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Author: Steve Riederer

Artist Spotlight: Charles Barsotti

A Kansas City legend I had the pleasure of knowing, and remembering.

When I was a kid, I simply loved to draw.  I drew cats, dogs, cats fighting dogs, my dad in a bakers hat, it was a lot.  Which was part of what made knowing Charlie Barsotti, so much more incredible that there was a guy, who made a living out of drawing cartoons, all day.

Although my youthful fascination was a bit of an oversimplification, it was a true kick in the 1990’s pants to see Charlie’s studio.  It was always filled with toys, books, papers, and this fascinatingly shiny “tablet” that was on his desk.  I can’t overemphasize how cool this was.

It would be an understatement to say that Charlie (Charles, in the public light) was an accomplished cartoonist.  His work had been featured in many newspapers and magazines, including most notably, The New Yorker Magazine, and had several books published through Andrews McMeel Publishing with his simple, humorous illustrations.

Fast forward a few years; as I am mere months from graduation at RMCAD, I cannot help but think of Charlie’s path, and the number of submissions and ideas, and doodles he made to get where he was in his career.  It’s a lot, but it is so worth it. 

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Author: Steve Riederer

Welcome to my site

This has been a long time coming for me to build a responsive website, and add in a blog section.  I have had -two- previous websites trying to get my illustration career off the ground.  The first, was a feeble attempt at building a site off godaddy.com. (Great for hosting, and a number of great services, but if you want true customization, you might find it lacking).  

The second, was stevedraws.com, using wix.com and a hand-full of I  crudely drawn doodles from before my time of being in art school.  I say crudely drawn because looking back at them now after almost 3 full years in art school, I can coldly point out about 10 things I’d change and roll my eyes with a “what-was-I-thinking” expression.  Nevertheless the site had my love of puns, a charismatic personal, and a whimsical owner who thought that there wasn’t much need for updating.

Enter, this new site, fueled by the same desire to be an illustrator, and a little bit of that same moxy that inspired the first two websites, but also a little bit of skill and desire to expand my skill-set and my client list.  I like to think that in the last few years of toiling in art school, I’ve refined my sense of style and quest for humor.  There’s a lot of new stuff, but also a few throwbacks that I consider essential to understanding my brand.

My hope is that through looking at these images, and collections, you’ll want to work with me, maybe buy a print, or at the very least, share a chuckle over an amusing idea.  In my short duration on this planet, I’ve found humor to be a saving grace, and an amazing cure to some of life’s bizarre ailments.  I hope you’ll agree.

Cheers!
Steve

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Author: Steve Riederer
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Traits of a Great Graphic Designer

How to Find a Great Graphic Designer

Let’s be really honest with ourselves.  (Or not.)  There’s a lot of people out there that call themselves designers:  Graphic designers, UX designers, interior designers, etc.  For right now let’s talk about graphic designers.  There’s probably some carry over here for other types of designers, but for the sake of conversation (and relevance) we’ll stop there.  

The practice of graphic design stems out of solving visual problems and communicating visually.    There are literally hundreds of thousands of things that can be approached and created by a graphic designer… and there are also hundreds of thousands of graphic designers.  Naturally, you’re not going to have to weed through every-single-creative type to design your business card, but it doesn’t hurt to shop around to find someone who can properly carry out your vision, and design something truly worthwhile for you.

The truth of the matter is,  picking a graphic designer shouldn’t be hard.  But it’s more difficult than some sites make it out to be.  You might have heard a couple mixed results with freelance sites like fiverr.com .
Personally, I’d opt to meet someone in person before starting on a big project. However,  if the price, and e-communication seem right for you, tread carefully.

Let’s start with a simple characteristic.  Find someone who is willing to learn. From the designers and working professionals that I’ve had the pleasure (and misfortune, in some cases) of working with, there are a number of trusted computer applications and programs that designers will swear by, because they’re comfortable with them, and they know how to operate.  This is all well and good, but just like a lot of things, these programs are constantly evolving and updated.
In a similar fashion, you need to find someone who is willing to learn about what you want.  Experience and a keen eye are one thing, but be wary if your designer isn’t willing to listen to your vision and learn about your brand.  That stuff is important.

Thick Skin
 It might sound slightly callous, but you need to find a graphic designer who can take criticism, and wont think the world is ending if you tell them you don’t like their designs.    This is what the revision process is based around.
If you’re paying your graphic designer any more than, $5.00, you can give your input and your graphic designer should, in fact, listen to it–just try not to be a jerk about it.

Honest
This is a big one, folks.  You need a designer who is on the level about their abilities.  And at the same time, find someone who is honest about their timelines and existing projects.  You don’t want to find yourself 3 days from a deadline and find out someone doesn’t know how to use Photoshop.