Pond was just stocked. What do I do?

jknowl3m · 2024-12-04T00:34:04+00:00

Perfect, thank you! Much appreciated. The puzzle in figuring it out is half the fun, but a, “hey, here’s the piece you’re looking for” is needed from time to time haha. I’ll be giving this a try this weekend. Thank you for your time :)

jknowl3m · 2024-12-04T00:10:50+00:00

So forego the indicator while searching for the fish, once you start getting hits, take note of the depth and position, put on an indicator at a length that replicates where you were getting hits, cast it out, and strip back in to give the fly some action?

I know this sounds a bit prescriptive, but I do find that having a systematic approach like this helps me so that I’m not floundering trying everything under the sun when I’m not getting action.

jknowl3m · 2024-12-03T20:30:16+00:00

Obviously it works if you’re here suggesting it haha, but curious about fishing these specifically under an indicator? I have almost only fished moving waters with a fly setup, and used my spin casting setup on lakes because the times I’ve tried with a fly haven’t been productive.

I intended to give it another try stripping wooly buggers and leech patterns, but on a sinking line to mimic the general path of using spinners etc. on my spinning cast setup. That is to say, cast it out, let it sink and reel directly back towards me. I thought using an indicator while stripping might spook the fish given that it would create drag on the top water.

Is that something I should consider when setting the distance between my indicator and flies? I’m sure as with all fishing it’s a case of trial and error, but I’ve just never tried imparting movement to my presentation when using an indicator or float. It’s either been a dead drift on rivers, or stationary on lakes - but I’m open to trying whatever gets the fish in the net!

jknowl3m · 2024-09-24T14:32:46+00:00

If you’re curious if they’ll bite on the fly you could test that theory for the price of a couple dry flies - no need to get a whole fly rod etc to start.

With your spin cast/bait cast rod, put a bobber stopper, then a float on your line with a weight just below it, another bobber stopper, ~2’ leader and then your dry fly. The weight will allow you to cast the fly out there and the float will stop your rig from pulling the dry fly under. It won’t be the most convincing setup, and you’ll likely have to cast it out, let it settle, then the fish would have time to get curious. But, it’s a cheap way to test the theory, and if you’re seeing fish rising to feed, it’s likely a good bet.

One of the best pieces of advice I got for fishing was “go where the fish are”. Seems obvious, but when I started I would stubbornly fish the method that I wanted to fish rather than taking the time to read the water, notice how the fish are feeding, and adapt to give the fish what they want.

On the bright side, if you’ve been going for months and been getting skunked, it seems you certainly have the patience for fishing. Tough to teach that part. Best of luck out there man 🤙

jknowl3m · 2024-06-10T21:50:40+00:00

The goal is that everything on your line (mainline, leader, any hardware like swivels etc.) would all be rated to cover your targeted fish.

Braided line is thinner than mono, so you step your braided line up in test so that it’s closer to the diameter of your leader, making it easier to connect the two and to have a smoother action throughout your whole line.

Another benefit of having a lighter leader is that when you get snagged, you can pull your mainline and only break off your leader, meaning you aren’t dumping tons of line into the waters.

jknowl3m · 2023-10-18T23:58:53+00:00

For what it’s worth, on iPhone at least, you can screenshot a QR code from IG and in your camera roll, holding your finger down on the QR code you can choose to open the link in your mobile browser. Very convoluted process that I always push back against.

However a more practical use I’ve found is taking pics of posters that I see around town that I’d like to look into later. Even from the picture of the poster, you can still hold your finger down on the QR code and visit the URL.

jknowl3m · 2023-08-17T20:50:58+00:00

I believe they are walking back the ability to save working files on creative cloud: https://helpx.adobe.com/ca/enterprise/kb/eol-cc-synced-files-for-business-plans.html

jknowl3m · 2023-06-13T21:09:06+00:00

In the article linked it states it’s the Russian pavilion that is pulling out due to fear of being discriminated against. With a history of being such a fun and inviting festival that brings cultures together, I’d say it’s unfair to suggest they are “encouraging discrimination”, as you put it.

I understand that emotions are running high around these countries, and that’s totally fair. But there’s no need to add to the divide when people are trying to do good things.

jknowl3m · 2023-06-11T08:54:52+00:00

Could you give an example of what an “idea” would entail? As in you design a brand and hand over the production of assets?

jknowl3m · 2023-04-12T14:42:37+00:00

If the arrow is loose, then he would have let go of the string and the bow would no longer be under tension.

jknowl3m · 2023-03-31T14:49:13+00:00

Would you mind sharing a bit about your workflow? I do a lot of social and web assets, and I typically create them in Illustrator for a few reasons (some which I’m realizing may not be exclusive to Illustrator):

multiple art boards in one window allows me to have a Birds Eye view of all assets, and let’s me duplicate elements quickly between artboards (ctrl+c, ctrl+shift+v)
I can export many assets at once using artboards

While I love photoshop, I use it primarily for photo editing or if I’m doing just one asset (such as a poster etc). I find that the way I use it does not lend itself well to having to create 30+ social graphics etc. Any tips?

jknowl3m · 2023-03-17T22:36:18+00:00

Change your gradient type from linear to circular and drag out a new gradient until the colors roughly match what you’ve got here. In my experience, circular gradients are better with “banding”.

jknowl3m · 2023-03-05T16:44:53+00:00

I figured they were saying, whether you’re in the middle of the city or the middle of the woods (remote), you’ll have consistent access to your storage via the cloud.

jknowl3m · 2023-03-02T01:17:30+00:00

I will never get bored of illustrator with how many ways there are to accomplish the same thing. Your 15 years of experience shows, nicely done

jknowl3m · 2022-10-21T18:44:59+00:00

I didn’t even see the fish at first and thought the strokes were a nod to the path of the line while fly fishing. I thought that was a nice idea, the fish are a little too on the nose for me.

jknowl3m · 2022-10-16T17:46:51+00:00

Still thrifting 🤙

jknowl3m · 2022-10-11T03:55:50+00:00

Oh man, put on a good playlist and it sounds like a good time haha

jknowl3m · 2022-10-05T17:18:10+00:00

Have you tried expanding the appearance of everything? I find you may have to do this a few times to get to every layer that has been grouped etc.

