I was tasked to draw a zombified Abraham Lincoln, I'm not sure how much like Abe he looks like, but he definitely looks like a zombie. What do you guys think?
Zombie Abe Lincoln
I was tasked to draw a zombified Abraham Lincoln, I'm not sure how much like Abe he looks like, but he definitely looks like a zombie. What do you guys think?
Pukie The Clown
My new favorite client commissioned me to illustrate Pukie The Clown. A mascot for a new fitness craze that is apparently sweeping the fitness underworld called Crossfit, the idea behind Crossfit's philosophy is to work out until you vomit, hence Pukie, let me know what you guys think.
Death
Here is the costume concept that will go with the Tarot card design I showed you guys a while back.
Jester Costume
Here is an illustration of a Jester costume. This will be sold as part of the Fool Tarot card posted below and sold separately as a separate costume. The mask will be molded, Can't wait to see what they do with it. I'll post the finished costume when I get it
Blog Of The Living Dead
Very cool! My zombie made it on to Timo Grubling's "Blog Of The Living Dead". The idea: Let a ZOMBIE rise in the illustrative way. Every single day from Halloween 2008 to Halloween 2009! Thanks so much Timo! Keep up the great work! See it here: http://zombimo.blogspot.com/
Halloween Costumes
As you may or may not know, I work for a huge Halloween costume manufacturer. Some of the licenses we have include Star Wars, Batman, Comic Book characters, Watchmen, Friday the 13th, Speed Racer, DC Comics, Warner Bros. and many more. Bare with me the name dropping is serving a purpose...
Fiber Optic Demon Chest Burster
Here is my concept for a fiber optic chest bursting demon. We'll be treating this one like the alien I did in an earlier post. Hopefully this one will be sculpted a bit more. I'll post the finished costume once we make it.
Tarot Cards
Here are some designs I did for a new line of costumes we are coming out with based on the Tarot. The artwork will be printed on large foam cards so it would appear as if the person is a large Tarot Card
receptionists are the bane of the freelance illustrators existance
Is it just me? I understand that receptionists are an integral part of an organization, and I am glad that they are there because it shows that the company is fairly successful and big enough to employ them but I mean come on! Take pride in your job, get to know the people in your company and what they do.
When someone calls a design company or a company that has a design department and asks for the creative director shouldn't you know who that person is? I can't be the only person calling to talk to them can I? And why do they just transfer you directly with out any warning? I'm not calling to speak with them, just looking for their name to send them something Do you know how awkward it is to be transferred to someone when you're not expecting it?
All you receptionists out there, please learn from this post. Work with people calling to solicit work from your organization!
When someone calls a design company or a company that has a design department and asks for the creative director shouldn't you know who that person is? I can't be the only person calling to talk to them can I? And why do they just transfer you directly with out any warning? I'm not calling to speak with them, just looking for their name to send them something Do you know how awkward it is to be transferred to someone when you're not expecting it?
All you receptionists out there, please learn from this post. Work with people calling to solicit work from your organization!
This was a ton of fun to do. My first 3-D costume design. Hate to say it but we didn't have a lot of money to spend on this, one. It actually started out to just be a printed piece with fiber optics running throughout the artwork but the buyers liked it so much they wanted us to sculpt some of it and add some lights to the inside to give it a glow effect, would have loved to sculpt the whole thing. Maybe next year!
Anyway here is the turnaround of the sculpted piece. I wound up drawing the artwork for the chest and mask and that was printed.
iStock Vector of the Month
This illustration took first place in iStock's Vector of the Month contest back in July. The month's theme was "History" and I figured since July marked the anniversary of Neil Armstrong's lunar landing, I figured I'd take the opportunity to illustrate one of my pet conspiracy theories. What if the US moon landing never happened? There really are a lot of fascinating theories behind the conspiracy, none of which are depicted in the illustration, but hey you never know. Maybe I'm actually on to something. I just thought the truth had to be told regardless of the consequences, you know. Listen, if uh... something were to happen to me...do me a favor and get the truth out there. The public has to be made awa-
Photo Retouching
Here is a sampling of some photo retouching I did at work. I was given the "regular size" models and asked to modify them into "Plus Size" models. I was able to cannibalize body parts from other model shots and liquify here, scale and skew there. Always a fun project!There are also two examples of World of Warcraft masks that I needed to colorize from photos of their molds for our annual catalog. Using images supplied to me by the licensor I was able to color both shots of the mask molds in to make them appear like the finished product.
