I’ve been asked where my ideas come from and what my design/illustration process is. I have decided to occasionally blog about those things on a project by project basis. I do apologize if you find this boring but please understand its meant for a specific audience (other designers and illustrators), but that said, everyone is welcome. Scroll down to dig in.

On today’s walk with Roscoe, my dog, I noticed one of our neighbours has a beautiful display of paper snow flakes in their windows. Remember the kind we all learned to make when we were kids? You fold a square piece of paper a bunch of times, then cut some triangles and shapes, open up your sheet to find a gorgeous snowflake has appeared. Almost…

Last week I realized its been 10 years since we first hatched Rehearsals Rehearsals – our print studio, brand, and online store selling art, pins, and screen prints. How had 10 years crept by so quickly? Had we accomplished everything we set out to? Could the concept survive in this new world? Can’t look forward without looking back… ONCE UPON A TIME THERE WAS A…

2017 was a year of career first for me – first time working on a logo/title sequence for a feature film; first time creating illustrations for a short story; first time designing a book cover for a novel; first time creating the branding for a touring theatric play; first time developing animations for a comedy sketch series; and first time developing a logo for a…

Folks who work in advertising will tell you that branding projects are the ultimate graphic design job. The prestige that comes from designing that perfect logo for an exciting new client, or rebranding a Fortune 500 company and all the awards that subsequently follow for a job well done are the accolades these marketers and designers long for. I’ve always felt at odds with this…

2016 has been a devastating year for music – Bowie, Prince, John Berry, and Merle Haggard all gone in the first few months. Then came the news of Spirit of the West’s John Mann, and his early onset alzheimers and the band’s last shows. John’s story hit me harder than the news of losing Bowie and Prince as those guys were untouchable global superstars I’d…

Most things you see in design are on purpose. If a word goes off the page so you can’t see the last few letters, it was for a reason. If you notice a pattern in the background that almost looks like a face, it is probably suppose to look like a face. But, every now and then there is a problem in the process that…

The old adage ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ is interesting. If a picture, or in this case, an illustration, was created with the knowledge that it would appear along-side words (in a poster, magazine or ad), then can it stand alone and speak volumes, when all the words are removed? A year ago this very conversation was taking place at my house and…

I try to always complete projects as fast as I can as you never know what might come down the pipe tomorrow that you’ll want to fit it in. Last June I was getting ready to shut it down for the day when I saw a new email from Tim Baker of the band Hey Rosetta!. The subject line read “Trippy Triptych” and definitely caught…

I remember driving late night from Toronto to Nova Scotia. I think I was co-pilot, and my friend Tim D’eon was behind the wheel. Tim and I were driving the Wintersleep van back home. I can’t remember if it was summer or winter, or what show we were either headed towards or away from. What I do remember is that a Blue Rodeo CD was…

E.T.: As a kid I had never met anyone that had been in space. This is a photo of me dressed up as an astronaut for Hallowe’en (click the READ MORE button if you don’t see the photo). I’m probably around 10 or 11 (the cute little girl is my awesome kid-sister Jennifer, always outshining me in photos). The brown on my face is suppose…

Who we are can not be separated from where we are from'

Malcolm Gladwell

I feel like the craft beer can or bottle has become the new canvas for illustrators around the world, much in the way that trains were “moving galleries of steel” (as said in a Buck 65 lyric) for graffiti artists a number of years back. I find myself often choosing which beer to buy based on how cool or fun the beer label is. Brand…

People ignore design that ignores people.Frank Chimero

Late last year I received an e-mail asking if I was interested in designing posters for the 2015 Winnipeg Folk Festival. I was very excited and wanted to make sure this was a job that didn’t get away. The Winnipeg Folk Fest is one of the biggest folk festivals in North America, with a reputation for booking interesting and amazing acts. RESEARCH: I chatted with…

A video I shot last summer in Great Paradise, a resettled community in Newfoundland. There have never been cars in this town. The only electricity comes from personal generators. No one lives all year round. Your cell phone won’t get reception. My girlfriend’s parents grew up in this town, which was resettled in the 1960s (everyone was forced to leave and move in to bigger…

My life will be the best illustration of all my work.Hans Christian Andersen