I was hired to create a T-Shirt design for a new apparel brand called Saltopus.  I was given only the direction that it had to include angry monkeys.  I illustrated a few concept sketches, and the client chose this concept, of evil monkeys emerging from an innocent looking Barrel of Monkeys toy.  The shirt was designed to be just one-color, which always poses a challenge.  Since I have no highlight or shading color, I really have to pack a lot of detail into the lineart and make sure it reads well from a distance.  We are both very happy with how this turned out.
Evil monkeys jumping out of a barrel full of monkeys

Evil monkeys jumping out of a barrel full of monkeys

Evil monkeys jumping out of a barrel full of monkeys

Evil monkeys jumping out of a barrel full of monkeys

Evil monkeys jumping out of a barrel full of monkeys

Evil monkeys jumping out of a barrel full of monkeys

Mascot design of a rock drill instructor for a mud run obstacle course

Mascot design of a rock drill instructor for a mud run obstacle course

Mascot design of a rock drill instructor for a mud run obstacle course

Mascot design of a rock drill instructor for a mud run obstacle course

I created this mascot design of a drill sergeant made of rock and mud for Hardcore Muddrun, one of the leading obstacle training courses.  The client needed a mascot for their website, apparel, and other branding.  We are also working on several different poses, along with an animation in the future.  This is probably as close as I will ever get to an actual mud run!

Tropical beach illustration of a tiki man and iguana on a beach

Tropical beach illustration of a tiki man and iguana on a beach

Tropical beach illustration of a tiki man and iguana on a beach

I created this detailed cartoon scene of football fans, cheerleaders, and players in a stadium parking lot for Coolbone It, a company that creates really cool looking customized coolers.  The coolers wrap full-color graphics around the entire surface of the cooler, making it a piece of artwork.  This design was an incredible challenge, because there were so many characters to draw, and I had to create the design in a way that could be repeated seamlessly on each end, so it could wrap around he cooler.  I’m very pleased with how this turned out.

Football tailgate colorful comic book cartoon illustation of fans and football player

Football tailgate colorful comic book cartoon illustation of fans and football player

Football tailgate colorful comic book cartoon illustation of fans and football player

Football tailgate colorful comic book cartoon illustation of fans and football player

Football tailgate colorful comic book cartoon illustation of fans and football player

Football tailgate colorful comic book cartoon illustation of fans and football player

Football tailgate colorful comic book cartoon illustation of fans and football player

My finished dumb and dumber zombie parody illustration on a t-shirt available from designbyhumans.com.What do you think?Www.designbyhumans.com/shop/men/dead-and-deader-zombie-tribute-to-dumb-and-dumber/91276 Work in progress from the desk of illustrator Brian Allen
My finished dumb and dumber zombie parody illustration on a t-shirt available from designbyhumans.com.What do you think?Www.designbyhumans.com/shop/men/dead-and-deader-zombie-tribute-to-dumb-and-dumber/91276

T-Shirt illustration I created as a tribute to one of the greatest films ever made: Dumb and Dumber. The piece is called “Dead and Deader,” and features Harry (Jeff Daniels) and Lloyd (Jim Carey) as decaying zombie corpses.

The t-shirt illustration was set up for silk-screening using 6 colors. It was a challenge to find the right color scheme for all these items (the iconic tuxedos, the worm farm, the Shaggin Wagon) with such limited color. But I’m very happy with how it turned out. I also recorded a speed-painting tutorial for my YouTube channel that I’m excited to share.

Check out this speed-painting tutorial video I created showing the entire illustration process:

Dumb and Dumber Zombie Tribute Illustration

Pencil drawing created in Manga Studio 5, using a variation of a pencil brush I purchased from the talented Jonathon Rector.  Ray Frenden also makes fantastic pencil brushes that you should check out.

Parody tribute t-shirt illustration of Dumb and Dumber Harry and Lloyd as zombies created by Freelance Illustrator Brian Allen

Inks

Parody tribute t-shirt illustration of Dumb and Dumber Harry and Lloyd as zombies created by Freelance Illustrator Brian Allen

Ink Work-in-progress

The design is now all inked and ready to color.  Coloring is one of the least time-consuming parts of the process for me, but it adds the most to the illustration.

Dumb and dumber tribute illustrationParody tribute t-shirt illustration of Dumb and Dumber Harry and Lloyd as zombies created by Freelance Illustrator Brian Allen

Detail shot of a pretty bird…pretty bird.

