Pretty fun gig.  I like how it came out.  The company sells LED lite kits.  I was happy to get a shot at it.

I went through and selected a few pieces done over the last year and made a little slide show out of them.

Big thanks to all the people that gave me an opportunity to get better this year. I hope to do more and more better in 2012.

enjoy

This is the Karls customs VW show 2007. My son involuntarily volunteered to be in the film. He’s in every shot. Can you find him?

here’s the vid….enjoy

I’ll have a bigger post on this in the future but for now just know that I had a blast drawin this Ford.

This year the Annual Chirco Cruise was amazing! 74 cars!….and me.

I’ve seen tilt-shift videos for a while, it’s cool how things look like toys. I had not seen one done with VWs, so……

here’s the vid….enjoy

I’ve been fortunate enough to get a chance to do the art for Chirco Performance’s Bugtoberfest for a few years now. This year I was really happy cause I got to draw my buddies bus. Looks like it’ll be a really fun show again this year. Make it if you can.

So…on my facebook art page I held this contest and an old friend of mine won. more people voted I should draw his car. I was doin stuff a little differently then so I waited until I felt like I had something at least different to do with the piece. I started this whole pencil sketch color non-sense because of this book I got or I might have seen it on a CGI forum…anyway…I figure if they can do it to a dragon, I can do it to a car….(makes sense to me for some reason, but then again…the owl in Clash of the Titans didn’t bother me much, so that outta tell you somethin.) Read the rest of this entry »

The Speedworld VW show is a dragrace/car show held in Surprise Arizona. I’m fortunate enough to get a crack at doin this job. It’s fun cause it’s always toony and they give me a lot of freedom. The following study is just for flyers and will serve as a map for the final rendering.

ok…well there’s no Duck Dodgers but here is a 21st Century New Beetle that I did for an upcoming VW Dealership show. More on this soon.

So…this whole trying to keep character thing is moving…I can’t say it’s moving forward but it is moving.  The process of rendering via the rough sketch is tricky but really fun.

I got an opportunity to do a piece for a cool cat in the UK.  He has a real nice fastback and I will get a chance to repurpose it for a future design.

Here’s a couple shots from end to begin.

Really was a fun piece. I know I say I learned a lot all the time, but I really did.

Big thanks to Simon.  NEXT!! 

For an upcoming gig.  Pretty fun.

One of the jobs on the table right now is for Vintage Warehouse of Santa Rosa, CA. My buddy Greg is the owner and he gave me a shot at doing another shirt for him. This is the split Read the rest of this entry »

This past weekend I got the privilege of being able to attend the first German Metal Dayz at Chirco.

The German Metal Club is a local group of VW enthusiasts and I gotta tell ya…these cats are down! Whenever I set up a cruise or a bbq or a middle aged man crisis spanking, these cats are there.

They were doing a photoshoot for their upcoming calendar and then Chirco was kind enough to get us sandwiches and some frozen drinks as it was blazin hot.

I love the Tucson VW community.

here’s the vid….enjoy

Take a minute and visit the German Metal site. Tell them the overly excited art guy sent you. www.germanmetals.com

Oh boy…with a title like that, this better be good.

************************************************

In my cartoon pursuits I have found that though my pencil roughs have a decent amount of character, some of that character gets lost when I redraw the toon in Photoshop or whatever I’m using. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out why and though the final renderings come out fine, there’s always a part of me that is a little disappointed. Being a hybrid digital artist is hard….it’s like math…really sucky math that you almost get…(those issues will be addressed in another post)….anyway…

So…I picked up a few resources on Digital Character Rendering…I figured if those cats can render a dragon like that, I should be able to apply some of those principles to my toons. So…that’s what I tried to test.

The Steps:

Step 1: As usual I started with a rough pencil sketch. It was like the size of a quarter and this one just grabbed me. For some reason at that size I’m able to not focus on detail and speak to attitude in the sketch.

Step 2: For the next step I transferred the image on my light table and started to work into the detail a bit. It’s always fun to see the transformation here. I was listening to that new Jill Scott album which is awesome and really feeling my cabbage so to speak.