Who are The Zombz?
The Zombz are characters I created. The story revolves around these three teenage zombies (D.K., Rot and Meat) who are brought back from the grave by an evil family of scientists. Still working out the story but I have a background I'm pretty happy with. I hope to eventually license them. I'm in the process of creating a style guide for them and their world. It's slow going because I work full time and need to also freelance. I'm usually torn between working on them and looking for freelance work. It's frustrating because afer years of cocepting various characters and ideas I finally found something I am happy with and willing to invest so much time in.
I met wth a licensing agent who seemed to really like the concept so that gave me a lot of motivation to move forward with it. I'll try to keep you updated on my progress.
I met wth a licensing agent who seemed to really like the concept so that gave me a lot of motivation to move forward with it. I'll try to keep you updated on my progress.
The Zombz
The synopsis:
In 1986, three teenage boys in the suburban town of Apathyville suspect something is wrong in their quiet community. During their investigation, they find clues to an ancient evil, long hidden in the woods behind their homes but before they can alert the authorities to the truth they’ve uncovered, the three boys are involved in a freak accident and killed.
Twenty-five years later what appears to be an industrial accident awakens the three boys from their graves and they discover that they have returned from the dead as zombies; undead creatures with super human powers that cannot be killed or harmed. The three friends realize that now they are not only indestructible but each possesses different super abilities and mutations.
On returning to Apathyville, they find that the mysterious incident that brought them back from the dead has also affected many of Apathyville’s citizens as well. It is only then that they realize that what they were involved in, may not have been an accident after all but the beginnings of an all out war between the undead and the unsuspecting people of Apathyville and possibly the world.
Aided by the human, Eddie Riggs, a professional skateboarder and extreme sport junkie who befriends the Zombz after they save his life, the three friends vow to use their newfound powers and abilities to rid their town once and for all of the plague they uncovered twenty-five years earlier and save the world from an impending zombie apocalypse.
In 1986, three teenage boys in the suburban town of Apathyville suspect something is wrong in their quiet community. During their investigation, they find clues to an ancient evil, long hidden in the woods behind their homes but before they can alert the authorities to the truth they’ve uncovered, the three boys are involved in a freak accident and killed.
Twenty-five years later what appears to be an industrial accident awakens the three boys from their graves and they discover that they have returned from the dead as zombies; undead creatures with super human powers that cannot be killed or harmed. The three friends realize that now they are not only indestructible but each possesses different super abilities and mutations.
On returning to Apathyville, they find that the mysterious incident that brought them back from the dead has also affected many of Apathyville’s citizens as well. It is only then that they realize that what they were involved in, may not have been an accident after all but the beginnings of an all out war between the undead and the unsuspecting people of Apathyville and possibly the world.
Aided by the human, Eddie Riggs, a professional skateboarder and extreme sport junkie who befriends the Zombz after they save his life, the three friends vow to use their newfound powers and abilities to rid their town once and for all of the plague they uncovered twenty-five years earlier and save the world from an impending zombie apocalypse.
My Favorite Piece
This is my all time favorite piece. I love the concept and the idea behind it. Texas Chainsaw Massacre meets Three Little Pigs. Would love to write a whole story based on that. Maybe someday...
Mummy
Here is my latest illustration. This started out as a concept for a costume but I liked it so much I couldn't help but work it up. I really like how this piece came out. I think I've finally embraced my style and am running with it. Took me long enough!
Work For Free?
Here is an incredible article I found on the internet a while back. Every artist and illustrator should read it:
To those who are looking for someone to do work for free? please wake up and join the real world
Every day, there are more and more CL posts seeking "artists" for everything from auto graphics to comic books to corporate logo designs. More people are finding themselves in need of some form of illustrative service.
But what they're NOT doing, unfortunately, is realizing how rare someone with these particular talents can be.
To those who are "seeking artists", let me ask you; How many people do you know, personally, with the talent and skill to perform the services you need? A dozen? Five? One? ?none?
