KBrink Design

Hi All,

I hope you all are having a good Holiday Season.  I had an excellent Christmas and looking forward to a good New Year.  It's even been a little like winter here (northern tier folks - don't laugh too hard).  Anyhow - I'd like to announce a new design start up that I'm involved with....KBrink Design.

KBrink Design Logo

KBrink Design is the brainchild of my son Andy.  Andy is an artist and designer with experience working in screen printing and some work with punk rock band logo and flier design.  We've talked about collaborating on a business for a while, but the timing was never quite right.  However, this time the timing seems good.

Here's the idea that he had for the business.  We would focus on the markets/areas where his interest lies.  Punk and Rock n Roll Bands, Horror Movies, and related topics.  We'll be putting together products for sale at Horror Cons, Comic Cons, and on-line.  TShirts, buttons, stickers, artwork prints, original artwork, etc.  We'll also be providing original designs, artwork and products for clients.

I bring most of the experience to the project.  The knowledge of the industry, artwork production techniques, and thing of that nature.  We're already working on products and designs and will be open for business at an event soon.  Updates to come soon.

Have a great day and Happy New Year.

Peace,

Tom

Digital Painting with "Painter" software

Hi All,

How's your week starting off?  I hope well.  Things are moving right along here.  Keeping busy - a little bit of everything.  Summers starting off nicely here in Phoenix.  It's been in the low 100s and 90s recently.  Warming up!

Some of what's been keeping me a little busy - I've been working on more artwork for my friend, Towanda Allen.  She's been writing books and working on workshops for Mother and Daughter empowerment and enrichment.  The first piece I did a while back was the "Brave" artwork.

Digital Artwork for Towanda Allen's empowerment workshops.

That was a fun piece, and I knew she wanted more soon.  As promised, she came back recently with a request for a book cover design.  The book is a kids leadership development journal that she's written called, "I'm a Leader for a Great Tomorrow - Inspirational Journal for the Next Generation of Leaders."  She's finished writing it and working with a publisher now.

Painting/Design for bookcover for Towanda's kids leadership journal

The direction I got was - "here's the title - it's for boys and girls, let me know if there's an image that comes to you."  I thought about it for a bit and what came to me was clear and quick - an abstract painterly style painting.  Something a bit adventurous, but not in the traditional sense.  Above is the image.

I've been wanting to work with the program, Painter, for a while now.  I do play with it on my own, but I wanted to do some complete works with it, in a painterly style.  This was the perfect project for Painter.  I've worked with it off and on over the years, even when I was still in graphic arts in the Air Force.  It's fun and really simulates artistic media well.  You can use oils, acrylic paint, airbrush, pencil, marker, chalk, pastels, etc - all simulated thru this computer graphics software. (I think Corel is the company that owns/sells Painter now).

Painting/Design for Towanda Allen

I also did a second image - I like it and it's different from the first, but I didn't really like it for this project.  Well, as things often work out, Towanda loved it and wanted it...for the Mother/Daughter workshop.  Awesome!  So, I put some text on it, as seen below.

Painting with text - for Towanda Allen's workshops and promotional materials.

Towanda did like the abstract for the cover and below is a version with text for the cover.  I like the idea of having the translucent text box - so the text reads well and you can still see the art.  It works for my design sensibilities.

Book cover with text.

So that's it.  Since then, another friend wants a book cover also and I'm working on a painting/design for it in Painter also.  More to come on that.  You can check out Towanda's web site for info on her workshops, books, her blog-talk radio show and more.
www.TowandaMAllen.com

Enjoy every moment - be present - suit up, show up, and live it.  Make it a great day - choose to have a great day, even if you're doing a job you don't want, or whatever you're doing...it's a choice you make.
And of course - be good to each other.

Peace,

Tom

Social Media Advertising Artwork

Hi Everyone,

How's your week going?  Things are going good here.  I'm keeping busy.  In fact, I spent a good deal of the day today working on promoting my Massage/Holistic Therapy Business.

In my business, Holistic Therapy Solutions, I provide therapeutic massage, reflexology, energy work and hypnotherapy.  However, another aspect of the biz are that I have a couple of groups that meet every week (meditation and Weight Loss with Hypnotherapy), and I teach some therapy classes.

One of the benefits of being an artist is I can not only write my own curriculum, but I can do my own artwork for classes and advertising.  Lately I've been having fun doing some illustrations to accompany some of the social media promotions for these groups and classes.

