Professor Laser's Rock'n'Roll Foundation for the Arts

New Pie Box Design

2010-11-10T14:57:00.001-06:00

Using semi-stale emulsion made for a 'distressed' appearance which plays into

the rustic look as requested by the Texas Pie Kitchen. Call it a happy accident.

Order your holiday pies from TPK, but only if yer gonna be in the Austin area.

visit www.texaspiekitchen.org for details.

PEACE!

--
Professor Laser for Laser Diagnostix

Bonus

2010-10-15T21:54:00.000-05:00

Spec shirts for mega-metal group, Golden Axe.

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Professor Laser for Laser Diagnostix

Cuttin' an' ascratchin'

2010-10-15T21:24:00.001-05:00

As stated in previous posts here, new equipment brings new challenges.

So we spent some time getting to know our 4/1 tabletop press.

Here are some of the results...
The 'Che' tee came out fuzzy so we've included the graphic as it appears on paper.

And the last two images are front and back of the same garment.

Celebrations.

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Professor Laser for Laser Diagnostix

Oldie but goldie

2010-10-15T15:25:00.000-05:00

To the trained eye, a new and improved logo for this most recent run of a Laser classic...

BING BING BING!!

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Professor Laser for Laser Diagnostix

The same, but different...

2010-10-15T15:23:00.001-05:00

Banged out fifty rags (that's squeegee-talk for shirts) for THE JONX!

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Professor Laser for Laser Diagnostix

Whammy!

2010-07-31T00:55:00.001-05:00

This is Laser Diagnostix's latest acquisition:

a four color/one station SilverPress.

One part metal. One part real.

A very exciting time indeed. Let's ROCK!
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Professor Laser for Laser Diagnostix

The World Is A Ghetto

2010-07-27T05:27:00.001-05:00

Front and reverse of the last job on the homemade rig. Tomorrow I will have a four color/one station manual table top press. Joy.

Three words have been ringing through my ears like a mantra, "Prepress, prepress, prepress." That's where the work is, as they say.

Mercifully, a front rolled through town tonight. It really cooled things down. The weathercast claims it never got below 75 degrees, but I swear for a whole minute it got down to the upper sixties. That makes all the difference while printing in my garage. Even at night that sucker is like a g.d. oven. Level up, son!

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Professor Laser for Laser Diagnostix

Radicalbadical

2010-07-21T22:02:00.001-05:00

Trey LaVigne, born of woman, proudly models Laser Diagnostix

product featuring our 'Der Jimi Heinrich Erfahrung' print.

No mere undergarment, Trey is sporting protective gear designed

to protect its wearer from the ninnies and the twits.

More to come...

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Professor Laser for Laser Diagnostix

One Brazillion

2010-07-06T13:08:00.001-05:00

Tody needs an ad for his July residence at Cafe Brasil, so I whipped up this 18"x6" sucker. Acrylic on heavy stock.

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Professor Laser for Laser Diagnostix

Deckard Billion

2010-07-02T19:13:00.002-05:00

If you don't already know, Rick is a replicant. Gaff's origami unicorn is the tell.

Once again, Laser Diagnostix allows those who don these garments to weed out those

who pretend to know but don't. Conversely, the enigmatic presentation raises questions providing

an opportunity to open dialogue with others on what's important: your favorite movies. Silver half-tone on black. I captured the image with my iPhone using the plastic replica that came with the DVD box set. Scooge.

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Professor Laser for Laser Diagnostix

How To Say 'See Threepio' in Polish

2010-06-29T23:10:00.001-05:00

Obviously, this being a copyrighted image, it is not for sale. Just wanted to show off the results of a little exercise, a practice run you might say, we conducted here at Laser Diagnostix. Oh, some of you dedicated readers out there may notice that we changed from Diagnostics to Diagnostix. This was done for web address purposes considering the Laser Diagnostics domain was already purchased. We like the 'X' better anyway. Right, gang? Right.

