Art Direction | Apparel Design | Illustration
The latest addition to the Raskol Mythos Line is the Egyptian God of War. The art direction with this line is always to remain in line with how ancient tales were told through stone, tablets, and pottery. Not overly detailed, nor overly stylized by modern standards. So with that in mind. I had to find a pose that matched the epic battle between Anhur and Apep the Serpent while staying true to the era, culture, and art that existed then. The mythos line is one of my favorites to work on; it’s always interesting to both learn about these tales and myths, but also dive into the art that existed then.
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Art Direction | Apparel Design | Illustration
Had the pleasure of working with Raskol Apparel and Omar Isuf to sketch up and add to their Mythos line of apparel. Having done so many before this was a fun way of jumping back into it.
These are the rough concepts and sketches. The final is the first shown in the Carousel. This time around they needed to have The Mighty Gilgamesh vs Humbaba. The art direction with this line is always to remain in line with the way ancient tales were told through stone, tablet, and pottery. Not overly detailed, nor overly stylized by modern standards. So with that in mind. I had to find a pose that matched the epic battle, but also stayed true to the era, culture, and art that existed then. The mythos line is one of my favorites to work on; it’s always interesting to both learn about these tales and myths, but also dive into the art that existed then.
Shirts Available HERE
Art Direction | Illustration | Apparel Design
Melqart is a classic mythical hero, coming from Phoenician Myhtos, a powerful and great figure that inspired the epic of Hercules, Raskol wanted to honor this story and mythology with a limited edition tee drop. We helped by creating the needed apparel design and figuring out the visual style to match said great figure in history.
Client: Raskol Apparel
Illustration | Creative Direction | Apparel Development
"Megin" old Norse for Power & Ability! Thor the God of Thunder laying down the power with his epic Hammer MjöInir against the Serpent Jörmungandr his arch enemy! This is another addition to Raskols Nordic line of shirts. The entire Mythos line has been a great success overall and this is a continuation of that same line.
Client | Raskol Apparel
Art Direction | Apparel Design | Illustration
Raskol Apparel has had great success with many of my illustrations. The Mythos line has been very well received and this is a continuation of that line. The pitch here was to keep the colors down to one, but still have my signature expressive dense lines that can show off the power behind these timeless characters. Beowulf being such a classic in Nordic mythos and Sagas it was a clear choice. However I wanted to change things up a bit, I wanted a pose that was emblematic of his lore. Here he has Grendel's head after cutting it off with his blade. A slight change from the story, but still one with a visceral finish. VEGR is old Norse for Glory and power. The type was a custom and had to fit not only the style but still retain the Old runic appeal. Overall the natural progression from sketch to vector illustration, and final product were conceived by me. Having a clear strategy of what a product is and how it connects with an audience is key to my design thinking.
Client: Raskol Apparel
Raskol Apparel wanted to add to their Greek Mythos Lifting Line. They had great success with prior designs and they wanted to compound on it. This time with the legendary story of Milo of Croton. Now, a little history lesson for everyone. Milo was an ancient Greek wrestler, the greatest of his time. A 6 time Olympian.There is a fable that Milo got stronger by carrying a baby cow up a mountain everyday to train. As the cow grew up, it got heavier. Milo kept carrying the baby cow until it became a bull. Hence the play on words with "Progressive Overload" a known method of training in gym culture.
Client: Raskol Apparel
Hercules one of the most iconic and prolific characters of Greek Mythology, a powerful and brutally strong figure. Raskol Apparel wanted a Greek based illustration to add to their line. They wanted a significant pose and one that could be remembered. Which meant looking into the 12 labor of Hercules, one of which was him defeating the Cerberus, we agreed that would be a great illustration, but finding out how to make it unique and still hold that Greek Pottery Art that is so famous. Melting my own approach with that of the artists from Ancient Greece lead to this illustration. There are two versions one being the Cerberus and the other the Chimera, both hold a flat style with a symbolically strong pose by Hercules, which really grabs that Greek Taste we all love. The type is based on a condensed Sans Serif, but with a twist of rough edges, easy to read, and fits well with the vertical layout. The word is Greek and is a direct translation of Power.