Here are a few detail shots of the illustration.  I tried to cram as many Dumb and Dumber references that I could into the illustration.  Here’s Petey, not looking so good.

Parody tribute t-shirt illustration of Dumb and Dumber Harry and Lloyd as zombies created by Freelance Illustrator Brian Allen

Detail image

Parody tribute t-shirt illustration of Dumb and Dumber Harry and Lloyd as zombies created by Freelance Illustrator Brian Allen

Detail image

I really enjoyed drawing the Shaggin Wagon – I hope they bring it back in the sequel.

Parody tribute t-shirt illustration of Dumb and Dumber Harry and Lloyd as zombies created by Freelance Illustrator Brian Allen

T-Shirt Mockup

And here is the final illustration!  I’m very please with how it turned out.  I created two versions:  a full-color version, and a silk-screen version.  The differences are subtle, but in the silk-screen version, I had to come up with creative ways to create a lot of depth and color using only six colors.

 

Parody tribute t-shirt illustration of Dumb and Dumber Harry and Lloyd as zombies created by Freelance Illustrator Brian Allen

Full-Color Version

Parody tribute t-shirt illustration of Dumb and Dumber Harry and Lloyd as zombies created by Freelance Illustrator Brian Allen

6-Color Silk-Screen Version

 

 

Here is my inked version of Dead and Deader. I can't wait to show you all the finished version! Work in progress from the desk of illustrator Brian Allen
Here is my inked version of Dead and Deader.  I can't wait to show you all the finished version!

Pencil drawing for a Dumb and Dumber illustration I am working on. Work in progress from the desk of illustrator Brian Allen
Pencil drawing for a Dumb and Dumber illustration I am working on.

Double-page editorial spread I illustrated for the Canadian DIY magazine HOSS. The illustration features caricatures of DIY celebrities Anitra Mecadon, Jason Cameron, Chris Grundy, Sharon Grech, Jeff Devlin, and Stephen Fanuka finishing a basement.

The magazine prints over a million copies bi-monthly.

Double-page spread editorial illustration

Click here to see more of my Illustrations.

Classroom illustrations I created for a brochure for Elsevier, the leading provider of informational publications for medical and scientific audiences. The client needed a series of illustraitons showing how a new book they were publishing can help teachers engage their students more effectively. The illustration was set up in a way that left a lot of empty areas for text and call-outs to be placed without interfereing with the illustration. Digitally drawn and colored in Manga Studio 5.Nursing classroom illustrations with cartoon comic teen characters

Nursing classroom illustrations with cartoon comic teen characters

Nursing classroom illustrations with cartoon comic teen characters

T-Shirt illustration I created for Spiral Direct of a warrior confronting an evil dragon. I digitally painted this illustration in Adobe Photoshop and Manga Studio 5. This piece was very challenging for me, because of the complex lighting. The client and I went through several revisions, which in the end really improved on the piece. Available from Spiral Direct.Spiral Direct Dragon

Fantasy digital painting of a dragon and a knight

Fantasy digital painting of a dragon and a knight

Custom illustration I created of an angry Jaguar head for sports mascots provided by Great Dane Graphics. Since much of my artwork is lineart driven, it’s fun to sometimes deviate from that style and explore digital painting a bit more. It can be tricky to translate my style into digital painting, but I tried my best by giving this jaguar a lot of character and attitude. This design was created in Adobe Photoshop and Manga Studio 5, and will be used for T-Shirts and uniforms. Available for licensing from Great Dane Graphics.

Client:

Conscious Curci

Description:

T-Shirt illustration I created for the hip-hop artist Concious Curci of a thug riding a skateboard away from the cops. The T-Shirt illustration was set up for silk-screening with 4 colors to celebrate the release of Corci’s latest album.

Thug wearing a ski mask riding a skateboard away from the police

Thug wearing a ski mask riding a skateboard away from the police

Conscious Curci process

Conscious Curci T-Shirt mockup

Client:

Bloomsfield Machine and Welding

Description:

T-Shirt illustration I created for a welding company showing a cyborg welder with a torch for an arm. This T-Shirt illustration was set up for direct-to-garment printing.

Cyborg Welder T-Shirt Illustration

Cyborg Welder T-Shirt Illustration

Click here to see more of my Dark Illustrations

Check out more of my T-Shirt designs here.