Poster designs for Meet Me in the Woods - a comic story about Monsters, the hubris of Men and the Love that saves us. A Lovevcraftian Americana Noir.
Black light posters on my uncle’s basement walls. The record collection of my friend’s older brother. EC Comics in a musty, dirty shop. Sketchbook doodles and iPad Procreate Pixels and some heavy times.
Welcome to Doom Skulls - Experiments, Magic, Horror and Wonder.
I had the pleasure of working with Bob Ahlersmeyer of BrickStone Productions of Fort Wayne, Indiana in creating some posters for his feature length debut "Is This Seat Taken". Not only did I get to take a shot at helping to create the promotional imagery but spent a night playing pretend as a background extra for a scene!
"The Other Side" pitch deck.
As the summer before high school starts, Zoe and her friends discover a magic door that is a portal to distant worlds. But the adventures on the Other Side of the Door turn terrifying as the truth of it, its strange keeper, and the real damage it causes are revealed.
The Other Side is a YA fantasy/horror comic book maxi-series about escape. It’s about the time in our lives when we’re tempted to lose ourselves in the seduction of running from our demons. It’s about the power of love, friendship and family that helps us face our monsters, it saves us and brings us home.
Hit me up if you want to help me bring this story to life!
The hubris of the human male lies at the heart of many heartbreaking tales.
Inspired by the Lord Huron song, "The Night We Met" is a mini-comic about space monsters and old gods, about love and loss, and the consequences of taking a choice away from its maker.
It's about a man whose great love for a woman inspires great deeds that are misplaced and unwanted. He is driven by the need for the love he shares to be returned in kind. Even when that love lies elsewhere.
Man! This project looks SO good! I’m so stoked to see it in person! This was such a great job to work on!!
W. Bryant Rozier brought me on and set me free to help create some of the narrative elements, helping The NIIC tell the story of the Entrepreneurship Mindset.
BONUS! Check out my homie Aaron Minier and his amazing contribution and good pal Courtney Hahn for theirs!! Good stuff, all!
Some fun, mysterious, spooky and lovely images inspired by the Songs of Lord Huron. You can order your own copies in the SHOP!
Craig Ray's shop, RCade Comics, Collectibles and Games is not only the coolest comic shop in Indiana -located in a historically registered 100-year-old firehouse - but he also has a pure vision of creating the most supportive community around an art form many of us love! In a world where comic shops are struggling or are obsessed with comics as an investment, Craig keeps showing up for the people who love comics and collectibles and the communities built around their celebration.
In 2021, Craig and his then-partner, Matt, approached me to design their logo mark. The idea was centered around the logo of Batman's sidekick character, Robin. From there it was about tweaks and centering on the duo's vision for their brand.
This project was a true joy to work on. The fact that I got to work with and get to know some great people is just a bonus.
My buddies opened a comic shop. Their buddies launched a new comic I got to create a cover celebrating the launch of the shop AND the launch of the book! Crazy exciting! Thanks to the fellas at RCADE Comics and Collectibles and the fine folks at Source Point Press, especially Garrett Gunn and Dr. Christina Blanch - who also has a pretty fine comic shop called Aw, Yeah! Comics.
I had the pleasure of working with a true powerhouse in Patti Hays community to design an exciting logo mark for her campaign that reflected her Democratic identity while promoting bipartisanship. A vibrant blue palette could signify her party affiliation, complemented by subtle design elements to show openness to collaboration.
The STAR as a central icon helped to symbolize patriotism, community, peace, and unity, bridging political divides. This logo would showcase her commitment to Democratic values and her willingness to engage constructively, fostering inclusivity in politics.
I have a thing for cartoons. When I heard Frederator Cartoon Studios was coming the University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne to listen to cartoon pitches I swallowed hard and developed a pitch for cartoon based on a book I made for my kids a few years ago. I must also have a thing for sleepless nights since I did the whole thing in about 2 months.
I’m pretty happy with how it turned it out. Red Rocket, Go! won’t be coming to a screen near you just yet but I’m proud of the work and the pitch bible I created.