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Professor Laser for Laser Diagnostics

Nature Trail To Hell

2010-06-28T21:15:00.001-05:00

Today's entry in the Laser Diagnostix archive...As you may be able to tell, it's for a bachelor party. Even with a few of these suckers (job) under the belt, there is still a long way to go (learning curve), and that's all good. Special thanks to Kevin at River City Graphic Supply for his invaluable guidance! Boo-Yaa! Just a quick reminder, Laser Diagnostix is here for all your one-color t-shirt needs. Give us a call to place an order at (512) 82-PRINT. I'm in your corner.

What a satisfied customer looks like...

2010-06-07T08:42:00.001-05:00

Glen Sullivan of Foughel Industries came to visit Laser Diagnostics' Austin location this weekend. Here are some pics of him before and after cutting paint over our Hel design. As you can see he is pleased with the results. Contact Laser Diagnostics through Professor Laser via email at professorlaser@gmail.com for questions about procuring our merch.

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Professor Laser for Laser Diagnostics

Pure Hel

2010-06-04T22:43:00.001-05:00

This is the first piece of merchandise available to the people through Laser Diagnostics. It has been a long time coming and we're super happy with the results. The halftone graphic depicts Rotwang's diabolic creation, Hel, from 1927's Metropolis. It is screened in black ink on a charcoal grey Fruit Of The Loom 100% cotton tee. If you're interested in acquiring Laser Diagnostics merchandise, please e-mail us.

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Professor Laser for Laser Diagnostics

Bonus

2010-06-03T00:59:00.001-05:00

A custom job for a homie. Orange on black. Boo-Yaa.

--
Professor Laser for Laser Diagnostics

RHS Alternate And Reverse

2010-06-03T00:58:00.001-05:00

As promised...

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Professor Laser for Laser Diagnostics

RHS Reverse

2010-06-01T22:00:00.001-05:00

This is the graphic featured on the back of the Jimi shirt...from before.

--
Professor Laser for Laser Diagnostics

Front And Detail RHS

2010-06-01T21:57:00.001-05:00

After wrestling with a quart of chromaline blue for 24 hours, I returned to a dual cure from the same brand.

Much to my relief, things at Laser Diagnostics were again flowing, but not without undergoing acute growing pains.

Note to self: never again go to print on a job with untried equipment or materials. It cost me a deadline. Onwards...

These shirts are for the German Club at Reagan H.S. in The Houston Heights. This is the front graphic and a detail pic.

We have here a send-up on the JMH debut. The slogan at the bottom translates to "Do you have experience?" taken from Jimi's debut title.

The detail pic highlights Jimi in German garb, donning lederhosen. Originally, the accompanying text on both top and bottom, were in the same

style as Jimi's original but needed to be changed for compliance with school policy.

Thanks, Mark! There is an alternate German Club shirt I'll have to post tomorrow.

--
Professor Laser for Laser Diagnostics

This just in...

2010-05-02T23:09:00.001-05:00

Look into my eye.

2010-04-29T01:04:00.001-05:00

A: Every day in the Marine Corps is like a day on the farm. Every meal is a banquet, every paycheck a fortune, every formation a parade. I LOVE the Corps!

H: God damn, this floor is freezin'!

A: What do you want me to do, Hudson, fetch your slippers for you?

H: Gee, would you, sir? I'd like that.

A: Look into my eye...FALL IN PEOPLE!

http://www.thejonx.org/

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Professor Laser for Laser Diagnostics

On The Ocean

2010-04-26T22:27:00.001-05:00

I still need to build a vacuum table so I can start printing posters!

--
Professor Laser for Laser Diagnostics

Tank'n'Biggs

2010-04-20T23:18:00.001-05:00

This completes another run of diagnostics from Professor Laser. Jams, that is.

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Professor Laser for Laser Diagnostics

Hornet's Nest

2010-04-19T23:22:00.001-05:00

We're busy as a charged particle. Yes sir, the operation is tightening. Even now do we see a fluidity developing as our campaign progresses. Level up. Onward!

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Professor Laser for Laser Diagnostics

Operation: Ultrawolf

2010-04-18T22:35:00.001-05:00

Mission accomplished!

