I do drawings for my kids. I let them alternate with who gets to choose, they get to pick the character then we select a picture that I’ll re-draw for them. I always give it a solid effort to make it look as good as I can make it. My son chose Baby Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. I’m pretty happy with the way this is coming out. Coloring is next, which is underway and will be finished soon
I recently designed a logo for a new Poetry/Music Open Mic event that’s going to be starting up in Brampton by my good friend and ally SoulFistikato C.. It’s called Sow Lounge. He’s been cooking this one up for a while, and now the time is right for the seed to germinate and for it to come to life.
I’m excited about this event, it looks and feels promising to foster an open and honest environment where artists can experiment and grow in our craft. It kicks off tomorrow in Brampton.
Check out the page Sow Lounge that’s recently been setup for announcements and events.
A friend with twin girls recently asked me to build twin dressers for his twin girls as a birthday present to them. They came out fantastic and look very beautiful. Each piece of wood maintained it’s character and uniqueness. Although each dresser is the exact same size and weight, they both have their own look and identity. They both maintain a personality. These are made with white pine and stained with Min Wax Dark Walnut color with 5 coats of Polycrylic to seal and finish and brushed nickel fixtures. I can also work with Oak, Maple or Cedar depending on your needs/desires.
If you would like to add a new piece of solid wood, long-lasting furniture to your home this Spring/Summer, please reach out. I’d be happy to build something unique for you.
I’ve been working on woodworking as a craft that I would like to do as a means of work for a few years now. I took it up as a hobby, to be able to make things around the house. There’s a feeling that never goes away when you use a piece of furniture that you made with your own hands. I found that I had a natural passion for it, and I wasn’t that bad either. The most important thing is that I have always been willing to learn.
I can remember buying a desk in a box with my family when I was 13. I remember unboxing all of the pieces and pulling out the instructions. I’m sure my brother can attest to the fact that I loved doing it. I loved getting the pieces together and building something. My father used to have a book shelf that he built himself, the thing was massive and had many levels. I remember the pride in his voice and I would find myself looking at it sometimes, admiring the work and the process.
I have a number of various pieces of furniture around the house that I’ve built and many more that are going to be completed soon. I’ve taken my perfectionism and applied to this/these process/es. I’ve learned a lot over the years and have lots more to learn. But one thing I know for certain is that what I’ve built will last. I recently had a friend with twin girls ask me about building twin dressers for the girls. I took pause and questioned if I was able to, if it was outside of my scope. It was the biggest project I’d ever thought about undertaking and I was letting my insecurities tell me I couldn’t do it. But I’m very happy to say that I got them built from a pile of lumber, sanded, stained and they are in use right now. I’ll be posting pictures of them soon.
The main reason I’m posting this update is because I want to show everyone what I can do and to say….if you want some custom wooden furniture made, then please, contact me. If it’s outside of my scope, I will tell you that. If not, I will put my care and attention and sweat into making a finished product you can be proud to show to your friends and family. A piece of furniture that can take the bumps and bruises of life and be passed on years down the line. I come from a place where I believe in having furniture that will last, that can be passed on and last for a long time. We purchased a dresser from a certain Swedish furniture store, we went with their “higher-end” line. Five years later and the drawers won’t close and it’s rendered nearly useless. That shouldn’t happen. I do everything I can when building my dressers, and any other furniture, to ensure it won’t.
When we ask someone how they’re doing and you hear “great” or “everything’s alright” we never really know what’s going on. Behind so many smiles is a struggle that we are invisible to, a war waging on the inside that we’ll never bear witness to. I think we’ve all hidden ourselves from the world at times. I made this sketch thinking about that idea. 
I could say I worked on this drawing for my kids, but I’d be lying. It is hung right in the computer room right now. My brother told me about Avatar: The Last Airbender years ago. Him and his kids used to watch it together when it was on TV. I remember how much he used to be into it. So we began watching it and it has become a staple within our family. We have watched all of the episodes together and still rewatch them sometimes. We even collect and read all of the graphic novels that have come out after the cartoon series has ended.
I’ve been wanting to start drawing again for the fun of it, for enjoyment. I haven’t done that in a while. For the last few years every time I draw it’s for a project, whether it be something commissioned or a collection I aspire to do. But never just a random piece of art that I wanted to do. So I chose this picture. This is from the first trilogy of graphic novels that came out titled ‘The Promise’. From the moment I read it, this image stuck out to me.
I photographed the progress, I’ve always like doing that, and thought I would share it this time. I scanned it in and cleaned it up too. I did this to preserve the line drawing so I could print it as a coloring page for the kids one day. It’s not perfect, I know. The color palette is a little different. I just wanted to use to colors I had available to me, and I didn’t always have the exact match. I really enjoyed making it and will be doing more in the coming days/weeks/months.
