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.
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!
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.
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
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:
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.
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.
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.
I really enjoyed drawing the Shaggin Wagon – I hope they bring it back in the sequel.
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.
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
Pencil drawing for a Dumb and Dumber illustration I am working on. Work in progress from the desk of illustrator Brian Allen
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.