Artwork for the "Holistic Weight Management with Hypnotherapy" group advertising.
Produced with Photoshop and Wacom tablet over a photo.

I've been having some fun putting some (hopefully), eye catching graphics together.  At the same time, I'm really trying to practice time management and not spend a great deal of time on them either.  So I'm going into Photoshop and putting some illustrations together.

This morning I put a piece of artwork together for my meditation group.  I figure, it'll do better with a visual, than with none.  Either way, I had a good time putting it together and if it provides dividends, that's great.

Artwork for the "Midweek Re-Set Meditation Group" advertising.
Produced with Photoshop and Wacom tablet over a photo.

It's good fun.  I'm not putting together anything too intensive, but I'm working to put together something that's appropriate to help provide balance between the artwork and the text ad, and to brand the groups/classes.

Artwork for upcoming "Introduction to Chi Energy" class advertising.
Collage art assembled and illustrated with Photoshop and Wacom tablet.

So, I hope you're having some fun in whatever you're doing for work.  It's been alot of fun creating these.  Enjoy your week.  Do something nice for someone else - just because you can.  Be easy on others - and be good to yourself too.

Peace,

Tom

www.HolisticTherapySolutions.weebly.com

Blu Lotus Pathways Logo Project

Hi All,

It's been quite a week and I'm ready for the weekend.  Saturday is the holistic fair at work where I'm going to be offering 20 minute, Stress Relieving Hypnosis sessions.  Sunday - the Super Bowl.  I'm going to be making a big pot of chili and we'll be having the kids and some of their friends over for the game.  It's going to be fun.

Today I want to spotlight a logo that I developed for and with a friend, Tiff Vacca.  The logo is for her business, Blu Lotus Pathways.  Over the last few years I've had the privilege to work on some projects for some friends that I've gone to school with and this is one of those projects.

When Tiff and I originally sat down to discuss this project, she already had the name of her business. The lotus and the path (pathways), were very important symbolic images that needed to be represented in this logo.

Logo - Blu Lotus Pathways

So I got to work.  An idea that Tiff really liked was the blue lotus flower coming out of the U in Blu and a pathway also emerging from that U.  I found this concept to be a challenge and began putting ideas on paper with pencil.  It took a little back and forth with ideas, but we eventually came to the concept that would become the finished logo.  In the mean time, I had started working on the lotus flower, illustrating it in Photoshop.

Above is the finished artwork.  The symbolism of the lotus and the path have a very deep personal symbolism for my friend and client.  I felt that bringing it together in a circular (technically oval), shape follows the symbolism and brings it all around, "full circle."

Sunset in Cave Creek, Arizona....beautiful.

I'm proud and honored to have been able to help out with this logo.  You'll find Tiff and Blu Lotus up in Cave Creek, Arizona.  She's an outstanding massage therapist and also offers Reiki, Cranial Sacral therapy, and more.  If you're in Cave Creek, check out Blu Lotus or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/blulotuspathways

Have a great weekend everyone.  Enjoy the Super Bowl, or like some folks...the Super Bowl commercials.  Be good to each other too.

Peace,

Tom

www.facebook.com/pages/Tom-Kreienbrink-Art-and-Design

Packers Gallery - Playoffs start this weekend!

Hi All,

Happy Friday.  I'm excited.  2014 is starting off pretty well in many ways.  One good thing - my favorite football team (Green Bay Packers), will be playing the 49ers on Sunday in the first round of the playoffs.

In honor of that, I'm posting a gallery of some of the Packer artwork that I've done over the years.  Go Packers!!

Aaron Rodgers - pencil and digital paint

Of course - there's the current star quarterback for the Packers, Aaron Rodgers.  However, I thought I'd dip into the archives and break out some Packers of the past.  Some of these, you may not have seen for a while.  I hope you enjoy.

Leroy Butler - Defensive back - originator of the Lambeau Leap.  Digital paint.

Aaron Kampman - Defensive End and pass rush specialist.  Digital paint.

Mike Mckenzie - Defensive Back.  Digital paint.

Ray Nietzsche - One of the baddest, meanest Linebackers of all time.  A Hero
in the Packers teams of the 1960s.  digital paint.

Bill Schroeder - Wide Receiver  - Amazing speed and ability to make
the coach furious.  digital paint.

Enjoy your weekend everyone.  If you're a football fan - have fun watching the playoffs.

