Corey Guerra Design, LLC

Hello everyone! Go check out the website for the Sweet Mississippi Tea Festival! Events are listed with Vendor and Sponsor information:

Sweet Mississippi Tea Festival Good company. Sweet memories. UPCOMING EVENTS UPCOMING EVENTS 80’s Family Movie Night Bring your blankets, pillows, and chairs, and enjoy a classic 80s movie with the family.From the local Hot Mess Food Truck to JD Farms Pizza Truck and more, we’ve covered you with various food trucks to satisfy...

Yep.

I debated on posting this, but yesterday afternoon I learned that Dr. Del Caldwell passed away in the early afternoon.

Dr. Caldwell and I worked together at Tulane Medical School where he hired me in 2007 as a Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology. Dr. Caldwell was a fantastic physician and surgeon who I would have trusted my own eyes with, if the need ever arose.

Dr. Caldwell dedicated his life to helping others and taught/produced generations of skilled Ophthalmologists and Cornea Specialists. This “extended family” of doctors across the country and world continue to carry his legacy forward. In this sense, Dr. Caldwell is immortalized and has left a lasting impact for generations to come.

Dr. Caldwell and I had many adventures together. We opened up the Tulane Refractive Surgery Center together, restructured the Contact Lens and Low Vision Clinic, expanded the Optical Dispensary to include a finishing lab and worked together on many published research studies.

Dr. Caldwell embodied the perfect management style for employees like me. I am sure anyone who knew him would agree that he was quietly supportive and gave you the freedom to invent, explore, learn, grow, with few restrictions. Supervised autonomy could be a term to describe his leadership style. In this, he still expected and exacted the highest level of performance and care.

On a more personal note, Dr. Caldwell was like a grandfather to me. In fact, he reminded me so much of my own biological grandfather I would mistakenly call him DeDe (what I called my grandfather since a young child). I explained this one day and he softly chuckled. I will miss his occasional calls to see how I was doing. After I retired from Ophthalmology to pursue my design career, I would get the occasional call or text from him asking how things were going. The last one was not long ago…

I’ll never forget when I was leaving Tulane Ophthalmology, he looked at me and said “we had a good run, didn’t we?” To which, I responded “yes sir, thank you.”

My heart is heavy. I lost one of my greatest mentors and a friend.

God bless you Dr. Caldwell. We will meet again.

This is a moth illustration that I created recently using Adobe Illustrator. For you Illustrator nerds…YES, the “furry” body of the moth was created using the legacy grass novelty brush that has been lurking in the shadows…unused and forgotten…until now…

I completed this illustration today! I have been experimenting with a different style and I am thrilled with the result!

When it comes to taglines, consistency is key…

A good tagline enhances brand recognition by succinctly conveying a brand’s essence. Voice and tone further contribute by shaping the way a brand communicates. Consistent use of voice and tone across various channels fosters a cohesive brand identity, making it easier for consumers to associate messaging with the brand, ultimately strengthening recognition and consumer trust.

Was playing around last night in Procreate thinking about the winter weather that is upon us. This was the result. Lol

Branding strategy is crucial as it shapes how a company is perceived by its audience and distinguishes it from competitors. A well-defined branding strategy:

1. Builds Recognition: Consistent branding creates a memorable identity, making it easier for customers to recognize and remember your business.

2. Establishes Trust: A strong brand builds trust and credibility. When customers trust a brand, they are more likely to choose its products or services over competitors.

3. Differentiates from Competitors: In a crowded market, branding helps set your business apart. It communicates what makes you unique and why customers should choose you.

4. Drives Customer Loyalty: A positive brand experience fosters customer loyalty. Loyal customers are more likely to repeat purchases and recommend the brand to others.

5. Supports Marketing Efforts: A clear branding strategy provides a foundation for marketing campaigns. It ensures a cohesive and compelling message across various channels.

6. Facilitates Employee Alignment: Internally, a strong brand helps align employees with the company’s values and goals. It fosters a sense of pride and belonging among the team.

7. Adds Value: A well-established brand adds intangible value to products or services. People may be willing to pay more for a product with a strong and trusted brand.

8. Adapts to Market Changes: A flexible branding strategy allows a business to adapt to changing market conditions. It can evolve without losing its core identity.

In essence, branding strategy is a key driver for business success, influencing how a company is perceived, remembered, and chosen by its target audience.

How are you doing on your branding checklist?

Need help? Contact us.

www.coreyguerra.com

Fact.

Why hire a graphic designer instead of relying on Canva alone?

While tools like Canva offer accessibility, a professional graphic designer brings a deeper understanding of design principles, branding nuances, and the ability to tailor visuals to a specific brand identity. They provide a customized and unique approach, ensuring a brand stands out and maintains a consistent and high-quality visual presence. Additionally, a designer can offer a level of creativity and strategic thinking that may be challenging to achieve with DIY tools alone.

