Kamis, 21 Desember 2006

Doodle Movie


Scan My Conscience

I've had a lot of fun taking doodles of mine and using 'Image Ready' creating cheap little animated movies from them. They are kind of captivating. You just end up gazing at the art longer then you should really. What does it mean? Your guess is as good as mine on this one.

Rabu, 20 Desember 2006

Reverend Blues.


Reverend Blues!

Tony Cortez isn't your normal pastor, he's also a blues musician as well. One good description of him and his music is described as such.

"For many people it’s a natural assumption that the blues is the devil’s music but this is not the case when it comes to Rev. Blues. The Rev. uses the blues as a way to communicate the gospel truth about sin and redemption. His music is not only entertaining but it also helps those who struggle with the daily burdens of life. The Reverend's music speaks about how we can over come life’s obstacles with a little bit of faith, hope and love."

In exchange for a cool custom blues tune for my podcast The Illustrative Designer I agreed to help him out with a logo design.

Listen to the music Tony produced here.

Senin, 18 Desember 2006

Pioneer Spirit


Daniel Boone was a man, a biiiiiiig man!

Schier Products has been pioneering and selling plumbing products since 1972. Many of their product lines have names like 'The Trapper' or 'Great Basin' and they wanted a logo that reflected that same heritage of pioneering spirit. To be specific they wanted a mountain man that could embody a strong persona moving forward.

I am happy with how this mark came out and as you can see I used the round off technique on my vector art to give it a more refined look.

Jumat, 15 Desember 2006

Adobe Newsletter


Illustration Used on Adobe Newsletter.

Some may have noticed my artwork making an appearance on the recent Adobe Newsletter sent via email? The main image in the header graphic they used is art from one of my Keyboard Characters™ named 'Pet Monster'.

The agency I worked with on this and other assignments for Adobe such as the 'Go Forth & Create' poster really makes creating artwork a whole lot of fun.

I wish everyone a very merry Christmas!

Caving to Frill.


Top: Back T-Shirt Design, Bottom: Front Center Chest - Click to View Larger Image.

The whole design trend to use oranate turn of the century frills and motifs in design isn't anything new. I told my friend 'Shane' who is a master at this style "I refuse to take part in this 'Frill' trend." We'll I've caved. And yes I admit it's fun.

A retired LAPD officer and former SWAT team member hired me to create this t-shirt design for his company. He sells products to police and SWAT members. Those Dover books collecting dusk on my library shelf are finally being put to good use.

The terms used in this design are buzz words popular with SWAT:
- Operator: High Level SWAT
- Tango: Bad Guy and or Terrorist


Detail of Design Textures.

It's hard to appreciate this design at such a small posting size so this image shows how cool the textures look at 100%.

Kamis, 14 Desember 2006

Glassy Goodness.


Look at that sheen. Ca-chow!

Here is a logo I did for server company. The mark is based on the fact they use a 'Multi-Core' system and playing off the 'C' in the name of the product.


Candy coated.

Also created this logo badge for a podcast friend of my Joseph Nilo who has a show called mac media cast.

Selasa, 12 Desember 2006

Big Bocca


Big Mouth Character.

Here is recent logo job I did for an Italian Animation Firm called 'Big Bocca'. I guess that means 'Big Mouth'? They wanted a cat type of character so I thought this would lend itself for animation. The type you see is a hand lettered font I am slowly creating called 'Nimcompoop'. After about four years of not designing fonts (Fontographer died with OS9) I now have the itch again.

I am documenting my process on this so there will be a tutorial on IllustrationClass.com.

Senin, 11 Desember 2006

Start Mobile Art!

Start Mobile is a massive online gallery of art available for mobile devices of all types. Tons of great art ready to take up residence on your cell phone or PDA.

I went through my archive and picked a handful of art to use for this venture. Now if I can only figure out how to get it on my cell phone.


'Vonster'


'Tribal Tattoo'


'Robotica'


'Temporal Infestation'


'Sea Serpent'


'Owl'


'Happy Tree'


'Escape'


'Super Doodle'


'Deep Six'

Jumat, 08 Desember 2006

Keyboard Characters™


'5 of the 10 characters in the set'

Keyboard-Characters™ are here! For the past year I've been working on an illustration product idea called Keyboard Characters™. They are a fun, unique and collectible way to enjoy art in your work environment.