Step 3: I added some tone to my pencil sketch and in retrospect this is the one area I would try to do better next time. Not that this is bad, it’s just not what it needed to be to bring me home and land hard like set of Sprint Stars on Air-cooled Rag Bug. It’s good for this study though and overall I was pleased. but…..next time I do this step much better.

I scanned it and made it a multiply layer and added a putty colored background on a layer below.

Step 4: The method calls for more painting in Photoshop and less gradient work. The gradients tend to make it mechanical which is cool, but I wanted a more organic feel. From the flaws in the sketch to the looseness in the rendering, what ends up happening is the imperfections are what bring that human element to the table.

There’s a reason Bugs Bunny cartoons of old are still better than many of today’s. The non algorithmic line of the human hand with all it’s imperfections is the vehicle on which character rides….kinda like me on Mr. Toads Ride….it may not be a perfect vision and may induce vomiting, but it sure looks like fun. That’s what the pencil base brings to the party.

Step 5: For much of this I painted in general…no real care about staying in lines, very very little path work…almost no pen work…just color under the pencil line. There was a period where the image wasn’t taking shape and I found it funny because many times when inking I hit that wall. The wall is normally followed by self-doubt and heavy snot bubble crying but this time I was able to push through. I mean, this is a study…a test…a proof of concept and I gotta tell you….in the end I was pleased enough to sing this….

“Hoss and Joe, Adman know…every rock and pine. No one works, fights or eats, like those boys of mine.” – Theme from Bonanza as sung by Lorne Greene

-Lemorris

p.s. I kinda just wanted to write Uranus cause the only other term to make me chuckle more is “Cheese Balls”.

Out of the blue I get an email from this cool cat in Alabama saying he was at my site and wanted to hire me to draw a truck. *blink*….*blink*…I’m thinkin….”is he sure he went to my site?…..a truck?” Anyhow he was sure alright and on top of that it’s part of their 2011 sweepstakes giveaway (link coming soon.) I will flesh out this story with lots of steps and what not in the near future. For now…here’s the beginning and the end.

enjoy

When I was contacted by these guys to do some work for their upcoming air-cooled VW event and they explained the concept for the design, I was all over it. Easily one of the more fun gigs I’ve had in a while. Great cats to work for…really really fun.

We rolled out again this a.m. It was pretty cool.

I’m buried in a project so I just threw some pics in a slide show maker and said whatever it is…it is.

enjoy

Not only is today the last day of the world (reportedly)…it is also the 10 anniversary of the day I got my car so it’s pretty ironic that today we say good bye.

here’s the vid…enjoy

Cars and Coffee is a long running event in California and across the country. The Tucson version has been going for a couple years I think. It’s not like the usual car gigs me and my VW buddies go to, I mean how often do you see Skylines? Anyway we decided to go check it out. it was at this cool shopping center in the foothills and it was very cool. I’m glad my daughter wanted cake. Whew.

here’s the vid…enjoy

OK…it’s official…Bubbs Grub is AWESOME!! From Aubreys insane Bloody Mary to Pulled Pork to die for and the friendliest staff in an amazing environment….lets just say it like this…..I’m going to have 2 more thumbs surgically added to my hands to I can give it 4 thumbs up.

Today the Tucson VWs got together to roll out to Bubbs Grub http://www.bubbsgrub.com again, for those that missed the last one. We had an absolute blast. Food and service was top notch. It’s a long haul for us, but beyond worth it. If you are ever in the area, do yourself a favor, stop in…tell them the VWs sent you.

Here’s the vid…all still shots this time, no actual video. Thanks to my daughter for hipping me to the band. Total editing time…14minutes…no joke.

_

Recently I got to go on a cruise with the Tucson VW community. Folks from DHP, German Metal, Kultur, and the Tucson Bus Mob. We also had some new people like Dallas, Charles and Patrick.

We went to The Velvet Elvis Pizza place which is located about 45 miles away in the Southern Arizona town of Patagonia. According to an article in the USA Today, The velvet Elvis is THE BEST PIZZA in the state of Arizona.

