Nothing But Net!

Kareem Abdul Jabbar Patch.

Over the past three years I've designed around 600 patch designs for Upper Deck. I've designed other NBA Basketball patches and MLB Baseball patches as well as NHL Hockey patches.

The most recent patch work is re-visiting the NBA Basketball theme. I had to illustrate a bunch of past and current NBA stars. I've selected a few to showcase here.


Calvin Murphy Patch.

I'f you'd like to see how I go about creating artwork like this be sure to check out my tutorial that walks you through the creation of one of these patches at www.illustrationclass.com


Allen Iverson Patch.

I've always thought if Iverson wasn't playing basketball professionally he'd probably be a gang banger? For someone so talented at such a high level I'm surprised how much of a chip he still carries on his shoulders. I realized after a friend commented below that my opinion is based solely on what I've gleaned through the media and that isn't valid enough anymore to draw such general conclusions so I'll give Allen Iverson the benefit of the doubt. He is one the most entertaining players to watch in the NBA, that is for sure.


Dennis Rodman Patch.

The lovable bad boy of basketball past sporting his trademark tech-n-color hairdo.


Carmelo Anthony Patch.

This patch is probably the one I like the most? Not sure why? Maybe it's his hair?


Greg Oden Patch.

This is one of the youngest players in the NBA but ironically he still looks like a reincarnation of Robert Parrish.


Kobe Bryant MVP Patch.

This was one of three patch designs I worked on for this specific project. Upper Deck like most in sports figured Kobe would win the leagues MVP in 2008 so they had me design some commemorative patches to add to this project. Upper Deck set up a meeting with Kobe personally and allowed him to review the designs I came up with and pick the patch he liked best.

The design shown above is my personal favorite. When Kobe met with Upper Deck he didn't like any of the three designs I created. I wasn't really given any reason for his dislike but it was still kind of cool in a strange way to know that he looked at my art and hated it. LOL


Assortment of Patches.

Over all I did around 85 patch designs for this project. It's always fun working on patches and even though I wouldn't consider myself a die hard sports fan it's cool being able to create artwork that features players I admired growing up.

Chickening Out

Existing Tyson logo.

I've talked about agency work before and how it can be very fickle. That said I still have a lot of fun working on a variety of projects even when some of those projects never see the the light of day publicly or not.

Such was the case on this project I was hired to work on for Tyson. The agency wanted me to design a branded mark that played off the equity of Tyson's primary brand shown above.


Tyson True logo.

Everything on this project went pretty smoothly and I delivered the goods only to find out months later that a new brand manager came on board at Tyson and killed the whole project, so once again my work won't be gracing grocery store aisles anytime soon.


Bevel detailing.

This logo seems relatively easy but in fact it took a lot of time to finesse the details. The typeface I had to build the beveling manually. It was kind of fun and reminded me of air brushing chrome back in the glory days of art school.


Tyson True mark detailing.

I'm not a huge fan of the whole web 2.0 glassy look but some times it's appropriate for a given project and in this case the agency requested this visual aesthetic. I like how it came out and was able to avoid the ever dreaded lens flare and hot spot common in this now over done genre.

So even though this work will never be used to push a new chicken product it was still a fun gig to work on even though Tyson chickened out on it.

Role Playing Game Avatar Icons

'Huntik Icons'

These icons are part of a fantasy card game being produced by Upper Deck Company called 'Huntik'. They provided me with concept art of the characters and asked me to design an iconic avatar for each of them. They'll be used as part of the overall game branding on the cards etc.

Like I've said before, fantasy games don't do much for me but it sure is fun creating these game icons. That said I did geek out playing D&D back in the day but that didn't last too long.

You can see my first batch of avatar icons for this game "here."

Muscle Ink

Muscle Ink logo design.

I love doing tribal tattoo art. It's just a very fun style to work in. I never intended this art to be used for actual tattoos but over the past six years several of my designs have made their way to actual bodies. It's pretty cool.

I was contacted by the owner of "Muscle Ink" to create a logo using the same tribal style. He shared his desire to have a slight egyptian flair to it as well without going over board.


Muscle Ink logo design. Alternate format.

When ever I design a logo I try to give my clients two versions of the final mark. A vertical format and a horizontal format. This will allow them to more easily integrate it into future projects.

The style of the face was bold and solid so I wanted to compliment it with type that could stand on it's own and not get over powered by the image itself.


Beauty and the beast.

Unlike more traditional tattoos the tribal style is most often done using black. It's simple, elegant and usually wears better over time. Of course I'm speaking from theoretical knowledge here since I'm too much of a weenie to ever get one done myself. But I've done enough designs and talked to enough tattoo aficionados who have told me as much.


Logo Bug PSD file.