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Professor Laser for Laser Diagnostics

Hungry...Like Der Wolfen, Jå?

2010-04-12T00:12:00.001-05:00

Due to time constraints, I had to split this job in two, so that means next weekend, I'll post on a different set of colors for these shirts. Hot Pink? Maybe Safety Orange? Stay tuned! Although the crummy pictures taken by phone don't allow it, the grey is really a sparkling platinum. As Ultrawolf's guitarist might say, "Put a little blaing on that thang." Whatever. Point being, I resolve to not use the 'cameraphone' for posts, henceforth. So, the first three pics are fairly clear in terms of subject. It is the fourth picture which begs explanation. These are undergarments or colloquially, panties. A front view shows the group's name on the right in yellow. The band's original wolf logo in sparkling platinum on the rear left. A look at an earlier post here in the Laser Archives features the she-wolf artwork produced by none other than the Professor, himself. Me. Final analysis: Much to learn, I still have.

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Professor Laser for Laser Diagnostics

Vocabularian Nerds

2010-03-28T21:36:00.001-05:00

The Jonx commissioned a poster from Laser Diagnostics to promote the release of their latest long-player.

Here is the finished version.

Enjoin.

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Professor Laser for Laser Diagnostics

Twisted Sister

2010-03-28T21:34:00.001-05:00

My sister is like totally educated in child development and part of the curriculum therein consists of creating a children's book.

She asked me to provide some illustrations for the book. Here are a few of my favorites.

--
Professor Laser for Laser Diagnostics

There's no escaping the jaws of the alien this time!

2010-03-28T21:31:00.001-05:00

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Professor Laser for Laser Diagnostics

Zeta Reticuli'n'shit

2010-03-28T21:28:00.001-05:00

This one's about halfway to finished.

--
Professor Laser for Laser Diagnostics

Loco Logo

2010-03-28T21:26:00.001-05:00

Here we have the Professor Laser version of the GA logo, based on an original design by Daniel Shaw.

http://www.myspace.com/goldenaxerules

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Professor Laser for Laser Diagnostics

So Real, So Skreal

2010-03-28T21:19:00.001-05:00

So, the fun part is trying to decide which one is James and which is Bone...

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Professor Laser for Laser Diagnostics

In those days we parked our cars inside...

2010-03-16T00:20:00.001-05:00

This group of photos expertly illustrates humble beginnings here at Laser Diagnostics. Inspired by the good folks at Nakatomi Inc, and using plans from 'Screen Printing Today', these crude permutations serve as the good professor's printing equipment. There was a loose edge on the corner of my scoop. As I applied emulsion to the 305 count screen, i inadvertently sliced a tear clear across the mesh. A wise man once said, "The only true knowledge is that which is obtained through experience." Lesson learned.

Diagnosticals

2010-03-15T23:59:00.001-05:00

Again, we have the 'Tody' shirt. This time, instead of the off-the-shelf rig, we printed using equipment built for Laser Diagnostics using plans detailed in a book. The book is called 'Screen Printing Today'. The above pictured is no good for illustrating the fact that the results of the equipment upgrade are very satisfying. Being that this was the first run off of this rig, new challenges arose, but the difference in quality was apparent immediately. Yes, it's a very exciting time here at Laser Diagnostics.

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Metallic Pea?! I distinctly ordered the Antarctic Blue Super Sports Wagon with C.B. and the optional Rally Fun-Pack.

Kill And Kill Again

2010-03-01T19:43:00.001-06:00

This is the latest out of Laser Diagnostics. Putting away the Speedball we 'Balled Up' to some pro gear and some much needed experience, fifty-five garments with a one-color print. They'll be up for sale at It's Almost Naptime!!. Thanks to the opportunity from the gracious and graceful folks at It's Almost Naptime, we here at Laser Diagnostics won some hard-earned field experience. As we've reached the end of this campaign, I'm going to go ahead and level up my character...

Git 'em while they're nice'n'warm.

2009-12-10T01:44:00.001-06:00

From Professor Laser's secret lair:

With the Speedball All-In-One Screen Print Kit, Tody and I knocked out these one-color tees.