We had a blast. Thanks to everyone that came out. It’s so cool to have an active scene to share our obsession in. If you get a chance, visit The Velvet Elvis…tell them the VWs sent you. here’s the vid….enjoy.

What’s cooler than getting to do some work for cool cats in Nor-Cal?….nuthin.

This shirt was so much fun to do. I got to repurpose a couple pieces and work with Grins Graphics of Grass Valley. Check out the Facebook page. Great stuff. It’s nice to have a chance to work with great printers all over. They make me look better than I am.

I know right?!

So part of the new look will be going away from the car only stuff and sharing some of the other sides.

This little design was done for some folks I had the pleasure of meeting at the Imprinted Sportswear Show (ISS ) in Long beach this year. It’s funny…see a guy wearing a toon gasser shirt…end up drawing a cartoon cow…Udderly ridiculous. (Groan) Really fun piece.

OK…to make a medium length story short…

There’s this awesome caricature artist named Jit. He lives in Singapore and he’s bada_s. I came across his work on facebook and was blown away. I sent him a note and now we’re BFF’s. (I’m making a Jit sleeping bag…just sayin.) You gotta visit his site here. If you are on facebook his page is here. Friend him and freak out.

anyway…turns out we have a lot in common and we decided to do an art exchange between jobs. He is doing a caricature of me and I am doing a CAR-icature of his car (whip).

I always say that the internet makes the world small and this is a perfect example. I might not ever have had a chance to meet and share ideas with someone like Jit…I am thrilled.

I decided to do my first speed painting videos of the development…so…here’s part 1…the contour….if you know me…any excuse to bring the LOWAH….:)…enjoy!

I took on a job for a soldier who is actually overseas. It was interesting because he wants 2 drawings.. One of what his car looks like now and one of what it will look like. It seemed like a fun idea and I gotta tell ya…it was!

I only have the before done right now but I will start the after pencil work soon. I’ll make it a WIP post cause it’ll be cool to build from the previous.

I gotta thank Zach for bein a way cool client and thank him publicly for his service. The commitment our soldiers make is the ultimate, so big thanks to Zach and all our servicemen and women.

Pretty cool when a company sends you products to use on your car. Even better when they’re awesome products! Enjoy the vid and visit http://www.rt66wax.com. My car looks great!

Funny…the plan was to cruise down to a small town south of Tucson named Tubac to go to a car show on a golf course. Due to fear of broken VWs on a lonely stretch of highway we opted for a less risky destination and decided to go to Bubbs Grub in Catalina which is a small town North of Tucson. http://www.bubbsgrub.com

Turned out to be the perfect plan.

Hilites include my man and protector of our freedoms, Tristan, eating a 3lb Scooby Doo sandwich and also turning Buddah and Moses into a growling beast because he had a bamboo staff, passing the spot where Congresswoman Giffords was shot (note: we LOVE her), and getting a chance to get out and play VW which I haven’t done in a while.

Thanks to “The Others” for rollin through and my man Silent Steve for droppin by just to say hi. (He hugged me like he meant it….no reach around.)

Anyway…enjoy this 4 minute vid of some nothingness….that’s how we do in Tucson.

The 5 designs I did for EMPI are now available.

I gotta tell you, this was a very fun job. The folks at EMPI were a pleasure to work with and my printer in vegas (Pierson productions) really makes me look much better than I am.

The shirts came out great.

They are available for purchase here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1079120

Here’s where the design landed. I had a blast with this one.

I’m fulltime artist/handyman/whatever now and part-time artist/handy-man whatever so I thought I’d throw some steps up on the Cruise To The Prom Event. It’s a European Cancer benefit cruise and the cat I do the work for is big on the cartoony stuff so it’s always a fun one.

This years design calls for a few foreground cars and a Ferris Wheel in the background with little VWs as the cars.

My basic method is pencilwork – ink in Photoshop – render in Photoshop.

so

Pencil work:

I looked up the global census results and it’s official…I am the WORST sketcher on the planet. I know…I know….I am honored. In any case…this starts there.

