Football Illustrations - a sampling

 Hi All,

Hope things are going well where you are.  Doing a little promotional work on the business today and thought I'd share one of my passions with you....sports.  I'm originally from the Milwaukee, WI area and it really is a great sports area.  One think I've enjoyed is creating artwork that is sports oriented.

DeVondre Campbell - pencil and digital media

Above is a more recent piece featuring DeVondre Campbell of the Packers.  They picked him up to try to beef up their linebacker corps and he delivered an All Pro season.  An amazing player.  Like a lot of my work, it starts with a pencil and paper.  This one I decided to get a really tight rendering and then go in with Procreate on iPad (using the Apple Pencil).  I finished it off with a little work in Photoshop.

Barry Sanders - pencil and Photoshop

The Barry Sanders pic is another one similar to the Campbell art.  Using a solid pencil rendering as a start, then I went into Photoshop and added color, dark darks and highlights, as well as the border.  I've always admired Barry's play and so, I created this piece.

Vince - Pen and Ink

Vince Lombardi pen and ink.  I have done a lot of work over the years with technical pens; heck, pens of all kinds.  This particular illustration was created using technical pens.  I started with a fairly tight pencil rendering and then went in with the Rapidiograph pens and put in the detail and shading.  It's an oldie, but a favorite of mine.

Donald Driver - pen and ink with Photoshop

Ok...I did this one when I was still a medical illustrator for the US Air Force many years ago.  This guy was an all time great guy and a very talented and clutch player.  I loved watching him play football. On this piece, I was trying to get a certain effect of pen/cartoon/gradient color flashes.  I was happy with the finished product.  The one thing that's a little frustrating with computer illustration is consistancy of color.  Different devices interpret colors differently.  Things have gotten a little better over the years, but it's still frustrating once in a while.

Favre - pen and ink with digital color

I'll finish up today with "that Brett Faaaverray Guy." (trying to quote Ben Stiller from There's Something About Mary).  Brett Favre...same generation and technique as the Driver pic.  Another fun one like Driver.  Both of the players were so fun to watch and passionate about the game.  They both gave me years of enjoyment as a Packers fan.

Well...this is a sampling of some of the football illustrations I've created over the years.  I hope you like them. I'll share more another time.  

Whatever you do to live, drive and survive...keep it up and be safe out there.  Also - we are living in interesting times - there's a lot of people hurting out there -- crazy weather, politics, illness, homelessness, and a lot of folks just stressed out by the day to day rat race.  Spread a little love and kindness around.  Keep an eye out for your neighbors.  Be patient with folks who are slow in the store or may not be driving in traffic the way you'd like them to.  Also - take care of yourself too....and...have a great day.

Peace,

Tom

Tom Kreienbrink

Freelance Illustrator and Designer

Portfolio - www.behance.net/tk-art

email: tom.kbrink@gmail.com

  

Packers Artwork

Hey All,

How are you doing?  Did you have a good summer?  We had a hot one here in Phoenix, AZ.  Thankfully it's cooling down now - yes!  (but summer is always hot here - LOL). 

I've been pretty inconsistent about posting, but I've been busy busy.   Got several projects that I'm working on, so I haven't put out any new Packer artwork lately....and I need to get on it.  However, the Pack is 4-1 so far this season and I want to share some of my classic Packers art.

I'm including some pieces that I created a while ago.  Some of these are old and I haven't shared in some time.  Some are created in different mediums or typically a combination of art media.   Enjoy.

Favre - started as a straight pen and ink on bristol board.  I added color to it with Photoshop on computer.  This guy was so fun to watch for a long time.  A great Packer.

Reggie White - the Minister of Defense.  Saw him preach in Hawaii once - quite an experience.  What a great Packer too. This piece is about 24 x 18; gouache (opaque watercolor) on illustration board.

Bill Schroeder - WR and Wisconsin native.  This was a fun and funky little experimental piece that I created with the program, Painter and Macintosh with Wacom tablet back in the late 90s.

Ty Montgomery - WR/RB was traded last year after making a questionable decision on the field in a big game.  He had some pretty good years in GB.  Digital paint and Wacom tablet on Macintosh.

Aaron Kampman - this is an old one too...for a few years he was a quarterback rushing beast at defensive end.  I think after a while knee injuries got the best of him and production dropped off.  In his prime years he was as good as there was.  This was a pencil sketch imported into photoshop/macintosh where I did some digital painting and added effects.

