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Wedding Design - Invitations, Programs, etc.

So like I said in my last post, I got married in June. Of course I just HAD to do everything myself when it came to the invitations, programs, RSVP cards, Save the Date's, etc. So here is what I did:

• For the save-the-date (or "announcement") magnets, I used 17 point magnetic cardstock with a gloss finish.  The bright "sangria" colored envelpes that were delivered to our guests set a "colorful" tone.
• The invitations were printed on 16 point Dull Cover with Matte Finish.  We found some really neat Glassine photo sleeves to use instead of a second envelope inside.  We ripped the top edge to add a bit more style.  The actual envelopes were grey,and I printed the labels differently than what you normally see...they wrapped around to the back flap for a really nice, modern look.  I got this idea from Jaclyn of One Twenty Two Photography and Design House.  The Centennial Cherry Blossom postage stamps were the perfect accent!
• The RSVP cards were an idea my wife found on Pinterest.  The MadLibs or "fill in the blanks" style postcards were a big hit with our guests...and with us!  It was great to read all of them  We ended up binding them all together and setting them next to the guest book at the reception.
• The programs were also printed on 16 pt. dull cover and made into hand fans with wooden popcicle sticks and ribbon...since it was a toasty June wedding and all.

 

So that's that!  Let me know if you are interested in me designing your upcoming or future wedding!

One of a Kind Groomsmen Gift..."Star Wars: Return of the Bride" Poster

I got hitched this past June and so I figured I'd share what I did for my groomsmen gifts.  I wanted to do something a little different than the usual monogrammed mug or flask, which are very cool and all...but just not my style.  I thought that something my guys could hang on their walls would be perfect.  Afterall, that's what I do for a living, draw stuff, so why wouldn't that be my gift to them!

I knew just what I would do after seeing some very neat posters on Pinterest where they took the characters from Star Wars and made them cartoonish.  Click here to see these...they are pretty awesome!

The idea evolved and I ended up sitting down and figuring out who each of my groomsmen would be if they were in the story.  Then I got all sappy and gave a speech at the rehearsal dinner about how life is like Star Wars and you have your Han Solos, Chewys, Obi wans, yadda, yadda, yadda, that make up the story of your life.  I know it was geeky...but I'm a dork, so what the hell.

Anyhow...here is the poster, which ended up being a huge hit and getting lots of laughs...much success!

New Artwork: "Drivers"

I finally saw the Nicholas Winding Refn's film, Drive, the other night and had to draw something in response.

SPOILER ALERT: If you haven't seen the movie yet, you might not want to read the rest of this.

The driver (played by Ryan Gosling) in the aptly named Drive reminded me a lot of Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro's character) in Martin Scorseses' film, Taxi Driver.  Both drivers are quiet, conflicted, and exhibit a sort of "Holden Caulfield" mentality about saving innocent children from a harsh underworld.  And of course, the climaxes of each movie come with a vigilante bloodbath.  The good guy turns out to be a bad guy, but is really acting for the good of others...you know, that whole thing.

For the illustration, I wanted to reflect the two characters.  I started with depicting the them facing each other, but that sort of looked like a stand-off where there was about to be a battle between a guy with a gun and a guy with a hammer.  Not the point I wanted to get across.

So I scratched the first draft and concentrated on the famous Taxi Driver scene where Travis talks to himself in the mirror, "You talking to me?  I don't see anyone else here...so you must be talkin' to me!"  I took a few liberties to make the picture work better; such as moving De Niro's distincitve mole to his left cheek.  In one draft I had the word "DRIVE" written on the wall in blood, but I decided that was too literal so I added one of Palantine's (the politician from Taxi Driver) political posters with "We Are The People."  I thought that motif fit both characters and evoked more thought.

Let me know what you think!

Here are some sketches and an early draft:

 

New St. Louis Illustrators Portfolio Website!

It is an honor to be showcased alongside many of the great artists/illustrators in the Midwest on the new www.stl-illustrator.com portfolio website!  

The website features over 20 of the top illustrators working today in the Greater St. Louis area.  View portfolios, read bios, book projects, and find links to all of these artists' great online work...including yours truly.  The website is produced by the Illustration Section of the St. Louis Artists’ Guild.  All artists represented are members of the Guild and offer their professional services for illustration, portraiture, graphic design, and/or mural commissions and assignments.

The Illustration Section of the St. Louis Artists' Guild is approaching its tenth anniversary in June of 2012. This web site is a cooperative project of our group.

The Illustration Section meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the Artists’ Guild. Our meetings feature guest speakers from the illustration field and related areas. We also plan group shows, community education projects, help with Guild fundraisers, and plan special group activities. Visit our blog to learn more about our meetings, speakers, and activities. Come on out, and see what we're up to!

Learn more about the Guild at www.stlouisartistsguild.org/. You'll find Artists' Guild membership information here, including an online membership form.

Site Design and Build: Jean Probert
Text: Jean Probert ©2004-2012

All artwork displayed is copyrighted by the individual artist who created it.

 

2011 St. Louis Cardinals Illustration - "Red October"

As an avid St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan, I wanted to express my feeling of the monumental season they completed in 2011.  I chose to depict this panoramic view from the dugout of the team's celebration.  There are many other scenes/depictions that could show the celebrations and different moments in the playoffs.  But I felt that this really captured the essence of baseball...a bunch of men turned into children in the moment of winning the big game.  It isn't about the details of the stadium or the players, which you could get from a photograph.  This is more about the overall feeling of the moment, lost in pure joy.

