WTH? It’s been close to a year since I’ve been with Maui and Sons and time has flown bye. Heck I can’t believe my second corporate book has been completed, and now I’m about to start the third! Crazy thing is that these books (one of them boys and the other girls), are filled with over 250 graphics and textile designs. Yea, all those new graphics were created over the last six months. Talk about designing like a mofo! Crazy part of this whole journey is that even with all those designs, I unfortunately see only a handful of them after production. Why? You ask, because Maui and Sons is more than a clothing manufacturer. They are a licensing brand/company that supplies over a 100 countries. Printed, manufactured and distributed half way around the world. It’s these companies nationally and internationally that utilizes a majority of my work. So yes… when you see that, Ethiopian, Japanese, Australian person wearing the brand, yup I just might have been the guy that designed it☺

It’s always nice taking a breather from the apparel game by knocking the dust off my paintbrushes.   A couple weeks ago I started on one of two custom canvases for a clients out in Hawaii.  Although I haven’t painted for a few months, I was surprised on my new understanding of painting.  I owe this new approach to what I recently learned in Photoshop and Illustrator.

It’s weird because a graffiti artist…I won’t mention his name, because I don’t like him (lol), schooled me on the same thing years ago.  I mean hands down, he’s one of the best Aerosol artists I’ve ever been able to paint with, but still…  He is a jerk!  Hahahaaaa.  Anyways, as amazing as his murals were, he had told me that he actually couldn’t draw.  He said it was through coloring in Photoshop that led him to implement those techniques to the spray can.  It was a better understanding of shading, highlights and color that turned his art around.  At the time I was like huh?  Uhhh ok?!  But you know what?  Now I see the light!

Although I’m not done with the canvas, it’s already probably one of my favorites.  Once the new owners have them in their possession, I’ll be sure to post the final product.

Here a quick step by step of a shark that I did the other day:)  Enjoy!

001 Structure

002 Sketch

003 Vectorize Line Work and adding Base Color

004 Adding Secondary Color

005 Creating Skin Texture

006 Basic Shadows and Highlights

007 Creating Personality (Stripes)

008 Final Details, Shadows and Highlights

So I finally convinced the owner of RCG Kimonos to allow me to post this…  Although I’m not allowed to say what’s in store with the Jujitsu brand, I can say that it’s on it’s way to becoming a force in the industry.  With it’s manufacturing moving quickly along, it won’t be long before it’s a house hold name.  Remember the name “RCG KIMONOS”, and remember that you saw it here first on my Blog.  Stay tuned in as i'll be leaking out information as it becomes available.  I can't wait to see them Gi's!!!

Heres the branding I did for RCG Kimonos.

With the next corporate book due in a few weeks, to say I’ve been running on empty is an understatement.  I’ve pretty much been pulling 13 plus hours days, while designing around the clock.

A typical day right now is up by 4am, and straight to work.  Although I don’t start until another 4 hours, that extra time allows me to handle all my freelance work.  Then as 9am swings around, my time on the clock begins.  Corporate book, corporate book, and corporate book…  at that point that’s all that matters.   Fortunately enough, 1pm comes in a blink and it’s off to the gym for my hour lunch.  Believe it or not, this workout is where I gain my sanity back.   Following the quick workout, and a hot shower is my protein shake for lunch and it’s back to… work.  Normally the second half of the day is a drag, as I can’t wait to call it a day.  Nothing some instant Starbucks can’t help me with.  6pm eventually creeps up and I’m out the door the second I get a chance to sneak out.

Crazy as this Crunch time may seem, it’s this pressure that pushes me.  Eat, drink, sleep design is what I do, and there’s nothing else that keeps me driven.

I got contacted a couple weeks ago to pump out a t-shirt design, for the restaurant Pancake’s and Waffles.   Pancake’s and Waffles is a popular breakfast and lunch spot located on 1284 Kalani Street, Honolulu Hi.

The artistic direction given for this design was to make a Hip Hop Chicken, and turntable while spinnin’ some waffles.  The clients basically wanted the shirt to be fun and animated, which I was more than happy to oblige to.  What made this project cool was that it was based around character design, which so happens to be what I enjoy doing most.  As happy as I am with the final product, I hope the client was pleased as well.  What I was able to do was include their current logo as a pendant on the chickens puff Gucci chain, lol.

Be sure to check them out on their website www.pancakesandwaffleshawaii.com, Facebook, or what I’d recommend most, which is to drive out and get your grub on.  Big thanks to Paulo for the referral, and to Jason and Juli for the opportunity to work with them.