Hello! My name is Destiny Pricer. I am currently carrying out an internship under Kelci Buss, owner of Kelci Buss Design.
While interning under Kelci, I will be able to not only practice developing logos, webpages, and brand identities, but will also gain experience in and learn techniques for painting branded murals for local (and non-local) businesses! Overall, I am hoping my internship will help me become a more well-rounded artist/designer and prepare me for taking on clients of my own in the future.
I look forward to keeping you all updated on my experience this semester!
Wednesday, January 18th, 2023:
Today, I had my first meeting over Zoom with my internship supervisor, Kelci. The meeting was from 3:00pm to about 4:30pm, and served to be a sort of orientation that allowed us to discuss my responsibilities as an intern and to go over some of the work processes and applications we will use going forward.
Monday, January 23rd, 2023:
Today, I met with Kelci at 8:00 in the morning to discuss the first project that I will be handling: designing a branded window mural for a chiropractic office. The client is wanting something seasonal that can last him for a few months, as well as something that is playful and child-friendly. I was given the task of coming up with a few ideas that we could potentially present to the client on Thursday. Our meeting was pretty brief and lasted only about 30 minutes, so I spent the rest of the time (until 11:00am) researching references for seasonal, springtime, and chiropractic imagery and sketching a few ideas that I can work with and develop more on Wednesday.
Wednesday, January 25th, 2023:
Today, Kelci and I met again at 8:00am to review the ideas I came up with on Monday. We brainstormed a bit together to decide which one would take us in the right direction for the client, and we ended up deciding to combine a couple ideas. This meeting ran a little longer than Monday's, so when we wrapped up at about 9:00am I got started with finalizing some line-work digitally so it would be ready to send a design preview to the client tomorrow. I finished this at about 12:00pm.
Finished Linework for Window Painting Design
Monday, January 30th, 2023:
Kelci is out of town this week, so I spent today updating the business's profile on Pinterest. I started at 8:00am and had a little trouble getting access to the company's account at first, but with Kelci's help I was able to get in and begin posting at about 8:30am. From that point to about 10:00am, I created new Pins for some of the recent murals that Kelci has done using the files and project descriptions that she provided for me on our shared Google Drive. Once I had uploaded all of the mural files, I spent the rest of my time (until 11:00am) pinning photos to our "Mural Inspiration" board that we can use to direct clients to during our initial consultations if needed.
Wednesday, February 1st, 2023:
Today, I worked on uploading more projects to Pinterest. Starting again at 8:00am, I created Pins for some brand identities that Kelci has developed. When I finished this at about 9:30am, I began watermarking images of some Kelci's recent window murals using the business's logo. I stopped working at 11:00am, but there are still a few files that will need watermarks next week before I begin uploading those to Pinterest as well.
Monday, February 6th, 2023:
Kelci and I met this morning at 8:00am to discuss the tasks for this week, and to schedule some mural painting days for this week and next. Once the meeting ended (at about 9:00am), I got started on researching potential clients for branding and/or web-design services and compiling their contact information so we can do a round of outreach later on. I was instructed to focus on researching local hair salons, and I worked on this until 11:00am.
Wednesday, February 8th, 2023:
There was no meeting today since Kelci had a mural painting day, but I continued working on researching potential clients (today's focus was on local estheticians) and compiling their contact information for outreach. I had a doctor's appointment in the morning, so I had a bit of a later start than usual at 9:30am and worked on this until 11:00am.
Sunday, February 12th, 2023:
Today, I was able to join Kelci for a mural painting day! We were commissioned for two interior 9'x9' walls at a local hair salon, one of which actually continues a mural Kelci had already completed for the client in the past. We got started on-location at 8:00am and set up the projector to begin stenciling the line work for the design. When we finished stenciling the first wall (by the front entrance) at about 9:40am, we realized the dimensions the client provided for the second wall (towards the back of the salon) were not actually accurate. Rather than a 9'x9' wall, it was actually a 9'x16' wall. After conferring with the client for a bit, we decided to extend the previously 9'x9' design to fit a 9'x11' space. Luckily, the design for this mural was a sort of wallpaper/pattern style, so we were able to accomplish this by simply spacing out and rearranging the elements in the design. This process took us a little longer, so we finished stenciling the second wall at about noon. At this point, Kelci and I took a break to eat lunch, and we picked it back up at about 12:45pm to start mixing paint and prepping the painting area. Starting with the outlines of the design and later moving onto filling in the rest of the positive space areas, we focused on applying the first layer of paint onto the back wall. Kelci showed me how to make sure I was getting clean and consistent lines, and monitored my strokes as we went along. We finished the first layer of paint on the back wall at about 5:45pm, and left at about 6:00pm after cleaning up our working area! Kelci will go back later in the week to finish the rest.
