Hoodlum Teaser


Cropped "Hoodlum" Editorial Illustration.

I love clients that give me complete creative freedom. The opportunity to explore and create in a direction that is fresh and new even though it wasn't what they had originally requested. Such is the case with this editorial illustration.

To read more about this project and view the un-cropped version of the above illustration visit my primary site.



Illustrative Stunt Double


Striking a pose.

When ever I need reference material for a creative project involving a male figure I call up my friend John Nissen. He was my best man and we've known each other since attending art school. He also has a good stereotypical body type which makes him my go to male model. ;-P

An agency hired me to create some linear illustrations for a campaign pitch. The topic was medical and they requested a few samples to use in their presentation.


Doctor with stethoscope linear illustration.

John is an Art Director at a local firm here in town where I live and does both design and illustration himself so he knows how to strike that perfect pose. In this case a doctor getting ready to listen to your heart via a stethoscope.

These were going to be animated just like the bank spots I've done in the past.


Acting for the sake of art.

Here John is posing as a sick guy looking for a cure online. Does he have H1N1 or is he just a Hypochondriac?


Googling for Rx linear illustration.

Like so much agency work this project died before it ever had a chance to be animated. Easy come, easy go.



Tribal Tattoo Art

Tribal Tattoo ArtTribal Tattoo Art

Although today abounding accept to beautify their anatomy with tattoos allusive to them, the history of tattooing is somewhat different: Affiliated tattoo art, which was the capital affectionate of tattoos activated in age-old times, was allusive to the absolute tribe, and the best of what tattoo anniversary being would get was not his own but that of the tattoo artist.

Tribal tattoos are usually atramentous or aphotic blue. The ink is fabricated from austere copse or from vegetable carbon. At the beginning, tattoos adumbrated fertility, activity and added things that were important to the tribe. Such was the alliance tattoo. Back abounding archaic peoples believed that your spirit is a replica of your body, tattoos were fabricated to assure spouses will acquisition anniversary added in the afterlife.Tribal Tattoo ArtTribal Tattoo Art

Another tattoo ritual is a girl's rite of access into adulthood. This is performed alike today in tribes, area girls are advised aces of a good, able benedict afterwards they accept withstood the affliction of a facial tattoo. In added tribes, a babe who cannot bear the affliction is a babe that will not get affiliated back it is believed she will not be able to bear the affliction complex in adolescent labor.

However, in some tribes, avant-garde association girls are chargeless to accurate their assessment and some accept not to go through this aching ritual. This best can accomplish the babe a accountable of ridicule. Some tribes attention the tattoo ritual as blame adventuresomeness and a babe who cannot or chooses not to bear the acute affliction is advised a coward.Tribal Tattoo ArtTribal Tattoo Art

Unlike the electric tattoo machines that are acclimated today in tattoo parlors about the world, affiliated tattoos are fabricated with chisels and knifes. These accoutrement for tattooing fabricated the tattooing action far added aching and complex abounding added bloom risks. Maori affiliated tattoos, for example, are alleged ta moko which agency "to tap": borer on the bark with a blade is the way acclimated to actualize the Maori affiliated tattoos. Another accepted way of authoritative affiliated tattoos is abrading ink adjoin the bark afterwards authoritative incisions in the appearance of the capital design.

Tattoo Art

Tattoo ArtTattoo Art
How to acquisition the absolute tattoo art for you is the abutting footfall afterwards you accept absitively that you appetite a tattoo. You will by now accept a few account of the architecture of tattoo that you are after. However, to acquisition that absolute tattoo architecture can alpha to account a few problems.

Where do I alpha to look?

The best on action is massive, so you charge to attenuated your account bottomward to what absolutely you are analytic for. It can be a circuitous and alarming process, so what do you charge to do to get that absolute design. Think of what you do not appetite as a tattoo can help.

Also accept a attending at a few of the online tattoo galleries to get your account activity and to attenuated the possibilities of accepting the absolute tattoo art. The Internet has become a superb ability of advice and abnormally beheld images. So you can acquisition photographs, assets and activated images that all somehow chronicle to your absolute tattoo vision.

Magazines, old books and added types of media can advice you acquisition the tattoo art you are analytic for. The added beheld advertence you can get to booty to the tattoo artisan the more good for you and your tattoo. Get as abundant abundant advertence as possible. But accumulate in apperception the actuality that the tattoo art needs to assignment able-bodied aback it is translated to your skin, so some of the detail of a called tattoo art could be absent aback put assimilate your skin.Tattoo ArtTattoo Art

Once you accept aggregate all your tattoo advertence actual calm you can them access a tattoo artisan and altercate the designs further. Whether the tattoo art is accessible and will backpack over to the bark well. It is account aback you see the tattoo artisan to accept a few aback up account for designs in apperception in case the aboriginal architecture is not suitable. As continued as you are astute about the admeasurement and complication that can be accomplished you will end up with absolute tattoo art that you will be appreciative to abrasion forever.