I picked a bug, a bus and a squareback, then I went to my facebook page and asked people to put up their pics of 2 of those makes and I just randomly picked 2 of them to draw.

By periodically involving my audience I can give a cool gift but also make others aware of the art and more importantly as this is a cancer benefit show…It gets more people interested in the event itself and hopefully the event will sell more shirts and stuff like that.

I also put up a number of steps sometimes on facebook and other places because your audience understanding what you put into it can be a very good thing. That’s been the case with me, but I do try to be selective. I don’t post everything I do. I don’t post all steps….there’s a little carrot dangling goin on.

so…

I jumped into the vehicles and what I did was do the rough sketch then the worked up version on the same sheet.

Kinda like…”This…became This!”

I’ll show them all…I’m through the pencil work and the final 3 of these are ready to go to “ink” so to speak.

In the final pencils I tried to make sure to add some of those owner specific details. Little things. Stickers or certain trim or license plate kinda stuff.

The little personalization brings the audience in even closer. I wanted these toons to have a little more character so I exaggerated a bit more and threw in a lot of shapes and good bits…kinda like Charles Paw stuff in CARtoons of old.

Oh…I drew these on the back of a bunch of old stationary my moms job gave her which she gave to me and a zebra 5mm tech pencil. I use a white eraser.

To go from one stage to the next I use my light table which might as well be called “the other woman” at this point.

Just like before I use the pen tool and make paths then stroke those paths with or without brush pressure.

Sometimes I open my Photoshop file in painter and “hand ink” using the scratchboard variant which is the coolest thing ever!

anyway

On this one in Photoshop I did the contour lines first and stroked them at 10 pixels!! frekkin huge for me. I normally do 6 or 7 max, but I’m after a slightly different look so.

Here’s a closer look at the front tire paths.

What I do is use the circle tool and drag a circle on there then I hit ctrl+t which is free transform. then hold down shift and or ctrl and you can edit nodes and rotate and all that goodness. Try it…very cool.

I make sure I name my path which will save it with the file then I can rightbutton click and stroke the path with my brush settings.

I will do all the parts on separate layers and then just erase where the lines overlap, then merge the layers down. The eraser in Photoshop is amazing.

Anyway

When I do the inking this way it really becomes all about rhythm.

I used to play a lot of ’set a time goal” games but now I just draw it. I try not to think too much and just kinda go. This is what I call the “ugly stage” When the drawing is all hollow and it looks like it’s just not gonna turn out. The key is to push past and just trust in yourself. It will be ok when it’s done and the learning along the way is what it’s really all about.

here you can see the inking and I added a hilite layer and just stroked all my hilite paths with a 1 pixel red. This really is just for visual reference. I use selection masks to render in now…I don’t make hilite selections using the magic wand on the hilite layer anymore. Path operations are so much cleaner.

So I start blocking in color.

You can also see how I set up my layers. I’ll do a topic, a base and a tone layer and when done, sometimes merge them.

Another thing is creating a channel mask to select from so I don’t have to keep making a selection I’m going to use over and over, like the body for example.

Here’s how it works.

Make your selection. In this case I used the magic wand and the polygon lasso to select just the areas of the body. I expanded my selection by a pixel or two so the black line would trap it then go to the bottom of the channels pallet and click this thing.

That makes your selection a channel and trust me, you just saved hours.

By holding down ctrl and clicking on that channel it will load that selection for me. Then I can in my layers use path operations to make more selections. You’ll see.

Next I just ran an airbrush over the tires. You can see my settings. I usually airbrush low flow and just build up tone gradually.

here’s a look at the base color just chillin I spose. Now it gets fun. It’s like a blank canvas you can’t really mess up. Undo loves you…it’s awesome.

So now using a soft brush with a dark color and a light color I kinda block in some areas of light and shadow.

I’m kinda into this really dark on the bottom, light on top thing these days. probably all the cough syrup but really you can do it how you do and just you know, block it in.

I can make a selection of just the side

and using path operations (add to, subtract from, and intersect) You can refine a selection.

here’s a little closer look. I can right button click, click make selection

Then subtract from selection so the little fender lip won’t be part of the area I render in

….cake.

