Posters and small merch have always had a pull on me. I'm a fan. Short of being in the movies, artists and fans alike can participate in the excitement.
A sneak peak into my personal poster collection.
My passions seem to overlap perfectly.
The only sad part is when these two powers combine, it doesn't make an illustrator. I can use the program Illustrator, but that's night and day from calling oneself an illustrator. I'm lucky enough know several very accomplished illustrators and they would agree.
Robert McGinnis is the perfect example of how Hollywood goes authentic with a painted advertisement.
The opportunity
An illustrator, I may not be. But I do consider myself a drawer. There is always room for one more artist selling their wears online. I have been honing those skills since childhood. A lot of classes and hours have helped be become the artist and designer I am today.
My style would be different: Very much the artists hand: gestural, raw, and very energetic. At a time where the poster market is very flat, the smooth vector look is in, but it can't last forever. People are being inundated with flat design everywhere and now it's finally in the poster market. This will level out. People are going to want something that feels authentic. It's hard to be authentic with vector based art.
The movies finally make sense
The world of movies has been a great escape for my imagination. The characters and sets are simple, but the world around their stories is so much bigger than the minutes on screen. We can imagine untold stories of friends, adventures, and romances. Epic backstories and far away places.
Portrait from Bob Peak
Robert McGinnis captures a unique side of the male and female relationship in his work.
Drawing & painting is a high art!
The ability to draw has always been one that I prized more than an ability to read and write. It has held my attention for 30 years and without fail it will likely be the same until my fingers don't work. The arts have a language all their own. It is a more robust form of communication that words cannot translate. Sometimes artists can speak directly to our emotions, or ambitions, and even our deepest truths.
Road blocks
The biggest hurdle is time. The time spent developing other interests takes me away from drawing. These are actually more than drawings. The type of merch that I would like to create is far more than a collection of drawings; I want to communicate to those hidden and elusive parts of your mind. I want to develop a hybrid language that's my own. That will take time.
Secondly, there are other roadblocks in my way. This website is one. The drawing book will be two. The design guide will be another, podcasts, annual report, etc. If I can't crush one, I need to at least touch each project to move it forward.
This will require a more robust strategy and time will be a factor.
Next Steps...
Start sketching at a fever pace. Sometimes the best way to get something done is to simply get started. Let me know if you have any requests.