’s a silly habit I have from when I was a kid, when my mum would jump out and try to deliver a pinch and a punch for the first day of the month.

“But I said White Rabbit! You can’t pinch and punch me!” we usually protested.

Even now, when mum lives in a different suburb, I’m still worried about someone jumping out and surprising me with a pinch and a punch!!

Superstitions aside, today marks six weeks until my wedding! I’m a little bit worried that something will undo all the careful planning and good organisation that I’ve accomplished so far, but most people tell me to stop being so negative. My dress is on track; the seamstress is awaiting the pleating to come back from her pleating people and once it has arrived my dress will be almost finished! The bridesmaid dresses are going to look amazing… I’m astounded at what good taste I have! Basically, it’s my job to think up a concept and bring it into being, but this was my first time designing dresses (my own and the bridesmaids’) and now that they are taking form I’m thrilled to bits!!

Life is very hectic at the moment with all the wedding planning, small freelance projects and events that are unfolding. In some dreadful news, my nana is very ill in hospital at the moment. I can only hope that if she is strong enough she can make it to the wedding to see me in my dress.

Semi-Permanent is coming to Brisbane on April 12! I am so excited, but nervous about being able to factor it into our very wedding impacted budget. I have been wanting to go to one of these events for a long time!! It is a week before the wedding, and I’m not sure if attending would be silly of me. I really want to be around other creatives even if just for a day… freelancing is so isolated!