From Idea to Launch – Creating Kitty, Coffee, Chill Graphic
Peace everyone, hope you’ve been well. As we enter the last quarter of 2024, I’m hustling up so I can load some new works here and at S6 to finish the year right.
I just want to kick it with you here and share a little insight into the new graphics. Like I’ve stated in the past, I want to go from idea to concept much faster, which for me means not overthinking or overly critiquing the work before I can sell it. For this one, I with chilling and quickly sketched out the idea based off some past sketches, which I loved. I used a quick 20-30 min session to work up the general sketches in my journal and then jumped directly into Adobe Fresco to digitally draw it out and then off to Illustrator to clean it up, add the cities, and formats. I tried my best to just focus on the fun vibes I wanted the kitty to give off—a playful mix of baseball hats, coffee and straight chilling.
Once the design was ready to go, the next step was uploading it. I usually feel like this should be the easiest part, but there’s always a few bumps along the way. From choosing the right product options to adjusting image sizes and making sure the graphic looks good on different items and color backgrounds. Copy, Tags, Mocks, keywords and seo stuff is completed too. All that background work can sometimes be tedious but overall, I lowkey like doing that shit. It’s been exciting to see the first wave of reactions and orders. Little by little, moving it along and staying grateful.
I have some apparel and stationary items coming along the way. New cities too… LA, Oakland and Chicago most likely but hit me up if you would like to see another city. Thanks again and hope to be back here with more updates. SHOP COFFEE MUGS HERE. Peace.
Perfection Isn't The Goal – Creativity and Expression Are
Quick insight to new launches and general update to Universal Article.
Peace my people! Looking ahead to the second half of 2024, I'm focusing on expanding Universal Article with new content and products, especially more HATS.
Another significant milestone for me has been the launch of my print-on-demand services through PRINTFUL and a separate Society6 Shop. These platforms are perfect for bringing quick ideas to life – something I've struggled with in the past. For years, I've held onto countless sketches and designs that never saw the light of day. At this stage in my life, I'm embracing new philosophy: it's better to put work out, even if it's not perfect. This approach will allow me to:
Rapidly prototype ideas
Get real-world feedback
Iterate and improve designs
I'm excited to start sharing these quickstrike concepts, giving life to ideas that have long remained hidden in my sketchbooks or hard drive. It's also liberating to acknowledge that perfection isn't the goal – creativity and expression are. By leveraging these services, I can focus on design without worrying about inventory management. I’m still tweaking both platforms but by all means, please check them out when you have a chance. VISIT A UNIVERSAL ARTICLE SHOP ON SOCIETY6.
I look forward to sharing more of my work, both polished and experimental, in the coming months.
Committed To Creating It
Passion, Skill, and unwavering commitment. The commitment to continue the lift on your own even when external inspiration is non-existent. Embrace setbacks as opportunities for growth and pressing forward with focused determination.
Stay dedicated to continuous learning and improvement. It's about honing your skills, staying up-to-date and pushing the boundaries of your creativity. Love!
Capturing A Moment in Every Stroke: Unveiling My Watercolor Hat Paintings – Now Available for Purchase
Peace ya’ll! It’s been a minute since posting a new entry here. I want to thank a lot of you for supporting me throughout the years. After a passionate journey spanning over 25 years designing hats, I am thrilled to present my collection of watercolor hat paintings, each a testament to the craftsmanship I've cultivated throughout my career.
Each painting reflects my artistic expression and my love affair with baseball hats and designing them.
To ensure the exclusivity and authenticity of each piece, all paintings feature an embossed Universal Article seal of approval, NEMS signed, and Certificate of Authenticity card. In appreciation of your support, I am also offering complimentary free shipping with each piece. The framed piece will be carefully packaged and delivered without the hassle of additional fees.
Thank you for coming by and for joining me on this artistic journey. Never Ending Miracles & Skills… NEMS. Love.
LOL... The Drawing Process of a Cute Chibi UNI TIGER
Peace family, just posting a recent drawing from the other day. The most important factor here is the time committed to just relaxing and drawing with no guidelines or objectives. Keeping it one hundred, lately I’ve been overwhelmed by fucking life, so getting this drawing time by myself or sharing it with my children is most important right now. Outside of that, I try to just let it flow while getting better at Procreate and using my PenTip Shortcut Panel for my workflow. The Shortcut Panel is a cool little keypad with 23 accessible shortcuts that can help your procreate process. So far, I’m still getting use to it but gradually getting down the habit of using it.
Overall, I love how it came out.
Cute tiger by Nems for Universal Article.