More than likely, you don?t know any. Otherwise, you wouldn't be posting on craigslist to find them.
And this is not really a surprise.
In this country, there are almost twice as many neurosurgeons as there are professional illustrators. There are eleven times as many certified mechanics. There are SEVENTY times as many people in the IT field.
So, given that they are less rare, and therefore less in demand, would it make sense to ask your mechanic to work on your car for free? Would you look him in the eye, with a straight face, and tell him that his compensation would be the ability to have his work shown to others as you drive down the street?
Would you offer a neurosurgeon the "opportunity" to add your name to his resume as payment for removing that pesky tumor? (Maybe you could offer him "a few bucks' for 'materials". What a deal!)
Would you be able to seriously even CONSIDER offering your web hosting service the chance to have people see their work, by viewing your website, as their payment for hosting you?
If you answered ?yes? to ANY of the above, you?re obviously insane. If you answered ?no?, then kudos to you for living in the real world.
But then tell me? why would you think it is okay to live out the same, delusional, ridiculous fantasy when seeking someone whose abilities are even less in supply than these folks?
Graphic artists, illustrators, painters, etc., are skilled tradesmen. As such, to consider them as, or deal with them as, anything less than professionals fully deserving of your respect is both insulting and a bad reflection on you as a sane, reasonable person. In short, it makes you look like a twit.
A few things you need to know;
1. It is not a "great opportunity" for an artist to have his work seen on your car/'zine/website/bedroom wall, etc. It IS a "great opportunity" for YOU to have their work there.
2. It is not clever to seek a ?student? or ?beginner? in an attempt to get work for free. It?s ignorant and insulting. They may be ?students?, but that does not mean they don?t deserve to be paid for their hard work. You were a ?student? once, too. Would you have taken that job at McDonalds with no pay, because you were learning essential job skills for the real world? Yes, your proposition it JUST as stupid.
3. The chance to have their name on something that is going to be seen by other people, whether it?s one or one million, is NOT a valid enticement. Neither is the right to add that work to their ?portfolio?. They get to do those things ANYWAY, after being paid as they should. It?s not compensation. It?s their right, and it?s a given.
4. Stop thinking that you?re giving them some great chance to work. Once they skip over your silly ad, as they should, the next ad is usually for someone who lives in the real world, and as such, will pay them. There are far more jobs needing these skills than there are people who possess these skills.
5. Students DO need ?experience?. But they do NOT need to get it by giving their work away. In fact, this does not even offer them the experience they need. Anyone who will not/can not pay them is obviously the type of person or business they should be ashamed to have on their resume anyway. Do you think professional contractors list the ?experience? they got while nailing down a loose step at their grandmother?s house when they were seventeen?
If you your company or gig was worth listing as desired experience, it would be able to pay for the services it received. The only experience they will get doing free work for you is a lesson learned in what kinds of scrubs they should not lower themselves to deal with.
6. (This one is FOR the artists out there, please pay attention.) Some will ask you to ?submit work for consideration?. They may even be posing as some sort of ?contest?. These are almost always scams. They will take the work submitted by many artists seeking to win the ?contest?, or be ?chosen? for the gig, and find what they like most. They will then usually have someone who works for them, or someone who works incredibly cheap because they have no originality or talent of their own, reproduce that same work, or even just make slight modifications to it, and claim it as their own. You will NOT be paid, you will NOT win the contest. The only people who win, here, are the underhanded folks who run these ads. This is speculative, or ?spec?, work. It?s risky at best, and a complete scam at worst. I urge you to avoid it, completely. For more information on this subject, please visit www.no-spec.com.
So to artists/designers/illustrators looking for work, do everyone a favor, ESPECIALLY yourselves, and avoid people who do not intend to pay you. Whether they are ?spec? gigs, or just some guy who wants a free mural on his living room walls. They need you. You do NOT need them.
And for those who are looking for someone to do work for free? please wake up and join the real world. The only thing you?re accomplishing is to insult those with the skills you need. Get a clue.
DISCLAIMER: Apparently this well written post has been floating around on CraigsList. I first ran across it when Steph Doyle?s post I Wish I Had Written This came across my google alerts.