End of Day Progress: 9'x11' Design on the Back Wall
View of New 9'x11' Design Together With Original Mural Design
Monday, February 13th, 2023:
Today, Kelci asked me to design a branded Valentine's Day graphic to post on the business Instagram page. She gave me access to her branding files, colors, and typefaces, but allowed me to have control over the rest of the process. We began the brief and sharing the resources for this design at 8:00am, and I was able to begin designing at about 8:30am. I was able to finish and send Kelci my design at about 11:30am.
Finished 1080 x 1080px Design
Wednesday, February 15th, 2023:
Today, I accompanied Kelci at 8:00am to another on-site job to observe a hand-lettered window painting for a local ice cream shop. When we got to the site, I assisted Kelci in setting up the stencils for the two windows she would be painting: the client's logo on a large window by the front door, and the words "ice cream" on a smaller window on the other side of the door. Once the stencils were secured on the outside of the windows, we went inside so Kelci could begin painting. I mostly observed Kelci's technique today, since the paints used for window signage is a different texture and consistency than the paint we used on Sunday, but she did allow me to practice handling it on a smaller portion of the design so that I could get an understanding of how to work with it. Kelci finished painting the design on the smaller window at about 11:20am, and I went outside to help her take the stencil off. Once the stencil was off, Kelci showed me how there is a sort of blurring effect on the paint strokes from the outside of the window vs. what we had been seeing from inside while she was painting. She also explained what she would need to do in order to touch up some of the areas after the paint dried a bit. I helped her tidy the space a bit, and left at 11:30am.
Sunday, February 19th, 2023:
This week, I will be helping Kelci paint an exterior mural for a new local coffee shop that will opening on Cherry Street. Kelci and I worked for a little bit this evening to project the design on the wall and stencil in the outlines. We met on-site at 5:00pm and got the equipment set up, but we had to wait until it got a little darker to be able to see the projection well. We ended up stenciling from about 6:00pm to 9:00pm.
Projector Setup on the Wall
Monday, February 20th, 2023:
This morning, Kelci and I met up at 10:00am and got started painting. The design we're working on has a lot of really fine details, so we started with mostly just marking different areas and dotting in the color that we'll be filling them with. As Kelci had told me, this became really helpful in the afternoon when the sun was shining really brightly on the wall - making it difficult to see our pencil lines. We took a quick break for lunch at about 1:15pm and got back to painting at about 2:00pm. Once we finished marking in the colors, we began filling in the black outlines of the design. We did this until about 6:00pm and packed up for the day.
Progress : End of Day 1
Tuesday, February 21st, 2023:
Today, Kelci and I spent the day working on the black outline portions of the mural design from yesterday. I got to the site at about 8:45am, took a quick break for lunch at about 11:00am, and got back to work at about 11:45am. The surface of the wall we're painting on has been texturized with concrete/plaster, so Kelci showed me how to work with that bumpy texture and make sure my lines are still cleanly executed. We wrapped up painting at about 6:30pm - we worked a little later today because we are anticipating rain tomorrow and wanted to get as much of the paint laid down before then - and left the site at about 6:45pm after cleaning up.
