TurkeyCakes

I really really enjoy holiday theme graphics. So the months of October-November & December are always a good time for visual delights!! The older 50-60's cardboard hangups are a personal fav.
Soo I wanted to do a holiday theme for November and obviously went Thanksgiving as the turkey allowed some fun play with plaid and patterns!

Johnny Stirring Up some Halloween Cupcake Mix

Halloween. My fav. Every year, Johnny releases a fresh batch of Halloween themed shirts. They come in cupcake mix boxes. They are sweet. And each year its a new theme. This year was a circus type theme, hence the ring leader outfit. The graphics are just always soo top notch. Of course the whole thing is just done so well. It would be a dream to design one of them one day. But until then...

Ultimate Warrior Cupcake

One day Johnny posted a youtube clip of the Ultimate Warrior - I took that and ran with it. I always like picking up little nuggets and just REALLY expanding on them. Doing an entire theme just based off that one item and really use it for inspiration!

Its Better than Hip - Hop

Wanted to do a Hip-Hop tribute with Johnny Cupcakes theme. Posted these on FB and Johnny asked if he could print the Biggie: Ready to Bake!!

Johnny 8-bit

felt like doing some pixel art as i really enjoy the geometric blocks and making it work. Obviously wanted to do something iconic so went with Mario 3 - and then something VERY Johnny Cupcakes related with a slight nod, so I went with a Mega-Man Johnny and set it in something resembling his LA store

All That Jazz

Jazz themed characters I recently finished.
Had fun playing with movement, poses, and style in this one.

Cambell's Munny Soup

Did these for Munny Munth. However, I didnt win or place in the category I was shooting for (food). Ah well it was still fun.

Johnny Cupcakes

These are all fan art for Johnny Cupcakes. These were a blast to do as there wasnt a deadline, only just my fandom and a shared liking of a couple movies as well as a character design

Brett, Mariah & REO

A random cast of characters I know. But they were fun to do none the less. For work, there was a play on the band names.. ie Mariah Carey (which is why she is holding a purse) etc.

Cozy Couple

This was for a header to be used at work. Really enjoyed doing this cozy little couple!!

Jayhawk Group

Lost

My lost poster- final candidates with Locke -

Jack and Jill

Another in the series of Nursery Rhymes I was working on recently.

Red Riding Hood

One part of a Nursery Rhymes theme I had at work. Didnt get nearly all the detail I wanted to in them, but its a start

Dez Briscoe

This dude was another Jayhawk football player I wanted to get an illustration of done before he left for the league. Guy had some amazing catches this year. He was really cool to meet in person also, very humble.

Kerry Meier

Been a long while. Ive had fun doing these illustrations for awhile. So inspired by All Star Vinyl art. Wanted to get this done before he left - met his family after a game and they were so nice. Really good people, and Kerry was the same.

Monsters

One of my favorite holidays is without a doubt Halloween. So when this found its way to my desk I was kinda stoked! I would really like to do some character work with this, maybe, if deadlines ever let up and I get a chance to breathe!!

Arthur's Army

Some recent title work I did for one general theme at work. It was a mid-evil, knight, & king sort of theme. Four different games/titles fall under that general umbrella. Here are is the title work for those four names I was given. Havin fun playing with type & characters.

Flight of the Conchords

Well a little while ago Flight of the Conchords held a tour poster design contest open to anyone and everyone. A nice little way to get free designs for themselves - eeeh I dont think Bret & Jemaine would set out to do that. The corporate folks over at HBO on the other hand... But anywhooo it was a theme I enjoyed and figured why not give it a shot!! The winner got their poster printed, signed by the band, framed and sent back to them. I would think for all the money they would be saving by not going to a freelance designer/illustrator they would fly someone out, put them up in a hotel for a night and give them tix to a show. Then give the autograph and frame to the runners up. But on the other hand they were giving their fans a chance to do something cool. Well they held the contest for a month. I worked on this off and on for a couple weeks and pulled an all-nighter to finish it. Got it done. Posted it on their website. Sat patiently, tried to forget about it and waited. Well I made the Final 10! With so many good designs and posters posted I said if I made it that far I would be happy. I did!! You can check out the 10 finalists here: Flight of the Conchords 10 Finalists

Alas I was not the final winner, BUT like I said I was happy to make it as far as I did. Mission accomplished. For my work I got a CD (actually the package design on their CD is really sweet) and a t-shirt (size to be determined by contest holders) - i got a size large. Anyone who knows me personally has to be laughing at that. Im more of a double or triple X kinda guy (for length, not width!!). If they ever visit the midwest Ill print this out and maybe try get it signed by the cast as thats all I really would want for the work.