There are a total of '10' characters in the set. The characters shown above are 'Evil Corporate Suit', 'Riled Rover', 'DZGN-BOT', 'Office Joker' and 'Pet Monster'. For more information on what exactly they are, how they work and how to order a set just visit www.Keyboard-Characters.com for the complete scoop.


'Monkey Boy' he's simply chimptastic!

Get a FREE '11th' character called 'Monkey Boy' when you order of two or more sets at one time. So click on over to www.Keyboard-Characters.com and go ape.

Infest Your Desk!

Minggu, 03 Desember 2006

Paper Mate® Flair Pens Rule!


'My trusty tool.

I love my Paper Mate® Brand Red Flair Pen for doodling. I draw my art pretty quick and loose then go back in and beef up lines, add shading and detail until it comes to life. I never really give much thought to what I'll draw and today it turned out to be two freaky looking creatures. I've only drawn in actual sketch books a few times, I find it constricting. I prefer carrying around a small 4x6 notepad that I doodle and sketch on. I like being able to pull them out page by page and hang them up, cut them out etc.


This characters name is 'Giltoid'.

I've always wondered why I enjoy drawing wierd and ugly things more then pristine and beautiful things? Granted the former is easier I suppose but it does make me think. Why does 'Giltoid' look shocked? What are those things floating to the right of his head? Does he speak english? Is he a mutant or an alien life form? Is he actually a she? Ah the fun of doodling.


This art is titled 'Dead Ideas'.

In college I knew a fellow artist who refused to drink beer. It wasn't because of some moral high ground but rather one of inspiration. He didn't want to kill off brain cells. As he told me one day "If I drink I will kill off brain cells. One of those brain cells may be the idea that makes me a million dollars." I thought that was pretty creative of him actually. After I drew this art I was looking at it and asking myself "What does it mean?" Not that it has to mean anything but I was mainly trying to come up with a title for it so when I posted it here on my blog it would have a label. I decided upon 'Dead Ideas'.

Think about it. You'll never use all your ideas. The death rate is still one per person and one day when you pass from this horizontal hold more then likely there will be ideas you had that you never moved forward on, never shared with others and those will die with you.

So get busy! LOL

(I'll also be using these to create some brush texture painting tutorials with for IllustrationClass.com)

Selasa, 28 November 2006

The Illustrative Designer Podcast


'Our iTunes Badge.'

The Illustrative Designer Podcast is now live. Our first episode is on iTunes and we have '3' more scheduled to hit ever couple of weeks. You can subscribe in iTunes by clicking here.

To support this new podcast I have developed a site so if for some reason you do not use iTunes or don't have access to that app all the time you can simply visit the site and listen to the podcast online. Visit the web site at: www.TheIlustrativeDesigner.com

It's taken me a while to work out all the technical bugs and I am still working on improving the optimization of the interviews since I record them over a phone line but if you listen to this with head phones it should be fine.

The first podcast features an interview with Bill Gardner the creator and founder of Logo Lounge. The end of each podcast will feature cool music sourced out by my friend and fellow designer John Nissen.

I hope you all enjoy and please leave some positive feedback at iTunes and be sure to visit the web site.

Von

Jumat, 17 November 2006

Society of Illustrators Exhibit


'Hoo Do You Love'

Today I got some cool news. My owl illustration was accepted into the 49th Annual Society of Illustrators exhibition and publication. It was my first time submitting to the Society of Illustrators so I am pretty excited.

Kamis, 16 November 2006

I Want Your Skull!


'Skully' Click art to view larger image.

I enjoy participating in collaborative art projects. So when my fellow art buddy 'Rob Schwager' emailed me about a project called 'I Want Your Skull!' I knew I had to submit something.

Skulls remember are number '4' on my 'Top Ten Favorite Themes' list from a previous post I made, so it was a no-brainer.

