Could I Have Been Anyone Other Than Me?

It's a question I'm sure everyone has asked, if only in their head, at some point or another. Eternalized by the music of Dave Matthews, the whole concept can hurt you brain if you think about it long enough. If I had made a different decision that day, or walked home a different way, would I be someone entirely different?
Through the use of typography and basic color, this tee shirt illustrates all of the different possibilities that are intertwined in the big question that so many of us asks. For the hard core fan, one might notice the significance of lines chosen.
Another Dancing Nancies Tee concept is on the way soon.

Tee shirts, totes, and hoodies are available in my shop in both the black and white design.

Dave Matthews Band Tee Shirt

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...)

Oh, Sweet Summer, How You Torture Me So....

As I sat staring at the flying snow, and freezing my damn ass off, I started day dreaming of the glorious days of summer. I got to thinking about how this will be my first summer living on Lake Michigan. I will be able to enjoy sunsets on the beach, the cry of sea birds and the sound of the waves breaking gently on the shore. And then I looked out side again. Blast. So instead of whining (too much) about it, I created this shirt to reminisce about the days when we won't have to spend 20 minutes scraping ice chunks off our windshields or breaking our ass down icy steps. I wanted to branch out from your typical summer cliché and create something a little more off the wall and quirky. Tee shirts, hoodies and totes featuring the design are available in my Cafepress shop. Let me know what you think!

Stay warm ;-)

VS Pink Contest

Victoria's Secret tee shirt design contest is coming to a close today. A fun little ditty to express your creativity while staying consistent with the brand image and what VS Pink stands for. The contest has become a bit of a rivalry at the office, with my creative director leading the charge (what he wants with a $500 VS gift card, I'll never know). So here is my hollar-back to the challenge.
There are 30,000 + entries, so if I don't win anything, I will put a variation of the design for sale in my Cafepress shop... Enjoy, and check out the other entries!

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.