BOAT STYLE!! / LETTERING IN NEW BUFFALO MI

I WAS INVITED OUT TO THE BEAUTIFUL MARINA IN NEW BUFFALO JUST SOUTH OF BENTON HARBOR TO CHECK OUT SOME BOATS THAT NEEDED SOME LETTERS.

ITS ALWAYS A CHALLENGE TO GET THE LINES TO APPEAR STRAIGHT WORKING WITH THE BODY OF THE SHIPS CONTOURS.

I HAD TO STRIP THIS ONE COMPLETELY OF ITS OLD GRAPHICS AND START FRESH.

ADDED A LITTLE SHADOW TOO.

NEW MURALS GRAND HAVEN!!

NEW ELECTRIC HERO MURAL DESIGN

SINCE BEING BACK IN GRAND RAPIDS AFTER NEARLY TWO DECADES, I MADE THE CHOICE ONCE AGAIN TO SEEK OUT THOSE WHO WANT SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT.

I MET WITH NICK THE OWNER OF ELECTRIC HERO SANDWICH SHOP IN GRAND HAVEN MI.

HE SHOWED ME A BACK WALL PATIO AREA ROUGHLY 200 SQ FT. WHERE AN EXTENDED

KITCHEN AND DELIVERY AREA WAS GOING ON THE INSIDE.

I PROPOSED TO HIM THE IDEA OF A ROCK (ELECTRIC HEROES) ICONIC STYLE PSYCHEDELIC MURAL WITH THE IDEA I ALWAYS WANTED TO PAINT DAVID BOWIE AND MARC BOLAN (T REX) SOMEWHERE.

I GAVE HIM A ROUGH IDEA AND WITHOUT HAVING TO PRODUCE ANY MORE SAMPLES, IDEAS, ROUGHS, HE TURNED ME LOOSE.

I CARVED OUT 4 AREAS WHERE THE PORTRAITS WOULD BE NEXT TO EACH OTHER BUT HAD NO IDEA I WAS PAINTING THEM INTO SOME DREAM LIKE PRIMORDIAL OOZE WHICH AT FIRST I THOUGHT WOULD BE WATER OR A LAKE. LAKE MICHIGAN WAS ONLY A FEW BLOCKS AWAY TO THE BOARDWALK AND I NEEDED AN ELEMENT THAT WAS NATIVE TO THE AREA THAT WOULD TIE IT ALL TOGETHER. WATER.

I USED STRAIGHT EDGES AND PAINT PENS TO REPLICATE THE THIN LINE GRAPHIC

ART PRECISION OF THOSE 60S POSTERS INSPIRED BY PETER MAX.

I ADDED MY OWN VISION COMPLETE WITH CEPHALOPODS AND ELECTRIC SUNSETS

I CALLED IT BALLROOMS OF MARS AFTER A T REX SONG WHERE HE SPEAKS ABOUT SEEING JOHN LENNON. SPOOKY.

IT TOOK ME LESS THAN 5 WHOLE DAYS TO PAINT AND ILLUSTRATE.