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

  

Reboot of the Blog and Freelance Career - New Artwork

Hi All, 

 I hope you're doing well. I've been busy for a while outside of design and illustration and haven't posted to the blog in a while. My blog post focus today is on the rebooting of my illustration and design career and a couple of new pieces I've recently added to the portfolio.  

In the past several years I've been working in the holistic healthcare and emergency healthcare fields and I enjoyed it. I feel like I needed to take the opportunities to train and work in these fields. However, recently I've decided to committ myself and my energies back into full-time freelance illustration and design work. This work is my first love, it's what I've done for 30+ years and I'm really excited to be back.

President Zelenskyy of Ukraine - pencil and digital media
Illustration by Tom Kreienbrink

So I started brushing up on freelancing and the first think I needed was to update the portfolio.  While recovering from my recent surgery, I started creating some new artwork and getting back into the swing of regular drawing and creating.  Above is the first new piece; President Zelenskyy of Ukraine.  I'm trying to keep my focus limited in scope and with a certain consistency of style.  This would be an editorial style piece.  Perhaps a piece that might be appropriate in Rolling Stone or a magazine like that.

The Zelenskyy piece starts with pencil on paper.  The pencil is still a valuable tool.  My aim was to produce a bold piece, and yet it's a caricature with a dark cartoon flavor.  However - anyone familiar with the situation in Ukraine will recognize immediately what's going on here.

After I completed a pencil piece that I was pleased with, I took it into my iPad.  I like a program called ProCreate and I have the Apple Pencil that I use to work on that platform as well.  This phase gives me the opportunity to really get some contrast in the piece.  I also can rework some of the details and further define areas that need it.  Finally I take it to the computer and put the finishing touches, formatting, etc.; using Photoshop.  By this time the piece is probably 95% complete.

Taylor Hawkins - pencil and digital media
Illustration by Tom Kreienbrink

The other image I'll share today is an illustration of Taylor Hawkins.  As many of you know he was the drummer in the band, Foo Fighters.  He passed away recently and unexpectedly.  Here again a very similar technique as the first one.  It's not a straight portrait, but more of a sad grieving caricature, where there is a candle of love and remembrance burning for him.

I wanted it to have the monochromatic effect that the other did, but I inserted a little color - the flame and some of the golden light from that flame.  He was an amazing drummer and a very beloved person in the music industry.  He will be missed.

That's all I'll share for now.  It's heating up here in Phoenix.  Looking like it'll be a great summer.  Wherever you're at, have an excellent Spring and Summer...enjoy each day.

I'm open for business - more to come.  

Peace,

Tom

Tom Kreienbrink

Illustrator and Graphic Designer

tom.kbrink@gmail.com

www.behance.net/tk-art  -- on-line portfolio.

KBrink Design - Andy K Artwork

Hi All,

How's it going out there?  Hope everyone is doing well.  Things are going pretty good here in the great southwest (Arizona, USA).  It's heating up...summer will be here very quickly.  I hope its been a good Spring season for all of you reading this.

It's been a while since I've blogged and today I'd like to do something a little different.  I'd like to highlight the artwork of one of my sons - Andy Kreienbrink.  Andy has been drawing and creating artwork since he was a kid.  He has a very different style than I do, but I love his creativity.

He and I have been toying with the idea of starting a business together for a while.  While tossing around ideas, I'd been working to teach him the computer aspect of creating finished illustrations.  The designs below are his (with a little assistance from the old man).

The pen and ink above depicts The Trailer Park Boys.  This was an illustration that was part of a birthday card I recieved from him and his family.  I'd had the artwork for a while and finally scanned it and cleaned it up in Photoshop.  It's exactly as he drew it, just that the whites are whiter and the black areas are solid black.  I love the stylized depiction of The Boys.  If you're familiar with them, there's no doubt who you're looking at.

The, I Heart Bacon pic is a collaboration that Andy and I produced together.  It was his brainchild and I provided some technical guidance and the heart illustration.  It was a fun little project.

