Unveiling Current Projects and Thrilling Updates in the Life of a Visionary Designer/Artist, Spanning from the Extraordinary to the Breathtaking.
Viewing entries in
Project Breakdown
Recently, I had the pleasure of finishing 5e’s Curse of Strahd and after such a thrilling adventure I couldn’t help myself from mocking the castle up in 3D. As I’m sure plenty of other modelers have discovered as they began working on Castle Ravenloft, the grid map supplied isn’t completely accurate. While it does do a good job, the castle artwork doesn’t always represent the grid map, nor does the grid map always follow the logic of the construction (I’m looking at you Chapel).
Very excited today to announce I have finished another one of my posters that I’ve had on the backburner. This one was a fun build and actually managed to utilize the 3D animated TIE Fighter I had made previously. I rendered it out in isometric form and then used the images for this design.
Reaching back to my youth, it would have to be Metal gear Solid that had some of the most significant impact on me growing up. It’s in part what fueled my interest in science fiction, history and storytelling...
I can say without much doubt that I’m a Game of Thrones fanboy! Admittedly I still need to read the novels, but with the dazzling success of the HBO series taking a prime and present location in the my binge watching television schedule; I couldn’t help but design my own Westeros map.
Close up of Poster Design
So this map really started its journey back in 2016. Back then I was designing this map for my girlfriend at the time, as a Christmas gift. This was my first real stab at creating a map and it was a semi successful venture in hindsight.
Now, a bit over a year later I returned with new skill sets and new paint brushes. The entire map was designed in adobe illustrator, which allowed for a lot of freedom by designing first through line art to nail down the important details. Next, I moved in with the cosmetic makeup if you will and began adding things like the paper texture, line design and was able to more clearly define the fonts I would use.
Full size map of Westeros on display
Work on the map continued by referencing as much canon material as I could. This involved looking at other maps and certainly the Wikipedia, which helped a considerable amount. Especially when it came to understanding what each of these locations was and it’s purpose.
Ultimately this was a really fun map to work on, and the detailing was really challenging but allowed me to stretch my mental skills to come up with creative solutions.
Hopefully you’ll find this Game of Thrones map as interesting as I have!
Things are really starting to take shape here. To start, the storyboard is 100% complete along with prop inventory and a clear understanding of expenses. With a budget of $300 I feel fairly confident I can get any additional supplies I might need (perks of making props for years).
How about that for the lamest title ever eh? Well, I'm usually pretty tight lipped about my work when it comes to film projects. But I figure there's no harm in sharing the process this time. So I'll be updating the blog a bit with all aspects of production to allow others to get an inside look at fan film production.
You may not know it, but there's more going on than meets the eye. This video provided the challenge of communicating how Double Sided signs would benefit the customer. While the obvious thing to do is simply show the customer how Double Sided Signs worked- but I wanted to take it a step further.
My latest video project has been this bite sized production "Now to Design Online". This video fits into the standard design model we've created for the SpeedySignsUSA brand, but I had a chance to make a simple graphic that really adds a lot to the video.
Speed was a constant theme in this video- especially considering how quickly I had to put this motion graphic together. Blazing forward at breakneck speeds this 43 second video was finished in less than two days time- or about 16 hours.
When I was tasked to create videos for Speedy Equipment Rental's I was honestly a little uneasy about the whole thing.
No, it wasn't simply against rental companies. It was because our designer put together the logo and general 'feel' of the brand rather quickly. Many of the design elements were meant to only exist in the 'meantime' until something better could be organized. But that's how design life goes at times, especially when you're managing other, more important brands under the same umbrella.
Recently I was contacted to work on a number of website banners for an extremely awesome Etsy store; Gaia Crafting. I was asked to keep the design fairly simple, as the website banners printed on her receipts as well. Additionally, the designs should utilize some of her products in the design.
When I was tasked with creating a brand identity for Lettering on the Cheap, my employer Shane Willems spoke loud and clear; give our audience a do-it-yourself home for their projects. There is real logic behind his statement and it provided the basis for all designs moving forward. But how could a Custom Vinyl company become a DIY hub?
When SSUSA asked me to create videos for their brand, what they really were asking for was a templated video layout I could use across their entire collection of Help and How-To Videos.