Blue Time is a special time for our family. Our family is growing up and Blue Time is changing and Dad needs to write a book about it. This is a story of a family, it's special times and the patterns and peace that creates a place where it's always safe and warm. Blue Time is a time and place that makes the challenge of other times and places that much less so. Laugh, cry a little, come experience our Blue Time.
Presentation illustrations for an Interior Designer friend of mine who is working to develop something pretty cool. The images are designed to be synched to a voice over that can be video or in person presentation.
You can check out her work here: www.samplesnapapp.com
You can see the illustrations in this video. https://vimeo.com/281905084/66e4f74537
I had a ton of fun working on these!
A short comic inspired by my neighborhood, the stories I create in my head about people as I walk around and my obsession with Cold War spy stories.
Music makes me dream up stuff, mostly stories. This one time, not too long after the album Moonless was released by my buds in Metavari, I was driving around doing pre-Christmas errands and listening to this record. I emailed by friend Nate Utesch of Metavari and told him it made me feel like I was in a 1980's sci-fi android flick. He was psyched and let me use their music for inspiration. Then my whole family got the stomach flu and, while lying in bed, between moans and another cinematic trip to Mordor, I fever dreamed up a story called Moonless. It's a little post-apocalyptic, a little Ridley Scott, a little weird. These are the first two posters for it.
I'm finishing it right now. I promise.
Thanks Nate!
Interview with Nate Powell by Matt McClure for the Sequentialist Comics Journalism web comic. Adapted by me,
A poster project I'm doing for fun. Part of a series documenting our family's summer of adventure. We saw the @theavettbrothers to start our summer. It was truly an inspiring night of music in so many ways. These posters also double as an examples for school projects for my students. They're also great excuses to try new pens (like here) or styles.
“Holding Back, Lifting Up, Setting Free”
Created for "Second Chances 2020”
Spray Paint on Wood
“I Have Been There”
Created for "Second Chances 2019.
Digital Illustration
Artist Statement:
It’s not every day you get to have experiences that not only opens up your world view but also restores your faith in the resilience of the human spirit to overcome and give back to others. Meeting Royal Jordan and hearing his story was one of those moments. His story is long, twisted, tangled, a little scary and full of challenges but it’s truly inspiring to see that the latest chapters are dedicated to helping other young people write their own stories differently than he did. He can tell them: “I Have Been There. You Don’t Have To.”
Being partnered with managing editor William Bryant Rozier to bring the story to life in comic form to be published in Fort Wayne Ink Spot Newspaper was another moment of luck in my artistic life. Working with someone who is as enthusiastic and appreciative of the art form as you are is a gift. What I hope is that work we did concentrates on the newest chapters in Royal’s story. He has said in conversation that the things he did in his early life was much different than what others have done. But what he is doing now is, is truly special. Look up the Urban Youth Empowerment Program and the good work they do. It’s good to reassure yourself that there are stories of redemption and reclamation, hope and promise.
“It’s In The Hands”
Pen and Ink, Digital Color
Created for "Second Chances 2017", an exhibit and fundraiser for Blue Jacket, Inc. The project paired an artist with a client of Blue Jacket to tell their story. The exhibit was displayed in the Fort Wayne Museum of Art
“Dark Superman”
Pen and Ink, Digital Color
Created for "Second Chances 2016", an exhibit and fundraiser for Blue Jacket, Inc. The project paired an artist with a client of Blue Jacket to tell their story. The exhibit was displayed in the Artlink Gallery
I've been fortunate to watch my daughter grow as dancer and as a person through her involvement with the Fort Wayne Ballet's youth program. They put on an amazing performance of the Nutcracker every year and I've been lucky to design the past few shirts that are made available to the cast and crew. It's a true labor of love.
Cover illustrations for my friend Sankofa's singles. For his song "Dad of the Year" on his new EP 100 Magnets. And his digital single "Charles Oakley Goes to the Movies". Available through Talc Records.
Random comics and stories. Drawings by me. Scribbled by me, unless otherwise noted. Some of these were jobs, some were for fun.
Poster illustration for Vic Ruggerio of the Slackers at The Brass Rail.
Skavossas 15th Anniversary Poster
Illustration for my friend Kevin Meinert's book of Wizard of Oz themed illustrations.