Ask him about buying one today. www.todycastillo.com

HRF Poster

2009-12-05T23:40:00.002-06:00

This is the poster referenced in the previous post as completed by me and Glen. The original design which I put forth was much more, as Glen put it, "like a 'rock poster'. Mr. Sullivan brought it back down to terra firma. Thank you, Glen!

The Homeless Resource Fair

2009-12-05T23:35:00.002-06:00

This is Austin's first year with the Homeless Resource Fair. Originally the HRF was called 'Stand Down', a resource event for veterans. Non-vets were welcomed to the event, but this year two separate events were held. This is the logo I designed for it. It is part of the ad I designed in collaboration with another local designer, Glen Sullivan. So here we have the Capitol Building in the background, the Texas Lone Star in the fore and the year written in AC/DC's 'Squealer' font to give the thing a pulse. I forget where the laurel is from, though.

Blanket Drive (First Draft)

2009-12-05T23:27:00.003-06:00

I love late 70's to early 80's ads in magazines like 'Time' and 'National Geographic', what I was shooting for here.

A Humble Beginning...

2009-12-05T23:16:00.002-06:00

I guess the 'Pets' liked my first poster for them enough to have another done by your esteemed Professor Laser. My instruction was "I had a dream about trees last night. Something with a tree and really wild colors." Fair enough. So I start looking at trees.

Finding no connection between their music and 'trees', fired off a wild pitch. Process colors and Silly Symphonies seemed to do the trick. Enjoin.

Pioneer Folk Fest & Jelly-Off

2009-12-05T23:03:00.003-06:00

So, shortly after Tody hires me on for this poster, I get an e-mail from him in which he jokingly demands that I "make with the art". Merely a few weeks previous had he and I talked about a poster with Mr. Show element. In response to his e-mail, "Are you saying you want to see ol' 'Limber Legs' on your poster?" And that was that. I love that although the bill has him opening for What Made Milwaukee Famous, the poster is an advertisement for Tody Castillo. It seems often the case that a non-headlining group wants a poster, but must adhere to the rock code of sublimating themselves to the draw of the headliner in keeping the ad about the show over the individual groups. That can be a real drag when you couldn't give about the other bands on the bill, when the one you are friends with or the one you actually like is not the headliner. Of course, I dig WMMF, but they haven't asked. www.todycastillo.com

I'm Getting Really Good At Tetris

2009-10-12T23:49:00.001-05:00

This poster was commissioned by Trey of The Jonx.

Trey is a very radical man.

The title of this entry gets its name from track 2 on their latest LP to be released soon.

Three of the tracks are posted on their website.

The name of the album is 'Vocabularian Herds'.

I sampled 'Tetris' and another track called 'Connections'.

Both are killer.

I'll be purchasing this album upon release, a decision based mainly on the strength of the aforementioned tracks.

Laser

The Blind Pets

2009-10-04T20:03:00.001-05:00

One of my co-workers found out that I love designing posters and such. So he asked me to manufacture a design for his group's upcoming record release. Here it is. I would categorize their musical stylings as: power rock. Good stuff.

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I know what must've happened...it didn't come in!

A bullet from a f*%king gun...

2009-10-04T19:51:00.003-05:00

This is my love letter to the Original Alamo Drafthouse, I Love Video (North) and Vulcan Video (Guadalupe) and the original Cactus Records in Houston.
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I know what must've happened...it didn't come in!

Tody's Windhorse

2009-08-24T00:56:00.003-05:00

Tody and I worked really hard on his album design. This image is the cover. It is also featured on his promotional posters. It was the first image to come together. Every design for this album had to harmonize with the cover as we agreed that it expressed well to the enhancement of the music, the album's tone. This is a best case scenario example in that Tody and I had total creative freedom both in terms of content and the time to produce that content. These two factors in particular allowed me and Tody to collaborate every step of the way. Furthermore, it was a project that I believe in 100% as I am a huge admirer of his songs and greatly respect him as a songwriting talent. I think to say that we are both pleased with the end result is an understatement. myspace.com/todycastillo

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I know what must've happened...it didn't come in!