Progress : End of Day 2
Progress Close-Up: End of Day 2
In Action: Day 2
Saturday, February 25th, 2023:
I met Kelci today at about 9:00am and we quickly got to work applying a solid first coat of color to the mural. Using the dots of color that we laid down on Monday (as well as a printed visual reference) as a guide, we started actually filling in those areas - working one color at a time. Kelci is letting me work on one section of the mural by myself so that I may add that to my portfolio as a solid example of my line work and painting technique, so I focused mainly on filling in that area. We took a quick break at about 11:00am since we are sharing the workspace with a construction crew working on the building, and they needed to move some of their equipment around. We got back to work at about 11:45am and continued until about 5:30pm when we packed up for the day.
Progress: End of Day 3
Progress Close-Up: End of Day 3
In Action: Day 3
Sunday, February 26th, 2023:
I met Kelci today for a shorter painting day at 11:30am and immediately got to work applying more color to the mural. Since we finished the first coat of most of the foreground elements yesterday, today's focus was applying the first coat of color to the background. The background consists of three main colors, so after we finished applying the first two, we swatched the third color on the wall to make sure they all had enough contrast in value. After mixing and swatching a few different colors, we decided on the final color and Kelci will go have that mixed for us. We stopped here for the day, packing up and heading out at 3:00pm.
Monday, February 27th, 2023:
I worked from home today doing some admin work while Kelci responded to a window paint request from one of her regular clients. Starting at about 10:00am, I worked on researching more potential clients and gathering their information for outreach later. I did this until about 2:00pm. Kelci said we will need to send out the first round of outreach soon, but she wanted to wait until we could do the first few together.
Tuesday, February 28th, 2023:
Kelci and I were able to work on the mural again today, so I met her at the site at about 9:30am, and we quickly got started laying down more color on the mural. We still need to mix the final color for the background, and we had decided on a shorter painting day today, so agreed on starting on the second coat for some of the other colors of the mural. We did this for about 5 hours today, and I ended up leaving at 2:30pm today.
Sunday, March 5th, 2023:
I was able to join Kelci again today to work on the mural. We met at about 9:00am to focus on filling in the 2nd coat on the design's black outline. We took a quick break at about 12:15pm and got back to work again at about 1:00pm. We continued working on filling in that outline until about 6:00pm. Sadly, Kelci said she will finish try to finish the mural herself tomorrow, so this will be my last day working on this design.
Progress: End of Day 6
Progress Close-Up: End of Day 6
Progress Details: End of Day 6
Monday, March 6th, 2023:
I started out this morning by meeting Kelci over Zoom at 8:30am to discuss my task for today, and go over the process for completing it. I have spent the last couple at-home work days researching potential clients and compiling their contact info for a round of outreach, so today we began actually reaching out to those potential clients. In our meeting, Kelci showed me how to use the outreach system and how to keep track of who we've reached out to. We talked until about 9:15am, at which point she worked on finishing some files for me to use. I was able to get started at about 10:15am and finished at about 2:30pm.
Wednesday, March 8th, 2023:
Since I finished the first round of sending outreach emails on Monday, today I spent some time researching and gathering contact info for potential clients in Phoenix, AZ. Kelci will be traveling to Phoenix soon, and is hoping to get some work booked while she is out there. I focused on hair salons and coffee shops local to the Phoenix area that had potential for interior and/or exterior murals. I had a shorter day today, so I only worked on this from 10:00am to 1:00pm.
Friday, March 10th, 2023:
Kelci and I tag-teamed some more outreach prep today, with a goal of finding 10 more potential clients in the Tulsa area (focused on branding, web design, or murals) and about 15 more potential clients in the Phoenix area (focused on interior and exterior murals). I got started at about 1:30pm and finished at about 3:30pm, with Kelci joining me from about 2:00pm to 3:00pm. Today's workload was pretty light, and Kelci is also letting me take some time off next week to focus on some class projects over spring break.
Monday, March 20th, 2023:
This morning, Kelci asked me to design a 1000 x 1500px cover graphic for the studio's blog and a 1080 x 1080px version optimized to post on social media. She provided me with a photo to include in the graphic, and asked me to create a couple options to choose from. I began designing at about noon and worked until about 4:00pm.
