OU1 App Launches

After about six months of keeping this under my hat through development and beta testing, I'm happy to let you all know about a recent project I was lucky enough to be involved with.

The new app OU1 is a simple way to keep track of social currency (drinks, lunch, dinner) between friends and is also a fun way to invite a friend out.  It's now available free in the iTunes App store and was also featured on Lifehacker yesterday.

I created initial concepts and interface designs along with the logo and icons.  Benjamin Borowski and the skilled developers over at Typeoneerror Studios took my designs, polished them up and made them functional in the real world.

The project was brought to me by another group of talented folks known as Big Machine In The Sky. It was nice working with a group of guys who were very open to trying a variety of angles in the concept stage, but dialed in quickly to a clear vision of what the final solution should be.

Below is the final concept design before production followed by some initial concepts. You can see we went some interesting directions with the interface and you can also see some of the initial logo concept in there as well.

If you have an iPhone pick up OU1 now, it's free!

FMC Group Inc. Logo Design

Above is a logo I created for an agriculture and energy firm out of Colorado. The aforementioned items are represented by the corn and the oil derrick, but I also wanted to imply industry as a whole, thus the gear. It helps bring all the elements together and subtly doubles as a sun.

SCREAMIN' SKULL

Having some fun and trying out some new brushes in Photoshop.  Sketching with a tablet is a little strange but it's getting easier.

Gas Station Collector Cards Proposal

This ad was created for a sponsorship proposal for a local chain of service stations. The depicted cards would be broken into a collector card on the left and a small key chain fob on the right.  Each would have a bar code on the reverse for use at the filling stations for discounts.

Promotion concept, design and execution were all carried out by me.

Baseball in Black and Gray

Recently I did a photo shoot with a few of the Tacoma Rainiers players showcasing their tattoos.  I thought it would be a cool side of the guys that the fans don't usually get to see.  I lit and shot the guys myself and did the final layout and design. Included in the shoot were Mike Mangini, Dan Cortes, Chaz Roe and Royce Ring.  They were totally game for everything and lot of fun to shoot.  The article appeared in the Rainiers nightly game program/magazine "The Dirt".

The Circus is in Town

I designed this ad for the circus that will be appearing at our ballpark this week.  I wanted to create something with a classic feel, but didn't really want to glamorize the whole thing.

This morning, when pulling into work, I saw an elephant eating some hay under a canopy next to its trailer.  It was a cool thing to surprise you on a Monday morning.  These are really awesome creatures and so impressive to see in real life. It does make me sad though that I saw it that way and not in the wild.

I based this piece on the vintage poster below. I digitally painted my elephant in Photoshop and the layout was completed in InDesign. 

Wiggy Stardust

 

With work and other projects lately it has been tough to find time to do any life drawing.  Well, the stunning Wiggy Stardust was just the right model to get my brain back in the drawing mood, courtesy of good ol' Dr. Sketchy's.  

I have to give tremendous props to Wiggy for her costume choices and poses.  Her classical Greek ensemble was a very pleasant surprise and was a cool change of pace from the usual burlesque fare.  

If you would like to see Wiggy for yourself (and I highly suggest you do), she and the always stellar Stripped Screw Burlesque crew, will be playing at the Rendezvous in Seattle this weekend. You can find all the details and buy tickets here.

Complete Part 2 - 100th Post!

Above is my very first Cast Drawing for my Classical Art Online course.  It was a major challenge working in charcoal, a completely foreign medium to me, but in the end the skills I learned during the process were worth it.  Thanks as always to my instructor Aaron for pushing me and forcing me not to take the easy road to complete this thing.  It was certainly a tough one, but I am looking forward the next.

On a side note this is my 100th blog post!  Not as many as I might like, but a milestone nonetheless and I think this cast drawing a a nice way to mark it.  A big step forward in my skill level and work process. Here's to a lot more art in the future!

Complete

Above is a Charles Bargue copy I completed in pencil a few months ago as part of my Classical Art Online course. Thanks as always to my instructor Aaron for pushing me to improve every day.

Kat Von D

Sketch, from a photo, of Kat Von D I did last night while watching a movie.  It's nice to get back in that relaxing groove after almost two months of non-stop work. 

Like Bunnies!

After designing this shirt for a mad, Easter weekend pub crawl in Seattle, I received so many positive comments I decided to put it up for sale. Bring a smile to your Sunday school teacher's face with this shirt.  Customize color, cut and shirt quality to make it your very own!


Click Here to get yours!

Dr. Sketchy's For The Win!

 

Sunday I attended a packed session of Dr. Sketchy's Anti Art School featuring the amazing Polly Wood as our model for the day.  Polly was lovely and fun and gave us some incredible poses to draw (one almost resulting in her passing out)!

I worked with some compressed charcoal sticks that I am finally getting the hang of, yielding some positive results in the second half of the session.  I was happy that a few sketches were able to capture some of the beauty and energy of our model, and was shocked when one was selected for a prize at the end of the night.  Being picked by Polly and our host Ernie Von Schmaltz (who stated on the mic my drawings were "fucking awesome") was very cool, especially with all the other talent in the room.

Big thanks to Polly Wood, Ernie, the rest of the Seattle Dr. Sketchy's crew and all the inspiring artists for making it such a great evening.  

My Favorite Sketch of the night (15 min)

The big winner! (20 min)

Icons

Recently created a set of icons for the Tacoma Rainiers' new stadium.  I wanted something that felt clean and new but still had a classic a vibe. I was inspired by the classic WPA National Parks posters from the 1930's and by artist and designer Michael Schwab. Each piece was hand sketched, then rendered in Adobe Illustrator.

Explosive sale!

Between the move, work, freelance and my artistic studies it has been a packed couple of months.  Here is a little ad graphic I did for the Rainiers (click for a larger image).

Work Harder

At the beginning of this year I signed up with the Classical Art Online atelier program.  It's been tough juggling assignments with work and other projects but I have been making good, albeit slow, progress. The nice part is that you can work at your own pace, and this has given me time to (hopefully) better absorb the concepts. Check out work by founder Jon Hardesty and my instructor Aaron Reid.

Below are my first two assignments, copies of the famous Charles Bargue plates (read more about Bargue drawings here and pick up the book here).

Bargue 2:

Bargue 1:

Frank Frazetta

I have learned today that my favorite artist, Frank Frazetta, has passed away. I have always been a fan of his work but only been in recent years, as I have tried to improve my own artistic prowess, that I have realized the depth of skill inherent in this great's work. He is quite arguable the single greatest illustrator to have ever lived, and by that line one of the single greatest artists of all time. The more I study his work, the more I am impressed. And the more I learn about the man himself, the more I admire him.

Frank you will be sorely missed, but your work will stand the test of time.