Eight years ago I wandered into a job at a company called Silpada Designs. I was coming off of a 6 month stint at trying and failing to be a successful freelance graphic artist. What I mean to say, is that I stayed at home all day and drew. Pencil to paper and pen over pencil. I was 26 years old. It didn’t work out. So I went back to what I was always able to do, customer service.
Over the course of those 8yrs I became content in my role at said company. I occasionally had desires to do something else or transition. But I was helping people everyday, and I was comfortable. So I stayed. I’d eventually become a worker who’d accepted that I may retire with the company one day. I remember hearing people from the previous generations telling tales of punching a clock for 40+ years because they had to. They didn’t like it, but it provided. So who am I to alter tradition? So I’d relegated myself to staying on board forever.
But life has a way of altering your plans. Today, eight years later, I wandered away from a job at a company called Silpada Designs. They went out of business, shook my hand and thanked me for eight years of service. Eight years later I have done nothing to advance my life professionally, so I’m left with the prospect of sitting in another chair, behind another desk, under another headset, thanking another person for calling another company for another team of bosses. A company where I’m another bolt holding it all together. Don’t get me wrong, the world needs bolts and brackets to keep it all together. But that has never felt like it was for me.
I’m also faced with the prospect of maybe (just maybe) facing my potential. That’s always scared me to a degree. But here I am, 34 years old with so many deserted ideas slotted away in my rusty imagination. A stalled merry-go-round collecting dust from years of no use. A room full of dancers frozen like mannequins, just standing there waiting to take another step. It’s time for me to give life to my dreams again. Remove the dust, polish the edges and get everything moving and dancing again.
I am using this opportunity to become a full-time, freelance graphic/visual artist. I specialize in hand-drawn artwork. I work well in black ink and pencil or charcoal. I am great at flyer design, text layout and overall page formatting to maximize space distribution. I am available for commissions, business logos, collaborative projects, wall murals and anything else we can create together. I am also an amateur woodworker who can build custom shelving and other wooden furniture items.
Please contact me at creative.concepts@rogers.com for any questions. Or comment here.
My Portfolio can be viewed through my Facebook Artist Page, here
‘The Cool’ is the second album by Lupe Fiasco. It is a concept album that explores themes of darkness, death, lure of riches, what it means to be cool, loss of innocence among other things. As a result of the themes explored in the album, some of this work is on the darker side.
This work is the product of me listening to nothing but by Lupe Fiasco’s 2nd album ‘The Cool’ for over a month straight. Morning, noon and night…the only music pumping through my headphones was that album. I let my hand take me wherever it was going to go. I decided to never “finish” any of the work and to keep them all as rough sketches.
For those of you who know Lupe Fiasco’s album ‘The Cool’, some of this imagery may look familiar. For those of you who have never heard it, you may find something in these that will make you want to explore the album. Pieces definitely connect. For those you who don’t fancy the sketches, thank you for visiting and for your time.
I’ve been feeling creatively stagnant, but also like I need to start creating. A lot of times, when I’ve been through an extensive period of drought I’ll revisit my old work as a source of inspiration. I guess that’s what happened today, I wanted to revisit this project and put it out there for people to see. A lot of times I don’t release work for fear of it being rejected or insulted. But while I did create the work for myself, I created it with the mindset to share it.
My good friend and overall amazing, awesomesauce friend Truth Is worked with a Brew Master over at Wellington Brewery to craft this extremely delicious and sexy American-style IPA in memory and honor of our late comrade, brother, friend and renegade spirit Zaccheus Jackson Nyce. She contacted me to work on the label and it was never a question, more of an immediate honor.
It’s always difficult to not share a project while it’s in motion, especially a passion project. I held this one to the chest for a while, but today the beer officially releases. It can only be purchased through their retail store in Guelph, ON or by the pint at pubs lucky enough to carry this hoppy, delicious concoction by the keg. Hoping you are lucky enough to be able to taste this IPA cuz it`s so so good.
Seeing it here, now, pictured side-by-side with a full glass, brimming with goodness….fills me with pride. I listened to Tool and A Perfect Circle on repeat while designing this. That was the main music Zach and I bonded over. A year later and it took Zach to pull Truth and I back together to work on something, and I took every chance I could to connect with him and put him into the design.
Congratulations Truth! Something tells me this won`t be the last time I enjoy a brew that was crafted by your hands. Also congrats to Master Brewer Dave for bringing his know-how and passion for brewing fine beer to this project. And Thank you Wellington, for the platform and opportunity.
New Leaf Art & Design 