New TPK Box Label

2009-07-27T22:14:00.001-05:00

Just finished my very first 2-color silkscreen, a baptism of fire to say the least! Not many came out as good as this one and even this example is rife with mistakes. But! As Kirk says to Saavik, "We learn by doing." The gist of the design comes from an ancient Sprite logo. Eagerly looking forward to more silkscreen work. Thank you, Texas Pie Kitchen and Nakatomi Inc.
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I know what must've happened...it didn't come in!

Out came the Son...

2009-06-28T20:38:00.001-05:00

In keeping with the theme of religion and spirituality for the Krista Vossler posters. I used the spider and its web here to suggest the stained glass windows found in many churches and temples. The spider Ingmar Bergman used as a symbol to represent God in his films. I rather like that idea. I learned of this while reading about his film Persona, a film from which I borrowed an image featured in the 'Tree Of Life' poster (earlier in this blog). The poster is for a Mountains In The Moon show of which Krista was a member. That religion and spirituality is a recurring theme in her posters comes by an unconscious move on my part as it was upon completion that I made the correlation.

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I know what must've happened...it didn't come in!

Mandrill

2009-06-28T20:14:00.000-05:00

The Mandrillus sphinx is an impressive beast. Don't you agree?

I think Timothy Chang is the name of the photographer who originally

captured the image from which this illustration was made.

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I know what must've happened...it didn't come in!

Let's Pretend We're Married...

2009-03-24T17:28:00.001-05:00

I don't know if this one ever got used by the artist, but I'm pleased with how it turned out. The original image I used to create this poster, comes from a book by Marshall McLuhan entitled 'The Mechanical Bride'. I complained to the person who shared McLuhan with me that his book 'Understanding Media' was just too dense to follow. So, he gave me 'The Medium Is The Massage' and 'Bride'. It seems I recommend these books only to those who have already read them. In other words, not a casual gettin'-to-know-you recommend, but if you are at all interested in media and trying to understand it...

Topic Lycanthropic

2008-12-22T00:00:00.000-06:00

This design is intended for a t-shirt. Ultrawolf is a rock'n'roll band here in Austin. I met the guitarist as a co-worker. Ultrawolf sounds like 70's hard rock/heavy metal. Notice I did not use the term 'metal'. That term came along later through groups like Metallica and Slayer. Heavy metal, on the other hand harkens back to ancient time. Think wildebeests, angels, demons and custom vans. I cobbled together the letters from the font used in the original 'An American Werewolf In London' poster. Hopefully, these guys will scrape together the bread to silkscreen a few shirts. Want one?

Heineken?!

2008-12-17T23:14:00.004-06:00

That's one more in the bank. To some it may be obvious, but this poster promoting a New Year's Eve show with singer-songwriter Tody Castillo, refers to 'Blue Velvet', a film by David Lynch. In the film's most talked about (read: polarizing) scene, the antagonist, played by Dennis Hopper, cuts a ribbon from his lover's robe. The robe is made of blue velvet and his fixation with the fabric extends to his choice of beverage as well. That beverage is none other than indie-rocker favorite, Pabst Blue Ribbon. My favorite film of all time is, hands down, Star Wars. Tody has, on many occasions, told me 'Blue Velvet' is his 'Star Wars'. When the River Oaks 3 in Houston played 'Blue Velvet' as a midnight show a few years back, he invited the young lady who would eventually become Mrs. Castillo to the show. If you've seen the film, you know that would be a deal breaker for the possibility of a second date, much more so a relationship! I'm at the show as well and he's howling with laughter at all the Hopper scenes. The rest of the theater is dead silent out of either profound respect for Lynch and his work or with the terror Hopper's character evokes. Shameless.

Anyway, 'Blue Velvet' easily falls in the short 'damn-near, if not perfect movie' list.

