T-shirt ACC Stormwater

Here is a job I recently finished. It is for the Athens/Clarke County Stormwater department. They needed a t-shirt for their new hot-line. It was requested to illustrate the design to look like a graphic novel. This is my attempt. Tell me what you think.

This is a 5 color screen-print on a light blue t-shirt.

Griffin Day 5k: T-shirt

I have not posted in a long time and for a good reason. My 3 year-old son was diagnosed with Leukemia ALL on May 20th. We are blessed to see our son, Griffin, responding well to the treatments on a medical level. This type of Leukemia has 80-90% cure which is great. That said, he has not been himself and he is currently in a lot of pain.

We were in the hospital for over a week and I have been transitioning back into work. The only free time I have is when I sit with Griffin to comfort him. I cannot draw while I do this but I can read, and I have read four books since this whole thing started: The Shack, The Wizard of Oz, The Sun Also Rises and Dune. I will probably not get into posting often for awhile: this also means I will not be visiting my favorite bloggers very ofter either. I have not forgotten all of you.

The t-shirt designs, above, are for a benefit for my son. A friend of ours had the bright idea of putting on a 5k run to benefit Griffin and our family. We are making a day out it with a raffle, potluck, and music in the evening. These shirts will be given to the runners and will be available for purchase by the general public. If you are able to be in the Athens, GA. area July 18th please come by: Let me know in your comments and I will get you more information. If you like the shirt and you want to get one/support us please let me know.

About the design: Griffin's favorite color is purple, hence the purple shirt. I wanted to graphically show cancer cells (red crabs) intermingled with white blood cells (yellow rounded stars) and have the cancer cells disappear across the design. It's all very symbolic and hopeful. To top it off, who does not like looking at a picture of my son Griffin.


Update: To purchase t-shirts and/or register for the 5k go to

http://griffin5k.blogspot.com

Eric Clapton

Recently I was humbled to be to have the opportunity to designs a concert t-shirt for Eric Clapton. This kind of opportunity does not come up very often and frankly, I honored just be able to take part. Clapton is a music legend, and in my opinion, he is be admired for staying relevant and rocking for so many years.

I have been doing some freelance design for a screen-printing company for which I used to work full-time. Pretty much all the t-shirt designs seen on my blog are from work I have done for this company. When I got the call that we would be submitting designs to Clapton's management I was ecstatic. The only direction they gave was not use Clapton's face or an image of a guitar. So here is the best of what I came up with in a two day dead-line.

Sound Cloud: The concept was to combine psychedelic art with modern design.
Rasta Clapton: The idea here was to capitalize on one of Clapton's best known hits; his remake of the Bob Marley classic "I Shot the Sheriff."
Clapton Monument: He is so monumental in the history of rock that I thought it only fitting.

I am still waiting on what Clapton's people think. In the interim, please let me know your thoughts. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

IF Poise: T-shirt Submissions

In these recently created designs, and the designs from the previous two post, I have been trying to create compositions with a great degree of poise.

Poise from Webster's- 1: a stably balanced state : equilibrium poise between widely divergent impulses — F. R. Leavis>2 a: easy self-possessed assurance of manner : gracious tact in coping or handling.

"Odd Bird"

"Type-Writer"

"Super 80's"

"Tape Vomit"

"The End" based on the real ending of The Watchmen.

I have not been posting lately because I have been fervently working on some t-shirt designs. These, along with the previous two posts, are some of the submissions I have made to a start-up company called "Transmission." I am very excited about the prospects of this company.

Please let me know what you think about the designs: Would you were them? Which is your favorite? Do any of them rub you the wrong way? Do they have poise?

IF: Intricate

Here is an intricate way to hurt the environment.

Created for a new t-shirt line my friend is starting. More news later.

IF: Breezy

ChaDes: Super Villain

The Ice Raptor
Ice Raptor is part of the WOE, which is a group of super villains dedicated to destroying all Super Heroes. This group was created by Austin Maddison: Check his site for more WOE action.

