Procreate time-lapse test. In video form.

I have been wanting to try out the time-lapse feature on Procreate. Usually, I just ink my work digitally but I wanted to take something from the sketch to final. Time-lapse is a very interesting feature but a bit too lightweight for what I was looking for. I see how they are utilizing the redo/undo feature to make a time-lapse video, which is cool but when I see an artist process I would prefer a screencast. I love it when IU can see all the tools an designer or artist is using and how they use it. The best part about tools like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator is that there’s a number of different ways to do the same thing and I love getting that insight through screencasts.

Either way this is still cool and was super fun to play around with. Defiantly check it out.

Top design, illustration and creative podcasts. (part 1)

top design, illustration and creative podcasts header image with headphones, designer tools and an ipod.

 

why podcasts?

I have been wanting to do this post for awhile now. As both a commuter and someone who works from home a few days a week. I’ve always had to rely on some sort of noise in the background to keep me engaged while I am in my office working remotely. I started with music but eventually transitioned to podcasts and audiobooks. The constant conversation gives the illusion of inter office conversation and breaks the remote silence.

After I graduated from college I had a part time job in the afternoon but still got up around 6:00am to have a coffee, search for potential jobs in my field, and the odd freelance job. My roommate at the time had a real job that went from 9 – 5. I was going stir crazy and was looking for anything to break the silence in the apartment. I had exhausted all my music then moved to talk radio but few of the topics interested me and a lot of the banter felt so fabricated.

I had recalled a while back Apple had announced they would be putting podcasts into the the itunes store. I was like awesome….but…what the hell is a podcast? Upon further investigation it was downloadable talk radio that seemed to be highly specialized. A perfect medium for a kid fresh out of college, looking to sponge up information in his field.

Over the years many podcasts have come and gone, some continue to stick with me to this day. Here is a selection of my favourite podcasts focusing on illustration, design and being a creative.

Let’s get into it: “Top design, illustration and creative podcasts (part 1)” as stated by me.

Best design podcast Adventures in design logo

Adventures in Design

Adventures in Design has to be one of my favourites on this list. It’s not the creative content or how it contributes back to the industry (though it does a great job at those things) that rank it high. It’s because it feels real; like shop talking with a peer or hanging out with an old friend. Those are the conversations when you see nuggets of wisdom, experience and craft drop right in front of you. All while still having a laugh and not taking yourself too seriously.

Mark Brickey is the crass talking host that mans the ship. Steering you through the rocks and waves of the creative struggle as well as his own personal ones. Shows are released pretty much daily with guests that range from designers and illustrators all the way up to executives for multi-million dollar corporations. Mark brings his knowledge of everything DIY. Leaning on his years of life experience in touring bands, rough childhood and being one of the pioneers in the gig poster/silkscreen scene.

The shows cadence isn’t for everyone but I think that is why I enjoy it. His interview style is unique, detailed and realistic. In an over saturated market this show definitely stands out and constantly surprises me. This is the punk rock of design podcasts.

Notable guest:
Shepard Fairy, Bobby Hundreds, Tara McPherson, and Paul Frank (and SO MANY more)

Best design podcasts Master of One Podcast logo

The Master of One Podcast

You know those kind of friends that you haven’t seen in ages but when you get together you can just pick up where you left off? That is The Master of One Podcast in a nutshell. You sit back and shoot the shit while Andrew, Patrick and Luke talk about everything movies, comics, video games etc. The next thing you know, your gut hurts from laughter and now your amazon cart is filled with all the cool new stuff you got to checkout.

The main focus of the show is getting you up on the cool new trinkets, art and whatever else you can get your hands on. When they aren’t getting you wise to that stuff they talk with the creators. Digging into process, life story or just hanging out.

Welcome these guys into your podcast library and they will become the friends you didn’t know you had.

Notable guest:
Huck Gee, Matt Taylor, Andrew Kolb, and Invisible Creature (and SO MANY more)

Thanks for checking this out. I hope to release more insights on some of the podcasts and resources I am digesting on the regular. Hope you guys enjoy and comeback soon.

Check out part 2 (coming soon)

 

The uncreative part of being a creative with the Master of One Podcast.

blake stevenson aka jetpacks and rollerskates illustrator podcast interview on master of one podcast

Got back in the hot seat with the Master of One podcast crew this week. If you don’t know what that is you must be living under a rock somewhere!? Just joking, It’s a great show that airs a few times a week and talks with creatives about the what they are working on, releasing and just general shop talk.

We rambled on about all sorts of goodies like getting your online store up and going, social media marketing, different sales channels, how to work with in constraints and so much more. Always a good time time with these guys!