Senin, 13 November 2006

NYC - Urban Burn

This past week was my first time to visit New York City. Man alive is that one huge place. I was overwhelmed by how massive it is and how many people dwell within it's limits. All the cliches I've heard over the years are true. At one point it was sensory overload and much like Disney World I didn't come close to seeing and doing everything a visitor could. I am sure I'll be back again soon and I plan on visiting more key spots.

I did manage to find my way into the 'Late Show' with David Letterman so that was a whole lot of fun.

My visit inspired a doodle and that combined with a photo I took led to the following low-tech animation which I am calling 'Urban Burn'. I hope you enjoy the art.


'Urban Burn' Inspired by Time Square 10pm.

The Folder of Lost Ideas


'Wacky Logo Concepts.

Before I show a client anything the work first has to move me. If I am not invested in it and don't really care for it then I shouldn't present it to a client. So I make it a habit of working until I reach a point where I feel confident abou the work I will be presenting. That way when a client doesn't like something I am OK with it. This project was like that.

A branding company by the name of 'Brand X Creative' asked me to assist in creating logo concepts for a new project QuickSilver (The surf and clothing company) was starting up called 'Kommunity Project'. I read through a brief and it contained all the standard marketing speak for what they wanted to accomplish etc.

One thing was clear they wanted something different then what has been done and that is what I tried to focus in on.

Some of the creative direction given me:

- Low Brow
- Wack Tech (Not really sure what this is? They didn't either.)
- Illustrative
- Iconic
- Conceptual
- 1 or 2 Colors
- None Corporate
- Don't use the letter 'K'

Well here is what I did. None of which were picked in whole. They did like my type treatment on the fourth one down and ended up integrating that into the final mark they used. Kind of a squirrelly creative project for me on this one but I personally really liked number 1,3 and 4 myself.

These marks will end up in my 'Folder of Lost Ideas'.

Kamis, 26 Oktober 2006

Promotional Poster


'Promotional Poster' Click art to view larger image.

I'll be teaching digital illustration again come Winter term on January 4th. This is a poster I created to hang up at the college to encourage students to sign-up. Once I start this years classes I'll be posting the assignments and all the resources I use at 'IllustrationClass.com'. Anyone can download the files and if you do let me know and I'll show your work to my class.

You'll notice several common themes I have repeated in this artwork. I've been illustrating a lot of tubes coming out of heads, snakes, wings, fire, another bird cameo and of course the token fedora. Not sure why I've been on this kick but it's fun so stop whining about it already.

I am a new CS2 Illustrator user as you'd know reading this blog. This project was only the fourth time I've used CS2 to create a project. It's getting moderately easier but still far slower then FreeHand unfortunately. One thing for sure it's getting harder to use both and eventually I'll have to completely cut all ties to the previous. I am still a little bitter with the corporate weasels at Adobe who forced this change on me. Eventually I'll have to illustrate a corporate weasel and of course use CS2 Frustrator...uh...I mean Illustrator.

Selasa, 24 Oktober 2006

Test Your Creativity!


Only '8' Shapes.

Recently I was asked to participate in a very interesting book project called 'Vormator'. In a nutshell they have assigned the same '8' basic shapes to broad range of artists along with a pre-set list of design rules of engagement we have to follow. In essence it's a test of our creativity. Can we create a strong design when we no longer control the content? Can we take profoundly simple shapes and create something simply profound? It's a challenging quest many artists are now pursuing for this unique book project.


'Snap Dragon' Click art to view larger image.

Rules of Design Engagement - From the Author
What exactly are you allowed to do and isn’t allowed with the Elements? The following rules have to be followed when creating your artwork:

1. You’re allowed to rotate, flip and duplicate the Elements
2. You are not obliged to use all the Elements
3. Scaling is allowed, but only proportionally, so no skewing or free transform
4. You can add, subtract, intersect and group elements as you see fit
5. The use of colour is unrestricted, you can create your own colour schemes
6. You are allowed to use gradients
7. The Elements may only be filled, the use of strokes is not allowed
8. You are not allowed to use filters or effects (e.g. drop shadows)

Anyone can submit but not everyone will get in the book. Mine may not get picked either. It just depends on how creative it ends up actually being in a group of very talented submitters. I like doing these type of projects though, it's a good creative exercise and I am planning on having my illustration students do something similar for a class assignment.