I enjoy helping young entrepreneurs succeed in business. Part of a firm foundation for marketing is having a well designed and appropriate logo. But one of the challenges is to keep that identity consistent as they grow and use it. A large corporation has brand managers to assure this is the case but for many small businesses it's a struggle.

With that in mind I created a simple PSD file for this client that included two logo bugs. A "White" and a "Black" version so he could easily brand the photos on his site by simply dragging the logo into the image file. I optimized the logo art so it was clean and sharp. If I had left this to the client it would have been distorted and too blurry.


Large view and texturized version.

Muscle Ink had original seen another face I did using textures. So I also provided a layered Photoshop file with the logo art texturized so they could also use the mark in this format for other purposes.

The Society of Illustrators

Over the past two years I've been fortunate enough to be able to visit the "Society of Illustrators" in New York City.

The building itself is nothing special, rather it's the history attached to it. The many pieces of art that grace the walls of it's interior showcase a rich artistic history of some of the worlds best illustrators.

Self-portraits of many past members hang on the walls as you ascend the old creaking stair case. I looked at each one and thought of Harry Potter and the talking paintings at Hogwarts. What would these guys say to me? "What do you mean you don't use paint?" or "Keep drawing my boy!"

Back in 2006 I entered my first piece of art ever to the Society of Illustrators and it got accepted.

This year I entered another piece of art but to be completely frank I didn't think it would get accepted because, well it's an "Evil Clown."


Society of Illustrators 51 - New York


Tickles the Evil Clown. (37x30 Inches)

View larger preview of art here.

Much to my surprise my illustration got accepted into this years show. The first time I was notified by email that I had been accepted but this time I received a phone call and the lady on the line said to me:

"I'm calling you to let you know that "Tickles the Evil Clown" has been accepted into the 51st Annual Society of Illustrators exhibition and publication. Congratulations!"

At first I laughed because the lady had to say "Tickles the Evil Clown" since that is what I had named the artwork. LOL


Society of Illustrators - Los Angeles


Loyal Order of Wormwood. (24x37 Inches)

View larger preview of art here.

I also submitted my poster illustration I created for Adobe to the "Society of Illustrators" in Los Angeles.

I'm happy to say that it was accepted for their 47th annual Illustration West show. I'm very excited about this to say the least.

If you compare the original version for Adobe with the one shown above you'll see I modified the background color. This was due to the fact the accepted pieces would be part of a gallery showing and I thought it looked better sans the brown background color.

I'll be posting some follow up pictures of the final gallery pieces soon so you'll be able to see some process pictures of the canvas art being stretched and framed.

XBox Live Video Game

Owl illustration artwork used in game.

A little over a year ago "Say Design" contacted me about using my Owl illustration in a video game called "Puzzle Arcade" they were developing for Microsoft XBox Live Marketplace.


Microsoft XBox Live Marketplace.

I almost never get told by my clients when something will launch or be released. I usually find out after the fact and such was the case with this puzzle game. My fellow design friend Nate Vosse owns an XBox and spotted it and posted some links. Thanks Nate!


Screen shot of "XBox Puzzle Arcade" in progress.

I love video games and my wife enjoys doing puzzles so I was thrilled to license my art for this usage.


Screen shot of "XBox Puzzle Arcade" solved.

Unfortunately I don't own an XBox. But it's still cool that thousands of people will get to enjoy my artwork anyway via this XBox video game.

Billy Mays Magical Beard

Impeccable + Grooming = Iconic

Accept no substitutes, this is the original, and authentic one of a kind "Magical Beard" from the worlds greatest pitch man. It's not the products, it's not his loud voice overs, it's not his thumbs up, it's the one and only mystical power of his immaculate facial hair that captivates viewers and closes the sale.


Wear the hair!

The facial hair graphic of infomercial fame "Billy Mays Magical Beard."

I'm honored that this design was included in The Best Custom Type List of 2009. (So far that is) Billy may no longer be among the living now but his infamous whiskers will live on via the wonder of the internet.

Download this hairy relic and hang it in your work area to inspire you.

PDF Art Download
Billy Mays Magical Beard PDF

Von Gets Paid to Draw

Von Glitschka AKA "Illustrative Designer"

If you wanted to condense what I do down to the most simplistic terms you could say "Von gets paid to draw." I wouldn't necessarily disagree with that statement but it certainly doesn't tell the whole story.

Sure, I refer to myself as an "Illustrative Designer" and for good reason. My work utilizes both illustration and design. (Duh!) The systematic creative process I use every day draws upon both disciplines in order to solve the creative task at hand. (Pardon the pun)

That said I still run into creative hiccups from time to time and in this post I'll be sharing another one with you.


Creative Directors provided sketch.