Ice Raptor Origin:
Doug Vansant was a live in land lord of a San Francisco East Bay Slum were no one wanted to live. Unknown to him, there was an unscrupulous genetic engineer that was in hiding living in the apartment above his own. Adjacent to the genetic engineers apartment resided a low life that operated a Meth Lab. One day when loud noises where coming from the apartment above Doug's, he went to investigate the clanking. As he was reprimanding the engineer he happened to see some odd equipment: viles of liquid, large eggs, petrified bones, and computers. A minute later there was a giant explosion. The apartment was leveled but from the ashes rose Doug transformed into a hideous beast. Mysteriously during the explosion the chemicals of the methamphetamine meshed with the DNA of both Doug and a Velociraptor. What resulted was a half-Raptor-half-man creature with Amphetamines infused into it's DNA.

Powers:
Never sleeps, moves incredibly fast, super strength, works well with a team, poisonous saliva (equivalent to injecting 1000 cc. of uncut Meth), razor sharp claws and teeth, and ability to stay focused for extended periods of time.

Weakness:
Will do anything for a cigarette, prone to vacuuming at 3 A.M., twitchy (can't stay still, which is bad for hunting), tends to jump the gun, always paranoid, Kleptomaniac leanings and other bizarre phobias. Doug was an amoral Slum lord; I will leave these weaknesses to your imagination.

Apparently I was a bit late with this. Check out Everitt Downing's and Emma Coat's characters too.

More T-shirt Art

Here is a design I did for Eric Church. I was told to do a skull with a certain kind of hat. I was also told that "Church" was possibly going to start a catch phrase "smoke a little smoke." Based on that, this is what I came up with.

In other news, the first design from the previous post is going to be printed. It will be printed on a natural colored shirt with browns, red, and oranges(see below). I am overjoyed to have a shirt chosen by Dan for his solo tour.

T-shirt Art February

I was recently commissioned to do some t-shirt art for a couple of bands. I was really excited to do some art for Dan Auerbach, of "The Black Keys," who is putting out a solo album. The "Keys" are awesome, and from what I have heard, Dan's album "Keep It Hid"sounds like it will be great too. I did one creative 70's feeling design (top), another based on 60's Jazz Art and Ohioan pride (center), seen in previous "Keys" apparel, and a more Head Shot approach (bottom).



This design is for a Country rocker I had not heard of named "Jonathan Singleton." I was told to take inspiration from Bob Seger t-shirts/posters. I found a photo of "Singleton" live that worked well. "Singleton" is touring with Eric Church and I will have a design of his that I will show in my next post. IF and MAD will have to wait.

I hope the musicians dig my ideas. If you get a chance, please let me know what you think.

There will be much "celebration" and jubilation when designs go to print.

IF: Flawed

Despite their many flaws, they were still the best of friends.

OK, I must admit this was under the influence of the "Frog and Toad" book series. I have been reading "Frog and Toad" books to my son lately.

IF: Pale

Pale= Pail=Bucket; same thing.

I know, I know, a day late. Better late than never.

T-shirts design for January

I have not posted for a while and I am glad to say that I finally have something to show for it. I was recently commissioned by a previous employer to create some t-shirt designs for the band Widespread Panic. I was told to be influenced by Grateful Dead art. I was also told that we were going to try and use a printing technique were the ink is thin and washed out; hence the slightly faded colors in the designs. The following illustrations and designs are the best ideas that I came up with.






People who have previously been to my blog may recognize the last design. It was a design I did for Iron and Wine that was rejected. I thought it was strong, so I updated it and put Widespread's name in there.

I would be delighted to know which one is your favorite.

Illustration Project: Start to Finish

For this illustration imagine a line going down the middle where there would be a fold, where the spine would bisect the design.

Recently, I was commissioned to to illustrate and design a book cover for an independently published writer. I worked exclusively with her to create a feel that see liked. Here is the process we went through.

First, she gave me a number of photos to look through.
I decided this picture could make a good composition
and exuded the mood she wanted to have.

Second, I gave her sketches of what the cover
would look like as a composition with text. We
came to a conclusion we both agreed on and
proceeded to the illustration phase.

Next, I did a pen illustration of the author. Notice
that I had to draw the feet without a reference.

After the pen drawing was finished I scanned
it and added some texture and color on the
computer. This took a while.

