Automatic Loveletter

Recently i had the pleasure of working with Juliet Simms & co for the new Automatic Loveeltter album. Not only was she an incredibly enthusiastic joy to work with, but the style and art direction i got to explore was an absolute blast for me

Sunny Sultana took a great photo of the songwriting siren in full war paint, and i began to explore weathered colors and watercolor possibilities (you know me, just a few...)

(i personally love the following, and we still hadn't gotten to the realistic feminine skeleton on top of Juliet everyone wanted)

add some hand done lettering and the final result:

an exciting, passionate acoustic record out TODAY on Paper+Plastick Records!

(feel free to click for a larger view!)

and check this out: Ernie Ball made a special guitar pick from my hand lettering!

check Automatic Loveletter at Van's Warped Tour right now this summer!

Kind Ghosts

June 26th 2011, renaissance man, immense talent, and super nice guy Derek Nicoletto will be unleashing his solo debut album "Kind Ghosts" to the world!

It is always a treat working with Derek and i was proud and excited he asked me to do the layout for his CD. Walt Cessna took amazing photos (of Scooter LaForge's painted Derek!) and I reveled at the chance to do something clean, crisp, and minimal that still paid tribute to Derek's music, energy, and vision. I also enjoyed subtly playing up the electrical light element on the type as well as faint ghostly glows

a fraction of the explorations:

the 6 panel layout (click for larger view!)

while we wanted to keep things white with gray, i gave everything a faint "ghostly" pink to maintain the mood and aesthetic

the CD itself

and keep your eyes peeled around town for this Kind Ghost sticker, with a mysterious QR barcode that will take you right to a music video!

hear some music (and get ready to dance), and keep up with Derek's busy schedule at:

www.dereknicoletto.com

get a word in.....

reviews, opinions, and all things awesome...coming to a website near you!

on a somewhat related note.... don't forget to check up on all the amazing things going on with my good friend Rusty at PnutJewelry.com !

pw! ("scan it and see")

Protagonist 7"

coming soon to a turntable near you!

the folks at P+P (and iloveimprint.com) did an extraordinary job here. great paper stock even, and check out the spot varnish!!!

order at: Paper+Plastick

listen at: Protagonist

Armadillo + pw!

since i first got into punk rock and ska as a high-schooler in houston tx many moons ago, some of my all time favorite records & record covers had artwork by Jason "Armadillo". In addition to working closely with No Idea Records, a label that inspired and influenced my love for music and packaging, seeing anything adorned with his art always assured excitement and left an indelible impression on me. You could see it a mile away and know it was all his: phenomenal perfectly painted cartoons with a tremendous amount of bite.

now imagine my excitement when he got in touch with me to do a collaborative painting for Scott White's "Collaborations Show" in FL! It was a pretty big deal for me, working with someone who has been a staple of my record collection, and the process was even more fun than i could imagine

after being attacked by mosquitos and gnats one muggy afternoon in Florida, on the day New York decided to jump from 52 degrees to a most unwelcome 80, Jason came up with a funny solution for our tag-team large scale painting in true Armadillo fashion:

click any of the images for a larger view!

his sketch and process for his painting

(i don't know how he gets his lines painted so frustratingly perfect):

i spent one of my favorite days in recent memory throwing paint while it rained outside. i nervously added the bugs around 3AM and prayed i wasn't ruining Jason's awesome figure

bright and early the next day i shipped it back to Jason who put the finishing touches it desperately needed and pulled the whole thing together by making it pop. i'm crazy about the hand lettered can of bug spray he did, again, abnormally perfect

you can see some of his art at inkandpaindept.blogspot.com

the best part is we had so much fun...we're doing it again! keep yer eyes peeled way back for future collaborations in the future, hopefully at galleries near you!