Cheers,

Tom

Collage Artwork...that's what I call it

Hi All,

I hope you had a great weekend.  Mine was good - we hosted my granddaughters birthday party yesterday.  Great time.  She's 4 years old.  And - it's really becoming the time of year that we really enjoy here in Phoenix.  It's cooling down a bit, but not cold.  Great for outdoor activity.  I'm grateful for all of it.

So I went back into the archives this morning and pulled out some pieces that I'd done years ago but really haven't put online or promoted.  This morning I'm going to share one of those pieces of art.

On a side note, I've been using my phone camera for the photography.  I can't believe how good the camera is on my new smart phone.  It's an LG Nexus - pretty decent phone....and the camera is pretty good.  So the camera sits unused in the drawer.  I'm not a power user of technology and am constantly amazed at how it keeps progressing.

Collage 156; pen and acrylic color.  Approx 22"x14"

This is one of my collages - I call it, Collage 156.  I've always enjoyed putting things together in a collage format.  The piece is drawn on illustration board (approx 22"x14").  I did the original in pen and ink (technical pen).  Then I painted it with acrylic paint.

This piece is from the late 90s.  So you see the green #92; Reggie White's number when he was playing football in Green Bay.  There's other imagery in the pic that's related to me and my life in one way or another.  Some imagery is just flowing from my mind with no direct link to my day to day life at the time, and of course there's some graphic elements that bring it together....or not.

close up - a little detail.

I (of course), couldn't help myself and did a little touch up with the computer.  Not much - just punching up a little color in some areas.  Tightening a little detail as well, but I'm also trying to retain the integrity of the artwork.

a little detail - you see the London Bridge  - now located in
Lake Havasu City, AZ - where I lived the later part of my youth.

I've done a number of these pieces over the years.  I think I may take one of the pen and ink versions and color it in the computer.  Something to work on in the future.

I hope you've enjoyed this piece.  It was a lot of fun to make/produce.  I hope you all are starting off the week right and enjoy every day.  Enjoy each moment and be good to each other.

Peace,

Tom

Hand Reflexology Charts

Hi All,

I hope you're all having a good start to this week.  Things are going well here.  Another nice fall week here in Phoenix.  Ahhh....cooling down.

I recently was putting material together for a hand therapy class.  I put a booklet together and drew some Hand Reflexology Charts.  I was going to teach the class with Rod Lyman.  Rod was going to teach acupressure points and related therapy for the hands and my part was Hand Reflexology.

Well, sometimes things come up in life and this is one of those instances.  So we're postponing the class for a while.  But, I got my materials together for the class and am ready when it's time for the class.

Here's a brief description of how I put these reflex maps together.  I drew the actual hand itself and uploaded it into my Mac.  With Photoshop and my Wacom tablet I cleaned up the hand illustration into a simple, clean black and white hand pic.

I then placed the hand pic into an Adobe Illustrator file.  I placed the same one in a second time and mirror flipped it so I have two hands.  To finish the pics, the text and line work was added in with Illustrator, to show the various reflex areas of the hands.  Pretty simple, but a good way to put a clean and descriptive illustration together.

For the back side of the hand (or Dorsal side), I used the original hand pic and made some modifications to it and repeated the same process.

The booklet was typed up in MS Word and imported into Adobe In Design.  Then with In Design, I was able to format this document into a nice, easy to use booklet, for the Hand class.

That's the reflexology maps for the hand class and a little bit on how I was able to produce the illustrations.  I hope your week is going well this week.  Do something nice for yourself and someone else.  Be kind to others.

See you soon.   Peace,

Tom

www.HolisticTherapySolutions.weebly.com

Fun With Dylan

Hi All,

Happy Labor Day to my fellow Americans and Happy Monday to everyone around the world.  Hope you're having a good day.

I loved the cover photo on the latest issue of the Rolling Stone, so thought I'd use it for a fun drawing of Bob Dylan.  I've subscribed to the Stone for the last 30 years for the music news and stories, as well as social and political information.  I've followed the careers of folks like Bob Dylan over the years thru the pages of the Rolling Stone.

OK - enough of that.  Sometimes I like to just sit down with pencils, sharpener, and eraser sticks; and just draw and enjoy creating a picture.

Starting out...having a little Monday morning fun.

So I started drawing with a Ticonderoga HB pencil, with my eraser sticks and sharpener.  I like caricature style drawing that's a recognizable pic - almost a cross between portrait and caricature.  It's a fun drawing of an early 1970's Dylan.