Client: Raskol Apparel
Achilles one of the most iconic and prolific characters of Greek Mythology, a stoic and yet flamboyant character. Raskol Apparel wanted another Greek based illustration to add to their line. They wanted to continue the same aesthetic as Hercules, yet have a more recognizable pose and a more action based pose. I spent some time reading and researching Achilles, looking at Greek Historical Art, reading the amazing work of Homer, looking at actual Greek Armor used in that period, using various references and historical context. Of course melting my own approach with that of the artists from Ancient Greece lead to this illustration. The type is based on a condensed Sans Serif, but with a twist of rough edges, easy to read, and fits well with the vertical layout. The word is Ancient Greek and is a translation of shock, fear, and or shocking, in Modern Greek it is Theos or Deos as in God.
Client: Raskol Apparel
Ares!! The God of War, the bringer of Wrath, the killer of Titans. Raskol wanted to add to their Greek Mythos Line Up, Ares being such an iconic god of Greek Mythology was a no brainier. The style is consistent with the overall collection; borrowing heavily from Ancient Greek Pottery and paintings. The main restriction being that it has to be done in one color, this adds a level of challenge that pushes me to create a simplified yet identifiable design that is unique to this collection. Part of the process was finding a way to create an iconic pose while displaying Ares killing Ekhidnades. The type is Ancient Greek and translates to Rage and or Wrath. This adds to the unique style, and adds more authenticity to the illustration. The best part of the Greek series has been the great response by not only the Raskol Audience, but my audience as well.
Client: Raskol Apparel
Illustration | Apparel Development | Creative Direction
Raskol Apparel requsted a new design that would fit the retro aesthetic of the video games we enjoyed growing up. The solution was to create an 8-bit Illustration that was fun, playful, concise to Raskols brand, and one that was vibrant. From color selection to design aestheteic all was taken into consideration when working on this project.
Client: Raskol Apparel
Illustration | Apparel Development | Creative Direction
Raskol requested a refresh on one of their original shirt designs, this time they wanted a more up to date and fresh take on the original. This time they wanted my touch to it. After spending some time looking at various USSR propaganda images, and posters I came up with this, a very visceral and brightly colored design that was uniquely concise and strong; not only in an obvious sense, but through the message and style.
Client: Raskol Apparel
A revamp of the previous Old School design. Here we wanted to play on the iconic Circus Lifter. I decided to add my own taste and style to the illustration. Focusing on a great character and vintage type. I spent quite some time referencing old circus photographs and pictures of Circuses. Finally I compiled all my references and created an illustration that reflects that and still has some humor behind it to connect with Raskol's audience.
Client: Raskol Apparel
Raskol gave me full creative control for one of their latest apparel releases. The idea I pitched was a humorous one that makes fun of the "Bro Science" in gym culture. Raskol being a Gym apparel brand really let this style of illustration and humor work well. Rick and Morty and some back to the future were the main pop content that inspired this illustration. Overall it was a simple and unique take on gym culture.
Client: Raskol Apparel
Following Dirty Bulk Raskol wanted to add on to the well received first illustration. They wanted a counter part that would add on to Dirty Bulk. The characters and complete design was all done to be fun and witty, playing on the gym culture, and obssesive culture regarding diets and food. We mad sure to draw out all the idea and made sure to use colors that would pop well. Steak, Broccoli, and Corn, all healthy foods turned into Gym Bros, or stereo typical people you would see at the gym. Overall a great project that we are very proud of.
Shirt Available Here: Raskol Apparel
Client: Omar Isuf / Raskol Apparel
Raskol requested a fun and laid back design playing into the fun joke of gaining muscle mass by eating 'dirty foods', which is a running joke int he lifting community, after spending some time working on an initial idea and gathering the proper colors to be used and the food in the design I came up with the following. A very jovial style all around with colors that are bother high in contrast, but also play directly into the foods. Great for Apparel and Posters. This illustration came out great and was a solid design for its respective end buyer.
