Supporting Local Artists: Alex Ray

Mar 16

As I was gathering resources and piecing together my presentation for SXSWedu, I came across the video below. It's part of the Born to Learn series and I wanted to use it as an introduction or primer to the discussion of relevant learning scenarios. The simple animations and poignant message inspired the design theme for my presentation media.

I decided to commission several sketches from Orlando artist Alex Ray. I met Alex by chance at the Thursday Night Art Market on Wall Street in downtown Orlando. I had been kicking the idea around in my head for a few days and, when I saw his art, I knew he would be able to help. Alex was a pro! We collaborated remotely and, after only a few short discussions, he had the information he needed to illustrate several scenes that I would digitize and color for use in my presentation. He was easily able to replicate the style of the "Born to Learn" video and extend the theme into imagery relevant to my presentation. This was the first time I had ever commission artwork for use in my own creative project and what a great experience it was! Alex is super talented and I can't thank him enough!