Free Tattoo Gallery

Free Tattoo Gallery
Free Tattoo Gallery
Free Tattoo Gallery
Free Tattoo Gallery
Free Tattoo Gallery
Free Tattoo Gallery
Free Tattoo Gallery
Free Tattoo Gallery
Free Tattoo Gallery
Free Tattoo Gallery

From Inspiration to Illustration


"TRI 3Y3 Guy" character illustration.

Like the wind, inspiration can hit you at any moment from any direction, so I like to pay attention to the prevailing creative winds letting my imagination set sail.

Such was the case when I recently watched the movie Fargo. I hadn't watched since it's premiere back in 1996. The moment of inspiration came from an unlikely source, the forehead of actor Steve Buscemi.


Details of illustration.

So as I watched the movie I started drawing, a head start on an illustration project if you will. (Pardon the pun) The below video will take your through the entire chain of creative events.


"TRI 3Y3 Guy" t-shirt design.

Looking for that perfect give for your beloved mother in law? Look no further, nothing says "I love you!" more than a t-shirt of the "TRI 3Y3 Guy."


"TRI 3Y3 Guy" art print.

"TRI 3Y3 Guy" is available in three formats:
- Download PDF Art Print
- Download Wallpaper Files
- View / Order T-shirt

From Inspiration to Illustration





Brewing Design

I just posted a new project at my primary design site regarding a coffee label design I did for Rahzo.com. I had shown this label to twitter users a while back after I got shipped some printed samples and was asked if I'd deconstruct how I went about creating it.

Well that is what this blog post is all about. So grab a cup of coffee and enjoy the post.


Source Photo: Paris, France.

1. Source Photo
Because I named the roast "Noir French Blend" it goes without saying it needs to have a French flair to the approach. I sourced out this picture which has the Eiffel Tower in the background.

I also picked this image because the contrast was perfect for how I planned on using it too.


Compositing images via Photoshop.

2. Distorting Reality
I wanted the the Eiffel Tower to be a focal point in my composition so if reality doesn't work you do what every fashion magazine does and manipulate reality so it looks better than real.


Converting photo to a halftone.

3. Halftone FX
I converted the photo to a halftone. In a nutshell: Convert color photo to greyscale, convert to halftone by going to the menu image/mode/bitmap. From there you'll have to experiment in order to determine what size of halftone works best for you, it isn't a one size fits all process. Once you have the size nailed down you have to convert back from bitmap to greyscale then copy/paste it back into your PSD file.

If you're still scratching your head after reading the above try this link it might help you? Or my big dot tutorial might also explain this process better?


Halftoned photo integrated into layout.

4. Halftone Integrated
I nest the halftoned photo into my over all layout. Mind you this is screen res so it doesn't do the halftone justice. Make sure to view the larger image at the end of this post to see how the halftones enhance the look and feel of the design.


European Beauty.

5. Romance
I wanted drama in my design. It's Paris so it needed some beautiful romance so I sourced out this photo. Her eyes were captivating and that was what I was after.


Romantic dot gain.

6. Larger Halftone FX
Once again I used the same halftone effect, just a larger size and composited the romantic gaze into my design.

A lot of what I do when I use Photoshop is experimentation. Playing with transparency, blend modes and arrangement of content and via layers to achieve the look and feel I'm after.


Laying a graphic foundation.

7. Graphic Foundation
This historical ornament and banner dangler will serve as the foundation for critical content like type and iconography as you'll see in the following images.


...Like a big pizza pie that's moire.

8. Creating a Moire Effect
The design over all felt too stark to me. I wanted to blend it all together more. So I just opened another color stock photo (Any will work) gaussian blurred it, went to filter/Pixelate/Color Halftone, converted it to greyscale, copy/pasted it back into my PSD file, messed with transparency and blend modes and there you have it.


...You're in love.

9. Moire Effect Applied
Compare this image to step 7.


Adding more character.

10. Texurizing
To add more depth and interest I used a variety of surface textures from my "Crumble.Crackle.Burn" book.


Interesting diagram art.

11. Diagram Illustration
I wanted culture appropriate imagery to collage my design with so I did some research and found this great retro diagram illustration of a Vespa scooter.