The illustration above was a fun little collaboration piece as well.  The drawing was all his and I went back into Photoshop and cleaned it up.  Cleaning it up doesn't mean the picture was drawn sloppily.  It means I made the blacks a solid black, any color bleeding cleaned up and other imperfections as well.  I added a background and border also.  As you can tell, Andy is a fan of the horror genre.

The final design is an Andy Kreienbrink original.  It's a sticker design of Jason vs. Machete.  I provided technical input to assist him in carrying out his vision.

So the Kbrink Design project is still up in the air.  Will it come to fruition?  We'll see.  It the mean time, I just wanted to showcase some of Andy's artwork.  He's done some punk rock stylized art as well, for his bands and for others.  He's a budding talent for sure.

Have a great week everyone.  Take a breath....look around, and enjoy life a little.  Enjoy each day and the people around you.  Stay present.
Until next time....

Peace,

Tom

www.behance.net/tk-art

Compartment Syndrome Illustration

Hi All,

I hope you're all doing well and getting ready for the holidays.  I've been working on some illustrations lately and thought I'd share one quickly.

As you may know, I was a medical illustrator for about 10 years for the Air Force, supporting clinical teaching and residency programs, while I was on active duty.  I would do work for teaching lectures, print and publications, public information, murals, etc.  Occasionally I still get a little freelance work, doing some anatomical illustrations.

Pen and Ink and digital pen and ink illustration by Thomas Kreienbrink

Recently I did an illustration for the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons.  The illustration will be in one of their publications in the near future.  It's a simple, clean illustration depicting two openings created to release pressure from fluid build up from compartment syndrome.  This build up could be caused typically from trauma/injury that doesn't allow for healthy circulation in the affected extremity.  The incisions allow for excess fluids to be released by seeping/flowing out of the openings.

I'm currently working on more medical illustrations as well.  I'll share them with you when finished.
In the mean time, have a great December and enjoy your Christmas, or whatever holidays you celebrate. 

Tom

to see more of my art, go to...
www.behance.net/tk-art

Glenn Frey Portait - Fly Eagle

Hi All,

I hope you're all doing well.  It's been a while since I've posted anything here.  Everything is fine, but I've made some changes and have been pretty busy lately.  So I haven't had the chance to post anything or create any new artwork since the Christmas Card.

I've been working as an EMT in an outreach capacity to assist the homeless community for several months now.  So I've taken a step back from the massage and holistic therapy biz and producing freelance or personal artwork. 

I've got ideas for projects and recently I've been itching to do a little artwork...to make some time to get into the creative mode again.  I haven't been pursuing any freelance work and side biz, but still like to do some projects -- I enjoy creating art and sharing as well. 

In the past few years some of the musical artists that I've enjoyed over the years have passed away.  Folks like Prince, David Bowie, Greg Allman, Tom Petty, George Harrison and others have died.  Another one is gone as well recently - Glenn Frey of the Eagles.  It's been a while, but I decided I'd do a picture of him.

I always thought Glenn Frey was the coolest of the Eagles.  From the time I was a young kid, the Eagles were a band who's music filled the airwaves.  From the country-rock music they made in the early 70's to the more guitar heavy rock of the mid to later 70's and 80's, they were always one of my favorites.  This portrait has an up close larger image of Frey from the mid-70s era and a smaller image from later years, when the band re-united again and went out on tour.  So here's to you Glenn....Fly Eagle, Fly...

"Fly Eagle, Fly" - Electronic Illustration by Tom Kreienbrink

As usual, this portrait started with a pencil sketch on paper.  After working out some of the detail, I imported the sketch into Photoshop and then created the finished illustration with an electronic drawing and painting technique using a Wacom stylus and tablet.  Basically its a freehanded drawing/painting technique, except its completed using the computer instead of traditional media.  It's a little different for sure and can be much more forgiving.  Using the layering features and various brush sizes, opacity percentages, etc...also give it a much different feel from using traditional media.

I hope you enjoy the pic.  This weekend and coming week, get out some of those old Eagles albums (or crank it up on line).  Enjoy some of the great rock and roll that Frey and his bandmates created all those years ago.