Now I can air brush or drag gradients or make the selection a channel or whatever. pretty slick IMO.

next I make a streak layer. this is newish stuff for me. I just kinda scribble with a small brush, low opacity and set the brush to multiply. This way when the streaks overlap you will get color variations and just by following a simple rule of light on top, dark on bottom you can build a semi-convincing marker look. At this stage it’s pretty raw. In the next stages we will refine.

here you can see I started using my hilite selection areas and made a layer above my streaks. I use gradients set to like 25% and multiply. Foreground color to transparent and soft brushes. The dark edge against that light edge is critical for reflection depth so I spend some time in there brushing softly and trying to build those tones.

So what I did here was duplicate my body base layer and fill it with a much brighter red. I moved it above the other body color layers and set it’s layer property to overlay and made it like 70%. This just ‘redded” up everything and then I redid my hot whites slightly on a new layer above my duplicated body base. Just helps build depth.

next I started doin my chrome except for rims and the glass. I do the glass on a layer above the lineart layer and make sure myselection is to the edge of the black. I started with a blue tint but you will see soon how I ended up gettin down with that.

here’s a close up of the rim and hubcap. I just kinda wing it. simple tones and I try to be creative with the black fills. Those curves and points are far from realistic but they add some interest and frankly, fun, and that’s what this needs to be so. I will go back in with an eraser and clean out a hot edge just for added pop.

Speaking of added pop, there ya go. I add some sparkle brushes on a bling layer and on the glass layer I just adjusted the hue and saturation, the hue setting to a color I kinda liked. It’s pretty cool cause you can tint the glass any color pretty easily.

Once again, I used a license plate generator and added the bevel to the text and for the headlights I just scribbled over a lens I have saved and dropped in a couple headlight brushes I made. You can make a brush out of any texture so I have a few and I just mix and match until they look like something.

Anyway…that’s it.

I wamt to send a special note to Debby B, the owner of the bus I tooned. Her enthusiasm for what I was doing made it that much more special and exciting for me. It was a pleasure.

yay!

-Lemorris

This Bus is for an upcoming shirt.
-lemorris

This Bus is for an upcoming shirt.
-lemorris

Just finished this Ghia drawing for an upcoming shirt series. More on this soon.
-lemorris

Just finished this Ghia drawing for an upcoming shirt series. This car is owned by my buddy matt. Cool guy, cool car.

-lemorris

So…I was talking to my daughter yesterday and she was telling me that she went to an art review and one of the grad students was a video major and he was showing a piece. Curious I asked “Video??…like my stuff?….” to which my daughter replied “No…your videos make sense, so it’s not art.”

That being the case, enjoy some non-art I was priveledged enough to get to string together from clips the Tucson Bus Mob brought back from their first group trip to the fabled VW Bus event, The Jerome Jamboree (I know someone who loves that word.)

here’s the vid…enjoy.

My friend Todd came to me a little over a week go and told me about how his kids’ youth football team needed to earn some money so they could pay the city for fields and lights. It’s not cheap!

Todd said they wanted to do a car wash. I was happy to make up a flyer for the Titans and today me and a couple friends got to swing by the car wash and get our cars cleaned.

Great job Titans! Good luck on your season. You guys did great!

here’s the vid…enjoy.

I was honored when the Tucson Bus Mob cats said they would go have coffee with me….now they said it at about 9:50 pm and new guy Tristan was hopped up on kiddie drinks and was fully prepared to “ride the goat” when I left so I didn’t think it was gonna happen. The next morning my phone blew up, and I actually got to go hang out with a sliver of the Bus Mob. It was extremely cool.

It has become apparent that Le Buzz roasts their coffee beans with crack cause I am addicted, and once again the coffee was beyond good. There was a sour note worth mentioning though as a guy in a pickup truck suffered a heart attack. We are unsure of his status but wish him well. Somehow the time with friends means just that much more when you witness something like that, so..best wishes to him and thank you for the eye opener.

here’s the vid…enjoy.

I wont run on at the mouth over this, just know I LOVED IT!!!

