July Birthdays

When we sign office birthday cards, I’ve been trying to add a little sketch about the person being celebrated. Since COVID-19 and working from home, I haven’t been able to do that. So I decided to bring it back—virtually. We have lots of birthdays in July, starting with my copywriter partner, Alex Slotkin. Alex is probably one of the kindest and smartest guys I know. He's also the well-spoken voice our our team, when we present work. Alex is the reason I know terms like portmanteau and skeuomorphic.

Here I captured him as a Writer Bot. 

Next up is Jason Giles. I’ve worked with Jason, since he came to our agency in late 2002. We both moved with LAUNCH Agency when they broke off and went on their own, in 2003. Not only is Jason a ‘car guy’ with a true passion for driving, he’s also a good person to have in your life. I know this, because Jason can make everybody laugh, and he also takes an honest interest in what is happening with you. He’s a true friend.

Here I captured him as a Driver Bot.

I finish this set with David Wilgus. Dave is a Creative Director and one of the principal owners of LAUNCH. I’ve worked with Dave, since before they started the agency in 2003 and I continue to be inspired by him. Last Halloween, we did a group costume. Dave was Bob Ross and we were all 'happy trees'. 

The persona kinda stuck, so I capture him as a Bob Bot. 

Happy Birthday, Alex, Jason and David.

Stickers

I'm trying out some stickers with my logo. I got a small test batch from Stickermule and another small batch from Vinyldisorder. 

One of these days I’ll build this brand, and my reputation, big enough that folks will actually want one. Haha.

Happy 4th of July

I'm trying to split my time between working digitally and analog. Both have their advantages. With analog, you don't have the luxury of unlimited undo and redo options. Once you start inking, what you get, is pretty much what you get. Imperfect lines are accepted as they are. Ink washes that bleed the wrong way, too dark or over the line, just become part of the final look. Making and living with mistakes reminds me of why I started sketching again.

Here's a piece that I created for the 4th of July. Since the COVID-19 quarantine has kept everybody from gathering for the traditional fireworks displays across the country, I thought I would pay tribute to that tradition. It wasn't my plan, but you could interpret this as a robot Uncle Sam, lighting a mega firework rocket. There's also no intended commentary on the state of Uncle Sam or the controversy of lighting fireworks during the protests of police brutality during the Black Lives Matter movement. I just wanted to create a simple and innocent representation of life before 2020 - for better or worse.

Process started with a rough thumbnail sketch and a tighter pencil. This time, I decided to do an ink wash, before doing my ink lines. The more I do this, the better understanding I have of lighting and volume. My goal is to continue getting better at that.