Tuesday, March 21st, 2023:
Today, at 9:00am, I continued working on the blog post graphic from yesterday and further developed the designs I had started. At noon, I had a meeting with Kelci to look over my designs and discuss any revisions that needed to made to bring us to a final result. The meeting was over at about 12:30pm, at which point I worked on the revision points that we had discussed. I stopped working today at 1:00pm and will finish my revisions tomorrow.
Wednesday, March 22nd, 2023:
Today, I worked on finishing up the revisions that Kelci and I talked about yesterday afternoon. Kelci sent me a retouched photo to replace the photo we were originally using in the graphic, and I included that in the revised design. I worked from 9:00am to about 12:45pm on the revisions, and uploaded the final designs at about 1:00pm.
Finished 1000 x 1500px Design for Blog Post and Pinterest Cover
Finished 1080 x 1080px Design Optimized for Instagram
Tuesday, March 28th, 2023:
This week, I will be working on another blog post and Pinterest graphic, as well as sending out a round of follow-up emails to our first round of outreach recipients. This morning, Kelci provided a couple images to include on the new graphic, and I started working on the design. We won't be needing a version optimized for social media, so I only designed a graphic with the standard blog post dimensions of 1000 x 1500px. I worked today from 9:00am to 1:00pm, and plan to finish the graphic tomorrow.
Wednesday, March 29th, 2023:
I got started this morning at 10:30am to finish up the blog post graphic from yesterday. I got some feedback on my design from Kelci and was able to finalize and upload the design by about 12:30pm. I took a quick break for lunch, and got back to work at a little before 1:30pm to create and post a pin on Pinterest for the NYC Murals blog post from last week. Once this was done, I finished out my day at about 3:30pm by sending some follow-up outreach emails for interior/exterior murals to potential clients (in this case, local coffee shops and hair salons) in the Phoenix, AZ area.
Finished 1000 x 1500px Design for Blog Post and Pinterest Cover
Monday, April 3rd, 2023:
I had a bit of a shorter day today, working from 10:00am to about 1:00pm, in which I spent my time continuing to send some follow-up outreach emails to potential clients - this time for murals and hand-painted signage for cafés and restaurants in the Tulsa area.
Wednesday, April 5th, 2023:
Starting again at 10:00am today, my task was to research and gather contact information for more potential clients. Since Kelci specializes in working with women-owned business, today's focus was on women photographers and social media managers who would benefit from branding and/or web-design services. I did this until about 2:00pm.
Monday, April 10th, 2023:
Today, I got started at about 10:15am to continue researching and collecting contact information for outreach to women photographers and social media managers, finishing up at about 1:15pm.
Tuesday, April 11th, 2023:
Today, I worked on sending out a round of outreach emails to the potential clients I have gathered. Kelci had looked through them ahead of time, and had designated which services she felt they would benefit the most from. From there, I followed a specific customized script in order to reach out to those businesses - depending on which service they were designated. I got started on this about 8:00 this morning, and was able to wrap up at about 1:00pm.
Wednesday, April 12th, 2023:
I got started at about 8:00 again this morning, and for about the first hour or so I researched and gathered contact information for more photographers to potentially work with, while I waited for Kelci to finish up a meeting with a client. Once Kelci returned, she sent me another script to use to send a round of outreach emails to local bridal boutiques that could benefit from any of our services: branding, web-design, interior/exterior murals, etc. Since these businesses could benefit from any/all of our services, the script today was more generic than yesterday's and did not specifically highlight any one service in particular. While I worked on that, Kelci looked through the new potential clients I gathered this morning and designated which services they would benefit from, and I sent out a round of customized outreach emails to those businesses once I was finished sending emails to the bridal boutiques. I was able to finish today at about 1:00pm again.
Monday, April 17th, 2023:
Starting at 8:30 this morning, Kelci shared with me my tasks for the day: creating and posting pins for some of Kelci's murals and window-painting projects to Pinterest. I started with making a pin for the Summer Moon blog post, in order to direct some extra traffic to the blog. Once that was done, I added Kelci's logo watermark to a few images of the completed Summer Moon mural and created an "idea pin" for the mural itself. I then made two more idea pins for the mural using videos: one being a timelapse of Kelci and I working on a section of the mural, and one being a before and after shot of the completed mural. After completing all of the new pins for the Summer Moon mural, I finished out my day by creating idea pins using videos taken of some other murals in Kelci's portfolio. I was able to finish up today at about 1:30pm.