This little design is for kids shirts, like onesies and what not. Kiddie gear. My good friend Donnie Miller of Miller Graphics in Oklahoma gave me a call and asked me to do this gig. It’s always scary working with the high-end print shops but working with Donnie is like playing hopscotch with a limber octopus on a concrete schoolyard in Bartlesville. (if you know Donnie you’re laughing right now. ) Anyway here we go.

Here’s the rough sketch, and it should be noted that many artists use the word rough and really it’s a tighter sketch they present….NOT ME!!!

Next is the “tighter sketches” and the inkings for the characters. When I was asked to do this I immediately thought about using Painter as I’m trying to learn more and more in that program. The looseness in the line and wheels and what not made it an easy choice for me. I enjoyed the inking so much, I did all 3 in one afternoon. Yes Cameo helped, but it was mostly Painter. Great app.

After the inking I did this composite and got approval from Donnie and his awesome wife Jimmie. Ok ok…yes I have simulated-air-humped them and yes it was a strange thing to do at your first meeting, but hey….if it works….it works…whatcha gonna do?

After the lineart was approved I went ahead and did the render and seps for the shirts. It was a bit challenging working with a limited pallet. As an artist “limited pallet” means 18 spot colors including light light light greenish perriwinkle…however…it means black, white, grey, green, flesh and brown to the printer. (note: He did give me grey and for that I am grayteful. hahahaha….sorry)

This battle is as fierce as Mac vs PC or Ginger vs Mary Ann in the screenprint world. In this instance I happily conceded to Donnie. It was cool to pull it off and take advantage of the shirt color in a vehicle as well.

I want to thank Donnie being a cool client and a much better friend. Tell Jimmie when I see her in LB I’ll have a special jamocha shake for her….she might want to get inside of one of those Aliens robotic hydraulic things like Sigourney Weaver ….I’m just sayin. Thanks man. It was a seriously fun job. Thank you so much for the opportunity. Whoop-whoop!

The second bus in the first EMPI design is a Mango that I selected via a thread on The Samba (a silly place that VW people flock to.) I will often ask for images over there. I could just do a flikr search or google image search and find stuff but it’s more fun to ask people to participate with you. I will do prints of the bus for the owner and send him a link to the development thread that will start for this design tonite.

Finally got a jump on the ELPI work and I get to start with my new friend Henry’s bus. Not only have I seen this bus in person, I personally know the owner and he is one of the nicest cats I have met in this hobby. Great bus, better guy. I’m honored.

Took a break from the workload and ran to an early morning show. Came home and between renders, knocked out a quick vid. It was a fun event. Cool place, good people. I’m glad I went.

Here’s the vid…enjoy

It occurred to me that I am pretty lucky to have as many VW folk near me as I do. This video is for them.

Enjoy.

As part of my 9 to 5 we set up cool little meets at Sonic once in a while. You show up in a vw and we buy your meal.

Here’s what happened last nite.

Enjoy.

Hangin out on Motorburg has benefited me greatly. I have made great friends and been exposed to art on levels I can only hope to achieve.

There is a massive show coming up in Kentucky later on this summer and the cats who run Motorburg are setting up a huge booth.

All the hot shots and big name car art guys will be there. As part of the fun members of Motorburg were asked to take part in a great exercise. Draw the Invader.

The Invader is one of those wild kustoms built way back when and it has a rich show history. I don’t normally do these kind of things but all of the Motorburg work will be displayed at the show together and that togetherness is one of the main reasons I support The Burg so I was happy to give it a shot.

We were asked to maybe make some mods or something. I studied the car but all I could come up with was adding a nice trunk so I could take the Invader to the grocery store and not feel out of place.

Anyway…here’s my take.

As always, rough sketch gets transferred and massaged.

For something different I did all the linework in Painter. I have been trying to learn the program and I really really liked how this went.

Just colored in Photoshop. Multiple layers, multiple fun. I wanted it to be a little loose but controlled. It was a blast.

Here’s where the vehicle landed.

Here’s a link to a slightly bigger one.

I really enjoyed this one.

Thanks for checkin it out.