Have a great day,

Tom

Farewell to Tom Petty

Hi All,

I hope you're doing well.  I'm doing alright.  I'm keeping busy with a job doing outreach to homeless folks, here in Phoenix.  I'm the EMT on the team.  Here in the USA it's a big holiday week.  We celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday.  It's a great chance to get together with family and friends and celebrate and give thanks for the many blessings that we have.  I'm working the holiday, but so grateful to be getting together with family when I can this week.

On quite a different note, recently quite a few of our favorite musicians (and other celebrities as well), have passed away.  One in particular, that I've enjoyed over the years was Tom Petty.  As I became a young adolescent in the late 70's, he was breaking out on the national music scene with his band The Heartbreakers.  Later on he did some solo work and even was part of a supergroup, The Traveling Wilburys. 

About 10 or 11 years ago I was able to catch a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers concert with my wife and friends in Maryland.  The crowd was so excited and the band seemed to be having so much fun...it was pretty special.  I've seen some pretty good shows, but this one was as good as any that I've ever been too.

A few weeks back I started playing around with my sketchbook and a pencil, drawing a caricature illustration of Tom Petty.  I'd like to share it with you here.

Tom Petty - pencil and digital paint. 2017.

It's kind of a fun and loose caricature.  I started with the sketch and imported it into Photoshop, where I did a little more work, some shading, some background, etc. 

Farewell Tom Petty.  We'll be here enjoying American Girl, Free Falling, Handle with Care, Learning to Fly, and the rest of your music.

Have a great week everyone.  Enjoy Thanksgiving Americans.  There's plenty of places to help out the less fortunate this holiday season, if you're inclined.  They appreciate it.  Those of you travelling this week - be safe and happy trails.

Till next time..... Peace.

Tom

Digital Painting - Mike Daniels

Hi All,

How are you doing?  Things are going pretty good out here in AZ.  It's crazy - I know that it's getting cold and leaves dropping off the trees in so many places, and here it's still around 90 degrees in the day.  But that's how it is.  It was a long hot summer - so it's nice to get a little break.

I've been working on a little more artwork this fall.  I'm just finishing another Green Bay Packer piece.  This one features defensive tackle and amazing player - Mike Daniels.  This guy is a huge, powerful lineman whose motor never stops.  This is turning out to be a big year for him, so I felt it was time to get a Mike Daniels illustration in the collection.

Mike Daniels - digital paint by Tom Kreienbrink

 I drew and painted the entire piece on my old Mac computer in Photoshop, using my Wacom tablet.  I used a line art technique first.  Drawing the images on the top layer.  Then I colored the images of Daniels on a layer below the line art.  Finally, I applied a green background, border, text and finishing touches. 



I love illustrating people.  Being a Green Bay Packers fan, I enjoy illustrating some of my favorite players.  On this piece, I thought I'd try a little bit of an old school comic style. 

Enjoy the artwork - and enjoy fall, the rest of football season and the coming winter.  Every day is a gift, so enjoy it (even Monday).  Work on something creative yourself, and spread a little kindness around you.

Have a great day.

Peace,

Tom

On-line portfolio - www.behance.net/tk-art

Caricature Illustration of Ray Kopakowski

Hi All,

I hope things are going well for you.  Well...winter is beginning to come to an end quickly here in Phoenix.  Should be in the mid 80s tomorrow.  Too warm, too fast.  That's life in the desert, it's all good.  I have been busy here.  I've been keeping busy with the holistic biz as well as doing some art and illustration on the side.

Today I'm featuring a caricature that I just finished for Ray Kopakowski.  Ray is a public speaker, hypnotherapist, counselor, and energy worker.  He's also a friend of mine.  I've been doing some illustration work for him and thought I'd have some fun with a caricature...something he could get a chuckle with or use with social media or his professional work.

tight pencil sketch with basic inked lines.

I always like to start with a nice sharp pencil and bristol board (a sturdy drawing paper).  I sketch out my idea and tighten it up with a nice ball point pen.  I like a lot of the pens you can get in a grocery store or office supply store.  Some of them are really nice quality pens.

Finished black and white illustration

Once I get the initial sketch, I take a camera photo and take it into Photoshop.  Then I focus on completing the black and white illustration.  I have an old Wacom tablet (that still works pretty well), and I thicken the lines.  Thicker lines and thinner, where appropriate.  Some of it I draw freehand with the stylus and some of the lines I plot out with the pen pointer tool in photoshop to get a nice tight line.

