The Music Series

Music has had such a huge impact on the work that I do on a daily basis that I decided to create a series of illustrations inspired by some of my favorite artists and songs.

Dear Life

ART DIRECTION • GRAPHIC DESIGN • ILLUSTRATION • MUSIC SERIES

"Dear life, I'm holding on." For some reason that goofy poster of the "Hang In There" cat hanging on a line came to mind when I first heard Beck's song "Dear Life." My illustration went a little darker though. A disembodied arm is barely holding onto – maybe even losing its grip of? – the string, but I still like the simple visual representation of the lyrics.

Holes to Heaven

ART DIRECTION • GRAPHIC DESIGN • ILLUSTRATION • MUSIC SERIES

"There were so many fewer questions when stars were just the holes to heaven" is the line from Jack Johnson's song of the same name that gave me the idea for this design.  I wanted to make the sky look like it was a canvas that had holes poked in it to let the colors of heaven through to those observing them down below. I set the scene on a body of water, added in some islands to the background and a bit of tropical leaves to the foreground since Johnson hails from Hawaii. This was a fairly simple idea that came together quickly and the result is rather beautiful in that simplicity. There was no sketch to this, it was all digitally executed.

Prints with this design are available here

Friend/Victim

ART DIRECTION • GRAPHIC DESIGN • ILLUSTRATION • TYPOGRAPHY • MUSIC SERIES

"Glitterbomb" by Incubus was the inspiration for this illustration. The lyric "I was your friend and ended up your victim" was stuck in my head for days and this idea came to be as a result. A friend becoming an enemy struck me and I wanted to show that shift from a couple's perspective, with the difference being that the man in the relationship was the "victim." I had considered illustrating a woman as the subject, but something about showing a woman in distress seemed too obvious and tacky. He's shown in a state of comfort in black and white, while the "victimizer" and "victimizing" is in red. Her hands are in a position that might have seemed comforting – or even sensual – if they were in black in white, but they take on a more sinister tone in blood red. Who knows what this guy did, but it was obviously bad, right?

Prints with this design are available here

Malibu Man

ART DIRECTION • GRAPHIC DESIGN • ILLUSTRATION • TYPOGRAPHY • MUSIC SERIES

Knowing that the song was written about Rick Rubin, I knew I had to focus on his incredible beard for this illustration for "Malibu Man," one of the best tracks from Dan Auerbach's latest solo album. For the title, I used the signage you see as you drive into Malibu as my base. The shapeshifting lines in the background are an abstract presentation of the calm, undulating water of the ocean.

Prints with this design are available here

We Could Start a Fire

ART DIRECTION • GRAPHIC DESIGN • ILLUSTRATION • TYPOGRAPHY • MUSIC SERIES

Another inspiration from La La Land, for John Legend's song "Start a Fire" I wanted to bring the visual created in the lyrics to life in a graphic. I immediately had this visual of two legs rubbing together beginning to smoke, and eventually starting a fire. I deliberately left the legs androgynous so that they could be any couple creating this scene.

Prints with this design are available here