Kangaroo Court

For work, a couple of a half dozen or so kangaroos for a game "Kangaroo Court"
I get on these kicks where I say to myself "self, your not going to use one damn outline if its the last thing you do." I don't literally say that but I must do it subconsciously. Maybe Im just challenging myself, which is good... sometimes. But my tunnel vision kicks in and i dont dare stray from that path. Going sans outlines can be fun, its a different way of drawing and forces me to really concentrate on shapes, overlapping, etc.. but sometimes, due to color or composition they are just needed to break things up and give separation - but because of that tunnel vision i get, well, there is a reason Im only posting two of these.

Sherron Collins

WOW been a looong time since I have posted here. Basketball season kept me busy! Did another Jayhawk inspired illustration. In the same style as the previous ones, All-Star Vinyl esq. Soo inspired by that line from Upper Deck. The players show attitude, and are oversized, stylized, keep the players likeness AND over emphasize shoes!! Ahhh cant image anything better for D!

Todd Reesing

Well just got done watching the last game of college football for 08-09 season. This illustration was a work in progress, but wanted to get it done after last nights game. The Jayhawks went to back to back bowl games for the first time in the school's history (one of those being an Orange Bowl). We won both of those games lead by this guy. Can't wait until next season and I like doing these illustrations so hope i get to do more especially in the theme of UpperDeck's All Star Vinyls. Big muscles, hands and feet and something that captures the players personality. Todd Reesing is ALWAYS smiling and you can tell he just has fun playing the game. I played with some opacity masks and textures in illustrator on this one (see the jersey and football). Not sure if the jpg translates them well or not but hopin the print out does... as i dig printing these out and maybe getting the player to sign it.

Drunken Pumpkins

Some simple little pumpkins for work I had to do recently. Had fun keep it simple!

Gopher Garage

Third theme for "Critter Cribs"

Vulture Village

Second theme for "Critter Cribs"

Rabbit Ranch

Had to do an animal theme at work. Critter's Cribs was the overall "family" of games. This was one of them. Again no outlines - no black and playing with the blend tool in illustrator.

Good Catch

Symbols done for work with the theme of "Good Catch" -Kinda self explanatory, just playing around again with going sans outlines. Ive also gotten on this kick recently where i go out of my way not to use black. Here i think i used it very sparingly. Im liking the look im getting with this style so far. Seems to be somewhat natural to me, who knows why but when things like that happen you keep with it.

Super Zeros -No Outlines Again

Had to do a series of Super Zeros at work. Basically popular super-heros with a obvious twist. Fatman, TIRE-IRON man, and Incredible BULK. These got pushed back and pushed back but spent some time on them, just trying to do them from start to finish sans black outlines. I actually really liked this method. Felt it was really drawing WITH the computer. I also tried the blend tool alot in illustrator for my shadows and some highlights. That was a little challenging but also liked the result. Who knows may have found something here. Would have liked to have more time but thats usually the motto with things like this at work. All good though, got to try new things and i like promising results.

Mario Chalmers Illustration

Latest illustration I did for my own enjoyment. Had fun with this one as I did with the BRush illustration below. This actually was started before the Rush, just didnt get it done until now.

Box2 Round2

Got revisions on the second version I did of the Box-O-Dough design I posted below. This time they wanted "windows" on the sides. I wanted the front and backs to be the same as the "market" needs no explanation as to what this is for... and seeing how it is played in a bar, the person who sets it up may be somewhat under the influence... well this design allows for a "user error." The only other guideline I had was to leave on side blank for stickers, and to have a "window" on the top. This was fun. Spent some time with this one, but really got inspired by some retro art.