Category: Uncategorized

Proximity is the distance between shapes. When two small shapes are close to each other, they visually combine to create a larger, more significant shape. It is easier for a viewer to see and understand one large shape than it is to see and understand many small shapes. Proximity Questions When looking at visual art… Continue reading Learning to See: Proximity

My blog has been on auto pilot for far too long. It is time to take control and give it some direction. Welcome to anyone who is still around. I would love to hear from you. I have several things going that I want to share with you. I am documenting the process to keep… Continue reading It is time for a change

This is my first enamel pin design and I am excited to share it with you. For any purists out there, I know that potbelly pigs do not have curly tails so this pin in fact is a pig with a potbelly, not a pot belly pig. I have a real pot belly pig at… Continue reading Pot Belly Pig Pin

I am just learning how to connect images from my Instagram account into my blog. Now that I know how to embed images from Instagram how should I use it? I think it would be a good idea to select one or two images each week to connect my blog readers to my Instagram feed.… Continue reading Baby Beaver

Download | Skoughtee Texture No.001 on Gumroad Skoughtee Texture No.001 from Scott Franson on Vimeo.

Mixing physical and digital media can produce some wonderful and unexpected results. This Ted Talk by Marco Tempest is a wonderful example. (Motion Design: Alain Renold, Pop-up Design: Peter Dahmen)

My Jot Pro from Adonit has arrived and it is by far the best stylus I have used with my iPad. It was a project through Kikstarter and it is a great product. The package is hard to open and apparently it sticks to some screen protectors, but it doesn’t change the fact that Adonit… Continue reading Adonit Jot Pro: Get it!

Pattern as a Brush Texture from Scott Franson on Vimeo. Pattern as Texture | Any pattern that you create or scan can be used as a texture for a Photoshop brush. This tutorial is a followup to the Repeating Pattern tutorial. If you don’t know how to make a repeating pattern, watch it first.

Doodle | Aug 18, 2011 from Scott Franson on Vimeo. Doodle: Aug 18, 2011 | A good friend David Molanphy, asked me to record my drawing process for my doodles. I have finally found a use for the video camera in my iPad2. I set it up and began to draw. I hope you enjoy… Continue reading Doodle: Aug 18, 2011 | video

There are times when I wonder if I am living a life worthy of the great blessing of liver transplant. | Living a life that matters, a life that makes the world a better place to be. I once overheard a conversation where a father said that he read a book to his family while… Continue reading Living

This is the first week of my summer break | Actually, I am really on medical leave, but calling it summer break is a more hopeful way of looking at it In my attempt to keep busy this summer I am trying to learn new things and get something constructive done. I don’t have a… Continue reading Summer Break

This is the creative home of Scott E. Franson. An educator by day and an author, illustrator, graphic designer by night, weekends and other spaces between semesters. Here you will find experiments in digital illustration and other creative endeavors.

The iPad arrived two days ago and I have been exploring what is available. I was very excited to see the iPad version of Alice in Wonderland. Now that I have seen it I think it was a fun gimmick but the motion and interaction had little to do with moving the story forward. I… Continue reading iPad and books

The Scott E Franson Store (Beta) is short for a store that sells my prints, works and needs lots of adjustments. After a peek at the store I would be open to any suggestions that you may have. Thank you for looking!

A giraffe is not at all clumsy reaching the highest, greenest and sweetest leaves, but getting a drink is a different story. This is a digital image created to look like a relief print (wood or linoleum block). There are five layers. The line layer (dark brown), leaves (green), shading (warm grey), spots (med brown),… Continue reading Giraffe

My life in children’s publishing has been in a confusing place for a while. One book is published and book number two has eluded me. I have one manuscript out to a publisher. When I sent it I felt really good about it but the longer the wait the less hope that I have that… Continue reading In a Valley

I have heard some illustrators say that they show their work to children and other illustrators that never show their work to children. The picture book market is interesting because adults make the purchase and then children are the consumer. Who knows what will be successful and attract adults and is also “kid friendly”. For… Continue reading Getting a Critique from a Child

I am pleased to announce that my favorite bow tie company, Beau Ties Ltd. of Vermont, has licensed the Doodle Garden Bow Ties. Stay Tuned for AvailabilityWe are at the beginning of the process and I don’t know how long it will take but in the near future you can have your very own Doodle… Continue reading Good News from Vermont

As you may have noticed, I have been away for a while. I have finally returned and I have had an adventure. I had exploratory surgery and now look like I was involved in a magician’s accident. I am the proud owner of a 15 inch scar that follows along the bottom of my ribs… Continue reading A Magician’s Mistake

Un-brella is in 300 library systems according to World Cat. I just checked it this morning and it has made it to 300! It is fun to see which libraries it is in and to see that it is being checked out. If it is at a library near you go check it out! Have… Continue reading 300 Libraries

I have been spending most of my time lately working on a picture book project that I am sending off today. Here is my sales line: A delicious blend of color mixing and tragedy. This is the time in the process that I think, that I have figured out all of the major problems in… Continue reading New Book Concept: Ready to send to publisher.