To those who are looking for someone to do work for free? please wake up and join the real world
Every day, there are more and more CL posts seeking "artists" for everything from auto graphics to comic books to corporate logo designs. More people are finding themselves in need of some form of illustrative service.
But what they're NOT doing, unfortunately, is realizing how rare someone with these particular talents can be.
To those who are "seeking artists", let me ask you; How many people do you know, personally, with the talent and skill to perform the services you need? A dozen? Five? One? ?none?
More than likely, you don?t know any. Otherwise, you wouldn't be posting on craigslist to find them.
And this is not really a surprise.
In this country, there are almost twice as many neurosurgeons as there are professional illustrators. There are eleven times as many certified mechanics. There are SEVENTY times as many people in the IT field.
So, given that they are less rare, and therefore less in demand, would it make sense to ask your mechanic to work on your car for free? Would you look him in the eye, with a straight face, and tell him that his compensation would be the ability to have his work shown to others as you drive down the street?
Would you offer a neurosurgeon the "opportunity" to add your name to his resume as payment for removing that pesky tumor? (Maybe you could offer him "a few bucks' for 'materials". What a deal!)
Would you be able to seriously even CONSIDER offering your web hosting service the chance to have people see their work, by viewing your website, as their payment for hosting you?
If you answered ?yes? to ANY of the above, you?re obviously insane. If you answered ?no?, then kudos to you for living in the real world.
But then tell me? why would you think it is okay to live out the same, delusional, ridiculous fantasy when seeking someone whose abilities are even less in supply than these folks?
Graphic artists, illustrators, painters, etc., are skilled tradesmen. As such, to consider them as, or deal with them as, anything less than professionals fully deserving of your respect is both insulting and a bad reflection on you as a sane, reasonable person. In short, it makes you look like a twit.
A few things you need to know;
1. It is not a "great opportunity" for an artist to have his work seen on your car/'zine/website/bedroom wall, etc. It IS a "great opportunity" for YOU to have their work there.
2. It is not clever to seek a ?student? or ?beginner? in an attempt to get work for free. It?s ignorant and insulting. They may be ?students?, but that does not mean they don?t deserve to be paid for their hard work. You were a ?student? once, too. Would you have taken that job at McDonalds with no pay, because you were learning essential job skills for the real world? Yes, your proposition it JUST as stupid.
3. The chance to have their name on something that is going to be seen by other people, whether it?s one or one million, is NOT a valid enticement. Neither is the right to add that work to their ?portfolio?. They get to do those things ANYWAY, after being paid as they should. It?s not compensation. It?s their right, and it?s a given.
4. Stop thinking that you?re giving them some great chance to work. Once they skip over your silly ad, as they should, the next ad is usually for someone who lives in the real world, and as such, will pay them. There are far more jobs needing these skills than there are people who possess these skills.
5. Students DO need ?experience?. But they do NOT need to get it by giving their work away. In fact, this does not even offer them the experience they need. Anyone who will not/can not pay them is obviously the type of person or business they should be ashamed to have on their resume anyway. Do you think professional contractors list the ?experience? they got while nailing down a loose step at their grandmother?s house when they were seventeen?
If you your company or gig was worth listing as desired experience, it would be able to pay for the services it received. The only experience they will get doing free work for you is a lesson learned in what kinds of scrubs they should not lower themselves to deal with.
6. (This one is FOR the artists out there, please pay attention.) Some will ask you to ?submit work for consideration?. They may even be posing as some sort of ?contest?. These are almost always scams. They will take the work submitted by many artists seeking to win the ?contest?, or be ?chosen? for the gig, and find what they like most. They will then usually have someone who works for them, or someone who works incredibly cheap because they have no originality or talent of their own, reproduce that same work, or even just make slight modifications to it, and claim it as their own. You will NOT be paid, you will NOT win the contest. The only people who win, here, are the underhanded folks who run these ads. This is speculative, or ?spec?, work. It?s risky at best, and a complete scam at worst. I urge you to avoid it, completely. For more information on this subject, please visit www.no-spec.com.
So to artists/designers/illustrators looking for work, do everyone a favor, ESPECIALLY yourselves, and avoid people who do not intend to pay you. Whether they are ?spec? gigs, or just some guy who wants a free mural on his living room walls. They need you. You do NOT need them.