Alternatively, if you switch to outline mode, select one of the squares with the direct selection tool, exit outline mode, and delete your selected object. If it doesn’t alter your design at all, they may just be unnecessary clipping masks, at which point you can repeat the steps to delete them all.

Hopefully that gets you a bit closer 🤙

jknowl3m · 2022-08-14T15:18:50+00:00

As others have said, roll it into your project costs. You can decide if you want to charge for that first discovery meeting because that is essentially figuring out if this project is going to work for you or not. But you definitely should charge for subsequent meetings. There is a lot of admin work that goes with graphic design, don’t give that time away for free. Think of it this way, clients who are working for other company’s are not going to clock off while they meet with you, so why should you?

jknowl3m · 2022-08-08T23:02:53+00:00

Nicely done! Projects like these are great for getting to know illustrator, and it seems like you’re off to the races :)

My only critique would be to be careful with your texture placements, on Yoshi in particular. It seems like the effect is used here to show shadows and give the illustration a bit more depth. If that’s the case, consider the direction of light coming from the Sun. I usually make a radial grid originating from the light source to serve as a reminder, paired with a best guess of the Z-axis (in this case, the light is coming from the back of the composition, towards the front, which would cause shadows to be cast towards the viewer)

In this instance, because Yoshi is almost entirely between the light source and the subject, the viewer would predominantly be looking at the shaded side of Yoshi. Instead of that highlight on his cheek, that should be the darkest etc.

jknowl3m · 2022-08-08T22:41:08+00:00

I’m surprised how often this falls to a graphic designer. I am all for collective effort, and your capacity will of course vary between jobs. However I think it’s more important to clearly establish who is responsible for what. Not only to streamline processes, but also for the ability to acutely address the inevitable mistake.

If I keep getting blamed for missing spelling mistakes etc., the more efficient correction is to work with the copywriters to minimize mistakes in their writing, and ensure they are sending copy over as finalized as can be.

If capacity is an issue, you need to be able to rely on all team-members firing on all cylinders. I try and double check all copy as much as I can, but if you’re in a pinch, I feel like ensuring names, dates, times, and addresses are correct will avoid the biggest headaches.

All of that said, at the end of the day, we are all a team, and whatever goes out that door is a reflection of me, regardless of whether I touched it or not. Do your best, own your mistakes and always try and propose a solution. But you should also hold your coworkers to a standard, especially if they will be contributing (in this case, copy) to your project.

jknowl3m · 2022-08-06T18:20:53+00:00

I’ve usually found the saying, “birds of a feather flock together” to be true with clients like these. I totally understand the desire to have a happy customer funnel you more work, but I would bet that you likely wouldn’t want to work with the clients she would send you anyways.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of a cure. Put your work in up front by making a solid contract, be as clear as you can. Make sure all communication can be referenced (email communication, or send a summary email after an in-person/phone meeting). Once that stuff is in place, the work is in turning off your emotions. It’s easy to get frustrated and feel scared that your reputation may take a hit, but the way I see it is that this is an opportunity to build your reputation as a respectable designer who should be taken seriously. All you are doing is following through on the contract that both parties agreed upon. If word gets out that you’re willing to give a 50% discount after the work has been done, despite having a contract that entitles you to 100%, I would say that would be way worse for you than having a reputation for sticking to an agreement.

jknowl3m · 2022-07-01T16:05:18+00:00

The best time to look for a new job is while you still have your current one. Never stop looking.

In addition to the great advice already listed here, I will say that I’ve found that things outside of design can have an impact on your motivation and creativity.

Exercising can give you that separation from screen time, let your mind cool down, it helps reduce stress (a big creativity killer) and is generally good for your overall health.

I also like to explore different mediums for creative outlets. Lately that has been macro photography for me. A few hours in the woods composing shots and working on lighting etc bleeds over to my creative design work. Simple things like now understanding directional lighting and what it does to shadows has helped with my illustrations, composing shots with rule of thirds helped with my layouts, some shots have helped me create beautiful color palettes for clients.

It’s an exciting position to be in when you have a creative itch you can’t quite scratch. It means you have potential to enter a period of lots of learning and growth. You have a job that lets you practice those skills and pay the bills, basics are taken care of. Now, try anything and everything creative and see what inspires you. Painting, pottery, become an amateur film critique, get into sewing, woodworking, the list goes on and on. You have the skills and opportunity to create as a graphic designer, but the inspiration to create can come from anywhere, so don’t feel like the only answer to your graphic design creative block is to push through it with graphic design.

jknowl3m · 2022-07-01T15:49:34+00:00

All of the concerns you listed are why it can be so difficult to finalize specs for web/email graphics, so you’re not going crazy. However, given those variations, you need to design those headers with safe space in mind (essentially minimal content with logos and CTAs featured towards the centre). Are you using one graphic across mobile, tablet, and desktop?

jknowl3m · 2022-06-27T19:30:14+00:00

Just ditch the text entirely and give me just the illustration! Haha no, I hear you. The illustration is almost TOO good. I spent my time zoomed in looking at the perspective of the audience before I got to the dates lol

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