Shirt Available Here: Raskol Apparel
Client: Omar Isuf / Raskol Apparel
Illustration for Omar Isuf and Raskol Apparel. Request was for a Roy Lichtenstein style design which, used the phrase "Cardio, is that Spanish?" The design is meant to be funny yet stylish all on its own; in essence a T-Shirt Design for all the Meat Heads who don't know what Cardio is.
Shirt Available Here: Raskol Apparel
Client: Omar Isuf / Raskol Apparel
Milhouse from the Simpsons has a very unique and funny quote regarding why Lisa left him. Simply put it was his Calves. This being such a memorable moment from the Simpsons is what inspired this apparel illustration, Raskol Apparel wanted another Roy Lichtenstein inspired illustration, but this time with a Simpsons twist. part of the concept was to stay true to the iconic Roy style we all appreciate, yet have a clear visual cue that it is Milhouse, which lead to keeping a simple line aesthetic and of course recognizable colors as well. Firstly the sketch was done by hand and from there it was redone as a vector in Adobe Illustrator. Simple, iconic, and fun.
Client: Raskol Apparel
Following the very successful apparel illustrations done for Raskol, they contacted us again to make a third installment into the Roy Lichtenstein series. This time they wanted a different approach to the line up, so we we opted to create the iconic Roy crying girl, but add some humor and wit to the illustration. We wanted to connect to Raskol's audience while still maintaining this iconic style, we did everything first by hand; as we always do, and pitched the idea to Raskol, they loved it and the illustration was used. Overall another great team effort between us and Raskol.
Shirt Available Here: Raskol Apparel
Client: Omar Isuf / Raskol Apparel
Have you ever seen a guy so jacked, so buff, so ripped, so shredded, that you have to assume he is on something, well this shirt says it all. The epitome of the envy sometimes found in the culture of weightlifting. Raskol Apparel wanted another Roy Lichtenstein design after having success with 'Cardio, is that Spanish?'. The initial idea was for a sequenced comic book frame, but after some feedback from both Raskol and the customer base of Raskol, we opted for a single frame design that fit the full scene. Using Lichtenstein's color theme and imposing the high contrast he is known for I was able to convey that classic look and still add my touch to the overall Illustration. This is a must have for any Lifters who like having less than serious yet fun gear to take to the gym.
Shirt Available Here: Raskol Apparel
Client: Omar Isuf / Raskol Apparel
Canadian Pride at its finest. A Lumber Jack who Benches Logs swings Axes. A request for a Canadian Lumber Jack with Massive Arms. I added the Canadian Independence Year as a nice touch for all the Canadian Fans .The Overall style is simple, fun, yet illustrated.
Shirt Available Here: Raskol Apparel
Client: Omar Isuf / Raskol Apparel
A request for the Classic Scene from Predator, "DILLON YOU SON OF A BITCH. Epic Muscle for a Epic Hand Shake. Raskol wanted a simple design, but we decided to go with a an epic illustration that really was fun and relaxed...GET TO THE CHOPPAAAHH!
Shirt Available Here: Raskol Apparel
Client: Omar Isuf / Raskol Apparel
'Hammer Head Shark + Hammer Curls = Hammer Time'. The process involved sketching and writing out the idea. The inspiration came from Street Sharks and was the basis for the idea. Me being a kid raised in the 90's loved this show and had to pay my respect to it, now once the idea felt right, I took artistic liberty in a digital sense. The final product is a vibrant, high contrast design. Great for Apparel and Posters. This illustration came out great and was a solid design. Overall it was "Jawsome"...I will show myself out.
Shirt Available Here: Raskol Apparel
Client: Omar Isuf / Raskol Apparel
Logan is proud Canadian, a man who embraces his Canuck Pride. He didn't even use his claws to cut wood. This Illustration was a play on Logan from X-Men, which he is indeed Canadian, Raskol Apparel being based in Toronto Canada took great pride in this illustration. They gave me complete Creative Control to come up with the the theme, layout, and aesthetic. However Omar Isuf, provided a great deal of final input to get the true Canadian touch needed to make this all work.
T-Shirt Available at: Raskol Apparel
Client: Omar Isuf / Raskol Apparel
