I'm BACK with news from Erie

Hello there! After quite the hiatus I'm back on the web. My internship with the city of Erie has had more twists and turns than a roller coaster. First of all, I would like to reintroduce you to the project.

In his retirement, Mr. Robert Dorris of Erie, Kansas created large scale dinosaur sculptures in his backyard. They were created with old car and machine parts that Mr. Dorris re-imagined into creatures ranging in size with the largest being 30ft in length! After his passing, the Dorris family donated the artworks to the city of Erie. With the sculptures, a few very dedicated folks have worked hard to display them in the "Erie Dinosaur Park."

Poor quality photo, forgive me, here is the sign for the entrance of the park, designed by a former PSU student, Jenna Spencer.

 The initial project consisted of me designing dinosaur-themed playground equipment for the park. Considering liability and safety issues for children, this concept was scrapped. Next was designing and building park benches, another no-go. We then settled on the creation of a dino style trash receptacle. After testing out the materials this summer, I came to the conclusion that this idea just wasn't feasible. LITTLE DID I KNOW that when I came back in the fall, Cindy Friedrich (the lovely woman who is my liaison for the committee in Erie) had bigger plans for me!

We tossed the previous ideas and my new assignment was to formulate and illustrate a coloring book (right up my alley, huh?) as well as a brochure and a kiosk card for the park.

This new assignment has been keeping me busy all semester. But busy in the best way. I am so enjoying deadlines, something you won't hear me saying in a couple of years, I'm sure! I love that there is a client that is excited and waiting to see what comes next. I also really enjoy the freedom that Cindy and the committee in Erie has given me. Allowing me to be creative and really decide what direction I want to take the coloring book in.

My next post is going to explain the story that I'm telling and a few more details about the book itself.

STAY TUNED!