If you'd like to read more about this book project and see who is participating visit their web site at 'www.Vormator.com'.

Selasa, 17 Oktober 2006

Top Ten Favorite Themes!



Fire Squad
A friend of mine asked me to create a logo for his sons engineering team that builds robots so they could get some t-shirts printed. Like most artists I jumped at the excuse to create some new robot art. This made me think about popular themes that artist enjoy creating around.

Creative Observation
I've mentioned it in passing in previous posts but have never really dedicated a specific post on the topic and that is 'The Top Ten Favorite Themes' of artists. It's not so much something I set out to discover but rather something I have observed over the past decade or so. Artist are most certainly a unique group of creative minded folk and I've noticed a handful of themes that tend to be common favorites they choose to do design and or illustration work on. Mind you this is by no means an iron clad list but just the most obvious ones I've noticed and have participated in creating myself through my own art. The latest offering above is no exception and motivated me to post this thread.

Top Ten Themes
The following are what I consider to be the top ten favorite themes of artists when creating their art. The order in which I have listed them is not according to popularity but rather just what came to mind when I posted this. I am sure I'll miss a few obvious ones but that is where you come in. Feel free to post others I may have missed or ones you think should be replace with another and I'll re-tool this list over time.

1. Robots: Evil, Benevolent or Humanoid it's all fun.
2. Monkeys: Ape, Chimp, Gorilla or go ape and do a 'Robot Monkey'.
3. Naked Women: No explanation needed.
4. Skulls: Or skeletons for that matter. It's all Bona-fide fun.
5. Monsters/Mutants: Home grown or universal the scarier the better.
6. Paranormal: Aliens, Angels, Demons, Ethereal forms etc.
7. Surrealism: Popularized by Dali, captured by most artists in doodles.
8. Dogs: Flea bitten art inspired by mans best friend.
9. Human Head: All matter of zany things have popped out of heads.
10: Machines: All kinds of mechanic contraptions and devices.

If an artist can combine several of the above into one composition then it's a dream project.

A couple other common elements used by artists are 'Flames' and 'Wings', but they tend to be integrated into the work of a given theme more then a theme in and of themselves. Someone had mentioned 'Pirates' which I agree is a most enjoyable theme to work with. But I think it' recent craze is due to the recent Disney movies. Of course every child at one time or another drew 'Dinosaurs' and all though another fun theme to work with it's not as popular as the ones in the list.

As you can see most of what drives us creatives tend to be very character driven.

I've had many artists email me on this list and I've adapted some content from their input. If you have suggestions let me know.

Minggu, 01 Oktober 2006

Go Forth & Create!


Click art to view larger image.

History
Pretty much every product or industry has some kind of ongoing rivalry. In soft drinks, it's "Coke vs. Pepsi." You have "Nike vs. Adidas" in the world of footwear, and "Mac vs. PC" in computers.

The communication arts world is no different. Graphic designers and illustrators have been arguing the merits of Macromedia FreeHand and Adobe Illustrator since the early days of digital design. I've been a diehard FreeHand user since 1991. Over the years, as more and more illustrators migrated to Adobe products, some have scorned me for sticking with FreeHand. But I didn't care. It facilitated my creative pursuits, and no one could argue with the results. I've won major awards and received recognition both nationally and internationally for work done with FreeHand. Sure, I've owned Illustrator since Version 8, but only for converting or opening files sent to me. I and a handful of other hardcore FreeHand aficionados have been holdouts, while most of our friends and peers have gone over to the other side.


No, I don't know what the pipe smokin' worm means. It just looked cool.

Bad News
In 2005, Adobe purchased Macromedia. With the merger, FreeHand's future looked grim. I knew it was time to make the change. Dragging my heels and Wacom pad, I knew I must begin the switchover. Little did I know that I was embarking on a tortured journey. Changing my primary drawing application wasn't easy. It was like learning to drive on the other side of the road or read a book upside down. Things that were intuitive, almost second nature, were now unfamiliar. I confess--I resisted the change. I was still fuming that the corporate officers and business analysts at Adobe would make a decision about my most important artistic tool. What if Leonardo was forced to switch to watercolor? You know he would have been grumbling a little, too.