This scene is actually based on a photograph that was taken in Milwaukee after the Cardinals defeated the Brewers to win the National League Championship.  After seeing the photo, I knew this was the perfect basis for what I wanted to convey with my artwork.  I began working on the illustration the day after they won the NL pennant, but was not able to complete it until the Cardianls actually won the World Series...I had to know what to put on the jumbo-tron, haha!  If they didn't win, I was considering making this an "anytime" win, maybe against the Cubs or Royals.

But fate worked it's magic, the Cards won the Championship and I knew how to finish off the work.  Then with some finishing touches, I felt it needed a little extra something...so the "rally squirrel" had to make a small appearance just one more time!

24"x12" Premium Canvas Prints are Now Available on Etsy

Stacked Music Festival 2012 - Website and Promo Poster Design

www.StackedFestival.com.au launched yesterday along with the promotional poster.  I was approached by the promoters of this Australian music festival in Wollongong to first design a poster based on a "pearly gates" concept.  It was to be in a very modern cartoonish style.  They wanted a couple angels in their likeness and big, old looking gates...very heavenly and all that.

I feel that the result of the poster and website is very successful and my clients seem to be extremely satisfied!  Sponsors and an updated line-up still need to be added to the poster to fill the spaces on the right and left.

 

Check out the live website at: www.StackedFestival.com.au.  

The poster is viewable on their Facebook Page here: http://www.facebook.com/stackedfestival

As well as on this website: http://www.looksgreat.biz/illustrations.html

Vampire Illustration - "Give it a Rest"

This is an illustration I completed today as my take on the whole vampire craze in America the past few years.  Admittedly, I am a True Blood fan...but all the other stuff is overkill (pun intended).  Seriously, writers and creatives, get a new idea instead of beating a dead horse so deep into the ground that (fill in your campy vampire cliche here).

I cannot wait for that incredibly cheesy "Twilight Saga" to be over and the rest of the genre to take a long, much needed sleep for a decade or so.  You too, Sookie...as sexy as you are.

Portfolio Update: Four New Illustrations Added!

GO TO THE GALLERY HERE!

Hey world!  It's been a while!  

I've been extremely busy as of late...so I have somewhat neglected this blog section.  Today I added a few new illustrations to my gallery, so I just wanted to talk about each for a minute...

"Death Takes a Lover" Promo Poster

First was a poster I did for a theater company in North London.  The play, "Death Takes a Lover," is a brutally wicked story that is actually way too complicated for me to even try to synopsize here.  The first version is from a scene in the play in which one character acts out her fantasies upon another character who is recently deceased and taxidermied.  It's sick, I know.  The second version, they liked a little more because it was simpler and more eye catching.

 

 

"Is It Real?" Illustration

The next new illo began as a simple line drawing for a t-shirt design.  The client wanted a contour drawing of his face with some other elements.  I liked the expression on the face and I wanted to take the drawing a little further after the shirts were done.

I think this turned out pretty cool.  Hopefully you get that he's drunk and at a club or something...I tried to give that implication through the beads and lighting.  

 

Magician Flyer

The third illustration was for a children's magician I found on Design Crowd, Chris the Magish, who needed a flyer made.  The flyer didn't get selected, but I liked the picture so I figured I'd post it.

Not too much else to say about this one I suppose.

 

 

Indie Chick Portrait

Last we have an "indie" or "hipster" chick that I drew last night and colored in today.  I couldn't tell you where she came from...I just started drawing and this is where I ended up.  I am actually very happy with this though.  

It is very simple, but you can kind of see that this girl has a story to her.  I guess I could come up with one sometime in the near future!

 

GO TO THE GALLERY HERE!

Step-by-Step at Home Screen Printing, Cheap & Easy!

The majority of people who I've come in contact with have little to no idea what goes into printing t-shirts (or posters) using the screen printing method.  I feel like some people think that it is simply a matter of sticking a blank shirt in a big machine, hitting a couple buttons, and ta-dah!...a t-shirt is made!  For any of you who have some knowledge of the process already, you know that is far from the case.

I taught myself to screen print over a year ago and I now have my process down pat.  Since I do things slightly unconventional (or the "hard way"), I wanted to share my process with anyone who wanted to learn how to start screen printing very cheaply.  Of course, coming to my finalized process was not cheap, as I wasted a lot of blank shirts, ink, equipment, etc. not knowing what the hell I was doing at first.  But now it is start to pay itself off.

So let's start!  I suggest going through each step first, to get the whole idea, and then going back and taking it step-by-step.

1. The first step in screen printing is obviously coming up with a design.  I am doing a shirt for my comic, "Hammer'd" on www.CrapfortheCrapper.com.   Once you have your design, you change everything to black and print it on transparencies.  This takes some prior knowledge of Photoshop or Illustrator, so I won't go into too much detail.  I double up my transparencies in order to assure darkness.  Here I am using four tranparency sheets taped together since the design wouldn't fit on a standard 8.5"x11" sheet.

I use Apollo transparency film in my HP 1410 All-in-one.  If found that this printer, opposed to my much more expensive Brother MFC 5890cn, prints pretty dark transparencies.

The shirt I'm doing is going to be a three color screen print, but I'm just doing one screen and will tape off the sections that are diffferent colors than the one I'm printing.  This will be explained better later on.