Donald Driver - I and everyone in Wisconsin loved watching this guy play for the Pack.  He was just a fun player to watch and a very talented wide receiver.  A pen and ink illustration with color added in photoshop.

Lombardi - the greatest coach of his generation and arguably all time.  He was an amazing man, mentor and coach up in Green Bay in the late 50s and 60s.  This is a simple pen and ink on bristol board.

There you go, some of my Packers artwork that I've created over the years.  Enjoy the autumn and upcoming winter seasons while you enjoy the NFL season.  I hope the Packers keep on winning and getting better.  Go Pack Go!!

Have some fun, take care of yourself, and do something nice for someone else....lets make this world a little better place to live.

Peace,

Tom

www.behance.net/tk-art

New NFL Season - New Packer Artwork

Hi All,

Well - it's been quite a summer and is shaping up to be a crazy fall. There's so much going on in the weather and natural disasters, social and political arenas, and just about every aspect of life.  Sometimes it's nice to come together and enjoy a little diversion.

Here in the USA, we love our American Football.  Tonight we had our first football game of the new season, but most of the games are played on Sundays.

As you may know, I'm a Green Bay Packers fan.  I've been a fan and been creating Packer artwork since I was a kid.  For the past few weeks I've been working on a new piece for 2017.  I've decided on Ty Montgomery as the subject. 

Ty Montgomery - computer illustration

Last year, the Packers wide receiver stepped up and stepped into the running back position when all of the Packers RBs were getting injured....and he excelled!  He's a team guy, who's willing to do what's needed.   He's a tough guy, hard worker, and I admire the kind of player he is -- I'm hoping he has a big year.

I created the artwork by drawing/painting it on my computer with Photoshop and a Wacom tablet.  I hope you like it.

He reminds me of another hard nosed player who used to play for the Packers -- Big Ray Nitschke.  He played the game with grit and passion.  It's nice to see players for the Packers carry on those traditions and continue to grind it out on the "Frozen Tundra" of Lambeau Field.  Go Packers!!

Ray Nitschke - computer illustration

Enjoy the football season everyone.  It looks like it'll be a good one.  And...remember those who are having a rough time.  Lend a hand when you can.

Peace and Blessings,

Tom

In Honor of Fall and Our Nations Capital....

Hi All,

Well, it's fall again.  In a lot of places the leaves are turning orange, red and yellow and are starting to drop.  It's finally cooling off a little here in Arizona too.  And, football season is well under way here in North America.  So I decided to break out a picture I did a while ago for some friends.

Riggo - Pen and Ink with digital color

I lived in the Washington DC area for about 8 years and created this piece for some friends who are huge Washington Redskins fans.  The artwork commemorates the former Redskin great, John Riggins (or Riggo for short).  I know not all of you are fans, but  Riggo is a revered sports hero in the DC area.  He's a big ol farm boy from Nebraska who was a powerful running back in college and in the NFL.  He played for many years as a Redskin and on more than one championship winning team in Washington.

The technique I used is one I enjoy quite a bit.  I start out with reference material and sketch out my design.  On this one I liked the idea of incorporating a scene from one of the Super Bowls he starred in, his number, name and the team mascot in the background.

Riggo - Pen and Ink version

Next I render a nice tight pen and ink drawing.  Personally, I really enjoy pen and ink.  I used it a lot when I was starting out because we did a lot of one color printing.  I use bristol board and Koh-i-noor technical pens.  The thing I like about it as well, is that the pen and ink is a stand alone piece of artwork (I like it better than the color piece myself).  And after I add the color it can be used as a dual purpose piece.

After completing the inked artwork I scan it in to my Mac.  Then I use Photoshop and my Wacom tablet to paint in the color.  A couple things I like to do are first; touch up the pen and ink in Photoshop.  I want the black image on a layer by itself in Photoshop and I want it to be tight.  So, it takes a little touch up work and time.  Then, I can paint in the color on a layer beneath.  This keeps the black image crisp with the color popping in thru the area that they should.  I normally have several layers of color while working on it.

So, here's to all you Redskins fans and DC area residents; enjoy the beautiful Fall weather out there.  I know the Skins aren't having their best season, but hang in there.  The rest of you - enjoy yourself, wherever you are.

Have a great week all.

Aloha,

Tom

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