Work at Home, Graphic Design Business Freebies and Discounts

By Janet Dodrill

Working at Home? See MashableShop.com for this Month’s Freebies and Discounts to Online Courses, Apps and Subscriptions.

Free: 1-Month Trial to Shutterstock

The Digital Marketing Strategy Ebook Freebie

Lessons in Entrepreneurship: Walt Disney Freebie Course

Free: Shopify 14-Day Subscription

The Top 5 Books Every Entrepreneur Should Read, Free

2020 Mac Productivity Essentials Bundle $29.99

Breaks For Eyes for Mac $9.99

PDF Reader Pro For Mac $39.99

ChargeHub X3: 3-Port USB SuperCharger $29.99

WorkspacePro: Multiple App Launcher for Mac $7.99

New Cuyahoga County Public Library South Euclid-Lyndhurst Branch Opens

By Janet Dodrill

In line to receive limited edition commemorative library card. (Photo: Karen Sandstrom)

The long-awaited new South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library, 1876 South Green Road, South Euclid, Ohio, 44121, had its grand opening on Sunday, October 18, 2015.

Prior to construction of the new building, there was much controversy surrounding the sale of the former building, the charming and historic William E. Telling mansion. It is claimed that the a private sale was made by library officials without the consensus of tax payers. The library claimed that the building was too expensive to maintain and did not lend itself for newer technology and accessibility. The Telling mansion was purchased by an individual who will convert the former library building into the American Porcelain Museum, due to open in spring of 2016.

The new 30,000+ square foot library is very impressive and offers state-of-the-art technology not available at the old library.

An expansive and interactive activity children’s area modeled after the book, Journey by author and illustrator Aaron Becker, has over-sized constructions, movable magnets, and hanging displays, all modeled after its book illustrations.

The youth area houses comic books which can be checked-out, a homework assistance center, and has an attached sound studio for audio recording.

South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch of Cuyahoga County Public Library.

3-D printers will travel from library to library within the Cuyahoga County Public Libraries.

A much improved larger DVD browsing area with plenty of room to walk through multiple movie racks.

Skylights and a sense of openness in the large main room, which houses the main information desk, books racks and public computer terminals. All computers have been upgraded.

I was personally impressed with the new technology training room which will offer free technology classes, and the computers are open to the public in-between classes.

Two double-sided fireplaces and all new contemporary furniture, coupled with tasteful fixtures from the previous building, like table lamps, add style and atmosphere, with designated quiet areas. A writer’s center, and individual meeting rooms with sizes for small business meetings to larger capacity conference rooms are available for reserve in at least 2-hour increments.

The natural light is wonderful, and there is a real sense of unique spaces there.

Limited edition library card, artwork by Janet Dodrill.

I was honored to provide the artwork for the limited edition library card, available through October 25th.

Despite missing the much-loved and unique former location and historic Telling mansion, I am very impressed with the accommodations, technological updates, and comfort the new library brings. Below are a few recent photos.

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Resource Links:

Cuyahoga County Public Library

Cuyahoga County Public Library, South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch

3,600 celebrate opening of new South Euclid-Lyndhurst library, Cleveland Jewish News, October 20, 2015

South Euclid-Lyndhurst Library branch opening Sunday draws hundreds, Sun News, October 18, 2015

(Text and photos copyright Janet Dodrill. Not to be used without prior permission.)

 

South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch of Cuyahoga County Public Library, grand opening.

 

New Cuyahoga County Public Library South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch.

 

Library grand opening crowd.

 

Main library lounge area with fireplace.

 

Main library quiet area with fireplace.

 

Kiosk at new library.

 

Library staff Dianne Rose on left. (Photo: Stuart Smith)

 

Library grand opening dedication plaque.

 

Main library area and information desk.

 

Main library area.

 

Reserved parking for fuel efficient vehicles.

 

Writer’s center area.

 

Magnet poem activity in writer’s center.

 

Technology learning center.

 

Sound studio for audio recording.

 

Youth area.

 

Children’s area.

 

“Journey” by Aaron Becker.

 

Children’s area, decorated with inspiration from the book “Journey” by Aaron Becker.

 

Children’s area castle display, based on the book “Journey” by Aaron Becker.

 

Children’s area magnet board activity.

 

Children’s area lounge.

 

Motion sensor activity, children’s area.

 

Free donuts for the grand opening from DonutLab.

 

Free donuts for the grand opening from DonutLab.

Schmitz-Horning Co. Catalogs, Lithos Digitized at Cleveland Public Library and CleDPL

By Janet Dodrill

CleDPL library assistant Ray Rozman scans an original Schmitz-Horning Co. wall mural design.