-Lemorris

I was fortunate enough to secure a great freelance art gig with EMPI. If you don’t know, they are a huge VW parts manufacturer…maybe the hugest. In any case it’s a sweet opportunity and you will see the designs and stuff on the site soon.

As part of the gig I was able to get some new wheels for my car Mistie. 9 years and I have never owned a set of non-stock wheels. A couple buddies loaned me some in the past but these are mine so naturally I made a video, cause…..that’s what I do.

So basically I shot some random footage just so I could make a video using one of the uh-tss (repeat over and over) songs my daughter listens to. Me and my son have some fun washing the car then I cruise to a local car show and hang out with my man Jim Share (Superstar). No real point, just is.

enjoy

Here’s a look at part of the next set for GuntherVW.

I was thrilled to get to do this bus because it is owned by my good friend Cory. he’s a super cool cat and his bus is one of the most recognizable out there.

I won’t get too long winded…it’ll be show and not really tell.

Just know that there are few jobs that I have worked on that I enjoyed as much as this one. I can’t wait to see it on Gunther gear.

enjoy

When the phone rang and I saw it was Big Herb of DHK (VW Club) I wasn’t sure what he wanted. I thought..hmmm…perhaps a meteor has flown over the SoCal area and machines are taking over and Herb wants to warn me about a really angry joker diesel truck.” As it turned out he wanted to hire me to do a t-shirt design for one of SoCals premier Summer VW events.

happy lemorris.com

anyway here’s a few steps of how it all came together.

Big time shout out to Big herb and all the cats in the DHK. It was not only an honor to get to work with you, but it was an enjoyable experience to say the least. I really appreciate the shot my man.

As usual I started with a rough sketch. This one is a couple versions in so I added some elements and stuff to get a feel for the overall design. The event is being held in San Pedro which I only know as the hometown of the late great NBAer Dennis Johnson who I used to want to be when he played for the Supersonics but then he went to the Celtics so I didn’t want to be him as much, but I always liked him. So yeah…in San Pedro at Fremin park.

here’s a tightened up pencil on the car. This split window rag is owned by a cat named PIP in the DBK (vw club) and it’s a high end car. When I saw it was going in this design I got butterfly-ish but got over it once I fell into the lines.

The butterflies came back when I realized the bus in the design was a GFK bus (vw club). Now some of you may not know but both the DBK and the GFK build some of the best vws on the planet. It was an honor to get to do one of each and side by side no less.

I went after the bus first for the render. I did all the linework in Photoshop.

next I added some base tones and worked out a shading method for the wood, and came up with a plan for the rear safari window.

The bus landed here. I got to take a few liberties but the owner was pretty pleased about the results, so was I. It was fun to do.

Same thing for the Bug. Lineart in Photoshop. I bounce between paths and layers to drop it all in. Modifying ellipses to stick the wheels and then drawing bits on sequential layers and merging down once I erase the strays.

Here’s some basic color going in the bug.

The split landed here. The color on this car is so rich. The interior really sets it off. Once again, I had to take some liberties but the owner thought it was cool and I think it came out pretty ok.

Next I’ll drop in the finished design on a few different colored shirts. We ended up putting the lighthouse from Fremin park in the design. I think it’s a great addition to the shirt. Folks at the show that get a shirt will always have that landmark as a reminder.

My favorite part? There’s a hilite happening on the fender beading on the split that just makes me happy. I will remember how I did that and apply it again.

Once again I’d like to thank Big Herb for the shot., and thanks for checkin this out.

-Lemorris

Here’s more from The VW Classic weekend.

This vid covers the Octo bus show and the VW Classic itself.

Easily the best vw shows I’ve been to. Easily the best time with friends I have had.

Here’s the vid…enjoy.

My first trip to the Classic VW weekend in So. Cal and wow. It was a busy busy time, working and playing. It was an incredible event.

One of my hilites was getting to spend a good chunk of time with all the bus folk camping in the Chino Hills at the annual VTO BlackStar campout. Plenty of friends, food and fun. I was welcomed with open arms and truly enjoyed the time (wish it was more) that I got to spend there.

Here’s the vid…enjoy.