My plan was to learn Illustrator gradually. With a booming year of business and a long list of client projects, I really didn't have room in my schedule, or motivation, to take a class or to switch abruptly. I bargained with Time: when FreeHand no longer worked on my Mac (due to the inevitable hardware and OS upgrades), I'd migrate. Really. But fate had other plans for me.


Bubbling ideas. Or as I like to call it, "Slow Boiling."

Closet FreeHand User
Recently, a Portland agency approached me to illustrate a promotional poster for the Adobe CS2 Creative Suite. Wow! I was totally jazzed and honored. When we met to discuss ideas, I quickly realized they assumed I was a CS2 Illustrator user. Now, I was no stranger to Adobe products. CS2 Photoshop had been part of my creative process for eons. And I actually owned CS2 Illustrator. But I had never created a whole project from beginning to end with any version of Illustrator.

They had no clue that a holdout was right under their very noses! I felt like an agent in a covert operation, a scout behind enemy lines. Should I blow my cover, and reveal my diehard alliance with FreeHand? All kinds of amusing arguments went back and forth in my mind. "Don't worry, Adobe owns FreeHand now, so it's not like you're technically a spy." How about this one: "No problem, we'll just do it in FreeHand, then copy and paste everything into CS2. After we save it as an Illustrator file, no one will even notice." I was starting to get a little nervous. I hoped my eyes weren't twitching and sending a Morse code message that a traitor was in their midst!


Yes, even spiders have duo-colored eyes.

Moment of Decision
The agency explained the project: Adobe wanted to use the poster to demonstrate Illustrator's various features, such as transparent vectors, smart objects, layer effects, VPF Technology, and the relationship of CS2 apps working together. It was a juicy project, to say the least. I would be designing a creative illustration for one of the planet's most famous software companies.

It just got better and better. Trying not to drool, I asked if there was a particular direction, theme or concept. The art director looked at me, and said the words that every illustrator dreams of hearing: "No. It's wide open. I like your art, so just do what you do." An account executive did mention to stay away from "edgy"--guns, nudity or violence were out. Okay, so no naked John Wayne Green Beret homage. Other than that, the door was open. Weird, strange, whatever. Whoopee!

Suddenly I came to my senses. There I sat, with one of the coolest projects ever, with total creative license. But I couldn't use my old friend and accomplice, FreeHand. The tool that was my partner for the previous decade was not invited to the ball. How ironic. Panic time!

I did weigh the idea of coming clean. Should I tell them I didn't use Illustrator as a primary drawing application? I decided against it...they didn't hire me because of my software. They loved my previous work, which was all done on FreeHand. My creativity doesn't come from a tool. However, for integrity's sake, I would have to create the artwork with Illustrator. I would have to get my butt in gear and go on a crash course to learn the software, inside and out.

I felt like a man emerging from a concrete bunker, after years of solitary resistance. I must learn CS2 Illustrator...and quickly. This would be a great test of the product's capabilities and ease of use. FreeHand wasn't an option, and it was time to be baptized by fire.


Happy little bee

Creative Process
Hmm, having a wide open creative brief wasn't as easy as it sounded. I had no idea where to start! For several days, I just let ideas slow boil. Then came a period of furious sketching. An idea started to take shape. I thought about what the AD had said, "Do what you do." That was it; that was the idea. So I did. I began "to do." I didn't hold back either. I stretched myself and created art that I thought would be inspiring for other artists. My idea was based on the premise "Why do artists use Adobe products?" The answer is, "To create."


No art is complete without a winged Roman worm

The End Results
I wasn't sure how Adobe would respond. Was the illustration a little too weird? Would the concept clash with their branding somehow? After all, this was a respectable software company, not MTV. But because creatives were the target audience, quirky is good. The agency loved it! They didn't have any changes, and presented it as created. Thankfully, Adobe was thrilled as well, and everything was green-lighted. I made some minor tweaks, then finalized the art.