In going through the family house a few years ago, I discovered catalogs and samples from my great-grandfather’s former Cleveland-based business, the Schmitz-Horning Company. Since then, I have been researching and learning about the company, and our family’s role in the company.

The Schmitz-Horning Company, which specialized in high quality washable color wallpaper, artistic murals and scenic panoramic wall coverings, was founded around 1905 by Hugo M. Schmitz I, an artist and my great-grandfather, and William (Bill) Horning, a lithographer. Mr. Horning left the partnership around 1920. My grandfather (Hugo’s son), Warren R. Schmitz, acted as vice president of the company starting in the late 1920s. After the tragic automobile-related death of Hugo Schmitz in 1938, Warren Schmitz served as president of the company.

Through Google, Cleveland’s newspaper The Plain Dealer archives through the Cuyahoga County Public Library’s website, and family materials, I have started my journey of piecing together a historical footprint of the company and some of the people that worked at the company.

CPL Map/GIS librarian Tom Edwards scans a Schmitz-Horning scenic wallpaper design.

Recently, I discovered the public resources available at Cleveland Public Library in downtown Cleveland. Over several trips there, I visited the Cleveland Digital Public Library (CleDPL) (under the direction of Chatham Ewing, Digital Library Strategist), at 325 Superior Avenue, 3rd floor, the map department and the history department at 525 Superior Avenue, 6th floor, the business department on the 2nd floor, and the photograph collection on the 4th floor, and as a patron received assistance in researching and in documentation of our family’s materials.

Additionally, I was made aware of the Cleveland Public Library Digital Gallery, the library’s public online digital gallery.

Panoramic Friezes catalog, 1909-1910, the Schmitz-Horning Company, Cleveland, Ohio.

A dedicated library staff assisted and enabled me to do extensive high resolution and large-scale scanning of our deteriorating Schmitz-Horning original wallpaper designs and mural lithographs, and multiple company catalogs, with an early one dating back to 1909, and most being the only known catalogs in existence. The Cleveland Digital Public Library, a new department since spring of this year, accommodated me for many hours spread over several weeks by assisting me with scans on an i2s SupraScan Quartz overhead scanner, synced to a pc, with size capabilities up to 33″ x 46″. They suggested methods regarding the preservation and storing of the materials. Other equipment available included an Epson Expression 10000 XL for photographs, and several book scanners, one high-speed ATIZ scanner, and one a versatile and user-friendly Knowledge Imaging Center (KIC) scanner. The map department had a large-scale feed-through type scanner (plus printer), a Hewlett Packer Designjet T1200 HD MFP, which scans up to 41″ wide by any length, which enabled me to scan one-of-a-kind lithographic wallpaper rolls, some over 100 inches long.

A selection of the materials scanned will be available on the Cleveland Public Library Digital Gallery, making documentation on this historic Cleveland business available to the public. Individuals researching companies in the wallpaper industry may also find it useful.

Other Schmitz-Horning blog posts by Janet Dodrill:

Schmitz-Horning Co. Artists Created Impressive Lithographic Murals and Scenic Wallpaper

Google Cultural Institute

Schmitz-Horning Co. Ming Floral Scenic Wallpaper Pattern

Schmitz-Horning Company Created Wallpaper Murals and Art

Articles about Cleveland Digital Public Library:

Cleveland Digital Public Library Will Offer High-Tech Scanning For The Masses

Ohio: Grand Opening of Cleveland Digital Public Library (ClevDPL) Taking Place Today

Ohio Public Libraries Receive Grant Funding To Create Network Of Coordinated Digitization Hubs

Curtis Flowers scans a Schmitz-Horning Co. lithograph on CleDPL’s large overhead scanner.

The Cleveland Digital Public Library (CleDPL) department of Cleveland Public Library.

Book Scanner at Cleveland Digital Public Library.

Copyright article and images. All rights reserved. Not to be used without permission.

Buy/Sell Art Images Online

By Janet Dodrill

Artists, Photographers, Designers! Are you selling your images online? There’s a community online of people selling their images at FineArtAmerica.com. I created a shop at http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/janet-dodrill.html and am still adding to it. A variety of items are available for purchase from each image and pricing can be determined, plus, the rights to the images remain your own. Up to 25 images can be posted for free. FineArtAmerica.com does the rest, output of the image, any matting and framing or assemblage, shipping and billing. And satisfaction guaranteed!

In addition to unframed prints and matted and framed prints, my shop offers images on greeting cards, metal or acrylic, pillows and iPhone cases. Visit my shop, or browse and get inspired! You can even create a shop of your own.

