Sunday, September 28, 2014

Product Design: Side-by-Side technique

Today, I'm just going to post a little example of the "Side-by-Side" technique I use to help the factory create better looking products.I create a before and after image to show the changes needed to improve a product. This is usually done by taking a photo and altering it in PhotoShop.

Even the slightest changes make a complete difference in the final product. The photo below is the front view of a plush lion rocking chair. Notice with 4 simple changes how the lion seems more friendly and happy.

Side-by-Side comparison showing the before and after images of my Lion Rocking Chair design
(Sidenote: Sadly, the way work is done today, there is less time to do the fine tuning. This is mostly due to the short turn-around time schedules that many buyers demand.)

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Recovered Image: Playing Yuk-Zee

Recently found some old sketches that I don't remember doing (happens a lot.) This one was very strange because it was colored with watercolor pencils, something I rarely used when I was younger. It's not dated, but I'm guessing by my style and the characters in the image, this was probably done around the early 90's.

Found image of L.B., Timmons and Hairy playing a game of Yuk-Zee in a water color pencil sketch 

Another strange thing about this image was that I drew it on watercolor paper, which meant I had the intention to actually add water to the image, spreading the water color pencils to look more like a real watercolor painting. But this image was never wet. Nor was it finished, as seen by the light pencil sketch of a window in the background. The entire top of the sheet is roughly torn as if the sheet was quickly torn in half.

So my guess is that I was going to experiment with the water color pencils, sketched this scene, colored the characters -- but then stopped, because the look just wasn't what I was wanted. Probably torn the image out of the pad and threw it aside onto the pile of images I had stored away until this moment.

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Product Designs: Pet Riders (PetSmart)

Few of my designs just arrived in the PetSmart stores for Halloween. These are just a couple of the Pet-Rider designs I have done over the past 5 years.

This is from the PetSmart.com website, showing my Cowboy Rider design that is on sale on for Halloween 

Packaging photo for the Cowboy Rider

We first made this type of pet costume for Target stores in 2009. They sold very well for four years, usually selling out. Since then, I've designed many versions: The Headless Horseman, Horse Jockey, Caveman on Dinosaur, Chef on Lobster and many, many more.

Packaging Photo for the Princess Rider

Below is a sampling of the artwork that is needed to print the faces for the riders.

Artwork for printing faces and details for the Pet Rider costumes' dolls.