I wish I could say the switch of software went as smoothly. Honestly, it was sometimes difficult and frustrating. Menus were different. Shortcuts weren't the same. And some tools just didn't exist in Illustrator. However, I found that Illustrator had some great capabilities I never dreamed existed. Later this year, I'm taking an intensive class for former FreeHand users. I'll miss my old buddy, but when you work in a creative environment, you have to be willing to upgrade and adapt, or technology will leave you behind.


Houston, We Have a Problem

Every Good Story Needs a Villain
Lest you think that this fairy tale had no cliffhanger, there was a bit of drama mixed with humor along the way. After many meetings, multitudes of eyeballs viewing the design (including both Adobe and agency staff)...after the artwork was finalized and just about ready to be handed off, along comes the "Ogre of the Audience Demographics and Financial Returns." Uh, I mean, the marketing person, who said, "Why is the worm guy wearing a Nazi helmet?"

(Cue sinister music)

We all know that marketing people have their place in business. And every creative professional knows there's often a tug-of-war between creative expression and the realities of the business model.

In this case, Mr. Worm was not wearing a Nazi helmet. Mr. Worm was sporting a vintage World War I German officer's helmet. The Nazi Party wasn't even around at that time. But no, this was going to be a problem. The marketing person was not going to budge, Nazi helmet or not. Someone might take this image the wrong way. They most certainly didn't want anyone to think they supported militaristic worms with suspect ideology.

I understood the concern, but, hello! What we had here is a winged worm wearing spectacles and a metal helmet. Perhaps we should take another look at the other worm, who wasn't wearing any clothes at all, only a fedora. He's actually smoking a pipe, too.

I can just see it now, protests at Adobe headquarters over the company's implicit endorsement of nationalistic, drug-smoking, nude invertebrates.

(You can probably tell that designers can be sensitive about their work.)

But hey, I'm a professional, and this isn't the first time someone has nixed an element in my artwork. We had to find another helmet for Mr. Worm. I finally settled on a Roman soldier's headgear. And unless you're from Carthage or fought in the Punic Wars, a Roman helmet shouldn't offend anyone. Here endeth my rant, and an amusing anecdote about worms smoking pipes and wearing helmets.

(By the way, I preferred the German helmet because of its sub-culture nod to one of my childhood favorites, Ed Big-Daddy Roth. He was a California illustrator and custom car builder who was influenced by hot rod and motorcycle culture. We illustrators like to include subtle references like that from time to time.)


Epitaph
Anyway this story has gone on long enough, so I'll end it here. I hope I provided some insight into the processes, challenges and zany episodes in an illustrator's average workweek. If you're interested in seeing more behind-the-scenes views of how the art was created, I'll be posting a project tutorial at IllustrationClass.com.

I think it's funny how things work out. For a while, I was dreading the idea of switching from FreeHand to Illustrator. I was that skinny kid at summer camp, shivering at the end of the diving board, scared to jump. Along comes this project, with a not-so-subtle push that got me in the water.

Life is an adventure. I'm really thankful to be able to work on such cool projects.

RIP, my old friend, FreeHand.

If you'd like to see this project from concept to completion you can view it via a free tutorial by clicking here.

Minggu, 24 September 2006

Urban Wrap


Classy, clean, simple and upscale.

About a year ago I designed a logo for a couple New York based software programmers. They were really happy with the work I did for them and when they decided to partner on a new inner city restaurant venture they contacted me to create their new logo for them. I thought the name they came up with was incredible and it really made me excited to work on this project.


Going Ghetto With it!

My failed first attempt at the logo.

Normally on logo projects I present a wide range of ideas but this project was more on the level of a pro-bono gig so I presented just one idea initially. I of course as you can see played off the whole 'Urban Wrap' theme. I like it, it's definately has an urban inner city vibe but it was a little too over the top for them. Their feedback essentially said "Too ghetto! We want upscale and classy."

No problem. The way my mind works is I almost always immediately see a design in my head and usually about 90% of the time it's what ends up being picked. So I set out to create a nice simple and clean mark with enough subtle conceptual flair to make it interesting. I also tried to keep the color palette flexible for easy application and low-cost reproduction of menus, signage etc.

They loved it and now I'll be designing their awning. I am due to fly out to New York later this year so I'll stop in and participate in some 'Urban Wrap' myself.