And for those who are looking for someone to do work for free? please wake up and join the real world. The only thing you?re accomplishing is to insult those with the skills you need. Get a clue.
DISCLAIMER: Apparently this well written post has been floating around on CraigsList. I first ran across it when Steph Doyle?s post I Wish I Had Written This came across my google alerts.
Cover Letter
Here is a sample of a cover letter I send to potential freelance clients, would love to know what you guys think:
Hello Mr. Soandso
I am writing to you today because I believe that my graphic design experience coupled with my skills in traditional and computer illustration offers me the unique opportunity to enhance the creativity of Big Toy Company’s product line.
A creative thinker with a strong sense of aesthetics, I have over 20 years of solid experience illustrating and designing for both generic and licensed t-shirts, children’s wear, textiles, blankets, bedding, backpacks, plush toys, automotive products, wall hangings and packaging for some of the top names in the industry.
As a full-time Art Director for a well-known Home Textile company, I was responsible for developing and directing lines for their NFL, NBA, NASCAR, MLB, NHL and College licenses, designing for various entertainment licenses like Warner Bros. Marvel and Nickelodeon and creating generic illustrations as well. I also do a lot of work in the kid’s meal promotion industry for several long time clients developing characters, puzzles and games for activity books, placemats and cups. Currently, I am working as a Senior Art Director for a large costume manufacturer, were I design costumes, logos and packaging.
If I may, I would like to call you next week to discuss how I can best serve your creative department. In the meantime, please feel free to visit my website at www.drawntobewild.com to see some more of my work and find out a little about me. As you will see in my gallery, my drawing style is kid-friendly with an edge that I believe is a great compliment to the work you guys are doing. If you have any questions or would like to discuss a project right away, please feel free to call me at at 516.946.4411.
Thank you for your time and consideration, I look forward to speaking with you.
Best Regards,
Hello Mr. Soandso
I am writing to you today because I believe that my graphic design experience coupled with my skills in traditional and computer illustration offers me the unique opportunity to enhance the creativity of Big Toy Company’s product line.
A creative thinker with a strong sense of aesthetics, I have over 20 years of solid experience illustrating and designing for both generic and licensed t-shirts, children’s wear, textiles, blankets, bedding, backpacks, plush toys, automotive products, wall hangings and packaging for some of the top names in the industry.
As a full-time Art Director for a well-known Home Textile company, I was responsible for developing and directing lines for their NFL, NBA, NASCAR, MLB, NHL and College licenses, designing for various entertainment licenses like Warner Bros. Marvel and Nickelodeon and creating generic illustrations as well. I also do a lot of work in the kid’s meal promotion industry for several long time clients developing characters, puzzles and games for activity books, placemats and cups. Currently, I am working as a Senior Art Director for a large costume manufacturer, were I design costumes, logos and packaging.
If I may, I would like to call you next week to discuss how I can best serve your creative department. In the meantime, please feel free to visit my website at www.drawntobewild.com to see some more of my work and find out a little about me. As you will see in my gallery, my drawing style is kid-friendly with an edge that I believe is a great compliment to the work you guys are doing. If you have any questions or would like to discuss a project right away, please feel free to call me at at 516.946.4411.
Thank you for your time and consideration, I look forward to speaking with you.
Best Regards,
Introduction
I'm a Creative Director for a huge costume manufacturer in Queens, NY. Like most of you I don't make nearly as much as I should or deserve for that matter so I also freelance at night. I'm actually in the middle of putting together a mailer to send to potential clients. The first time I did this I didn't have much luck although I did get a job that paid for the printing then some. Hopefully this time will be more lucrative. I do have alot more to show this tie around and am a lot happier with what I've been doing lately so we'll see.
I also have a ton of more stuff I'm involved in creatively but we'll get to that eventually. As you'll quickly discover I'm a workaholic so bear with me
I also have a ton of more stuff I'm involved in creatively but we'll get to that eventually. As you'll quickly discover I'm a workaholic so bear with me
August 19th - Latest News!
August 19th - D2BW and Prolifiq Sign Studio have come together to help create the characters of the "Miles of Smiles campaign.
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