The Vespa has been parked.

12. Diagram Illustration Integrated
I'm building my design layer by layer taking the various graphic elements and collaging them together. After all that is essentially what graphic design means.


Information added to the layout.

13. Typography & Iconography
It goes without saying that the type you choose need to work for the specific genre you are designing for. This design uses just two typefaces and I've added an iconic graphic of a coffee plant to lock up the design motif.

I also left room so we could work in Rahzo's logo stamp as well.


The label diecut.

14. Diecut
On this project we had the luxury of doing a custom diecut so I created this unique shape to frame my design. Of course I knew I was doing this from the beginning so I kept that in mind as I collaged my graphic content too so as not to loose anything when it was trimmed.


Piping hot design ready to pour.

15. Final Product
The final labels came out great and the product is now available.

Click here to view a larger image of the final label design.

If you'd like to deconstruct this project further just download the "Brewing Design Pack" below which contains a print resolution (150 dpi) layered PSD file. (CS4 file but will open in CS3 or CS2) You'll be able to click through the layers and see exactly how everything was set up.

- Download "Brewing Design Pack" (5 MB)



Free Tattoo Pictures

Once you accept absitively to get a tattoo, the better accommodation you will be faced is the architecture that you appetite your boom to be. There are abounding means to get a abounding architecture and the best allotment is that best of the time, you can get chargeless boom pictures that you ability want.

Actual pictures are additionally abounding places to get account for your tattoo. Bodies don’t generally anticipate about attractive at photos for boom designs but these absolutely are one of the greatest means to get account for tattoos. Some may anticipate that photos will be abominable or too apparent but alike if you acquisition that’s the case, they can sometimes atom acuteness to appear up with article great!

The library is a admirable abode to get chargeless boom pictures. Not alone ability they accept books featuring boom designs but, they may accept books on boom artists that will affection some of these artists best works. If you don’t appetite a architecture absolutely like article that may accept already been done, these books are still a abounding abode to get your adroitness abounding to appear up with a abounding design. Libraries additionally accept magazines and these can be an abounding ability for award ideas.

Tattoo enthusiasts are abounding sources to get account for your design. If you are accept with talking to strangers, you can ask bodies you see about their tattoos and ask for account on yours. You can additionally allocution to bodies you know, or bodies you accommodated in the boom parlour. Tell them account for your architecture and see what they think. They may be able to body on your idea.

It’s not adamantine to acquisition chargeless boom pictures and designs. You aloof accept to do a little bit of analytic and accumulate your apperception accessible to blot account that may appear in the strangest of places!

Free Tattoo Pictures

Free Tattoo Art

Free Tattoo Art
Tattoo Art Free
Tattoo's are so personal and powerful because it is permanent and inextricably linked with its wearer. Tattoo art is more than just a fashion. It greatly depends upon the matter of persons liking and disliking. Tattoo art is varied, ranging from basic images to intricate creations. No one knows exactly when or where the first tattoo artist created his work, but we do know that some of the earliest mummies found in Asia and Europe have tattoos.

Tattoo art has always fascinated the human imagination. Tattoos were primarily used to indicate status instead of decorative purposes. Tattoo art is still considered a lower-class macho symbol, traditionally practiced among yakuza (gangsters) and construction workers. Tattoos now adorn the bodies of attorneys, doctors, teachers, politicians and even members of the clergy, a fact that only further demonstrates the acceptance tattoos are experiencing.

Tattoos have become very much a part of the mainstream, but then there are still a few who can really turn a head or in some cases, with some absolutely crazy tattoos. It all comes down to freedom of expression and some people like to show theirs through 'Tattoo Art free'. The Tattoo industry has exploded in recent years and has almost a cult following. Being seen on rock stars and Film stars alike. Being ultra cool.
Free Tattoo Art
Free Tattoo ArtTattoo Art Free

Free Tattoo

Free Tattoo

Free Tattoo


Free Tattoo
If you know that you want to get a tattoo, one of the best things about the decision can be deciding on what design you want. As exciting as this can be, it can also be extremely frustrating. There are so many designs out there, it can be hard to decide on one. Some people have an idea of what they want but can’t find any images to match it. Below are some great free tattoo ideas.

The greatest place to start getting ideas is from things that you like. Tattoos are permanent and so it’s very important to make sure that the tattoo says something about you, your personality, and what you love. Something that has special symbolism to you is also a great idea. If you take a minute and just think about what is important to you, you’re likely to come up with some great design ideas!