Finished color caricature illustration.

Finally, I add color.  Each piece varies, but typically I like to keep it simple.  For example, I use a base skin tone and one or two shades darker for depth, (same with the hair, shirt, etc).  For this I select the black layer and make it the top layer.  The color layers are "below" the black layer and the background is the very bottom layer.  Pretty simple technique and I like the result.

And there you have it.  The Ray Kop caricature.  I hope you all have a great week.



Peace,


Tom

Tom Kreienbrink is a freelance illustrator from Phoenix, AZ.  You can see his work at:
www.behance.net/tk-art
or you can follow his art and design page on Facebook
www.facebook.com/Tom-Kreienbrink-Art-and-Design

Seasons Greeting - Christmas Card

Hi All,

Yes...I'm back.  I've been wrapped up in a very intense semester of school - and, I'm finished.  Things are going pretty well here in Phoenix.  It's winter - and really nice.  Very nice to have cooled off a little after a long hot summer.  So I'm grateful for that and so many things as we approach this holiday season and the beginning of another calendar year.

One thing I'm grateful for is the opportunity to pick up a pen and paper and do a little drawing this evening.  I started with a quick pencil sketch and then picked up a ball point pen and inked the Santa picture - (I had a supervisor that used to do some portraits with ball point pen for fun...and they turned out really good).  However - tonight, speed and a little quality were the objective, because I'm running out of time before Christmas.

So I put together a quick little pic of Santa.  It certainly could have been better, but it turned out the way I wanted it to.  Then I took a picture of it with my phone and opened it up in Photoshop on my Mac, so I could do a little painting and layout a card.

Here's the Photoshop painted product.  I accented a few things and added a little bit of a muted overlaid color.  I wanted it to have a loose and sketchy feel, but of course, be recognizable as Santa.  It still helps to have the Wacom tablet with the stylus to do the drawing and painting on computer.

After reformatting into a wider format that could accommodate the text, I added some quick hand drawn lettering and a loose hand-script font typed message at the bottom.  Then added some finishing touches and the card was complete.  It's not the Mona Lisa, but it's done in about 2-3 hours and on-line.  More than that, it's fun to get pencil/pen and paper in hand again and have a little fun.

Hopefully I'll be doing more artwork in the future as well as holistic therapy, massage, and an EMT job of some sort (in process of getting certified).

I hope wherever you are this Christmas, that you have a wonderful blessed Holiday.  I celebrate Christmas - whatever holidays you celebrate, I hope you have a nice break and an amazing time.  It's a great time to come together with family and friends and neighbors.  Enjoy them and spread a little love and kindness to everyone you meet...we're all God's kids.  And...have some fun too.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,

Tom Kreienbrink

A little Design Job - Biz Card

Hi All,

Recently I took on a job to re-design a business card for a friend.  She has a busy tailor and bridal shop and needed to re-order cards and make some changes.  So I happily took on the job.  The downside is that she didn't have all the original files, but we did manage to pull together some of the elements.  So it was almost starting from scratch (sometimes that's better anyhow).

I was able to get a photo of her original and trusty sewing machine (I want to say it's name is Rex?), and we pulled together logos and a map.  Some Photoshop touch-up work was required to ensure all of the images were good enough quality for print.

I started with the info I had and created a new layout - the way I would do it.  We had a few rounds of minor tweaking and we also had to add the new line of bridal fashions that she now carries.  My friend Janine does have some strong preferences on a couple items, of how she wants them to be presented on a business card.  So we finalized the design and here's how it turned out.

The New Business Card design for Janine's Alterations/Kizmett Clothing in Phoenix, AZ.

 

It was a fun little job and the new design carries some elements of the old card for consistency in branding, but also has the necessary changes and info.

If you're in Phoenix and you need high quality alteration work, bridal fashions, or custom clothing - Janine's is the place to go.  Check it out.

Take care everyone.  Stay cool this summer - if you're in Phoenix, that's especially important.  Drink plenty of water look out for one another.

