Michael Jancart / Stand Still Designs

Reptillian Ocular Anatomy Study

Mike — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 18:00:16 +0000

not a great representation...but a good study. I didn't capture the 3 dimensional quality at all.

Sounds fancy doesn’t it? All I really did was draw a lizard eye. But it is a study any time you draw anything in detail…yeah, hence the word study. My wife and I bought this wonderful 18″ x 24″ Rainforest book for our girls as a Christmas gift (they’re pretty nuts about books). There are some wonderful photos in there and Daddy is going to put them to good use as well.

I am amazed at the “squiggly” details inside the eye and the elegance of the scaling patterns…no wonder I used to try and draw dragons so much. I may pick it up again. The best part of any type of organic study for me is seeing the hand of God at work in his creation. It is altogether humbling and awe inspiring. Good food for a creative person, not to mention a worshipful exercise.

On another note, I’m seriously considering a Masters Degree in Illustration from the Academy of Art University (MFA). Its very exciting, very expensive and brings that curious feeling of terror and adreniline just thinking about it. Pray I make the right decision.

Stand Still for these WordPress Plugins

Mike — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 19:47:20 +0000

Plugins…so ridiculously useful, what would WordPress be without them? (OK, it’d still be pretty awesome, but less awesome).

Here’s a list of the plugins that I’ve used or am using. Enjoy, use at your own descresion! (I’ve not had any problems with any of these FYI).

Robin Hood…where is he going?

Mike — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:28:36 +0000

I began doing some character sketches of Robin Hood & Little John a while ago as a personal project. I’m not sure where its going, but I’d love to re-invent the story a bit (doesn’t everyone?). It’s simmering in the back of my skull somewhere. Feel free to throw thoughts and ideas at me!

Thoughts on Great Clients…

Mike — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 18:51:27 +0000

As a business owner I’m most grateful for wonderful clients. People who clearly communicate, appreciate your hard work, trust that you know what you’re doing (or at least can figure it out! HAHA!), encourage you with kind words about your progress, give you everything you need when you ask for it in a timely manner. What a blessing. Thanks A & K Dock Service for being Great Clients.

Their site turned out beautifully! Well, I think so.

What did I learn?

The Google Plus button is a bit of a pain, especially if you want a custom look. But, very doable.
Facebook’s Open Graph tags are, no question, not developer friendly when it comes to validating your HTML…at least not yet. (facebook DOES NOT recognize the tag if you comment it out AND if you don’t comment it out, or just leave it, your HTML won’t validate)

There is more, but those are the two things that stuck out most. Until next time…

Second Place: OUCH!

Mike — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 20:13:56 +0000

Who knew second place was so tough? The afore mentioned 99 Designs contest I entered, second choice. It does makes me feel good that out of 200+ designs I was second, but you only get paid for first in these contests LOL! Great experience though. I’m sure I’ll do it again sometime soon. The guy that won did have a very nice design and I don’t begrudge him the win…good job!

My Final Version "Pandabar" Icon (for Mac)

A&K and 99 Designs

Mike — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 17:49:07 +0000

Well, I’ve been fairly busy lately. Finished a painting, working on a few websites, a t-shirt design, a little logo work and some fun icon design. I guess I’ll start there.

Icon design for a mac app I entered at 99designs.com

A friend of mine asked me to review some logo designs he had done through 99designs.com. Normally, I don’t go for these types of sites (I had a TERRIBLE experience with guru.com.) But this seems pretty cool…you don’t have to pay to bid on jobs for one, second its very straight-forward. I’m going to enter a few “contests” on the site and see how it goes.

I”ve also had the pleasure of redesigning the A&K Dock Service logo. The owners are such lovely folks to work for. I had been fooling around with a new logo for them (something I was not hired to do) and off-handedly showed it to them and viola! they fell in love with it. I created a small online store for them and I’m in the process of redesigning their website entirely (I was hired to do these things!).

DWTS Contest Winner: Ryan!

Mike — Fri, 27 May 2011 18:52:36 +0000

Thanks for participating guys. I love drawing people, there is something incredibly intimate about it…even if you don’t know the person. It’s like getting a small glimpse of what GOD must see/feel as he shapes and molds us in our mother’s wombs.

Bears, Aardvarks & Dancing with the Stars

Mike — Wed, 18 May 2011 17:04:30 +0000

For the longest time a new Mac compatible All-in-One printer/scanner/copier has been on my wish-list…yesterday I got one! It’s an Epson Stylus NX625. So far, so good.

Below are some sketches I’ve done over the past few nights watching TV. Bears on PBS, Wild Kratts (Aardvark) on PBS with my kids and Dancing with the Stars with my Bride. Visit my facebook page where I’ll be running a short contest to see who can name the Dancing with the Stars personalities seen here. The winner will recieve a free sketch done in a similar fashion!

2011 Clarksville VA Lake Fest T-Shirt Design Winner!

Mike — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 17:47:22 +0000

I am so excited and honored to have won this year’s Lake Fest T-Shirt Design contest. Lake Fest is one of the biggest outdoor festivals in the eastern US, with over 100,000 visitors last year.

The winning design is below along with the article published in the newspapers. I’ll post some more photos when I get a shirt in my hands, which should be sometime in July.

Official 2011 Clarksville Lake Festival Logo

As published in the The News-Progress and South Hill Enterprise:

“[Clarksville] Michael Jancart of Nelson, VA was named the winning artist of the official 2011 Lakesfest logo contest on March 15. Jancart was awarded $250 for his entry by Linda Williams, Executive Director of the Clarksville Lake Country Chamber of Commerce.

A five-member judging committee chose his original graphic design from multiple entries created in watercolor, oil, and other art medium.

According to the winning artist, “I wanted to take the most iconic parts, the most memorable events, the staples if you will, of Lakefest and create a clean, modern design that people would see and like,” said Jancart. “I wanted it to be something fun and lively, but not overdone, so I went with a minimal color palette, solid shapes and easy to read type,” added Jancart. The winning graphic is comprised of five colors—gold, blue, black, white and gray; the hot-air balloons and fireworks cleverly exemplify two important activities of the three-day event.

Jancart is a resident of Nelson and owner of Stand Still Designs; additionally, he currently serves as the Chamber’s Webmaster. He was born and raised near Pittsburg, PA and has lived in Ohio and North Carolina before settling in Nelson two years ago. He has attended four Lakefest events and is looking forward to this year’s activities.

The winner attended the Art Institute of Pittsburg, LIFE Bible College, and graduated from Liberty University with a BS, Magna Cum Laude, in Communication Studies/Graphic Design. Four years ago, he created Stand Still Designs; his services include web design, illustrations and graphic and print design. To view information and activities regarding his company, go online at www.michaljancart.com.

His plans for the prize money, you ask? He is planning to share the reward—first, he’ll take his wife and three daughters out to dinner; the remainder will be put towards a new all-in-one printer/scanner/copier for his office.

Jancart’s winning design will be featured on the official 2011 t-shirts and all other promotional event materials for the July 14-16 event.”

Dip (IF)

Mike — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 01:29:54 +0000

After a far-too-long hiatus… One’s BUMP in the road is another’s DIP!