Once you have a general idea of what it is you want, you can go online and look through clipart to find an image of what you want. You may find some actual photos this way too and those are a great aid in your design search!

Using your own ideas and the clipart, try to sketch out a rough drawing of what it is you want. Even if you are not all that artistic, a tattoo artist will have a much better idea of what it is you are after. Take all of your materials with you when you go to the tattoo parlour. Many tattoo artists will then give you a design on paper with lines, colour, and shading to give both of you a better idea of what the design will look like.

Tattoo Lotus Flower

tattoo lotus flower

tattoo lotus flower


Tattoo Lotus Flower
Have you ever wondered why flower tattoo designs are so popular?
The main reason is that flowers, as only a few other things in nature, are a perfect subject for tattoo artworks. It would be hard, even for the worst tattooist in the world to spoil such a wonderful image. Furthermore, flowers have always carried important significance to people from all over the world.

Flowers tattoo designs are usually considered to be more appropriate for women than men. That's because they are not just symbols of beauty but also of elegance and delicacy, which are values that cannot really be considered "manly".
The amazing thing about flowers tattoos, is that have such a wide range of symbolic meaning, that also men can sometimes find an appropriate flower design. It always depends on what you want your tattoo to express.

The same flower can have different meanings: Rose tattoo designs usually express love or passion, but white roses express purity or friendship among women. With a sword through it, a rose symbolize a dangerous love. If surrounded in barbed wire could be a sign for the well known connection between love and sorrow.

Another popular tattoo design is the Lotus flower. It is often considered to be a symbol of spiritual awakening or rebirth. Daisies tattoos can symbolize innocence, and are commonly tattooed together with children's names, whereas Lily tattoo designs are symbols of wealth and pride; A daffodil is the sign of a new beginning, while Sunflower tattoos usually stand for adoration.

As you can read, flowers are not just beautiful tattoo designs, but they have such a wide range of possible significances that anybody can find an appropriate flower tattoo design.

Color Palette Refinement

My creative process is both analog and digital. I love the tactile approach drawing provides and the precision ease of use digital offers in regard to creating artwork and design.

I've had my battles with Illustrator over the years. And it more than anything else in my life is truly a love hate relationship.

Thankfully most of these frustrations and short comings have either been resolved now by Adobe or bypassed via helpful third party plugins that work better than the native tools.

That said, there is still room for improvement and that is what this post is about. I'm specifically talking about the the "Color Palette" in Adobe Illustrator.


Adobe Illustrator 8 Color Palette.

It's been eons since Adobe seriously updated the Color Palette. The above image shows what it looked like back in Illustrator 8 running on system 9 prior to the advent of OSX.


Current interface appearance of Color Palette in CS4.

Not much has changed with the Color Palette since Illustrator 8. Being a former FreeHand user the GUI on this specific palette has always annoyed me.

Why did Adobe ever overlap the fill and stroke controls? OK, so that was a rhetorical question. It denotes which control you have in focus either fill or stroke. Having the overlap as it is now just makes selecting them more of a pain and slows down the build process IMO.


Overlap + Dark Colors = Problem.

The current overlap causes another problem, if you have darker colors it's hard to tell which one is selected, (See above image) so it isn't fool proof from that stand point making it slow you down again. I think my solution below is better. The overlap also gives the illusion of representing a hierarchy, which it doesn't in the actual object itself, that's what the Appearance Palette is for.

But the biggest issue for me in regards to the Color Palette is the fact there is no way to quickly color both the fill and stroke at the same time. (I miss that feature from FreeHand)


My suggested GUI and functional update to the Color Palette.

I think Adobe should re-design the Color Palette. I'm not talking about making the process fundamentally different, I just want to see what is already there improved upon. They should also add in the ability to color both the fill and stroke at the same time. Everything else would work the same as it always has.


Easier to select fill and stroke controls.

Want to color your fill and stroke yellow? Just click the multi-color control shown to the right of the fill and stroke control and then create your color and your done. (You can also drag a color to the multi-color control too) This would seem to be a pretty easy refinement the Adobe engineers could make?


Arrowhead to Identify which control you have selected.

Someone in the comments below pointed out the overlapping fill and stroke denote which one is selected. I realize that but it's still not needed. I could see why they might have done that before OSX and more robust application versions but it's simply not needed.

I propose that an active arrow appears along side which ever control is currently in focus be it the fill, stroke, or multi-color.

I know everyone has different ways of working but I'd use this simple function all the time if it were part of the app. FreeHand had it, Adobe owns FreeHand now so why not implement it? They've already done so with multiple art boards, new masking etc.