This week (yesterday?) half-Basque Koldo Barroso made contact concerning his new project, Koldo Barroso (the blog). You might remember Koldo from the husband and wife team at Intuitive Designs (previously featured).
Their shared talent, passion and compassion comes through on both sites.
Quoting Intuitive Designs: “… it was our intention from the very first day to do this web site the most personal we could. The whole design and illustration is full of important and influential things in Koldo’s life and work. Nothing here is circumstantial. The main illustration in the top header, for instance, it’s full of references to his own life and persona. This web site makes him feel like home. We hope we can reach other hearts, make good friends and know all the beautiful and creative people floating around this world like us.”
I forgot to ask about the different parts of his header, although I did find an explanation for his previous header. So for now, I’ll leave his story to my creative imagination. And [nudge] [nudge] hopefully Koldo will explain in the comments? Hmmm?
Quoting Koldo: “I consider myself a an illustrator and designer from the “old school” who adapted to the new times and technologies. I am one of these people who dropped tools such as Rotring pens, photolitographs and aircrafts to enter the digital world with amazement. I am very happy to have learned how to work first with my hands before getting a computer. Today, I still use some of the old techniques in certain circumstances though and I always try to apply to the new digital possibilities all that I learned in the old days.”
Koldo’s training shows through in his choice of materials. Coming from a similar design background myself (old world training), I was drawn first to Intuitive Designs via Koldo’s Basque chef illustration, now detailed in his blog.
Koldo’s use of black takes me back to black-draped Basque women disappearing down side streets, and men of varied ages (topped with equally black berets) playing at bowls in the compacted dirt of town squares. Memory lane yes. A romantic memory lane.
Koldo is half-Basque from the Spanish side. But France / Spain, it’s all Basque. Ask any Basque. At the time I was there, it was still politically unsettled – a raw deal down through history from both sides(?) – so driving through the region was a nervous (yet welcome) experience. I liken it to standing at the edge of a cliff, just for the thrill of it.
Andorra is also a country inside a country, but without the depth and mystery of the Basques (apologies to any Andorians out there). On my one trip through Andorra from the French side, I was bored with the tourism of it all (miles and miles of dusty duty-free). In contrast, the colour-slashed and annotated street signs viewed in the Basque countryside, along with ETA in the news, felt like raw and tasty danger. All imagined, of course. I was no more in fear of harm than if driving through Wales while trying to decipher double Welsh / English road signs.
Koldo … Ah, I knew if I poked around his site I’d come up with more. For more on the design of Koldo Barroso (the blog), go to a background from the woods and leaves for a footer. But still no header (yeah, I’m pesky, just ask Jay :-)
Being at the end (and hopelessly out of time), I’ll sign off with the hungry Amgonnaitya! Enjoy.
Amgonnaitya!
Technorati Tags: Basque Country, design, illustrator, Illustrators
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Thank you so much Catherine! What you wrote about my Basque roots is really beautiful and I guess you have a point about the influence.
By the way, yes, I will keep writing more posts about the design and the header. Thanks for the motivation, I feel truly honored.
Koldo Barroso’s last blog post..Amgonnaitya!
[...] been featured in Designers Who Blog. If you are a designer and you have a blog you should know about this great web site maintained by [...]
Koldo,
It was my pleasure. Writing your post certainly took me back a few years. Of the places in the Pyrenees I loved the most, St-Jean de Luz sticks in my mind. I know it’s not deep into the real Basque, but no matter, it was so beautiful. Your illustration style reflects that beauty and mystery.
(and I’m looking forward to reading more about that header :-)
Yes, I know San Juan de Luz and Donosti very well… beautiful places, magical!
OK, we better stop here, I’m feeling like dropping everything and leaving for a trip right now! In fact, I still owe a trip to San Juan de Luz to Naomi :-/
Koldo Barroso’s last blog post..A Basque designer who blogs
Naomi is going to so love it. Please take a bunch of shots for us all, ok? I’d love to see what San Juan de Luz looks like these days. I took a bunch of photos when I was there, but my photos are in the UK.
Have fun for all of us :-)
wow, this is really gorgeous illustration work, and very inspirational. So much so, I’ll be adding this one to my blogroll.
I was just speaking with a friend and fellow designer recently about the “old days” of design, and the fact that we both started on the cusp of the digital design revolution. Meaning, we learned to design the old way, but never really had to put it into play in our professional lives. I do enjoy using the old methods in my personal projects though, and in retrospect, I’m thankful to have a strong foundation in this craft.
shannon palmer’s last blog post..Screen Printing Tutorial
@Shannon- Your words are inspirational too, thank you very much.