Stretchin' Out

2008-12-01T21:50:00.001-06:00

I did this design first and then sent it to the artist who liked it enough to use it to promote his show. Thanks, Arthur! Again with no direction, I was just experimenting with the Wacom tablet and CS3. All of these illustrations are of my first attempts to familiarize myself with the digital side of illustration and graphic design. These tools are amazing. I'm currently reading an article about how much the technology can do for you and how that has enabled many without the proper education to produce published work. I'll have to post it sometime.

Occult Classic

2008-12-01T21:26:00.001-06:00

By this point I had discovered Gigposters.com for myself and posted a couple of posters there, one of which has the Bohemian Grove image. To my pleasure, it was quickly recognized by another designer. He left, on the site, a comment that said as much. From that I decided to look for another image from 'The Fringe'. I started my search with self-proclaimed psycho-magician, Alejandro Jodorowsky. Scanning through his 1970 film 'El Topo', I landed upon the colorful design which is part of a costume in the film. Essentially, I redesigned this 'Tree Of Life' to my liking. As with my first Mountains In The Moon poster, I based most of my decisions here on whimsy. With no boss and no directives, I just had fun with it.

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I know what must've happened...it didn't come in!

Mountains In The Moon

2008-11-30T21:53:00.004-06:00

During my 'Son Of Satan' journey, I came across lots of new world order, conspiracy theory, bible code business, again, all related to the Bush family, the Republican party and their supposed occult ties. This image stood out because it seems so benign amongst all the fire and brimstone-type imagery. It is like the Devil, warm, colorful, friendly, inviting even, in deep contrast with the crudity of amateur eyewitness sketches or melodramatic engraving-style simulacrum typically associated with the fringe. The image here comes from a seasonal program for a north California getaway called Bohemian Grove. Rumor has it that for decades now, Bohemian Grove has served as place of ceremony for its members, mostly comprised of extremely rich and/or powerful figures who rule the world, to conduct one of their (among other things) most important rites, the Cremation Of Care. Notorious Austinite, Alex Jones penetrated the elite getaway during the rite and captured some video images. Mr. Jones is an Austin celebrity. I thought it amusing the possibility of Alex catching glimpse of this poster around town or for that matter, anyone recognizing the image.

I completely re-drew the image to have more control over the graphics, color and text. The image is unchanged aside from my whimsy in adding the stars. The only other difference is of course the text. Out of context it works for the band's music, I think.

Son Of Satan

2008-11-30T04:31:00.001-06:00

In another attempt to amuse a band member or members, I chose Marvel Comics' Son Of Satan character (a one-time favorite of the Jonx bassist). While searching for useful images on Google, I would search 'Son Of Satan' and all of these George Bush Jr. photos would pop up. At that point I knew what I had to do... Ultimately, the band did not use this poster to promote their act and the gig itself was eventually cancelled.

Sauce For The Goose

2008-11-30T04:02:00.004-06:00

Looking for more stuff to work on, I finally made the obvious connection between the musicians I'm friends (and/or friendly) with and my quest for projects. I saw that Golden Axe would be in Austin soon and so set out to work up a poster. I decided to start with something that would amuse the band rather than interpret their image or sound and in a way both were accomplished. I printed ten of these out, kept four and stapled the remainder to the outside of the club. All but one was lifted from the wall. I'm taking it as a compliment.

Check out Golden Axe: www.myspace.com/goldenaxerules

Obsession Leads To Submission

2008-11-30T03:38:00.002-06:00

This is a mock-up I submitted to Tim League of the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin. It was an unsolicited submission and I haven't heard back. Though the Alamo does run a series on sci-fi classics, let me make it absolutely clear that this illustration IS NOT official Alamo merchandise. This is strictly something I did on my own to function as a submission, nothing more. Use the link in the sidebar to check out the Drafthouse, also known as the best GD theatre EVER!

South Austin Obamathon 2008

2008-11-29T17:23:00.004-06:00

Printed as a 24x36 giclee, this was commissioned for a fundraising event and sold in a silent auction. Dessert for the event was donated by a non-profit called the Texas Pie Kitchen, for which I am the art director. The type below each graphic describes a flavor of pie meant to be indicative of each individual candidate's personality.

2008-11-29T17:00:00.002-06:00