Here is the episode I was on:

Checkout Episode 56 of the Master of One Podcast with Blake Stevenson aka Jetpacks and Rollerskates.

Fantastic Mr. Fox Adobe Illustrator Speed Drawing.

Recording another speed drawing session. Once again for the monthly sticker club, Slaptastick. This months theme was fictional characters from books. My illustration was based on on of my favourite children’s books of all time Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl.

Fantastic Mr. Fox vector illustration by jetpacks and rollerskates

This illustration shows a way to design more symmetrical characters. By working on a single side, flipping it and then adding subtle modifications so it doesn’t look like an exact copy. In my opinion it’s all the little details that gives an illustration character and sets it apart, especially if you are working in a clean vector style.

I hope you enjoy the video and I would love it if you subscribed to my channel.

Catch my on social media. I am pretty active and love being a part of the conversation:
Instagram // Twitter // Facebook // My Website

Ghosts in the Groove time lapse process video. Illustrating with Photoshop and a Wacom Cintiq.

Another process video for you guys. This is for a piece I call ‘Ghosts in the Groove.’ This was created using my 12″ Wacom Cintiq (older model) tablet. With this illustration I was trying to mimic the overprinting process when doing silkscreen. To do this I chose 2 colours and used the multiply effect in Photoshop. When taking this to press always take Photoshop’s multiply effect a grain of salt. 9 times out of 10 it will not be exactly what you see on screen. It’s a constant trial and error process until you get the results you’re looking for.

In future videos I will show some of the other techniques I have used to mimic the silkscreen process. Until then stay tuned and thanks for checking out my speed drawing process video.

Deadpool vectorization process video

Back at you guys with another process video. This time I am doing everyone’s favorite foul mouthed superhero; Deadpool. This process video goes from sketch to final vector to show you how I do what I do. This one is a bit different than some of my other videos cause you can see how I do a symmetrical vector illustration.

Here is a better look at the final piece. I ended up with 2 different versions of this. I couldn’t decided if I liked the softer red outline or the more solid black outline to make it stand out better.

deadpool vector illustration by blake stevenson aka jetoacks and rollerskates.

Slap Stickers Alternative Logo Process Video

A few months back I was asked by Slap Stickers to do a fun reimagining of the brand. After some discussion we decided to go with a handmade script lettering approach. Whenever I get the opportunity to do some custom scripts I cannot refuse. It’s one of those design muscles that can never be flexed enough; in my opinion.

Here is a my speed drawing/process video for the project. You can see how I take the sketch all the way to final vectorization on my Wacom Cintiq drawing tablet.

Here is a better look at the final piece.

slap stickers typography logo design by blake stevenson aka Jetpacks and Rollerskates

Weapons of Mass Creation festival shirt design and process video.

I have attended the Weapons of Mass Creation Festival for the past 3 years. It’s an event like no other. The people, speakers, and vendors compliment each other and create something very special. Last year I was asked to do an alternative art print for the festival. and this year I was so excited when they asked me to do a shirt design. Giving back to this creative event that has given so much to me is a no brainer. Here are a few of the artifacts that came out of this.

Process Video:

Shirt Design:weapons of mass creation blake stevenson tshirt design

Master of One T-Shirt and Speed Drawing

 

I originally stumbled upon the Master of One Podcast while combing through Andrew Kolb’s (An extremely talented illustrator) social feed. I noticed he was a guest on a recent episode of the show. I listened to that episode and said to myself “Hey these guys are having a good time and promoting all the things I am very much interested in.” Since then I have listened to almost every episode, I even got to be a guest on one of those episodes (Mof1 Podcast Episode 77 – Canada’s Greatest Import). Then when Andrew Sale (One of the show’s hosts) approached me with the idea of doing a collaboration T-shirt for there trip out to Creative South I couldn’t help but say yes.

Master of One Podcast T-SHirt Collaboration Graphic

Hope you guys dig the design and if you are heading down to Georgia for Creative South, pick one up!

Kinda Funny speed drawing process.

 

As a person who works from home a few days a week I find myself in need of some sort of companion. Whether that companion comes in the form of a podcast, audiobook or youtube series. The addition of white noise or people talking in my ear as I work makes the days breeze by. This speed drawing video is me putting my spin on the Kinda Funny youtube series logo/typography.

Kinda Funny follows a group of friends who sit around a table talking about video game news, movies and other pop culture related events. It’s a great listen as you plow through a mountain of work while they go on rambling about the finer details of superhero lore. Feeling very much like you are just sitting around the table with them eavesdropping in on a group of your peers.

I hope you enjoy this installment of my speed drawing series.