September was a month that was mostly filled with study.
This week is my last week in my typography class and I have really enjoyed it. It has enabled me to develop many new skills as a designer, and given me more confidence in my ability. It has been so interesting learning about typographic principles as well as many associated with design. I have noticed that even when creating digital illustrations, I am not much more likely to use a grid or structured form and consider the proportions much more closely. I have even found it enjoyable to work on layouts (mainly my process document which is part of each assessment) and practicing typography with posters. I see a lot of possibilities for things that I can create, and hope to be able to make them (at some point).
In September I had the NBN connected via satellite. Because of my location my only internet connection I was able to get previously was wireless, which wasn’t that fast (between 1 to 4mbps) and was expensive ($175 a month for 25gb of data). So far I have been getting speeds of around 22/23mbps, which is awesome. Everything has been working pretty well, except for one day where it was down completely. You get a lot more data, at a big difference in price. The only problem is that there is a cap on the data that you can use in a four week period and if you abuse that, you can be terminated. So while I do have pretty good speed, I still have to watch my usage, or stay on a plan that is under that cap. There is one exception to that rule, and that is you do get more data that is off-peak (usually after 1am) so I could stay up late to watch movies or download things. 😄
Starting next week I have some time off before starting my next class and would like to devote time to working on another children’s book. I have a number of ideas and think it would be nice to try and have something ready, just before Christmas. For my first book, I had it printed with Blurb, but I have talked to some local printers, and think it would actually be a lot cheaper for them to print it (and bind it). I would possibly have to register for the ISBNs myself (print,pdf,epub) which wouldn’t be so bad. After studying typography I am even looking forward to creating the layouts for the pages and choosing typefaces… haha design geek. 😬 I know that I could try submitting my ideas to a publisher, but there is just something I love about having to go through the whole process and having control over every aspect. To imagine the story and bring it to life with my own designs and then to see it in a printed form, it’s a really great feeling. Now.. to get cracking! 😜
Questions
- How was your September?
- What are your plans for October?
- Do you have any recommendations for print on demand services?
- What do you like, in a children’s book?
31 Responses
You’ve had a pretty productive September so congratulations! 🙂 I’m so happy about your new book too, I would definitely download this. I have a niece and I think she would enjoy reading this book with me. 🙂
My September was pretty good and I’ve been studying a lot too, which is not too bad (so far). Haha! I really like the study environment here in Taipei and I think I made the right choice to go here to study. But for October, I plan on going out more to explore Taiwan since I have already adjusted to life away from home.
Thank you. 😀 I should have an update in a few weeks about the book. It will be available as a free download for iBooks and I might look into how I can make that happen for Kindle as well.
I hope you have a good time exploring. 😀
I remember back when i first knew about the internet, my connection speed was only around 1-4mbps too and 99% of the time, it only ran at 1mpbs. and now, i’m so used to getting 20mbps that i cannot deal with a 1mpbs connection anymore lol. imagine how many days i had to wait for a 20GB torrent back then! phew.
i’ve always loved your illustrations. i find them really cute. your first children book is adorable too! it’s so cool that you’re going to have your book printed and published for real. speaking about books, i miss designing book layouts hahaha
1. my september went…. kinda up and down. honestly, i rarely remember what happened the month before :))
2. um, survive yet another series of anxiety and depression, i guess.
3. since i’m a multimedia / interactive designer, i don’t usually do prints. but when i do, i do it in local print stores so… i’m afraid i can’t help you with that since we live in 2 different countries. but i hope you find a good printing service for your book 😀
4. i love it when children’s books have a pastel-ish, watercolor art style and unique tim burton-ish kind of skinny characters; like the little prince and roald dahl’s books.
Ahhh. I remember the horrible days of dialup when my connection was only around 60kbps, that was so awful, and I can remember it took about a day to download a few songs haha. Glad things have finally changed haha.
Designing book layouts would be so much fun!
Hope that October will be a better month.
Thanks for your thoughts on what you like in a children’s book. I really love the watercolour style, and hope I can capture that in the future. At the moment I have just been using digital illustrations, because that is what I am familiar with. You just can’t beat that classic watercolour style though. It’s so whimsical and innocent. 😀
You got a really fast internet speed. But the cap? 🙁 I recently subscriped to a 7mbps speed with unlimited data. It costs around 29USD when converted from Philippine peso. The experience seems doing well. No downtime at the moment.