Peace,

Tom

Tom Kreienbrink
Graphic Design and Illustration

Portfolio: www.behance.net/tk-art
HTS Website: www.HolisticTherapySolutions.weebly.com

Air Force Artwork

Hi All,

Good afternoon everyone.  I hope you're all doing well.  It's a nice day here in Phoenix, Arizona...getting warmer as we're on the road toward Summer.

Recently I've had a few reminders of the career I had in the Air Force.  Some of the recent reminders - Getting my GI Bill going for school in the Fall, nice people thanking me for my service (when they catch a glimpse of my Mil ID), and I found out one of my former troops had to be airlifted out of a deployment and have surgery (don't know the details, but glad he's doing well).  So I thought I'd share a little of my career and artwork from my Air Force days.

After attending graphic design school here in Phoenix, I enlisted in the Air Force about a year later.  I was very fortunate that with my training and experience, I was able to get into the Visual Information (graphic arts), career field.  And...I landed a choice assignment to Altus AFB, OK (LOL).  It was fun and a little bit of a culture shock - being in the Air Force and small town Oklahoma...but we had some good times out there.  I also got a lot of great experience and learned a lot from some great people.

Pen and Ink illustration.  A C-5 aircraft from Altus AFB, OK.  I drew this for practice and 

to be used on local products.

Along the way my family and I spent time stationed in Fort Worth, Texas; Omaha, Nebraska; Honolulu, Hawaii; and Washington, DC (and I spent a little time in some other places here and there).

T-Shirt design for the Offutt Runway Run. 

It was a good career and I was happy and honored to serve, and I thank my fellow American citizens for the opportunity.  One of the highlights of my career was my last assignment.  I spent the last 3 years as First Sergeant for the 11th Civil Engineer Squadron, Bolling AFB in Washington, DC.  It was one of the most challenging and also rewarding positions I've had the pleasure to serve in.

Pen and ink artwork for 11th CES going away artwork.  A print could have a farewell message in the center and be framed as a nice farewell.  Even though I wasn't in multimedia, I still liked to do a little artwork when I had time.

T-Shirt artwork for 11th CES.  Proud to be an honorary Prime Beef troop.  They're a good bunch - hard working folks ready to do whatever is needed.

It's been 9 years now since I've retired from the Air Force and I spent some time with FEMA in DC, and now have a second career as massage and holistic therapist here in Phoenix.  Every now and then it's nice to remember the old days.  I really enjoyed being an Airman in the US Air Force and am grateful for all of the great folks I've crossed paths with along the way.  

Self Portrait...me, a little younger (little being a relative term, Ha!)

Now I'm on a new path and chapter in my life.  It's a good one too.  It's good to enjoy the journey and enjoy the moment.  I hope you're enjoying the moment as well.  Remember - we make a difference in peoples lives in every day.  Whether we're doing community service work, serving in the military, or just being kind to someone while in line at the store - the ripples go out.  Like I used to tell the troops...Keep doing great things!

Peace and Love,

Tom

Portfolio: www.behance.net/tk-art
HTS Website: www.HolisticTherapySolutions.weebly.com

Have a Heart

Hi All,

Hope your leap day went well yesterday.  Things are moving right along here....always plenty to do.

My son and business partner, Andy, are continuing to lay the groundwork and prepare for the opening of our new business venture - KBrink Design.  There's a lot to do.  We're putting several artwork and design products together, experimenting some, and figuring out exactly what we're doing...ha!  It's coming along nicely.

Andy has the guiding vision for this venture.  He's putting designs together that I think are exciting, unique, and very cool.  (I may be a little partial...however - I wouldn't put out garbage either).  I'm doing some illustration and design as well.  I'm also helping him get up to speed on using Photoshop and Illustrator - major tools of the trade now days.

On some of our projects we're collaborating.  It's fun - we both bring different things to the table.  One in particular recently, he needed me to produce a heart illustration, for a design he's putting together.  An actual human heart picture.  So - I did what I do....I drew a human heart.

Heart illustration - drawn in Photoshop.

