Acorn Artwork

AcornArtwork blog launched

AcornArtwork blog launched

<Shameless self-promotion> … Engage:
A couple of days ago I launched a new blog on my portfolio-domain, Acorn Artwork, integrated seamlessly with its design. I did this mainly to separate content and post topics, making it clearer and easier for visitors to one place or the other. This blog remains a more personal blog including gaming topics, while all artwork, design, portfolio and related topics are posted in my AcornArtwork blog. This way Acorn Artwork becomes a centralized place for showing off my work with related blog posts that may be interesting for portfolio-visitors.

Since I’ve recently completed a long education and am currently looking for a job, I finally have time to do what I love: drawing and designing. I also plan to dive back into the world of 3D modeling and texturing, but I’m currently focusing on developing my web design skills since I’m looking for a job within that field. At the moment I have several projects going to keep my brain busy, for example creating a Griddler game using PHP, JavaScript and jQuery.

And so, if some of my few readers are more interested in artwork and design related topics, stay tuned on my AcornArtwork blog. I have a strong feeling I’ll post more frequently at AcornArtwork than I do here.
</Shameless self-promotion>

April 10th, 2010 in Personal happenings | tags: , , | Print This Post Print This Post | No Comments

Master’s thesis handed in, rest of life awaits

One phase in life goes out, a new one lies ahead. February 1st 2010 I finally handed in my Master’s thesis at the University of Oslo and said goodbye to a place I’ve been studying at for many years. The only thing that remains is an oral presentation of my thesis due mid-March, and I will then (hopefully) dive into the job market armed with a Master’s degree in Computer Science.

Finished Master’s thesis

My thesis is about computer games, more specifically to which degree a quest game with a linear story can support meaningful choices for players, using the Xbox 360-game Fable 2 as an example and subject for analysis. (One thing’s for sure, I will never play Fable 2 ever again!) It was quite a new experience writing a long theoretical analysis when I both am more practical and have studied in a much more practical way. I feel that most of the thesis’ work was done in the last few weeks, and that I could’ve done more. But I bet everybody who has written a thesis most likely feel the same way. I was lucky to have kind people to support me, proof read and in general calm my nerves. Especially Sindre has been remarkably patient with me and endured my stressful mood.

When the thesis’ hand-in day finally had passed, I was suddenly free to do (almost) anything I wanted. I spent some weeks catching up on sleep and life. I could finally dig up my dear Wacom tablet, which has been missing me so much that it whimpers for my attention hoping I’d surrender and scratch it behind its ear with the pen. It was a great feeling to finally have time to draw and design web sites again! I redesigned my (so far) modest and limited portfolio, AcornArtwork.com, and hope to expand it and improve my drawing skills. I also plan to teach myself more in web design, especially JavaScript, Ajax and perhaps .NET in order to get more meat on my bones when applying for a job.

I’m now in the process of looking for and applying for a job. A very exciting and unknown road lies ahead!

March 2nd, 2010 in Personal happenings | tags: , , | Print This Post Print This Post | No Comments

New portfolio domain: Acorn Artwork

I have for some time now been slightly displeased by my nickname “Lillarosin”, which currently is my domain name for my CI blog, this blog and previously my portfolio. I acquired the nickname several years ago when playing World of Warcraft and was recognized by everyone as Lillarosin even though I had several characters and names in the game. Lillarosin translates as “purple raisin” in Norwegian and was actually a totally random name I came up when creating a new character I wasn’t really planning on playing. I created a purple night elf and while doing so I ate raisins. Thus Lillarosin was born and this character unexpectedly became my (first) main character in World of Warcraft. But as I quit playing World of Warcraft altogether several years ago, Lillarosin is not really “who I am” anymore. No one I come in contact these days know me from when I played World of Warcraft and Lillarosin now just strikes as a weird nick, both in Norwegian and in English. In Swedish also! I have received loads of comments from Swedes because Lillarosin means “little raisin” in Swedish.

Acorns, or oak nuts

Thus it was about time to get myself a new name to go by. I wanted a new domain for my portfolio, and needed a more professional name or label. After some doodling and thinking I arrived at “Acorn”. Acorn could simply mean the funny-looking nuts that grow of oak trees, but in my case there’s also a play on words. My first initial is A and my last name is (edit: was) Kern, which becomes “Akern” which is pronounced almost as “acorn”. So there it is. The domains “Acorn Design” and the like was already taken, so I decided for Acorn Artwork. I bought the domain, redesigned my portfolio, created a logo (yes, with an acorn in it) and moved it there. For now I plan to keep this blog and my CI blog at this domain, lillarosin.com.

Acorn Artwork logo (I predict it’ll be seriously
revamped in the future)

I’m also introducing web designs in my portfolio, after rediscovering website design a while ago. I have created web pages with HTML, PHP and CSS from the age of 14 or so, but lost interest a while. However in October I was asked to help design elements for Nesodden kommune (a municipality that lies south of Oslo) new web site. I gave some advice of design, and created the header image, portal buttons and digitalized the Nesodden logo. That reignited the old web design spark. With my current Photoshop skills creating web design became much more interesting. I have not done much web designs yet, especially original or noteworthy designs, but more to come when I have time.

Maybe one of you, my two blog readers, starts thinking: “hey, isn’t she supposed to finish her Master’s thesis, how come she spends time to do all this?” To answer that I do designs or draw in my breaks, inbetween writing, and little by little a little something emerges. My thesis is due February 1st 2010, but I am by no means relaxed about it or slacking. Currently I’m sitting at home with swine flu (oink oink), so spending my half-functioning brain and body on my new portfolio seemed like a good idea.

November 9th, 2009 in Personal happenings | tags: , | Print This Post Print This Post | 2 Comments