I wanted to keep it simple with some dark darks, rendered with a 2B Koh-i-noor pencil.  I wanted to make it look like Dylan and keep it loose and fun.  Here's the final product.

finished sketch...post cleanup with Photoshop.

It's funny...I took the photos with my new phone.  The photos of the artwork had a bright green tint.  I have no idea why.  So, I took it into Photoshop and did a little adjusting and "drew" the background back to white.  Crazy...yes, I'm not a photographer.  So that's my fun holiday pencil sketch.

Another aspect to this - on this Labor Day.  Dylan always had been pro-labor politically.  I like that.  My dad and granddads had been working men....hard working men in factories and my mom's dad in a print plant.  I was raised in a pro-union family.  I think this picture pays homage to that in some small way....at least in my mind.

Anyhow - have a great day and enjoy...whatever you're doing.  Be nice to those around you too....

Peace,

Tom

100% Digitally Produced Cartoon Illustration

Hi All,

I hope everyone's having a good summer.  Here in Phoenix, AZ - it's Hot...and I still love it here.  I enjoy the weather wherever I'm at - and I've been a lot of places.

So I wanted to do a little illustration to use in advertising for my upcoming Tobacco Freedom Group hypnotherapy classes.  (I can't wait - it's going to be so good).  So I had an image in my mind of a hand putting out a cigarette on a non-descript flat surface.  I had the idea of doing a cartoon style image because it's light hearted, and I love that kind of work.

As I began, I thought I'd do the whole thing on computer; start to finish.  Typically I start with a sketch and scan it in.  I have a Wacom pad with a stylus, so I can draw on the computer using programs like Photoshop or Painter.  Today I used Photoshop.

Tobacco Freedom Group advertising illustration using
Photoshop and Wacom tablet

The power of the software is drawing in layers.  First layer - black and white sketch (pretty rough).  As I toggled back and forth in black, then white, I worked out the layout.  Being a pretty simple image, it didn't take too long.

Then I just started working the layers.  I started with the outline of the hand on a layer and the cigarette.  I added layers below the outline to do the coloring.  A layer on top to add the smoke on.  I deleted the original sketch layer and then subsequent bottom layer was where I did the background.

So it was that easy.  Yeah, it took a little while (maybe an hour or two).  Of course time was spent smoothing out the lines and tightening up the pic...but that's it.  The easy computer generated computer artwork.  I hope you liked it.

Well, it's Friday.  The weekend is here.  Sue and I are taking a break and going to spend a little time with a friend in Tucson this weekend.  I hope you all have a great weekend and are able to get a little relaxation in, wherever you're at.

Peace,

Tom

Going Away Artwork

Hi All,

I hope you're all doing well.  I'd like to feature "going away art" today.  Here's what that is.  If you're part of an organization that may have members moving on every now and then, you may consider developing some type of art to reproduce as a unique going away gift.  It can be a nice memento that you can personalize easily as an added touch.

As a career Air Force member, I've done my share of moving around.  Over the years I've collected a number of plaques and photos and things from various places, given to me as going away gifts.  As an artist, I thought - "why not come up with something unique, reproducible, and maybe something that we could easily personalize or use as a fundraiser.  So I started developing pen and ink artwork that could be reproduced, given as gifts, and easily framed.

Prime BEEF - 11" x 14"
Pen and ink on bristol board.

The picture above was done for the 11th Civil Engineer Squadron (CE), in Washington, DC (where I was First Sergeant for a few years).  Their deployed mission is called "Prime BEEF" and is represented by a bull - so that was a major theme in the piece.  I also included a local flavor from DC and the CE corps badge (lower left corner).  I wanted to make it a fun memento that I could easily print up at Kinkos or a local print shop in a nice quality paper.  I left a "hole" in the middle to write a personalized message for the recipient.

55th OSS - 18" x 24"
Pen and Ink on Illustration Board

I developed a larger montage illustration for the 55th Operations Support Squadron in Nebraska.  They hired me to develop this as a piece they could reproduce and use as a long term fundraiser.  The piece represents the local area as well as scenes from around the base.   I did the same thing for the hospital at Offutt AFB as well.  They went over well...the hospital Commander even proudly gave one to the base Commander when he departed for another assignment.