I just found these drawings in the deep dark corners of my hard drive today and thought I would share. I hope that you enjoy them. The first two drawings are of my daughters. The has always loved to dress up and play mom with her dolls. The following drawings are from a life drawing… Continue reading Untitled

One of my favorite blogs is by Fuse #8. This week she used this new word Hipification refering to an artical in the New York Times about librarians becoming more hip. Well, I think Hipification is a funny word and wanted to offer a few variations just for fun. Hippofication and Hippyfication. Both of these… Continue reading Hipification

I have just finished reading the first three books in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series by Rick Riordan, The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters& The Titan’s Curse. What a great ride. Great characters and lots of action. I always hear people complaining because there aren’t good “boy” books. Well here they are… Continue reading Percy Jackson and the Olympians

I teach art classes at Brigham Young University-Idaho. It is always a pleasure to have young excited students with their lives ahead of them. All of these students want to know how to make great art. At first they seek for absolute answers. For example, If I do this (fill in the blank) then it… Continue reading Stories and Tortillas

The other day I went to the doctor. As normal I filled out the health history sheet. One of the questions asked about family members that have had cancer. I checked that my grandmother had had cancer. During the office visit, the doctor said, “What kind of cancer did your grandmother have?” “Breast cancer,” I… Continue reading I don’t know

My students informed me today that this site has been around for a while, but I just found it and think it is really cool. Kuler from Adobe is an interactive flash based site that helps create color harmonies. When you sign up for the site you can create color pallets and save them. My… Continue reading Color Harmonies

I am happy to announce the recipients of the Fine Art Prints from Un–Brella. I will soon be sending a print to each of the libraries. There are several school libraries and it was fun to see how excited they are to have art for their library. Andrew W. Breidenbach Environmental Research Center Library, Cincinnati… Continue reading Un-Brella Print Recipients

Copies, lots and lots of copies, of my book in a Dollar Store.

Why would anyone be interested in reading this!?!?. This is a question that I often ask myself after making a post to my blog or just before I erase a blog entry that I have just finished typing. My experience in publishing for children is relatively small, but it is an experience. Right now I… Continue reading My Little Corner of KidLit

(UPDATE: I contacted the company and they fixed the prices. But wouldn’t it be cool if the books were really that valuable?) Un–Brella: $1,231.35 + $3.49 shipping Dance By The Light of the Moon: $1,231.35 + $3.49 shipping.The Forever Dog: $1,231.35 + $3.49 shipping

It is hard to believe that this is real, but look at the price someone is trying to sell a copy of Un–Brella for $1231.35, on Amazon. You would think that a price this high would include shipping, but it doesn’t, that will be an additional $3.49. I guess that it just goes to show… Continue reading Buyer Beware! $1231.35 + $3.49 shipping

I have nearly reached 100 post-it note doodles. I hope that you will come and celebrate with me on May 4, 2007 (Thank you Dylan). It has been a fun challenge for me to do a doodle each day. (If you need a post-it note, just ask because I always have them with me just… Continue reading 100 Doodles Very Soon

I will be at the BYU-Idaho Bookstore in Rexburg, Idaho, April 27 from 12:30-2:30 signing Un–Brella. I am looking forward to meeting new people. Please stop by and say hello. The Bookstore is on the campus of Brigham Young University–Idaho in the Manwaring Center.

One day while teaching a graphic design class, I asked the students to tell me why they were designers. One of the students spoke with a quiet, clear, passion and said, “I have an inner desire to create beauty.” The student’s name is Tony Carpenter and he has started a new blog, Scans, Images &… Continue reading Visual garbage courtesy of Tony Carpenter

This evening my daughter (10 yrs old) asked me as we were driving home. “Do you think anyone has ever thought to look at clouds for character designs?” If you ask me it is a brilliant idea. She watched the same cloud formation and came up with several interesting and very different characters in our… Continue reading Do you Look at Clouds?

It has been a strange 16 days. I counted down and waited for April 3, 2007, the birthday of my first book, Un–Brella. Here is what I have discovered . . . not much happens. The book seems to be doing well, it is in 46 libraries and growing each day. Friends and relatives have… Continue reading 16 days old

Monday I had the opportunity to visit Greenwood Elementary, and share my book, Un-Brella, with the first grade classes. We had a great time. I just heard from one of the teachers with a wonderful review from a student. ” I will remember this for the rest of the day!”