Good luck with your book. Hope it’ll turn out great. 🙂
How was your September?
– My September was okay. Nothing special about it though.
What are your plans for October?
– My plans for October is to save more money for upcoming events and for getting a new laptop.
Do you have any recommendations for print on demand services?
– I don’t know anything about this. Sorry, can’t help. 🙁
What do you like, in a children’s book?
– Hmmmm. Illustrations?
That sounds like a pretty good deal on your connection. I would be happy with that. 😀 Thank you!
Wow your internet was really expensive. I have a 300mb/s plan (the actual downloading speed is around 8 mb/s) and I pay for it $7 for unlimited data transfer. I guess internet in Romania is really cheap. (actually everything here is cheap, but the average income is also a lot smaller than in many parts or the world). But still, $175 is a lot of money. I am glad you managed to change your internet and now it is faster.
You wrote a book, I had no idea. I took a look at your blogpost about it. It’s so cute. I love it. Good luck on your next one. Show it to us please. I always wanted to write a book, but my writing sucks. But I think I could try something with more illustrations. Maybe when I will get the time, I will play around (even though my illustrations will never be as good as yours, I really admire you for that).
I am glad that you learned a lot about typography and you understood it better. Sometimes I wish I could go to two universities at the same time and learn something about designing at the same time with med school. But I guess I have to self teach myself about designing every single time I get the chance.
My September involved a lot of sickness, exams and I think that’s all. I tried to solve some things in my life, tried to organize myself a little.
I want October to be quiet, to get a chance to rest and not to stress myself, because I tried to be careful with my health. Also I want to ace my first exam, which is October 28th and I plan on studying more about responsive designs and manage to create a responsive theme for my website.
I have no idea, I am so sorry I can’t help you 🙁
In a children’s book I like the illustrations that can really show the meaning of the text. They are amazing for kids to understand the story better.
It’s hard to tell when things are cheap or not in other countries, because of how much you earn. But $7 does sound good for unlimited. 😀 I wish I could get something like that. Well, I could have a cable connection with unlimited data if I lived in a city, but I like the country.
Thanks for the comments about my book. I will certainly share the next one, when complete. 😀 I am sure that you could make great illustrations. It just takes time and practice. I still have a lot of areas where I can improve!
I hope that October will be better. 😀
It’s great to see that you’ve been enjoying your studies and learning a bunch of things to increase your knowledge!
The typography looks really interesting and I think I’d love to learn more about it too. How long does your course go for?
I’m also super happy to see your improved internet! YAY! 🙂 If you’re worried about your limit you could try scheduling things to download during the off-peak. I currently also have a peak/off-peak plan too and uploads are counted but we have never gone over our limit. We use about 200gb a month including peak and off peak. I’m guessing if you previously only had 25gb you’ll probably be ok 🙂
I have been making sure I do only download anything large in the off-peak time, or watch shows then, but not a huge binge! Most of the shows I do like to watch are on Foxtel anyway, so I just have to sit up and watch, instead of in bed. 😀
My course usually goes for about three years, but it will take me longer because I am only doing a part time study load. Maybe around 5 years.
I’m so proud of you Kya! It sounds like your classes are going well and of course that youre developing yourself to become much better at what you do! Well done 🙂 Really pleased with your achievements!
Ugh, I can’t imagine having to watch how much data I use! It’d be such a pain for me because I use my internet almost every second of my life xD
In childrens books, I like illustrations mainly! Pictures that tell stories.
Thank you! 😀
I’m glad that your classes are going well! Oooh, another children’s book! I loved the designs and illustrations of your last one. As for what I like in them, I love the cute pictures. I know, vague and unhelpful haha. But I like what is similar to your style of illustrations.
My September flew by. It was a bit of an adjustment for me since I started my new job and was trying to get back into a routine (and still am somewhat) but it was good! New starts and change can be good, so I’m excited for what’s going to happen in October. We have a couple trips planned so it will be nice to travel and get out of the city.
Thank you! 😀 I hope you have a great October!
September was a blur for me, I can’t remember a thing about it. October will be mostly reading, with a gig and a birthday coming up. 🙂
I hope you do have a great month. 😀
The typography class sounded like fun. I wished we had a separate class like that here. I think it’s part of a studio class. I’m not too sure.
Look at you go with the children’s book. I’m happy for you. One day, you’ll be this famous author of children’s book.