This past week I was cleaning up my archives and came across a project I worked on in 2003. As I re-opened the old work files and reviewed my designs and re-read old project notes a lot of thoughts streamed through my mind such as:

"I've refined my process a lot since then."
"Wow! That design option really sucks."
"This was one of my first foreign projects."
"A lot has happened in six years."
"This project doesn't bring back good memories."

About The Project
Since the end of World War II British expatriates have lived in Seoul Korea. To help this community they established the "British Association of Seoul."

A local agency in Seoul had seen my logo design work for another company and hired me to re-design their clients identity. Most often an agency just gives me the needed intel and I start working on an appropriate and unique design solution to meet the projects specific need. But on this job the creative director gave me several sketches, one of them is shown above.

The agency knew what they wanted, they just couldn't pull it off themselves. In other words I was an extension of their arm. Or as some would say "Von gets paid to draw."


My design solution based on one of the provided sketches.

I have to admit when I first saw the above sketch I thought it was going to be way too busy for a logo. Needless to say I was a bit surprised as I progressed with my design and all the elements just fit together and balanced out nicely.

The agency loved this mark and were excited to present the concept to the "British Association of Seoul." I provided several color explorations (Even though they requested the Blue) and waited for the clients feedback.

It's at this time I feel like someone on trial. The jury has been presented the case, and I now sit waiting for the final verdict. Well, apparently the client is the plaintiff in this mind game and I was found guilty of not meeting the clients expectations? The agency (My lawyer in this weak analogy) tried to console me but I still felt guilty as charged because the client didn't like it.


I guess they liked this?

After refreshing my memory regarding this project I got curious and did some researching online. From what I can tell this is the logo the group is now using? With this new evidence coming to light, I feel graphically exonerated.

Even though the logo job didn't get used the agency still paid me. So you see, I guess it is true? "Von gets paid to draw."

Monkey Business

Monkey Business Multi-National Corporate Logo.

One thing is clear "Monkey Business" is on the rise internationally.

The clarion call has gone out, now is the time to wear your mind and warn others that the future may not be all that chimptastic.


Monkey Business Multi-National Power Tee.

This t-shirt will no doubt cause some to ask you "What does that mean?" At which point you can share your inner loathing for all the various "Monkey Business" going on at the moment. Not sure where to start? Here's a good list of topics to choose from.

- Big Auto CEO's
- Big Auto Unions
- Big Bank Golden Parachutes
- Big Oil Fat Cats
- Britney Spears
- Global Warming Speculation
- Hollywood Elite
- Idiotic Movie Sequels
- Microsoftstool
- Military Industrial Complex
- Radical Muslim Terrorists
- Snuggies
- The Nanny State Mindset
- The New IRS
- Third World Nuclear Powers
- Wall Street Investors
- Weasel Washington Politicians

This list is very truncated and will be in constant flux as more and more monkey business comes and goes, so it's easier to just monitor the news and select the most recent magnet for your scorn.


It's time for a new "Clone War."

Wear Your Mind.
View "Monkey Business Multi-National Power Tee" (White)
View "Monkey Business Multi-National Power Tee" (Dark)

PDF Art Download
Print out and hang the "Monkey Business Multi-National Logo" in your office or tape it to the back of a CEO's limo. The possibilities are endless.

Download Monkey Business PDF

Mickey Rat

The original "Mickey Rat" comic book.

Growing up I enjoyed comics. I always seemed to be more drawn to DC variety than Marvel as it turned out. Not sure why? Another variety I was introduced too was underground comics. The artwork of Robert Crumb all though risque and subversive at times always appealed to me. I rarely actually read through them, rather I'd just spend my time looking at his drawing style and the characters he created.

When I first saw the above comic I enjoyed the fact they were doing a parody of a cute innocent character. I initially though it was the work of Robert Crumb but it was actually created by one of the members of his band named Robert Armstrong. The influence from Crumb is obvious.


My take on "Mickey Rat" (Click Image to view larger)

The last week has been pretty calm here at Glitschka Studios. I have a number of projects in progress but at the moment all of them are on hold as I await feedback form my clients. So I decided to create my own take on "Mickey Rat."

I wanted him to be somewhat cute but also disturbing and a little bit demented as well.


Splatter version. (Click image to view larger)

I'm sure I'll offend someone with this illustration but life wouldn't be as interesting if everyone agreed with me now would it? So you may be wondering "Why is he holding a knife?" I guess I liked the juxtaposition of a seemingly cute character with the dangerously sharp, bloodied knife along with the alarming blood splattered background.


Wear the demented little vermin.

Of course I had to design an appropriate subversive t-shirt with this art and you can get more information about the "Mickey Rat" tee here. (It helps to look a little crazy when you wear it too.)

PDF Art Downloads
Download Mickey Rat PDF
Download Mickey Rat Splatter PDF

This artwork is Copyright © Glitschka Studios. You can use these PDF files for personal viewing and to print out and hang in your work area. No other usage is granted.