Tuesday, April 18th, 2023:
Kelci and I had a meeting this morning at 8:00am to go over drafting a design proposal for a client. She walked me through her process for customizing the proposal document to include the specific service(s) that the client is asking for, and how to calculate and include pricing for each project and design option. Our meeting ended at about 9:30am, at which point Kelci assigned me the task of brainstorming and sketching out some ideas for a window painting design for a local t-shirt and souvenir shop. I worked on this, mostly researching the client and brainstorming ideas, until about 1:00pm, and will continue working on this tomorrow.
Wednesday, April 19th, 2023:
I got started again this morning at 8:00am sketching out some of the ideas that I had brainstormed yesterday. I worked on this until about 1:00pm, at which point I sent Kelci the design file with what I had so far. Kelci will be sending the client the design preview on Monday, so I am excited to see what happens from there!
Finished Window Painting Designs for Boomtown Tees Storefront
Monday, April 24th, 2023:
I started today at 8:30am by making some adjustments to the window painting designs for Boomtown Tees before sending the final designs to Kelci at almost 11:00am. I spent the rest of my time today sending follow-up outreach emails to the potential branding & web design clients I emailed a couple weeks ago. I finished this at about 1:30pm.
Tuesday, April 25th, 2023:
This morning, at 9:00am, Kelci asked me to design another graphic for a blog post titled "Mural Inspiration Downtown Phoenix, AZ." She wanted to use a similar layout to the blog post graphic I made for the NYC murals blog post, and again asked for two files: one that was 1000x1500px for the blog post and eventually Pinterest pin cover, and one that was 1080x1080px optimized for an Instagram post. For this graphic, Kelci gave me free rein to choose colors from the mural in the image she provided, so I spent some time working through several different color combinations. I ended up narrowing the design down to two options, and sent them to Kelci to choose between them. Once she let me know which to proceed with, I made some final placement & spacing adjustments to the design and was able to upload the final files to our Google Drive by about 1:00pm.
Finished 1000 x 1500px Design for Blog Post and Pinterest Cover
Finished 1080 x 1080px Design Optimized for Instagram
Wednesday, April 26th, 2023:
This morning, Kelci and I held a meeting at 9:00am to go over her process for creating a design contract for her clients. She shared a few of her resources for drafting the contracts, and went over certain things to account for with each project/client. She also took this time to address any questions I may still have at this point in regards to being a freelance designer. We finished this meeting at about 11:30am, at which point I got started on sending out another round of outreach emails to potential clients using contact information that Kelci had already gathered for me. I wrapped up for the day at about 2:00pm.
Monday, May 1st, 2023:
Kelci and I met for another quick meeting at 9:00 this morning to go over her webpage formatting preferences for her portfolio website, and showed me how to add webpages and section formats in order to update the website to more accurately reflect her portfolio. She also showed me how to generally navigate Squarespace in case I would like to use the platform to host my own website in the future. This meeting finished at about 10:30am and I got started on adding some recent window-painting clients to the website, which I continued working on until about 2:00pm.
Tuesday, May 2nd, 2023:
Today was a bit of a shorter day in order to give myself a few extra hours for tomorrow (my last day & last painting day of my internship!), so I just worked on finishing up the new portfolio pages on Kelci's website. I did this from 9:00am to 12:00pm today.
Wednesday, May 3rd, 2023:
Today was my last day working with Kelci for my internship! We wanted to finish out with something fun, so I accompanied Kelci for a painting day to apply the window design I made for Boomtown Tees! We met on site at about 11:00am this morning, and got started with setting up the stencil. Similarly to the window-painting job for the ice cream shop in February, I mostly observed Kelci's technique for application on this design since I still do not have a lot of experience handing the thick & sticky oil-based paint we use for windows. However, Kelci did allow me to apply certain smaller areas of the design in order to practice handling the paint. We were able to wrap up at about 4:00pm, marking the end of my internship!
Finished Window Painting for Boomtown Tees Storefront