1. How was your September? Okay. Too much reading for my classes.
2. What are your plans for October? Work, school, and maybe join a club.
3. Do you have any recommendations for print on demand services? I don’t know anything about this.
4. What do you like, in a children’s book? More and exciting stories.
My typography class was part of a design studio unit. They focus on specific areas and have been a lot of fun so far. In my second or third year level, I do revisit typography in a more advanced approach, so I am looking forward to that as well.
Hahaha. I doubt I would ever be a famous children’s book author/illustrator. I just really like making books and going through the whole process. 😀
I’m glad you liked your typography class! I’d like to study typography some time because I feel like it’s a definite weak point when I do designs.
Oh man, I’d be bad at watching my data usage, haha. When I went to Japan, I bought a sim card for data, and I ended up using all of the data and then added more. That’s nice that you’ve been getting better speeds though!
I would love to see another children’s book from you! I hope you’ll have time to work on it!
My September was really busy, both at work and in personal life. I’m hoping October will be more relaxing, and that I’ll have time to finish my next sewing project 🙂
Thank you. 😀 I should have updates on the book in a week or so.
Hope you will be able to relax a bit in October and do all the sewing. 😀
I’m proud of your progress with university so far! You have been learning a lot and I can see that you’re applying your skills into your cute work.
It’s interesting to see how data allocation works in all parts of the world. Meanwhile, we’re abusive with our telecommunication networks @___@… Hope your new data plan will be better! Good luck with your children’s book. If I had a kid now, I’d definitely buy some of your work for them. Maybe I should befriend people with kids XD.
My September was busy but I’m sure October will die down a bit. I don’t really have any recommendations (esp. since I don’t know how printing services in AUS is). In a children’s book, I want the kid to enjoy what they’re reading while learning at the same time :).
Thank you. 😀
Sounds like a pretty productive month! That typography class sounds interesting!
As for your book, awesome! Kudos to you for wanting to do it on your own!
Thanks. 🙂
That’s awesome you’re enjoying your classes! The more you talk about typography, the more I want to take a class on it as well, haha.
Also excited to see how the result of your children’s book! I think children book’s are great – I took a children’s literature class and one of the requirements was to go to a children’s lit conference. It was great hearing children book authors/illustrators speak and I definitely developed a deeper respect at what they do!
Thank you. 😀 Having an understanding of typography is a really good thing, because so much of what we learn and understand uses written language.
Going to conferences for children’s authors/illustrators would be such a great experience. I will have to keep an eye out and see if there is anything like that in Australia. 😀
That was expensive internet! But I’m glad you got the faster one! Where I live the connection is pretty slow…
It’s great that you enjoyed your typography lessons so much and I’m looking forward to your new book!
:peace: 😀 :blush:
Thank you. :blush:
I am super proud of your studies! And I am also glad that it’s making you more confident because you have every right to be. You’re so awesome =)
I am sooo excited for your second book. You are so talented! I still would like to purchase a copy of the first one.
My September was interesting. I had and recovered from surgery but I also got to spend some much needed time with my sister. So, that was fun! And I’m doing a really fun stitch along with Carolynne. It’s been nice connecting with someone who likes the same things as you.
I don’t know if you’ve heard of the site LULU but they have publishing options that are fairly cheap. I had a problem with the binding but that was a really long time ago.
Thank you! 😀
I hope that you do have a good October.
Thanks for the suggestion about LULU. I will have to see what the prices are like and if there is a local (Australian) version. :3
I have had a pretty rough past month, but that aside, this is about you, Kya! 🙂 It’s great to hear you have enjoyed studying typography and that you now have fast internet. I know that you live in an area where you have had to struggle with horrible internet connections for most of your life – which is why I was SO grateful and yet felt so bad when I asked you for help, and even thinking about all the work you have done on the web and had to deal with a bad connection. You have patience, girl!
I don’t have NBN but I used to feel a similar pain with very slow internet. It’s still bad for me, and doesn’t get so fast, but is a lot better than it was for me a few years ago before we upgraded! We hardly get a problem with going over our limit because we have a pretty high limit and my brother only plays games, none of us watch anything online or download large movies and shows as we used to.
Unfortunately I don’t know about any book or print services. I did hear about Lulu (or something like that?) when I was thinking of printing my own poetry book, but I am not sure of prices. I thought about self-publishing for some time, but I haven’t yet found the drive or passion to get onto putting something together ?