It's a fun little organ.  Ha!  It's no DaVinci or anything, but it will serve it's purpose nicely.  I can't show the finished design yet...sorry.  We'll be printing and selling t-shirts, stickers, prints on paper, buttons and maybe other items.  Coming soon.....

I hope you're all having a great day.  Enjoy this moment, be a positive part of your community, and help a neighbor or someone in need.  Join me...it will spread.

More to come soon, from KBrink Design.

Peace,

Tom

On-line portfolio: www.behance.net/tk-art

Having a little fun with The Donald

Hey All,

I hope your week is off to a good start.  Mine is pretty good so far.  Today was my day off and I met with a colleague, ran errands, and made a big crock pot of chilli.  (I know...chilli in the middle of the Arizona summer??).  Anyhow - it turned out delicious and was a good day.

Anyone who's watched the news lately has probably heard that Donald Trump is running for President of the United States.  At least most people in the USA know about this and most of you overseas are most likely familiar with who he is.  So I thought I'd share a fun piece of artwork that I created during the last Presidential election.  Back then Trump was talking about running, but in the end he didn't.

Back then, I thought I'd do a fun caricature illustration of Trump.  He's such a boisterous, loud and over the top character anyhow - he's naturally the first person you want to immortalize in a cartoon.  Of course, he's a business man and known for his hotels and lavish lifestyle...so I was thinking...how would he envision upgrades to the White House?  Perhaps a Trump Tower DC? 

Well - anyone who's watching election coverage, here in the US knows that he's said some controversial things.  I don't want to get into that here.  He's not my preference for President, but I know there are some folks who really like him.  That's one of the things about our country that I'm grateful for....the freedom to enjoy our opinions and the right to select our representatives.

Enjoy my small attempt to get into the head of Donald Trump.  It's certainly going to be an interesting campaign season...good luck with that my fellow Americans.

Have a great week everyone...work hard and have some fun too.

Peace,

Tom

On-line portfolio:  www.Behance.net/tk-art

Phillip Seymour Hoffman Caricature

Hi All,

How's it going out there?  How's summer time where you are?  Here in Phoenix, it's been hot, as it should be in summer.  This morning I cleaned the swimming pool and I've got a couple massage clients later in the afternoon.  So it's a good Monday.

The other day I watched the documentary about Drew Strewzan - the amazing movie poster artist.  Back when I was doing mostly airbrush work and illustration, he was one of my heroes.  So I got out the sketch book and a pen, as I was watching and started sketching a caricature of Phillip Seymour Hoffman.  I love his movies - such a great actor and I'm sad we no longer will have him around.

pen and ink in sketchbook

Initially I sketched with a ball point pen and sketch book in my lap....just for fun.  Then I took a photo of it with my phone and did a little painting in Photoshop on the computer.    I started with a magazine photo to work from.

sketch after painting in Photoshop with Wacom tablet.

I enjoy sketching once in a while as I sit around.  It's good for all of us to do this.  It gets us into the right side of the brain...let that creativity flow.

I hope you all have a great week.  Enjoy a little sketching today.  If you're not very artistic...make sure you do the sketching.  It's good for you.

Peace,

Tom

web portfolio:  www.behance.net/tk-artwww.behance.net/tk-art

Medical Illustrations - the Talus

Hi All,

This past winter and spring I had some illustration work come my way.  I don't actively persue illustration work, but I do welcome inquiries and I'm an artist, I love the work.  So, I'm always grateful to have some artwork projects come my way.

This past winter, Mary Meyers, from the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, contacted me about producing a few illustrations for a book that they were putting together.   So we worked out the details and I got to work.  Dr. Brett Sachs was the author of the chapter which I illustrated, and he brought me up to speed on what he needed and I got to work.

First illustration showing various types of injuries to the superior medial area of the Talus bone.

The first illustration shows the Talus bone and highlights the superior, medial part of the bone that sometimes when injured, doesn't heal very well.  It shows the five most common types of injuries that happen in that area.

Second illustration showing the technique where the drill goes thru the Tibia.

The second illustration shows a technique where the surgeon would drill thru the Tibia in order to be able to drill into the Talus.  When that area of the Talus is injured, it doesn't always heal very well or quickly for some, because there's not a lot of circulation in that area of the bone.  By drilling into it they can then do some things that will bring blood flow into that area and stimulate healing.