Profile page and art images at FineArtAmercia.com.

iPad Art by Janet Dodrill

by Janet Dodrill

Recently, I picked up the iPad and started drawing, using primarily two art apps, ArtStudio ($4.99) by Lucky Clan (raster-based), and Inkpad (FREE) by Taptricks, Inc. (vector-based). I created together a series of images and presented them at a meeting about art apps titled A Quick Tour of Art Apps for iPad, at Cleveland Digital Publishing Users Group (CDPUG) on March 27, 2014.

Here are some of my iPad images.

Using Inkpad app:

Carousel Horse iPad Art by Janet Dodrill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rare Books iPad Art by Janet Dodrill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Best Cat Ever iPad Art by Janet Dodrill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Using ArtStudio app:

Two Cats iPad Art by Janet Dodrill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cleveland Euclid Beach Carousel Society iPad Art by Janet Dodrill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peace Lily iPad Art by Janet Dodrill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cleveland iPad Art by Janet Dodrill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carousel iPad Art by Janet Dodrill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cleveland Ship iPad Art by Janet Dodrill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vine App, Brings 6-Second Video to Twitter

By Janet Dodrill

Three days ago Vine was launched, a six-second video creator social media app, acquired by Twitter.

The Vine App’s Twitter Page.

This will open up creative ways for Twitter users to tell a short story visually, in addition to the brief 140-character micro-logging allotment they currently have.

Currently only available for iPhone and iPod Touch, Vine (@vineapp) hopes to have an Android version, in addition to bug fixes and enhancements shortly. It is currently available free at the App Store.

Jack Dorsey (@jack), Twitter creator and Square founder recently endorsed Vine by posting tweets utilizing Vine videos and stated on January 24, 2013 about Vine, “…This one’s going to be big.”

Jack’s tweet on January 24, 2013.

The user-generated looping videos are anticipated to only improve in time, after the initial novelty has worn off and learning curve overcome.

Below are some recent articles and links of interest, which review the app and explain how to use it, with several showing examples of the videos created with Vine.

Introducing Vine (Vine Blog)

Vine: A new way to share (Twitter Blog)

Seconds of pleasure: A few cool Vine videos (CNN Tech)

Twitter’s Vine App: How to Use It (PC Magazine)

6 ways Vine’s six seconds may change Twitter (CNN Tech)

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Recent Vine News, April 2013:

Vine Is the Top Free iPhone App (Mashable)

‘Vine Resume’ Woman Gets a Job (Mashable)

Old Cleveland Postcards

By Janet Dodrill

Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio, postcard

Recently, by going through family photos, albums and scrapbooks, these three old Cleveland postcards of Euclid Avenue, University Circle and the Hollenden building, were discovered, passed down through our family. I love old Cleveland pictures, and it is even interesting seeing the written correspondence and stamps on some of them.

People crave nostalgia, and Clevelander’s enjoy anything Cleveland! Progress in civilization changes things so quickly, which we can mostly tell by looking back.

I’ve noticed, working in the graphics industry, that back in the day of keylines, typesetting,

University Circle, Cleveland, Ohio, postcard

hand-lettering and illustration (for me it was 1970s through early 1990s), we strived to achieve a polished high end look that was difficult to manufacture by hand. Then when the desktop publishing-capable computers were introduced it seemed to be the answer to our hopes. We could generate clean text and grab clip art graphics. However, by the late 1990s fonts were being created with a hand-written or grunge look. Stock illustration was less sleek and more stroked and textured. We sought a more natural look from our computer layouts, and for the visuals to appear to be more authentic.

Hollenden Building, Cleveland Ohio, postcard

I have found a similar comparison with the direction of cameras and photography. Over time we have made many improvements to cameras and photographic imagery. From tin to plates to film to now digital cameras with ever-increasing megapixels and other features. How ironic that we get software and app filters to give us an old sepia tone or vintage look.

The innovative Instagram, available first, offered a multiple digital image filter app that could be applied from a phone or tablet and posted on the world wide web for millions to see and took off in popularity. And there are many more other apps that now do the same thing, most recently Twitter and Flickr.

Seeing old postcards is still special. That is when the imagery was the best it could be. It brings us back to a time when we had other priorities. You can just tell by these postcards that the fancy architecture shown would have drawn visitors to Cleveland, and that people were out catching cable cars, operating their horse-drawn carriages while going downtown to shop or work at their businesses, and other things of the day. It starts-off our imaginations when we look at them.

Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio, postcard

University Circle, Cleveland, Ohio, postcard

Hollenden Building, Cleveland, Ohio, postcard

Discover the Resources at your Local Library

By Janet Dodrill

If there’s something you would like to learn but don’t have the time or money to go to school, try taking a free online course at the Library. Cleveland Public Library offers Ohio residents the opportunity to sign-up for any number of classes in the areas of Accounting and Finance, Business, College Readiness, Computer Applications, Design and Composition, Health Care and Medical, Language and Arts, Law and Legal, Personal Development, Teaching and Education, Technology, Writing and Publishing. Because of my interests, I am drawn to Technology, where there is a category called Graphic and Multimedia Design which includes things like Creating Web Pages, Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Flash, and more, at varying levels. The courses run over a 6-weeks period in 2-4 hour increments per week, and are lead by an instructor. An award of completion is given with a passing score.

Obtain a Cleveland Public Library card and have it activated at any CLEVNET library to qualify and enroll at Ed2go.com. See Who May Obtain A Cleveland Public Library Card and How to Apply for a Library Card on CPL’s site. Start dates for this Fall’s classes are Sept. 19, Oct. 17, Nov. 14, and Dec. 12, 2012. Beyond that, check back at the Ed2go.com page. If you’re not in Ohio check with your local library.

Like Antiques and Collectibles?

By Janet Dodrill

Coca-Cola crate and Coke glasses.

Have the antiques and collectibles bug? You are not alone. With the downturn of the economy and people looking for extra income, it has become more common for people to try to sell their possessions on Craigslist, eBay, and by auction house. I have been brought up with an appreciation for antiques since many items have been passed down generations in our family, and I have collections going back to my childhood, being told that one day they might be valuable. The average person is becoming more educated on the subject, and many have become amateur ‘pickers’, going to garage sales, flea markets, and antique stores and finding items to add value to their collections or to resell for a profit. With a computer and time on your hands, it is not difficult to perform basic research on an item and discover its current worth.

According to Kovels’ Antiques Inc., information publishing firm and local authority on antiques and collectibles, there are currently more than 20 antiques-related realty TV shows (that can be watched on network TV, cable, and some online at their web sites and on Netflix streaming). They’ve listed them in their free weekly Ezine, Kovels Komments, September 28, 2011 issue, and they are:

American Pickers, Mondays 9 p.m., History
American Restoration, Fridays 10 p.m., History
American Treasures, Tuesdays, 7 p.m., Discovery
Antiques Roadshow, Mondays 8 p.m. (check local listings), PBS
Antiques Roadshow UK, day varies, 11 p.m. (reruns), BBC
Antique Warriors, in production, Network TBD
Auctioneer$, Saturdays 10 p.m., TLC
Auction Hunters, Tuesdays 10 p.m., Spike
Auction Kings, Tuesdays 10 p.m., Discovery

Auction Packed, Tuesdays 8 p.m., National Geographic
Buried Treasure, Wednesdays 8 p.m., Fox
Cash & Cari, Sundays 7:30 p.m., HGTV

Cash in the Attic, Wednesdays 8 p.m., HGTV
Hardcore Pawn, Tuesdays 9 p.m., Tru TV
History Detectives, Tuesdays 8 p.m. (check local listings), PBS
Hollywood Treasure, Wednesdays 10 p.m., Syfy
It’s Worth What?! Tuesdays 8 p.m., NBC
My Collection Obsession, in production, TLC
Oddities, Thursdays 10:30 p.m., Discovery

Pawn Stars, Mondays 10 p.m., History
Picker Sisters, Tuesdays 10 p.m., Lifetime
Storage Wars, Wednesdays 10 p.m., A & E
The Great Big American Auction, in production, ABC

I personally, have enjoyed watching Antiques Roadshow on network TV and online, American Pickers via Netflix streaming, Pawn Stars online, Auction Hunters online, and Buried Treasure on network TV and online. Additionally, I learn things on the subject by subscribing to Kovels’ enewsletter, which anyone can sign-up for at Kovels.com.

Kovels has also just begun informal YouTube segments on collecting advice and tips, with Terry Kovel at Youtube.com/KovelsAntiques. You can subscribe, and be informed of new videos published to this online channel. Keep collecting!

Data Fees Everywhere; For Tablet Add Another

By Janet Dodrill

Someday soon I would like an iPad or tablet, however I do not want to pay for another data plan. I pay for one for my computer internet service, I pay for one for my smart phone, and am looking at paying for one with a tablet. I would like to take the tablet traveling and have access anywhere, hence I would need more than a wireless capability. The computer DSL, smartphone, and potential iPad could currently not be combined by one carrier. Does anyone else suffer from this dilemma?

Amazon is releasing a new tablet, Kindle Fire, available this fall. It is said to be half the size and less than have the price of an Apple iPad [read the Kindle Fire article]. It’s cute [see the Kindle Fire product]. It has web, and the capacity for movies, apps, games and reading (Does it really need a camera?).

What are the ways people justify it as a business expense? I know it would make a great traveling portfolio for any graphic designer or web designer.