ArmenKojoyianDesign

My First Drawings on a Macintosh SE

My first computer drawings done on a Macintosh SE one the earliest Apple computers of the late 1980’s. I took my first introductory evening class on the Apple computer just to begin this digital journey in maybe 1988/89 at Parsons New School of Design, downtown Manhattan. Drawing on this brick of electrons was like trying to bend steel, let alone do anything else. I didn’t touch a computer again till I was formally trained in about 1992 at my staff job as a designer at McGraw-Hill. The smooth gradations, color work and 3D modulation you see now, couldn’t even be done back in the Mac SE days!

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in Armen Kojoyian Design / Illustration  by 16 Apr 2017 0 comments

Ascent of Mt Aragats

A mountain I always wanted to climb is Mt Aragats the highest peak in Armenia at 13,420 ft. I was fortunate to summit in October of 2016 with a great mountain guide/photographer Hrach Hovhannisyan. Aragats the remnant of a extinct volcano, is a nice challenge of four separate peaks and manageable for the conditioned climber to ascend, couch potato no.

We began our ascent on a early cold crisp morning after a light snowfall that previous evening. Our goal was to summit around noon to beat any seasonal snow storm that may enshroud the top later that afternoon during our descent. Luck was on our our side as you see the storm clouds just starting to encroach in these photos.

On our ascent I looked over my shoulder a few times and I saw a line of dust rising up from what looked like a fast moving caterpillar across the valley floor. In about 45 minutes I was able to make out camouflaged men moving fast in formation. These young men in obvious great shape reached within 50 yards of me in no time at a rocky section of Mt Aragats they blew past me like they had springs in their legs. Up the increasing incline they passed me out of sight till they appeared again near the summit ridges looking like a crawling caterpillar again.

I reached the summit maybe a hour after they made it, and was introduced to the Captain and high altitude medical trainer of the Armenian Army’s Mountain Division. Well they were out for a chilly morning workout to take a summit of 13,420 ft. Legs of youth made that mountain just a hill!

Months of planning put me unexpectedly on the path of these great young men. These brave soldiers manning every stone aerie in the heavens are the defenders of a great nation, the future of Armenia is bright in their hands. A photographer’s secret magic like in no other art form is being on the right path towards the intersection of the unforeseen.

All photos copyright by Armen Kojoyian

in Armen Kojoyian Design / Photography  by 15 Apr 2017 0 comments

The Revenant mountain men revealed!

Little did I know a few years ago when I designed the book covers of this quartet would these characters within these titles show up in the movie The Revenant. The likes of Jim Bridger and Mike Fink from the movie can be found across these pages as well as several of their cohorts, mountain men, fur trappers and Indians of then territorial America. You folks that loved The Revenant movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio will surely love this four book set that can be purchased at Christopher Matthews Publishing called The Temple Buck Quartet.

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in Book Cover Design / Christopher Matthews Publishing  by 05 Mar 2016 0 comments

Beer Label Design

Beer label design for a Jackson Heights, NY neighborhood brewing operation housed in a top secret location. I have reviewed so many micro-breweries logo’s/labels in the 5-Boro’s of NYC and realized none of them did justice to the Grande Dame in the harbor. I modeled this beer label design around Liberté herself.

 

Liberte86thStBeer

in Armen Kojoyian Design  by 18 May 2015 0 comments

Queens World Film Festival Poster

Very happy to present my poster design for the 5th Annual Queens World Film Festival 2015! This great event kicks off at many Queens venues and theaters from 3/17-3/22-2015. All schedules of events/movies and ticket information can found here at the QWFF site.

 

QWFF.5th_8.75x5.75progWEB

in Armen Kojoyian Design  by 14 Mar 2015 0 comments

Top 12 CMP Trade Book Cover Designs

On the eve of starting my fifth year at Christopher Matthews Publishing as Art Director I am impressed with the body of work of almost 50 book covers. A good designer should never stay impressed with their look too long, they must be their best informed critic so as to consistently improve their design vision. Looking over my body of trade book cover designs for Christopher Matthews Publishing I now can isolate what I think were the most successful book covers in terms of branding our authors core vision into strong and compelling visuals to get any customer to pick these off a book store shelf or download a ebook copy. Enjoy these dozen book jackets they hold the conceptual seed to create even grander covers in 2015!

 

in Armen Kojoyian Design / Book Cover Design / Christopher Matthews Publishing  by 29 Nov 2014 0 comments

Coffee Cup Sketch at Espresso 77

Follow the aroma’s trail for the best coffee at this Jackson Hts, NYC establishment, enjoy the art gallery, and evenings with the local musicians. Unfortunately the staff makes me work and do sketches for my coffee, hey the economy is tough. If your in the neighborhood stop by at espresso 77 and drink more coffee and you too may start sketching, but don’t try to take my job!

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in Illustration  by 26 Nov 2014 0 comments

Retro Sports Memorabilia of Providence, RI

Since my college days at the University of Rhode Island where I was a fine art major and jock, and with those opposing interests confounding my campus peers from the studios of the fine art building to the athletic field. Art and sports over time merged with a fascination for sports trivia of a older century in Rhode Island. It was always hard to fathom how such a little state with no mega-city won a baseball and football world championship. The Providence Grays were baseball world champs in 1884, the Providence Steam Rollers were football world champs in 1928. Red Grange the “Galloping Ghost” of the Chicago Bears even played in Providence against the Steam Rollers.

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in Galleries & Stores  by 17 May 2014 0 comments

“The Witch Hunter’s Amulet” Illustration & Design

Book cover illustration & design for this cover took much research to achieve the authentic feel of the 1500’s era of Inquistions and convey the rich cultural and spiritual tapestry that was India then and still is. Below you will see a snapshot of my drafting table with some test illustrations to warm up with as well as references. Each page of this book is a visual and sensory delight, you won’t regret reading its pages, you can get your copy at <a title=”The Witch Hunter’s Amulet” href=”http://christophermatthewspub.com/?page_id=3601″ target=”_blank”>Christopher Matthews Publishing</a>.<!–more–> Goa, India—16th Century. With the Inquisition extended to Portugal’s overseas territories, Manuel Andrade is sent by the Catholic Church to Goa, India, to arrest witches—the consorts of Satan. In 1564 he arrives in India— deathly ill, he is convinced that in order to recover, he needs to assemble a jeweled amulet. Andrade is ill-prepared to deal with the intricacies of life and the culture in India. The country is on the brink of war between the Hindu Vijayanagar Empire and the Muslim Sultans of the Deccan Plateau. The Portuguese, ever-hungry for territorial expansion and for more Catholic converts, add fuel to the fire, bringing the cauldron to its boiling point. Based on both real and fictional events and characters this novel graphically explores the terrible themes of hypocrisy, persecution and torture that characterized this period. Rich in lush detail, <strong><em>The Witch Hunter’s Amulet</em></strong> allows the reader’s senses to experience the exotic smells, sights and vivid colors of 16th century India.

in Book Cover Design / Illustration  by 16 May 2014 0 comments

NO to “Crowdsourcing” and “Spec” work!

Crowdsourcing and Spec work rob and destroy the creative communities wage base and opportunities. Don’t submit your work to these draconian practices by corporations or small companies. Build your credentials by not destroying your long term pricing power, a career is a lifetime of value appreciation, not short term wage erosion. Join the campaign to fight and defeat these hideous business practices so designers, illustrators, and webmasters don’t become  the 99 cent store of creative ideas for all to take. Go right now and sign-up at antispec.com.

in Armen Kojoyian Design  by 16 May 2014 0 comments