Third illustration showing the Drill Guide technique.

 The third shows a similar technique using a drill guide.  Using the guide, the surgeon drills thru a tube into the bone.  The direction of drilling is from the lower lateral area diagonally to the injured area in the superior or upper area of the bone.

I started with tight pen and ink illustrations.  I scanned them in to my Mac and finished the illustrations with Photoshop and my Wacom tablet.  I drew the black and white layer and then filled color on layers beneath it.   A simple yet effective technique. 

All in all, it was fun to get into a little anatomy drawing again.  I worked in Air Force teaching hospitals for 10 years as a medical illustrator and I still enjoy this challenging and educational work.

Have a great day everyone.  Check out my web portfolio at:  www.behance.net/tk-art
If you'd like to commission a piece of artwork or hire me to illustrate your project, let me know and we can talk about it.

Peace,

Tom

Medical Illustrations - from the archives

Hi All,

I hope all of you are doing well.  Things have been going well here in Arizona.  It's warming up - pretty soon it'll be summer.  Also - I want to say Hello to my new friends in Russia, who have been reading the blog.  The blog has been getting several views there and I hope you're enjoying it.

I'm very grateful to have two careers going right now.  I'm an holistic therapy practitioner and an artist/illustrator.  I've been focusing on the holistic therapy biz the last couple of years, but recently it's been nice to find illustration work coming my way again.  I'm really enjoying it.  I've just finished eight illustrations for a book and am in the process of producing three medical illustrations for an e-book.  More to come on those as they progress in the publication process.

Today I'd like to share some of my medical illustration work from the past.   For 10 years of my Air Force career, I worked in teaching hospitals as a medical illustrator.  Part of that involved having the ability to render anatomical illustrations to support teaching programs.

Computer painted illustration - part of a jaw transplant series (remove part of the illiac crest/hip bone to use in the jaw).

A lot of the work I did was to illustrate slides and later, electronic presentations that were used to teach.  Originally I used traditional media - colored pencil, pen and ink, pencil, and I learned to use an airbrush to produce artwork.  These pieces of art were then photographed with 35mm slide film for use in teaching presentations.

18x24 inch mixed media artwork - for display in Neurology Clinic and used as a reference.

Not long after starting work as medical illustrator, I started integrating a computer system into the workflow process.  I had a Macintosh computer with the proper software, digitizing tablet, and 35mm film recorder.

Computer painted illustration for electronic presentation - supporting the Dental Residency program

I produced a number of different types of products for the two hospitals I worked at.  I painted some murals, designed fliers for use in clinics, and made posters to display public information....I did whatever they needed, as the mission dictated - and it was a lot of fun.

Computer painted illustration - cross section of the forehead

Today, as I'm working on these illustrations depicting procedures to stimulate healing in a fractured talus (bone in the foot/ankle), I did some reminiscing about the old job, the work, and some of the amazing people I worked with.  It was really an enjoyable job and an incredible learning experience.

Have a great day - spread a little kindness around (even to people who you don't know).

Peace,

Tom

On Line Portfolio:  www.Behance.net/tk-art
On Facebook:  www.facebook.com/pages/Tom-Kreienbrink-Art-and-Design

Cap'n Pete's Midlife Cruise

Hi All,

Wow - what a busy weekend.  Had a great 4th of July holiday, got to watch a good fireworks display.  Then, we hosted a party yesterday, which was fun.  A low key get together, but hopefully a good time for all.  Whew!

Today I dug out a piece that a did a while back for a guy we call Cap'n Pete.  Cap'n Pete is a guy who would conduct transition programs for the military.  The programs help military members transition professionally from being an active duty military member to becoming a civilian again and Cap'n Pete is excellent at what he does.

Cap't Pete had developed a special transition program for career military members who were venturing out into the workforce after a 20+ year career.  I developed a design that he could use on folders, coffee cups, email and web, and various other promotional items.  One thing about Cap'n Pete; he is a huge Jimmy Buffet fan - or a Parrot Head.

Midlife Cruise artwork - Photoshop and Wacom tablet.

