All posts in Daily grind

01Aug

Recent tweaks to the website…

In Daily grind by Leslie Dean Brown / August 1, 2016 / Comments are closed
  • Added FAQs page
  • Added 404 error page
  • Added new book review category
  • Added Amazon reseller account
  • Resorted existing blog categories
  • Added new blog categories under main menu
  • Reorganised portfolio
  • Added new social icons
30Jul

My thoughts on Corel Draw vs Adobe Illustrator

In Daily grind by Leslie Dean Brown / July 30, 2016 / Comments are closed

Corel Draw is SO much easier for editing points. I can do an illustration in half the time. I don’t have to keep pressing A and V on the keyboard to switch modes. I can double click on a line.

These programs are all about editing curves. Whoever makes that easier gets my vote. So much so, I can’t fathom working in illustrator.Read more →

26Jul

BOOK REVIEW: Illustration pocket essentials

If you found my review helpful and would like to purchase this book, please cLick the link below. It ends up being exactly the same price for you, but purchasing the same item through the link below enables me to earn a few cents in commission from Amazon. That way I can continue to make many other book & product reviews! Thanks! Les

23Jul

Professional logo design — AUGUST SALE!

In Daily grind by Leslie Dean Brown / July 23, 2016 / Comments are closed

Hello dear readers,

I would like to announce a sale for small business owners: next month I am offering professional logo designs starting from only AUD$299. The standard price for a logo in the graphic design industry is well above that, so I hope some of you will take advantage of my generosity. Sale ends 31st August, 2016.

10Jun

My new etsy shop.

In Daily grind by Leslie Dean Brown / June 10, 2016 / Comments are closed

Hello,

I just wanted to let you know that my new Etsy shop, vayakora, is now open for business. I don’t have any of my own stuff on there (yet). At the moment, I have 37 original vintage illustrated charts by Stanley from 1951! Printed in England.

You may or may not know that I am also very interested in industrial (product) design, so I intend to list some eco products in the coming months… stay tuned!

02Jun

Brief graphic design survey for small business owners.

In Daily grind by Leslie Dean Brown / June 2, 2016 / Comments are closed

I wonder whether any small business owners would mind filling out my graphic design survey?

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/N8HYYM5

Thanks!

Les

25May

micro business operations

In Daily grind by Leslie Dean Brown / May 25, 2016 / Comments are closed

Hello!

So last Monday the 9th of May, I started a small course called “micro business operations” as part of the “new enterprise incentive scheme”.  I am told that for every successful applicant, at least three are rejected.

It goes for 18 days and at the end of that I will have a detailed business plan. I started this website last year and already had a fairly strong vision about what I would like to do, but before I did the course, no goals ever appeared on actual paper.

I know this is a very boring post, but I thought I really should let my followers know that that partly why I haven’t updated the blog in a few weeks…

The good news is that I only have eight days to go! After that I have 10 months of limited financial support and you will start to see me adding regular new visual content. I would like to thank Australian taxpayers for helping to fund this course (seriously).

Thanks,

Les.

25May

Why I like working for myself…

In Daily grind by Leslie Dean Brown / May 25, 2016 / Comments are closed

Here’s the most important quote of the day (which is from day 2):

“if the wider moral context of society fails to instil a concern for being good people, then the owner/authority of the business must work all the harder to create consciously an ehtical climate.”

I think that is just one of the many reasons that I would like to be self-employed, so that I can choose not to work with companies that I think are unethical. To be able to put the environment before business, the way it should be.

But there are many other reasons too. The comfort of being able to work from home. Not having to travel to work. To manage my own time. Being able to use my own workflow without my boss having to tug my arm and say: “you should be using illustrator”. Because I think a 9–5 office job is a form of modern slavery. To be more creative wherever and whenever I want.

16Dec

Coffee cup competition results

Leslie-Dean-Brown-Kata-Tjuta-rationale

I decided to enter a coffee cup competition earlier this year. One of the teachers at Martin college was the host and I thought I might have a good chance at getting a prize. I knew that a lot of the other students were too busy with all of their assessments for that study block.
I spent a total of about two hours on the illustration and the accompanying rationale.

Work must represent a positive environmental message, ethos or subject matter and be appropriate for a public audience and the cup shape. Students chosen to participate in the project will need to describe the work’s environmental themes. Work must represent a positive environmental message, ethos or subject matter. Artists choosing to participate in this competition will need to describe the work’s environmental themes. Describe in 100 words or less your work’s environmental theme and reasons for choosing this theme.

Anyway, I’m very proud to announce the results here now, especially considering there were 38 judges!

Leslie-Dean-Brown-Kata-Tjuta

I ended up spending most of the prize money on a bunch of illustration and industrial design books over at the Sydney Kunokuniya book store.

30Nov

Quick update

I’ve been quite busy finishing off my graphic design diploma lately. I had to repeat the subject called ‘Multimedia’ because they wanted us to learn Macromedia Flash Professional, Actionscript 3.0, write a 1500 word report and create a mostly functional app — all within 5 weeks. I thought that was too much, so I bailed (and I wasn’t the only one). I wanted to learn it properly, not be rushed through it. So I decided to take a break and attempt it online. Anyway, I just handed in all of the assignments last week and I will share that around in another post.

This has given me a lot of free time lately; I was already half way through the assignments and the distance study blocks are twice as long. Not only that, but I don’t have to travel 4 hours per day to Martin College in Sydney. I’ve used this time to create some campaigns that I care about on Care2 (more on that in another update).

leslie dean brown — illustrator | designer background image