My Illustration

rawpixels

My dream is to one day become a poster artist for Ames Bros or go freelance. I hope you all like what you see.

http://www.rawpixels.com/pjseattle.jpg

Bill

SPEEDY MCCREADY

rawpixels wrote:

My dream is to one day become a poster artist for Ames Bros or go freelance. I hope you all like what you see.

http://www.rawpixels.com/pjseattle.jpg

Bill

thats really good.....

really really good..................

tschav

from one graphic artist to another, here's my small (and unfortunately, maybe demeaning) advice:
think more about concept and less typography. you got a good start, but think about concepts/ideals that the band possesses. ames goes a bit crazy with their designs (and have a penchant for dead birds recently). never, ever be afraid to use more random/unrelated imagery to tell the story of Pearl Jam.

I'm sitting in front of three posters I framed - Alpine Valley 03, Chicago 05 (Katrina benefit), and Chicago 2 06 (night one in 06 didn't really look right). definitely different designs, but they definitely set themselves apart.

I bet you have it in you to create epic poster designs, but think less of location and more about concept, maybe even theme your posters around songs you're obsessed with. music has always been my greatest motivation to theme.

tschav

and honestly, my only complaints about your piece are that it's too, well, themed with Seattle and maybe a bit too commercial with the Ames Bros. posters. it is nice though, but maybe not Ames Bros. "hire me!" material.

thumbs

font - the J looks too much like a G.

mfogel2002

For some reason it reminds me of the movie "Catch Me If You Can". It looks good, although I am not sure about the "PJ" font.

kdpjam

i like the colors in it. cool.

BrainOfJD

From one designer/illustrator to another:

I like the color scheme and the layout - the way all the elements direct the eye to the "PJ" cricle is really smart. It doesn't really fit with Ames Bros' or Pearl Jam's style though. Their designs are uysually much more organic, with hand-drawn elements and distressed type. Yours has "Adobe Illustrator" written all over it. You rarely see gradients, translucent forms, or out-of-the-box typefaces on their posters or shirts.

On the other hand, why should anybody hire you if you can just straight up copy the style they've already got? Push your own style even more and try to be more inventive. There are cool elements of your own style in there - like the funky buildings, for example, which are much more interesting than the Space Needle. And your eye for where to position the elements is fantastic. I would say try to work more in their technique, by staying away from Illustrator or Photoshop until you've really worked something out by hand on paper. But be sure to maintain your own visual style.

Thematically, I would agree with the other suggestions that a skyline is not original enough. You don't have to be that literal if you're trying to evoke something about Seattle. Look for something like old Seattle industries, sports teams, publications, or something more obscure and idiosyncratic if you want a locale-specific theme. And don't forget the power of the non-sequitir.

Sorry if I was harsh. I'm trying to be constructive. I like stuff about your piece and I think your goal is a great one to aspire to. I would suggest looking for some local bands or and approaching them about doing some posters or flyers or whatever. I bet having a portfolio of printed pieces is more impressive than a portfolio of mocked up PJ pieces.

Good luck and keep up the great work! I'd love to see more...

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EDIT:

OK, I just saw the rest of your site and clearly you don't need my advice about how to get work Very iconic, clean, and graphic. I like it a lot!