By Magda, 6 May 2010
The art and science fair is this Saturday!
Art and sciene unite!
Saturday May 8, 12pm – 4pm
Harbourfront Centre
235 Queen’s Quay West, Toronto
Free, open to the public
“The Too Cool For School Art & Science Fair was invented to turn the spotlight on the unexpected feats of imagination and exploration that are happening all around us,” writes Sally McKay of her most recent brainchil on the home page of the project, www.artandsciencefair.ca.
The website was designed by me and the illustrations were drawn by Marc. We worked closely with Sally to come up with the name and identity graphics. I also designed some print posters that are available as PDF downloads from the website.
What is an Art & Science Fair?
The event is structured like a typical science fair, with fifty projects and their creators assembled for one day to share their work and ideas with an audience and to compete for awards. The difference is that the projects are a mix of both art and science.
Additionally, the participants in the Too Cool for School Art & Science Fair are from all walks of life, amateurs and professionals, many sharing their pet projects with the public for the first time. Participants are selected from an open call for submissions on the basis of originality, depth of inquiry, creative innovation and the element of surprise.
Read more about the project and check out all of Marc’s awesome illustrations on the Too Cool for School website.
By Magda, 9 April 2010
Ladilola is the name of my jewelry work.
Ladilola jewelry logo
This is a new logo for Ladilola casual printing needs, to match the silver foil stickers I had made while still in France in 2008.
I first made some earrings five years ago out of scrap leather and beads because I didn’t like anything in the shops, and I gave a bunch of pairs away as presents. They were a hit!
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By Magda, 4 April 2010
About a month ago I started using the Panasoni GF-1 camera, with the “pancake” lens (f1.7, 40mm lens equivalent). Very happy with the camera, and this is also my first time shooting RAW format files. VERY happy about that. Recently I took the camera on an outing to a friend’s place and shot inside with very little light. I used the Lightroom 3 beta release for post production, and I’m deslighted with the results I was able to achieve with the low light RAW files. I opted for black and white or super-saturated effects in Lightroom partly to test the setting and also to highlight the most aspects of the the low quality photos. There is a lot to learn in Lightroom and I’m planning on buying the video tutorial from Luminous Landscapes.
Below are a few of the photos – you can see the rest in the Band Practice photo set on Flickr. Thanks to Band Practice for the photo op. :)
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By Magda, 25 December 2009
New Happy Sleepies piled up for a group photo at the end of a photo session.
Cloudy days have lovely diffused light and big pieces of styrofoam make really good light reflectors.
That sums up the most recent advancements in my skills as a still life photographer.
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By Magda, 11 December 2009
There’s been a flurry of real in the world making activity all fall around here. I delight in having the laptop set up right beside the sewing machine set up right beside the cutting table, opposite the shelves of materials and tools. I glee up every time I pull a suitcase from under a table to rummage in my collection of fabrics, which is what the suitcases hold these days instead of clothes, books and other travel essentials. In short, I’m loving my studio space.
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By Marc, 12 January 2009
In the fall of 2005, Magda and I decided to sell off most of our possessions and embark on an extended period of travel.
The reasons for this were many.
Magda had a distinct feeling of being stuck.
We had figured out a way to coast through our life as freelance graphic designers/artists. We had developed a well-worn, carefully cultivated, comfortable rut of routine in Toronto. Our combination of skills and our solid network of business contacts and friends assured that we would be able to maintain a subsistence level artist existence in the city, although that year we were getting a bit more in debt every month. Although our apartment and such was comfortable, there was very little social wiggle room and the resulting torpor was upsetting to Magda. This is a very frustrating situation for someone who thrives in a rich environment characterized by rapid changes.
Our personal evolution was at a standstill. We needed to shake things up.
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