Then I showed the author a proof.

She decided that she did not want her face
to look as cartoonish. We decided to use the
original photo and low-light areas with pen
to keep the illustration consistent. We also
decided to put her lower on the page to leave
more room for the Title text.

She liked this proof a lot.

Finally, I added some design elements. I
created a Title logo and designed other
elements in the same feel.

We were both very happy with the final
realized vision.

No Art This Time: Just the random facts.

So I have been tagged to offer seven random facts about myself. I was tagged by the friendly and talented Yoon See. This may be the first and last time I talk much about myself so listen closely if you have any interest what-so-ever:

1. My nick-name musarter comes from the idea that I create music and art:
I am a musician and art-er. I am a bit embarrassed to admit my infatuation with playing music came from the idea that musicians get all the ladies. I got this idea from this scene from Lost Boys. After seeing this scene I promptly begged my parents to let me lease a saxophone to play in the school band at the tender age of 11. As I grew older I started to write music and enjoy the mental exercise it provided; I loved and still love the vast possibilities in this creative environment. My musical tastes and influences include but are not limited to the following genres: Reggae, Rock (roots, progressive, classic, etc.), Independent, Alternative, Electronic, Classical, Funk, Flamenco, African, Latin, Folk (American and Gypsy), Jazz (in many forms), R&B/soul, Gospel, Hip Hop and the Blues. If I ever record anything I will link it to this blog.

2. I have broken thickest bone in my body:
I broke my heal bone when I was in the forth grade. It was Super Bowl Sunday and all the adults were at a party. A friend and I decided it would be fun to sneak into a neighborhood girl's house to scare her and her friends. To do this we had to climb onto their roof and sneak in through the balcony door. Let's just say there was not much thought put into this scheme of ours as there was no escape plan. Upon retreat from our scare I jumped rather than get caught. I landed squarely on the grass below with the exception of my heal which caught the cement walk-way below.

3. I have broke the largest bone in my body:
I broke my femur bone just like in the picture on the bottom left. I was riding a wave runner and crashed into another wave runner. I am a living testimony to life-preservers: without one I would have drown.

4. I am a Male human from the USA that does not care much for College or Professional Sports:
Maybe it has to do with the trauma mentioned in (2) above. I do think it is entertaining I just have better things to do with my time. One the fondest memories I have took place during a Super Bowl: I was surfing during a great swell, no one was out, just as I was paddling into a large, hallow, wave a dolphin jumped within 10 feet of me and we both caught the wave together. This memory makes me think of all the great things that can pass by unnoticed while we sit in front of monitors and television screens.

5. I am an American that walks to work:
See previous post. There is something to be said about a small commute and being able to see my wife and children at lunch.

6. I am a self-professed coffee snob:
Although I worked at Starbucks for a while, I hardly drank coffee there. Working with that coffee smell drew me in. I learned how to taste coffee working with many connoisseurs. These days I wont drink Starbucks drip coffee and I only use a french press at home. Here is a link to one of my favorite regional coffees.

7. I am only person that lives in Watkinsville, GA. that grew up in Encinitas, CA:
My wife grew up in Carlsbad, CA. which makes her the only person in Watkinsville from Carlsbad, CA. I grew-up in a hippie-town comprised of surfers and immigrants. I left a city that was nothing like the great place I grew-up. We were being called to move somewhere else but we did not know where. A Friend our ours was moving to Athens, GA. and offered to let me stay with them until I found a job, and that is what I did. Let this be a lesson to people that casually make bold offers: I am living proof that sometimes people take-up the most outlandish of offers.


I am tagging some people not so much to see them write a novel, as I did, but to, hopefully,
send some traffic to some terrific blogs:

Andre Gribble
Dani Torrent
Ester Garcia Cortez
Curious Art
Michael Villegas
Austin Madison
Piero Pierini

All these blogs are very inspirational to me.

Obama Nation

So we have a new President. I don't really get why people love this man so much, really more than they should. Don't get me wrong he will probably be a good leader, and I know he has inspired a generation to think anyone can make it to the White House. I just think it is foolish to put so much hope in one person. After all, he is only human.