So with Pete being all about a laid back nautical lifestyle and the name of the program being, "Midlife Cruise," the illustration just about designed itself.  I started with Pete himself; a caricature portrait, and also a parrot and life preserver.

The life preserver is a symbol of getting help that is needed - like someone tossing you a life preserver when you're floundering in the water.  We all need that when transitioning to a new chapter of life post military service.  Of course the parrot and drink with umbrella are a light hearted nod to Pete's love of Jimmy Buffet and the laid back lifestyle and his mellow island music.  It's also representative of how this should be an enjoyable "cruise," into a new chapter in life, not a rough situation.

Like a lot of my artwork, I started with a tight pencil layout.  I then scan the pencil sketch in to the computer and work in the color with Photoshop and a Wacom tablet.

Well - gotta go.  There are still things to be done today.  Have a great week ahead.  Enjoy every day.

Peace,

Tom

Wash Your Hands

Hi All,

Well, it's coming to the close of the week....for most people.  Mine's just getting going this week because I'm starting a class tonight that'll last thru Monday night.  Reiki I and II class; and if there's enough students I'll be assisting.  Otherwise, I'll be auditing the class, which will be good as well.

So today I've been working on some design work for a couple projects.  After a while, I took a break and started searching thru some old artwork and found a little pen and ink that I did several years ago.

Pen and Ink Illustration using Kooh-i-Noor technical pens

This was a fun little pic I did while I was a Medical Illustrator years ago.  As we all know, in clinical environments, hand washing is mandatory and important to keep from spreading bacteria and germs around.  So this is an illustration I drew for fliers/mini posters to remind personnel to wash regularly.

I really enjoyed pen and ink as a medium and the various techniques that can be used.  I've got some line work, bold areas, and stipple in the illustration.  It was a fun pic.  I always enjoyed experimenting and continually trying to do new illustrations for projects, rather than buying clip art and using some stock work.  Good times.

Check out the water technique...that's a really subpar water stream coming down from the faucet.  Ha ha ha.  In those days I wasn't always faithful in using good reference material, but I had fun and always tried hard...and made sure the customer was happy with the work.

Have a great day everyone.  Enjoy the weekend.

Be good to each other out there.

Peace,

Tom

Tom Kreienbrink
Illustrator, Artist, Holistic Therapist, and Human on Earth

On Facebook (art page and holistic biz page)

www.facebook.com/HolisticTherapySolutions

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

On web (holistic biz site and web portfolio web site)

http://holistictherapysolutions.weebly.com/

http://www.behance.net/tk-art

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

Dylan - Part II

Hi All,

Wow!  What a great day here in Phoenix, AZ today.  We've got a nice gentle, steady rain coming down this morning.  Beautiful.  The summer in the desert has been long and hot, so this is a nice change.  I hope you're having as good a day wherever you're at.

So I got up early today to get an early start and be productive.  The first thing I wanted to do, is finish the Bob Dylan artwork.  (I know it's not really a priority - but - that's how it goes sometimes).

So last week I did a pencil sketch caricature of Bob Dylan.  It was fun and I liked it.  Just a fun sketch for myself.

Original pencil sketch

So after posting the sketch, I decided to continue to work on the pic a little and see where it went.  So I took it into Photoshop and started working with Black strokes.  I did this on the same layer as the sketch.  So I made a "pen and ink" with pencil.  Well, I liked it and I liked the effect.

finished color illustration

I thought about adding color and didn't want to affect the pen or pencil drawing - and I couldn't color on a layer below.  So I used the "darken" setting in the brush tool Mode.  It allowed me to add color to the image of Bob Dylan, without affecting the dark line work.  By this time I'd also "cut out" the Dylan image, and set it as the top layer.  Then I started coloring in the background layers underneath it.  I think the background is comprised of about 5 or 6 layers.  I keep adding layers when working backgrounds and playing with brushes, colors, and layer opacity levels.  Fun stuff!!

So that's the Dylan.  A fun little project.  Hope you like it.  All you out there - have a great week.  Enjoy what you're doing - every moment, and be good to yourself and those around you too.

Peace,

Tom