Illustration application

Hello all,

Tomorrow I am off for a week to the East coast to visit Boston, Rhode Island and some other places in between. Before I leave here is some really fun products and illustrations I got to make for HAM's Holiday 2009 gift.

Sign and numbered posters:

Deck of playing cards (HAM's take on its own designer, Creative director and Art Director world influenced deck of cards):

Some illustrating and sketching

Hello,

Well before I head off next week I wanted to try and get in some posts. Today's focus is back on my true passion which is illustration and sketching. For the past five years I have been trying to find my voice as an illustrator and I have to say I am feeling good about where I'm going. Art is like life with its ups and downs like a roller coaster. Feelings of success to feelings of questioning the quality of art you produce. I think I finally figured it out in my mind, I have to see the lines I need to cross and the barriers that I have to jump over. How does one get over these barriers haha well if I had the one right answer I would write a book, I think... The way I have dealt with my barriers is to realize what they are and find ways to climb over them and use them to overcome the next big barrier. I believe that every experience is a stepping stone to the next big challenge. The beauty in life and art is to learn from them and get better. Hope this little insight helps and remember to take a moment to see how a barrier will help you become something stronger for the next task ahead.

Well here is some exploration and pieces that I have done, enjoy.

Sketches for BRIO Magazine (full page spread about teens and eco-friendly choices):
Doodles for fun:

Sketch for a work project:

Illustration for a Technology Magazine about the life and evolution of a hacker:

Test Illustration sample for a Direct TV print and web campaign:

One of a series of Illustrations about San Francisco:

Illustration of the southern cook Paula Deen:

Series of Dog illustrations for a dog book that was recently published:

Part4: What have I been up to?

Hi,

How are you all? I hope amazing. I'm currently working on a game for "Spam" the food lol. Its different but cool, lots of weird animations. This post will be the last post about "What I have been up to?" and I'm going to post the interactive things I designed and had fun with this past year. Something to keep a look out for is going to be future posts about illustration, random sketches and design work. In the meantime here are some samples of a few of my favorite interactive concepts.

Oh before I forget I am going out of town next week to Boston for the whole week and will return on Tuesday the 27th. I am going to try and post some photos from the trip and my sweet little niece.

Thanks for listening and enjoy:

Interactive piece designed for the political season. With this piece you could pick a candidate then mix and match pieces from speeches they have given then send that mixed message to friends or post it.

This next project was to design an interactive valentines song/message maker that could be both a love song or a hate you for dumping me type of song. The general concept was the more positive messaging you select the more over the top the set design and characters would get with lovey stuff and the same goes for someone selecting hateful messaging.

Part3: What have I been up to?

Evening,

Well I thought I would post some illustration work tonight versus more interactive stuff (interactive will be a later post). My true love is and has always been illustration, some news to announce which is really cool, my work has been featured in both AI-AP Illustration 27 and the 2008 HOW promotional Annual this past year. The interactive poster I made this year, that got me into the HOW Awards Annual, had doors that swing open to reveal artwork under neath the other images also laser die-cut designs as well. It was a huge hit here in Minneapolis and all over the states. Along with this post I redid the branding for HAM with some really fun illustrations in my new breath of style and feeling. Hope you all get a kick out of them.

HAM Holiday Poster 2008:

Also a picture taken from a Poster show. My poster got to hang with fellow artist like James Jean and Tara Mc Pherson. The Show was hosted by College of Design in Arizona.
HAM Branding- Business cards and general illustrations for branding (the tank illustration along with the poster earned a place in AI-AP 27:

Part2: What have I been up to?

Hello,

So here is some more work I have done this past year or so. This work mainly revolves around interactive work, design, and animation. There are several other interactive/web design projects I will post after this one. I hope you enjoy and like what I have been up to.

Below are a series of stills from the Mall of America: Nickelodeon Universe site I worked as illustration, design and animation. I got to animate Spongebob and several other elements on this one. It was fun to work on.
The next set of images below are from the 2008 Halloween site I designed for Target. This years theme was Domo and all things Domo. With this project I got to Design everything, Animate, and illustrate needed assets. The Amazing thing I just found out was that this online experience was Targets most successful seasonal campaign to date with sales up 89%.The last set of images I will showcase today are from the previous years Halloween site for Target. Edgar and Ellen from Nickelodeon were the main theme this year and it was extremely well received. Again I got to lead the design and animation along with making all the fun illustrations for the site.

What have I been up to?

Hello,

So some might ask what have I been up to that has kept me so busy. Well here is just a taste of all the fun stuff I have had the pleasure of being apart this past year or so. (next post will be interactive micro sites for places like target.)

Here ya go:

5 minutes to kill yourself 2 ( had the pleasure of leading all the assets creation, design and illustrations for this project also animating in MAYA at times.)



Kill Thy Neighbor for adult Swim: I was the lead Illustrator, animator and designer on this one. Its a button smasher but it was developed by HAM.

And then I worked on this concept that is being turned into something else. Its going to be a game that changes from shooter to action adventure. OneBluebird will be producing this one with one other title this year. Right now its for fun and just to have it built but I hope it will have a place to live.

I'm Back 2009

Hello to anyone that still reads this blog lol. I'm back and I'm going to try and make this blog alive and updated as regular as possible, starting now.
So where to begin? I have been working and living in Minneapolis, MN for the past year and work for a gaming/interactive agency. Along with that Amanda and I have gotten in engaged a year ago as well. The wedding is planned for 10.10.09 and that will be our 4th year together.

With work, life and freelance things have been busy and hard to keep my mind straight and give this blog the love it needed. Now that I have a grasp on myself and my mind again I thought now is the time to come back to the land of the living.

Projects have been wonderful and fun this year; working on gaming, interactive sites and animation to list a few. Clients like Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, Target, Spam, and San Francisco Chronicle have keep my mind and hands drawing away.

So I thought what better way to kick off this rebirth of sorts with a life changing event, with some of our engagement photos.

Please keep checking back and I hope to win my viewers back!!

Enjoy,
Stephen