Over the years I've done a few others as well at various places.  They're fun and can even make a few bucks for you or your charitable organization.  I'm sure this type of thing could be developed for various corporate offices, schools, charitable organizations...anywhere people come and go occasionally.

Take care all and have a great week........

Peace,

Tom

Tee Design - More Beef Than You Can Handle

Hi All,

I came across my tee shirt from the 11th Civil Engineers Squardron (CE) recently and thought I'd get out the artwork and share it here in the blog.  The last three years of my Air Force career, I moved on from multimedia and became a First Sergeant.  I was assigned to the 11th CE Squadron, Bolling Air Force Base in the District of Columbia.

The shirt was to be a fun shirt that folks may want to wear to squadron functions and also to be a fundraiser for the squadron booster club.  Because I'm an artist, we saved some bucks on the artwork.  The shirt was printed with black on a grey (ash) colored tee shirt.  The Prime Beef logo was printed on the front of the shirt, on the breast pocket area.  This is a common "logo" used by civil engineers throughout the Air Force.

Logo printed on front of shirt.  Breast pocket area, about 4" in diameter.

On the back we did a Prime Beef cartoon design.  As you've suspected, "More Beef Than You Can Handle" is an Air Force Civil Engineers slogan and the Beef steer is the representative mascot.  I'm embarrassed that I don't remember what the acronym "Prime Beef" stands for.  But, it's the part of CE that mobilizes and responds in contingency situations.

Design on the back of the tee shirt.  

We printed the back one color (black) as well.  The cartoon is pretty obviously a "Prime Beef" mascot who's a CE Airman, surrounded by various aspects of what they do.  Basically, as you've probably figured out, they're the construction element of the Air Force.  Electricity, Power Production, Vertical and Horizontal construction, Plumbing and Water Treatment, Facilities Maintenance, and Plans, Contracts, Procurement, Designing, and the Readiness folks (can't forget them or I'd be in trouble :).

Tee Design with color.  Color added with Photoshop and Wacom tablet.

Just for fun, I decided to color the design.  The original design, I created in pen and ink on bristol board. Eventually I scanned it in and I colorized it using Photoshop.

Today, I look back on my days with the 11th CE Squadron with fondness.  I still count most of the folks I served with among my friends.  CE - thanks for the memories, it was great to be able to serve with you for that time.

Have a great week everyone.

Pencil Portraits

Hi All,

Sometimes it all comes down to basics.  That's what the pencil portrait is about.  However, even though you do a portrait with graphite and illustration board, this can be a treasured piece of artwork.  Especially if it's done well, framed and hung - this can be a very sentimental gift that can bring a smile to the recipient for years to come.

Sue - a portrait of my wife done with pencil
on Bristol Board; 11 x 14 inches

The pencil portrait can take differing forms and contain various levels of simplicity, to more detailed and relatively complex works.  The portrait of "Sue" is a simple picture, but the beauty of it is the simplicity.  The happy smiling face that captures her personality, balanced by the right amount of negative space, creating a simple, just right artwork.

The picture of Pat Tillman takes things to a different level.  It reflects his career as a beloved local hero on the football field in Phoenix at ASU and then professionally as an Arizona Cardinal.  It also brings in his military career and patriotism...the successful pro athlete who walked away to fight for his country after the 9-11 attacks.  A more complex story is told by this picture.

Tillman - Pencil on Bristol Board; 11 x 14 inches.
A portrait of a beloved figure depicting his
life and accomplishments

One of my favorite things to do is mix medias.  No, I'm not an art purist...I'm an artist that does what I think looks good.  I was commissioned to produce a portrait of a child and the family cat (with elf hat on).  The customer provided some pretty good reference material and I started with pencil, working light to dark - hard to soft lead.  Afterward, I got out the Iwata custom micron airbrush and added some darker values.  I also added some Sepia tone and lighter complementing colors to it; giving it that "old time photo" feel.  Then, I went in with just a little bit of colored pencil and added a little hint of color.

Child and Cat - pencil/mixed media on illustration
board; 18 x 24 inches.  

There's one other aspect to this that's appealing to some folks; the price.  A pencil based piece of artwork is a great way to add a keepsake to your collection, that will last a lifetime, at a very affordable price.  This can be a great value that will bring a smile to the face of a mother, father, spouse or whomever.

If I can help you with a portrait, or any type of artwork, let me know.  My contact info is in my profile -- I'd love to assist with your project.

Have a great week....keep on smiling :)

Tom