Take a look at my work and branding strategy:

www.coreyguerra.com

Merry Christmas everyone!

To this day I get emotional over this horse. Not sure if the pain is somehow deepened since we had horses when I was a child…

Tony got us tickets to see Wicked at the Saenger Theatre in New Orleans! We are going to see it tonight….very excited! We have have been driving around during lunch every day listening to the audiobook in preparation!

Today’s 4AM studio session…

This is a very rough continuation of the value scale of the bird. I use the bistre as a mid-point value and scumble (dry brush) areas of light and shadow mass using Titanium White (highlights) and Raw Umber (shadows/dark areas).

This is in NO WAY supposed to look refined. This is the equivalent of brush sketching as a method to establish a map for the color layers of the painting.

What this is not:

This is not a grisaille. In former posts, I painted using a refined grisaille (grey scale) underpainting and glazed color on top.

What this is:

This is simply an underpainting, of sorts, with the purpose of establishing value scale and a plan for color application. I will complete this as an alla prima (wet on wet) painting that many of you are more familiar with (think about more contemporary technique).

Alla prima paintings should still include foundational layers like the ones demonstrated because the chroma and tone of the underpainting still affects the final piece. Also, working out the composition this way allows problem solving on layers that will remain hidden from the viewer once the painting is finished.

Today’s 4AM studio session…

This is a very rough continuation of the value scale of the bird. I use the bistre as a mid-point value and scumble (dry brush) areas of light and shadow mass using Titanium White (highlights) and Raw Umber (shadows/dark areas).

This is in NO WAY supposed to look refined. This is the equivalent of brush sketching as a method to establish a map for the color layers of the painting.

What this is not:

This is not a grisaille. In former posts, I painted using a refined grisaille (grey scale) underpainting and glazed color on top.

What this is:

This is simply an underpainting, of sorts, with the purpose of establishing value scale and a plan for color application. I will complete this as an alla prima (wet on wet) painting that many of you are more familiar with (think about more contemporary technique).

Alla prima paintings should still include foundational layers like the ones demonstrated because the chroma and tone of the underpainting still affects the final piece. Also, working out the composition this way allows problem solving on layers that will remain hidden from the viewer once the painting is finished.

Another 4AM studio session is complete.

Nothing super impressive here. Just another stage of my painting process. Today, I went over the dried imprimatura (stained color layer) with Raw Umber. The Raw Umber was mixed with a combination of 50/50 medium and Liquin (to help speed drying time).

About 50/50 medium…

50/50 Medium is equal parts odorless mineral spirits and walnut oil. This is what I use to thin paint in lower layers so that I can observe the “fat over lean” rule. Liquin is an alkyd resin that promotes faster drying. I use this in small parts throughout the entire painting process along with walnut oil.

About fat over lean…

Fat over lean refers to a rule oil painters must follow. Leaner paint layers should be established below “fatter” more oil rich layers. If you haven’t figured it out yet, the “fat” is the oil in the paint/medium. If you paint lean paint over fatter (more oil rich) paint, the leaner layer will crack when it cures over time because fatter paint takes longer to cure.

In the photos you will see that after my paint application with a chip brush, I used a Q-Tip to remove paint in a subtractive painting method called a Bistre. This stage is not meant to be beautiful. It is solely used to establish form, composition, and light versus shadow mass. This is a rough road map of the painting established before the final paint layers are applied.

Stay tuned for more to come…

Starting a new painting!

I have included my preliminary steps to my painting process in this post.

I am laying the foundation for this new bird portrait. It cannot be stressed enough how important the drawing and study of a figure/form is before the first brushstroke of paint marks the canvas. Since a painting is an iterative process that builds upon itself, the foundation is as important as the final piece (much like building a house).

I start by selecting and modifying my composition. I am working from a photo of a bird. I have taken it into Photoshop to adjust lighting, background, etc. After Photoshop, I print the piece (to scale here) so I can employ the sight-size technique.

Initially, I draw the bird on a large piece of paper at the final painting size of 11”x14” and pay close attention to proportion. During this phase, I do some value mapping (loosely) so I can establish (in my mind) areas light mass and shadow mass.

After, I trace my final drawing on tracing paper in preparation for the canvas transfer. I simplify my initial drawing to basic linework and shapes.

Then, I use carbon transfer paper to establish the composition on the canvas. Since the carbon transfer will easily rub off, I refine it with a Derwent watercolor pencil. I do this because it is activated by water. Oil-based products will not disturb the watercolor pencil lines, making it a semi-permanent solution for the stages to come.

Once the outline is complete. I create a wash using Burnt Sienna, odorless turpentine, and a small amount of Liquin. I apply with a cheap chip brush loosely so that the canvas is stained and the drawing is sealed. After this dries, I will apply another stain layer using Raw Umber. With this application, I will complete the bistre underpainting.

Stay tuned!