I wrote a blog post a while ago in my web design web site about how design used to be with some funny anecdotes, you mayn find it interesting:
http://www.intuitivedesigns.net/there-was-a-time-before-photoshop/
I’ve also subscribed your blog,
Great!
Koldo Barroso’s last blog post..A Basque designer who blogs
@Koldo – thank you very much for the link, I really enjoyed your article! Oh the dreaded spots! And of course the ever present sudden changes of humor and use of expletives! :) We definitely still have our fair share of those in my office!
shannon palmer’s last blog post..Screen Printing Tutorial
@ Shannon- Yes, usually when the Internet conection fails right in the moment of sending a final work in the deadline ;-)
Koldo Barroso’s last blog post..A Basque designer who blogs
Hey Shannon, great to see you here! I see you are a supporter of no-spec.com. I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve taken the liberty of adding you to the NO!SPEC supporters list.
Koldo – “There Was a Time Before Photoshop…” another great post. And ah, more memories! I still have Exacto scars from the cutting room. Remember those? Only two stitches were needed, but they are both visible yet.
Speaking of the “old days,” one way to determine if you are “seasoned” is to see if you can contribute something to the Drawger Museum of Forgotten Art Supplies.
I’m sorry to say I recognize a fair amount of this stuff.
Chuck Green’s last blog post..How to see the same thing everyone else sees—in a different way
I still HAVE some of those! :-)
(My nifty lead sharpener was too slick to give away. Around and around it still goes.)
Seasoned.
Chuck Green’s last blog post..How to see the same thing everyone else sees—in a different way
@Cat
not only do i not mind being added to the no-spec supporter’s list, i welcome it! thanks!
shannon palmer’s last blog post..Screen Printing Tutorial
Shannon – great! Glad to have you on board :-)
Chuck – ’seasoned’, you’ve got that right. And I’m dying to get back to using some of that old stuff. Most of mine is in the UK and I arrived just an hour ago. I’ll go through the boxes and drag some of it back home. They really were the days. Mylar, Exacto knives … conte crayon … memories.
I use a lot digital crayons in my illustrations, but now my hands dont get all messed up!
Beware of nostalgia ;-)
Koldo Barroso’s last blog post..Eenkeeners
‘Beware nosaligia’ – lol! Yes, I do know that one :-D
The computer has made creativity so easy, and mess free. But, I’m on the computer way too much these days.
Along with computerease, comes a negative. I don’t have to leave my abode to interact because everything is right there, at the click of a mouse. Or, baring that, just a phone call away.
I order purchases online – books from amazon, materials via international, my grocery store has gone online too.
Out of kitty litter? Get it delivered, no problem. Need dinner? A phone call away so no need to wander down the soi.
So at this point, I need to start looking for a life more offline than off. And since I’m a creative person, I’ll start with real life supplies and put reality back in my life.
My favourite watercolour paper was taken off the market so I’ve been drifting around in search of a different medium. One I can purchase easily in Thailand or export no problem.
For actual use, at the top of my list was pencil (love high detailed drawings), then watercolour and pen and ink for illustrations (professional as well as personal).
One I didn’t use enough of (but love) was conte crayon. And I believe that’s the one I’ll be taking back with me this trip.
I produced a number of paintings but preferred acrylics over oil (due to the mess and the smell). But I’m not ready for a large project taking up a lot of room.
I have a kiln in Bangkok but haven’t yet located proper supplies. And after a crazy experience taking dry bags of glaze on a plane (they at first thought it was drugs), I’m not too keen to try it too soon again.
Exeter is not a great place for art supplies, but I’m sure to be able to find at least conte crayons … and maybe some exciting paper packs or two. Fingers crossed!
In my latest blog post I talk about the Letraset “old good days”:
http://www.koldobarroso.com/kalkitos-threshold-of-designers-2
I wonder if you had something similar to Kalkitos in other countries…
Koldo Barroso’s last blog post..Kalkitos, threshold of designers
Thanks Koldo! One of these days (when I get my act together) I’ll be writing memories from back when. Promise.
[...] Catherine Morley located my illustration in the Basque-French Country on a blog post at her site Designers Who Blog. She was probably influenced by the fact that that’s where my origins are and also because [...]
Hi Cat!
Just wanted to say that I finally managed to write a couple of blog posts about the buildings and the characters of my site’s header. No more mysteries, OK, OK…
http://www.koldobarroso.com/making-of-the-headers-characters/
http://www.koldobarroso.com/making-of-the-headers-houses/
Thanks!
Koldo Barrosos last blog post..The Blue Cow’s Nightmare
Nice Koldo! On my way to check them out …
(thanks for the heads up)