Day 2 – The in-between time

The best time for me to do my quick sketching is all the in-between times at work. When a file is opening I lean over and draw a quick couple of lines. It’s amazing what you can do with a minute here and a minute there. The printer is spooling a large InDesign file or maybe you’re opening a 75mb PSD these are all good times to put the pencil to paper and get a quick idea out, but the trick is being able to stop. I don’t know how I do it but I’m able to go from drawing mode back to design mode quickly so this works from me. This drawing took me all of 15 or 20 minutes every so often through out an eight hour day, so give it a shot and see what you come up with.


Growing up on the shores of Maui, Hawaii, Norm has always loved drawing. Since leaving the islands’ beautiful beaches and landing in Oregon, he went to college and received a degree in graphic design as well as an additional degree in digital prepress technology. After graduating, he worked for an interactive media firm in Corvallis, Oregon. While there, he was the company’s lead illustrator/designer and was responsible for creating illustrations, animations, and interactive products like video games. Now living in Beaverton, Oregon, Norm worked as an in-house illustrator for 10 years at a large education company in downtown Portland, Oregon. While at this position, he was the creative mind behind nationally marketed campaigns, numerous brand identities, toy and product designs, children’s books, as well as Web and interactive designs for the company’s design team. After leaving this position to raise his son, he now spends countless hours perfecting his craft as a freelance illustrator. He has worked with companies like Highlights Magazine, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Reading A to Z, Kaiser Permanente, KinderCare, and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI). He has created projects such as marketing illustrations, children’s books, coloring and activity books, video games, and educational products for these companies and others. Norm’s ability to draw has given him the chance to do the thing he truly loves: Create.

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