Grab a Tiger by it's Tail.

'White Tiger'

I don't do a ton of pro-bono work but this was for a good cause. A Diabetes fundraiser poster with a jungle theme. They asked if I'd specifically illustrate a 'White Tiger' for them.

Even though my work schedule has been very busy this summer and I've been turning down a lot of work I agreed to help them out and over the course of a two day period when I had some down time I created the art you see above. I've illustrated more cartoony tiger characters before but never one like this and never a 'White Tiger' which was a bit challenging due to the color limitations.

I was happy with how it turned out and sent them a PDF they could print out and show to their board of directors. (Cue Ominous Music)

The lady who is my contact for the board said: "The Tiger is far too aggressive and intimidating can you make him more playful?"

My response: "No. He's a Tiger, you want him intimidating that's why they are so cool." (In my head I am thinking: Lady you're not paying for this so you don't get to be picky.)

I assume the Tiger scared them off because they won't return any of the emails I've sent? So I think it's a safe bet it won't be used?

As my buddy Tony is fond of saying "No good deed goes unpunished."

PS: Well I may have spoken too soon? I finally got a response and the art now weighs in the balance of two committee members who still have to vote on it. Hopefully the Tiger won't frighten them too much. ;-P

Behind the Scenes with 'BrandPeel.com'

'BrandPeel.com - Uncovering the Juiciest Self-Promotion Projects!'

Most of you who are familiar with my work know I run a web site called 'IllustrationClass.com' where I document my creative process for a wide range of projects. Back in February I posted a tutorial showing how I went about creating one of my 'Keyboard Characters' called 'Riled Rover' which you can download and view here.

Well a cool new site called 'BrandPeel.com' has posted an article about my 'Keyboard Characters' and if you'd rather just view the entire process on-line and find out what vendors I used to produce my final product, then 'BrandPeel.com' is the place you'll want to visit.

Click here to view entire creative process regarding the creation of my 'Riled Rover' Keyboard Character.

NBA Embroidery Patches

'Hall of Fame Patches'

I remember shooting hoops in our drive way growing up re-creating the shots of Larry Bird and the creative boogie of Dr. J. When my Dad and I installed a hoop on our house I asked my Dad to mount it at 8' 6". He did so to help me grow into the 10' height, but you know what we never did raise it. The neighborhood kids loved having games at our house because we could all dunk it. ;-)

Ok, enough fond memories, back to my post...Upper Deck Company contacted me again to create a set of NBA Licensed embroidery patch designs.

So far I've created embroidery patch designs for Major League Baseball, National Football League and now the National Basketball Association. Over all I've designed nearly 300 patches across all three sports. (Hockey is now on the horizon too so that'll be all kinds of high stick creative fun in it's own right)


'Other garden variety patches I created'

As stated in previous posts in regards to patches, their size is not large at about 1.5x1.5 inches so the level of detail has to be kept somewhat simplified but still visually interesting and fun. Embroidery technology however can hold pretty good detail but to play it safe it's best to avoid gradients so I keep my colors flat and designs simplified.


'Basketball founder James Naismith'

The history of basketball is a fun read.
- Basketball History Link 1
- Basketball History Link 2
- Basketball History Link 3

If you'd like to see the set of NFL Licensed embroidery patches I designed previously just click here.

Designer "Kick Me" Sheet

'Designer "Kick Me" Sheet.'

It's easy, humorous and non-lethal. Just follow the simple step-by-step instructions on this FREE downloadable designer "Kick Me" sheet and you'll be mocking fellow creative types in no time.

Whether it's a fellow Designer, a stuffy Art Director or a garden variety Marketing Weasel, you'll need to utilize your stealthy ninja-like skills in order to successfully place the sign on your target's back and pull off this creative Special Ops. Then all you have to do is sit back and enjoy the show.


'John Nissen male model.'

My long time design buddy John Nissen helped me pull this off. I call him up and he agrees to model for me. He's also a big ham in front of the camera which helps too. :-) John's also responsible for all the music for my podcast so he's multi-talented. Thanks John!

So download the sheet and have some fun.

Download Designer "Kick Me" Sheet

Tweens

'Happy Tweens and Sad Tweens'

Earlier this year the Associated Press (AP) put me on retainer to do illustration for them. This was my first assignment. An article about a study on 'Tweens' and what makes them happy and sad. I've done newspaper illustration before for the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and The Oregonian in the past but this one could potentially appear in nearly all of them since it's being distributed by the AP.

Merck Icons

'Icons for Diabetes Print Collateral'

Merck Pharmaceuticals needed a set of icons they could use in their print collateral pieces on Diabetes. The icons needed to be easily recognized by a very broad audience from kids to adults. The icons also needed to work using a simplified color palette based on two colors that could easily be adapted for varying color themes.

I nested each icon on a rounded-corner square motif which allowed me to then use it as a cropping device on the icons which wouldn't work as stand alone elements. The hardest one by far was the icon for 'Nervous System'. My first attempt looked more like an alien life form then it did a nerve ending. ;-)


'Food icons for Print Collateral'

Pineapple, Mushrooms, Grits oh my. Like the Diabetes icons these will also be used within Merck's print collateral pieces.

All though low in fat, vector art is high in creative calories.