My Threadless submission based on a fable by Aesop is in the running and seems to be getting good feedback. I used a homebrew SWF file for the presentation. It allows for zooming in and out with lossless quality. Woo!
The newest submission, however, might be a bit of a tough sell to the wider Threadless demographic:
It’s got gore - albeit toned-down gore. Regardless, gore is historically about as limp as a wet noodle voting wise.
I’d been practicing my ability to draw a likeness by asking Threadless’rs for photos of themselves. I decided to turn that idea into a tee shirt and solicited 30 people for new photos and for their permission to use their likeness on a shirt. The tricky part was getting everyone zombified (for lack of a better term) while still leaving enough features intact to make them discernible.
Now, I realize that their likenesses being recognizable was not necessary for the design to be successful. I thought doing so was the least I could do to repay them for use of their image as a point of reference. Mind you, I didn’t trace their photos or anything. I know some guys include tracing reference as a portion of their workflow. I’m just not comfortable doing that. Seems cheaty.
The interesting thing about this tee design is that it features a seamlessly tiled image. It repeats endlessly in all directions. Over 30 heads repeated in a 5 across, 6 down table.
Uncolored, reduced, still mostly tileable version suitable for putting in a blog post:
See the image on a tee and a whole lot of process after the jump.
I was recently asked to create the logotype and mascot for a new, Chicago based clothing line named Mr. Tastees. The art director indicated that an ice cream cone mascot that paired well with scripted hand-lettering was the ultimate goal.
We went through a few revisions (in nailing down the look of the cone, mostly). They were worth it, though. The final is something I’m proud of and, paired with the Fox and Crow illustration from the last post, is clearly more cartoonish than most my work.
I spent a few years as a project manager and art director at a print design mud hut and another as an art director in the games industry. When necessary, I can break out of my “house” style. Frankly, if it’s lineart I want in on it. I love making pretty lines. And this job wasn’t that much of a departure. Well, except for this sheet of roughs. This one was a bit out there:
Ultimately, it veered back to a more comfortable place and both the client and I dig the results.
Thanks to Vimeo, I have a really easy way to post some of the longer videos that I’ve had sitting around. One such video is nearly two hours long and offers real time narration throughout. I’ve posted some of my digital pencilling and inking before. Here, I speak at length on my coloring as well.
Before the video, however, come the pretty pictures!
A fox once saw a crow fly off with a piece of cheese in its beak and settle on a branch of a tree.
“That’s for me, as I am a fox,” said Master Reynard, and he walked up to the foot of the tree.
“Good-day, Mistress Crow,” he cried. “How well you are looking to-day: how glossy your feathers; how bright your eye. I feel sure your voice must surpass that of other birds, just as your figure does; let me hear but one song from you that I may greet you as the Queen of Birds.”
The crow lifted up her head and began to caw her best, but the moment she opened her mouth the piece of cheese fell to the ground, only to be snapped up by Master Fox.
“That will do,” said he. “That was all I wanted. In exchange for your cheese I will give you a piece of advice for the future:
I know it’s Wednesday, but I have a specific reason for titling this post as such.
Every Thursday (work schedule willing), I intend to post a new design to Threadless. It might be a critique, it might be a completed design, but something is getting posted there, period.
Here’s a video of the creation of the first entry for Threadless Thursday, Crow No!
