 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
About ErgoDraw
ErgoDraw was originally launched to the clamoring hordes on 5 May 2001 and relaunched on 21 September 2004. Its concept, design, production and programming are due to the efforts of Michael Hamm of which you'll see a picture of to the right. Read more about me below.
The site was started initially due to the poor state of my memory with regard to remembering how this or that was done in Adobe Illustrator. I needed something of a little reference library, so to speak, to document various tips and techniques that I'd learned.
Like lemmings drawn to the cliff's edge, visitors were showing up to ErgoDraw in droves, so I upgraded the site to make it more usable and appealing. It serves as my creative release for writing, designing, programming and illustrating. It's a hobby that I can never devote enough time to but have the highest hopes for.
My first encounter with vector software came during my stint in the Army while stuck in the middle of Kansas. I'd gotten my hands on a copy of CorelDraw 3 and managed to bumble my way through the myriad commands and menus during my off-duty time. To say I became proficient with it would have been an understatement. A year later, I left the service and it would be five years or so before I'd come into contact again with polygons, ellipses and Bezier curves.
The next program I'd "tackle" was Adobe Illustrator at version 7. I'd heard enough about it from friends and employers that I knew I needed to learn it. So, I launched the program, tried some things and promptly got frustrated. I did this about a dozen times over the course of 3 years. My opinion of this program was not a good one at the time.
In the spring of 2000, I finally resolved to really, really learn this confounding and complex piece of software. The learning curve was not a gentle one. After reading the entire manual and three books on the subject, I emerged as a novice. Within days, I was creating shapes and objects I'd longed to make in Adobe Photoshop but couldn't. And, through trial and error, a careful eye and the help of dozens of folks in various message boards, I graduated to an intermediate level user of Illustrator. Huzzah! Advanced? Well... there's always more to learn.
What would make this bit of prose all the more touching is if I had an 8th grade art teacher to thank for guiding me along the way. Alas, there is none. But, thanks to you for stopping by every now and again to see what I'm coming up with.
About Michael Hamm
Michael Hamm is a freelance graphic designer and web developer with more than 9 years of experience in the field of interactive design, print and illustration. Based in Houston, Texas, Michael previously worked for JPMorgan Chase. He is a member of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) and his work has been featured in various books and magazines.
Michael is an Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) in Adobe Illustrator and is the head guy in charge of this shebang. In addition to this, he teaches several online Illustrator and illustration courses for students worldwide through Sessions.edu Online School of Design. In the real world, he also teaches Illustrator courses through Connect Learning in Houston. He has recently served in the capacity of technical editor on two books from Friends of Ed publishers: Illustrator CS Most Wanted Techniques And Effects and Extreme Photoshop CS.
Return | « Previous Page |
|
|
|
|
|
|
