I can no longer be restricted by standard brushes.

So here is the thing.  I have been mixing line drawing and Photoshop texture for some time, but I never once made my own brushes.  This is tantamount to someone who enjoys pasta but never makes their own sauce.  Why wouldn't you just open up a can of Muir Glen diced tomaters and fry up some garlic?  It's hardly difficult and life will improve by 12% (actual statistic that I made up).

To make the brushes I scanned an assortment of textures.  I used crayon, graphite, and an ink brush.

Then I followed this tutorial from Smashing Magazine to make brushes for the background of this icon illustration.  

The story behind the project is that a tiny adorable person of my acquaintance is feeling a little nervous around dogs.  His folks have been assuring him that St. Michael will protect him from doggies with an angelic disapproving finger wag.  They required a "Bad Dog No Biscuit" icon for the kid's room.  Voila!

I heart "CMD + U" FOREVER.

Wheehee!  Skillbuilding season has begun!  

This is a glorious time (much like May in Chicago) which is identified by three defining characteristics: 

1. All offspring are in school
2. Enough sweet cash has been made by paying gigs to avoid a panic attack followed by the sucking shame spiral into an impenetrable dark abyss that comes free with any degree in the liberal/ fine arts.  
3. A realization that life is short and the to-do list is achievable (once Netflix is disabled).

Behold!  The first new skill of the season:  Smart Guides

Ya'll I am a big dummy for not using Smart Guides (shortcut CMD +U) all the damn time.    Do you know how many times I have tried to eyeball the perfect placement of lines like a chump?  The tutorial I followed today was a great Illustrator refresher for any project that requires building complex shapes.   I highly recommend the blog Spoon Graphics
 for any designer using the Adobe Creative suite.   

Texas Tech Portrait

This was a fun commission from the excellent Catherine McGovern, the communications coordinator for the Rawls College of Business at Texas Tech University.   It was a gift for a beloved philanthropic family.

I have to give Catherine a shout-out.  At this point we have worked on multiple portraits over a few years together for distinguished Tech alumni.  People should know that Catherine's first sketch always makes me seethe with jealousy.  I know for a fact she just scribbled out that bad boy while simultaneously hosting a conference call and composing a letter.  Yet, it is almost always exactly the composition the project demands.  I would love to see Catherine produce a graphic novel.  I would read the hell out of her book. 

Special thank you to my marathon finishing sister-in-law Karen for the runner poses.  The woman keeps winning trophies for her speed but refuses to display them, so I thought it only appropriate that she should be the winner in this picture!