More D&T Excitement

So I COULD just wear one of my other DMB tee shirts to the D&T Vegas shows. Pssh. Like that's any fun. I've created two brand new tee shirts, specifically for these shows.

The first tee shirt features a D&T logo, created in what I feel is a style that stays in tune with the Big Whiskey look, but with a unique D&T feel. Big design on the back, small pocket design on the front. Available in men's and women's shirts.


Next I decided to work a new spin on a classic song. Featuring a line from Gravedigger, I wanted to capture the loneliness the song so elegantly portrays. Also available in men's and women's shirts.


As always, let me know what you think of the designs. Feedback is ALWAYS appreciated! Hope everyone enjoys, and I look forward to see you all in VEGAS!!

D&T Free Desktop Wallpaper

Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds will be playing a 3 night acoustic show in Las Vegas this December. As usual, I am so ridiculously excited, as I'm sure all the rest of the DMB community is. Especially if you've requested tickets (fingers crossed).
When I get excited, I create art. So here is my concoction for my current anticipation level.

Click to download one of 3 sizes available:

1024 x 768
1280 x 1024
1400 x 900

Enjoy! See you in VEGAS!!!

Tee shirt up for scoring on Threadless!

Hey everyone! I've got a tee shirt up for scoring on Threadless!
In case you haven't heard of Threadless, it is a community of designers that create, critique and score tee shirt designs. When a tee goes in to the scoring category, it is up to the community to choose the best ones to be printed. Its a great opportunity for designers, but the competition is tough, so that is why I need your help! Please take the time to head over to Threadless and score my design! Direct link HERE.
This is my first submission to Threadless, and I hope to have many more in the future. Thanks for your support!

The design will be up for 6 more days, so get voting! :-)

Viva Las Vegas!

Ok, so since I am excited out of my mind to be heading to Vegas tomorrow for Dave's two night stand, I thought I would post these desktop wallpapers I created for all to enjoy!

Click on the image size you want for the full size,
and then right click to download.

1280 x 1024

1024 x 7868
800 x 600

Tee Shirts and Jellyfish

So its been awhile since my last post. But I have not been idle. I have been working on converting some of my illustrations to tee-shirt format. Finally, all those random, seemingly pointless side projects are being put to good use! And now there is more than 2 things to look at in my shop. I wanted to feature some of my illustrations here, 1) so shoppers can see larger images of the more recent designs without "SAMPLE" plastered across the front, and 2) give some explanations and thoughts behind the designs.

Lets start out with the Jellyfish. I have TWO jellyfish designs in my shop right now! I've had a strange fascination with sea life recently, which probably has to do with the beautiful photography I saw in some old National Geographics not too long ago. Jellyfish and octopi in particular have been catching my interest. The funny thing is, jellyfish scare the CRAP out of me. I have always had a fear of meeting one (or several) in the ocean. But they are truly unique creatures and make for some very interesting art because of their varying shapes, colors, and forms. I have an octopus sketch that in my notebook that I have been meaning to put into Illustrator for some time now. I hope to do that soon :-) I'm also hoping that one of these days when I find time that I will post a jellyfish illustration tutorial. Keep an eye out for that.
(make sure to click on the image for a larger view)




This next illustration I started awhile ago in the depths of cold rainy/snowing March. I put it down for some time and then finished it last week. When I started, I was longing for some sunshine. When I think of bright rays of light, I think of a summer morning. And a summer morning, to me, will always mean the sound of my rooster crowing outside of my window. Childhood nostalgia if you will.
I gave the type a 70's retro feel for a little more pop, and of course the line is that of a Beatles song. I thought it was fitting.


As always, I shall keep pouring the contents of my random brain out in to the world. Who knows what form that will take next.... Until next time, peace!

The Album Cover Game

Some of you may have seen this floating around the world of Facebook already. For the non-design user, it may seem like another dumb game to facilitate procrastination, but for the creative professional, the game serves as a great jump-start for the brain. It's also closer to real life then one may think. You're usually going to have a set of elements that you HAVE to use. The client really likes a certain photo, or you have to have that all of those words you have to squeeze in to satisfy legal. Whatever the case may be, these things are simulated in the game. Where the real creativity comes in is how you put these things together, how you add other relevant graphics and of course, typography.
Once again, we turned the game into an art floor challenge. It started out just going back and forth, but then my creative director kicked it up a notch and gave us 5 minutes to create a cover. Don't over-think, just do. As I mentioned before its a wonderful creative tool. Stuck in a design rut? Take 10 or 20 minutes to make album covers and come back to your project. Sometimes your brain just needs a quick change of scenery. Scroll to the end of this post for the rules and links for the game.

Here are a couple of my creations:


And here is some of the art from my very talented coworkers:

Sheena

Jodie

Myra
Jess
Mandy

1 - Go to "wikipedia." Hit “random... Read More”
or click http://en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Special:Random
The first random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 - Go to "Random quotations"
or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.

3 - Go to flickr and click on “explore the last seven days”
or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days
Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4 - Use photoshop or similar to put it all together.

5 - Post it to FB with this text in the "caption" and TAG the friends you want to join in. (feel free to untag yourself...)

It Was 40 Years Ago Today...

that one of the greatest, most influential bands of all time performed publicly for the last time. I am speaking, of course, about the Beatles, and it was today, January 30th, 1969, that they performed on the roof of the Apple Records headquarters in London during the filming of "Let It Be." Not only is this an extremely significant event for the band and their millions of fans, but this moment has become that of pop culture legend. The rebellious last stand that had to be broken up by the police. The impromptu concert that many would give a kidney to have attended.
So in honor of my favorite band, my inspiration and my creative motivation, here is a short film titled, "I Met the Walrus," featuring an interview conducted by a 14-year old budding journalist who snuck into John Lennon's hotel room in Toronto in 1969.
The words are absolutely profound and still carry so much of weight even today. The message is enhanced by the fantastic illustration and animation of the film.
I hope you enjoy.