Patches-O-Plenty


Who can forget Reggie Jackson and his '3' homeruns in the World Series.


Growing up I collected trading cards. Back then there was only one brand and three sports. The sports cards I enjoyed collecting most were Baseball. The cards I collected were poorly printed full-color process on the front with a single spot color printed on an uncoated back. Today's cards however push the envelope for paper printed goods utilizing the latest technologies such as laser die-cutting, holographic foil stamping, jersey swatches, bat pieces and other memorabilia being applied to cards all wrapped in well designed layouts printed on high quality stock using and issued as limited edition collectibles.

The Upper Deck Company literally transformed the sports card industry. Their unique approach and inventive product lines continue to captivate the collectors.


No I am not a Yankee fan thank you very little. I do however like these two designs.


On this project they asked me to create a set of embroidered patch designs they could sew on to uniform swatches they would then use on a special set of trading cards.

The themes of the patches reflect the depth of baseball history and it's rich heritage filled with fascinating stories and feats of athletic achievement. In total I had to create approximately '130' individual patch designs. The attached samples showcase '66' of these designs. Due to the limitations of embroidery and the final size, I had to keep the elements simple enough so they would hold up in thread form.

I really love the sport of baseball so it's always fun working on this type of project.


'64' of the '130' patch designs.

Phobia



When I doodled out an idea for this weeks 'IllustrationFriday.com' submission I liked the line work so much I just scanned that in and colorized it.

Sabtu, 16 September 2006

Piranha's Revenge - Illustrative Logo



I love designing logos. But the best of both worlds for me artistically speaking is when I get to work on an 'Illustrative Logo Design'. Both of my core disciplines come into play and such was the case when I worked on 'Pirana Systems'.

How can you not have fun creating a 'Piranha' for a logo project? It has to be nearly impossible. The only animal that could possibly rate higher on the 'Fun Creatures to Create List' is of course the 'Monkey'. And if you'd like to see my entire creative process for this project then click on over to my 'IllustrationClass.com' site and check out the tutorial.

BTW: The clients branded name is 'Pirana' just incase some of you thought I had spelled the name wrong.

Selasa, 12 September 2006

Pharmer



When 'www.IllustrationFriday.com' sends out it's weekly word to illustrate from I sometimes spin-off of it rather then take it literal. Such is the case with this weeks word of 'Farm'.

I didn't actually intend to do a piece for this week. I started doodling this while on the phone today during a conference call. It started with the mustache and then grew out from there. The figure looked like a semi-well dressed vagrant, hobo, down-and-out, derelict, vagabond (Choose the label of choice) so I played off of that for the concept.

I also like doodling with my 'Red' PaperMate flair pens as you can see.

Jumat, 08 September 2006

Infest Your Desk!



'Keyboard-Characters™' are coming soon! For the past year I've been working on a product idea that I'll be launching next month. I decided to post a little teaser to wet your appetite. There are a total of '10' characters in all.

You'll be able to order them online at 'www.Keyboard-Characters.com'. The site isn't launched yet but you can still book mark it.

If you'd like to be notified when this product launches then send an email to: request@keyboard-characters.com

This concept and artwork is copyright © 2006 Vonster.com - Von R. Glitschka

Childhood Health - Illustrative Logo



I don't do a large volume of work locally. The market here is pretty much dead but a few years back when we took our daughter into see her doctor I told them that if they ever wanted to re-design their identity I'd love to help them. Well they are now building a new facility and it's going to be one of the first 'Green' buildings in Salem, Oregon.

They wanted a fun, playful logo that kids would enjoy. I purposely wanted to avoid the normal medical cliches you see all the time regarding health related marks. Instead I focused on the purpose behind their services and that is to make kids healthy, happy and active.

When I pitched my concepts to the doctors at the clinic I showed them '5' concepts. The one on top is the final mark they went with. The concept on the bottom was another one I really liked too. They liked the dog and asked if that could be used in the top mark. Normally I avoid letting clients pick and choose content but in this cae the I had another dog in the top one so it wasn't an issue.

The signage on the building will look really nice as well as the identity pieces I am working on now.

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