I was hired to create this detailed map for Iron Horse Mud Ranch, known as one of the best off-road parks in the country.
Located in Perry, Florida, this sprawling estate hosts monster trucks, ATVs, and just about anything with wheels on an insane course of obstacles, tracks, and millions of gallons of mud.
The client submitted aerial and onsite photos that I pieced together into a blueprint for the map. Once we had the locations of everything fixed, I laid out all the elements and hand-illustrated all the cars, trucks, booths, tents, and other elements in Adobe Illustrator as a vector graphic. The map will be used as a printed brochure for guests, on their website, and on a 9 foot tall banner to display at the park.
My artwork has been used on a lot of big things – now I can say that my artwork is on a Monster Truck! I designed this rabid monkey in a racing suit for a Spanish Monster Truck driver that will wrap the entire vehicle. Can’t wait to see this thing caked in mud! A lot of the competing monster trucks were using simple vector graphics, so the driver came to me to create something more detailed and with more character.
Client Testimonial:
Thank you! I really like your design!! You do great work!
Parody illustration featuring a bevy of the fun and colorful monster characters from Pixar’s Monster Inc.!
The design was for apparel and a vehicle wrap for the russefeiring tradition. If you haven’t heard of it, basically russefeiring involves an entire class of Norwegian students renting a bus (a Russebuss), painting every inch of it with really cool street art, and then partying in it night and day for an entire month during graduation. The different classes wear their designs ever where they go as they clash with rival classes. I’ve done a bunch of these now, and really enjoy it.
https://i0.wp.com/www.flylanddesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/PartyCentral_WHITEbg-Low-Res.jpg?fit=800%2C800&ssl=1800800Brian Allenhttps://www.flylanddesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/FlyLand-Designs-Web-Logo.pngBrian Allen2018-11-12 11:22:522018-05-03 11:25:47Monsters Inc. Parody Russ Bus Logo
Vintage robbers inspired illustration with a detective dog, and courtesan in the background. Planes of magical energy turn the characters and elements into zombie monsters where it covers them. The design was for apparel and a vehicle wrap for the russefeiring tradition. If you haven’t heard of it, basically russefeiring involves an entire class of Norwegian students renting a bus (a Russebuss), painting every inch of it with really cool street art, and then partying in it night and day for an entire month during graduation. The different classes wear their designs ever where they go as they clash with rival classes. I’ve done a bunch of these now, and really enjoy it.
https://i0.wp.com/www.flylanddesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/Oxford_WHITEbg-Low-Res.jpg?fit=800%2C800&ssl=1800800Brian Allenhttps://www.flylanddesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/FlyLand-Designs-Web-Logo.pngBrian Allen2018-11-09 11:20:362018-05-03 11:25:47Vintage Heist Russ Bus Logo
Project The Philadelphia Flyers, the NHL hockey team, hired me to design the costume for their new mascot, completely from the ground up. They reached out to me because they had liked some edgy mascot artwork I had done for a television commercial by Chick-Fil-A.
The Flyers gave me a lot of freedom with the design. They had previously commissioned some designs, but nothing had hit the mark yet. They told me that the mascot design had to be “someone you’d want to high-five, but not hug.” He had to be fun enough to attract kids and younger fans, yet had to still be tough enough to earn the respect of the tough and gritty Philadelphia fans.
I began the project by sketching over 20 different possible mascots, including, bats, bulls, groundhogs, dragons, tough guys, yetis, and even a flying squirrel.
Once the client saw the sketches, they picked a big dumpy monster I had drawn as the starting point.
Early Gritty concept sketches
Early on, we still hadn’t decided on a name for the mascot. The Marketing team decided on Gritty, which is a perfect fit.
Early Gritty Concept SketchesPencil Drawing of Gritty, FrontPencil Drawing of Gritty, Side
Once the concept phase was over, the Flyers hired me to create a series of 10 different poses showing Gritty in action. The different illustrations were to be used primarily for promotion during the rollout.
The mascot illustrations were also used for merch designs sold at the Flyers’ stadium and online – from t-shirts, hockey pucks, sticks, and keychains.
Gritty introduced to the world!
Periodically throughout the process, the Flyers would send me photos of how the costume was coming together, but I usually only saw pieces. It wasn’t until just a few days before the official release that I saw Gritty for the first time. The costume creation team at Character Translations Inc. did an amazing job bringing my drawing to life.
Some of Gritty’s most unique features, such as the googly eyes, and squeaky hands, were added by the creative team at the Flyers. I was just as surprised as everyone else when they were first revealed!
The initial reaction seemed negative at first, and it was a little overwhelming. But the momentum changed very quickly. Within a couple of days, people were sending me fan art they had created of Gritty, and it was clear he had become more than just the mascot for the Flyers: he was now the mascot of the internet!
Client Testimonial: Thank you again for all your great work throughout the project! Appreciate the quality work, quick turnarounds and accommodating the many changes we sent your way. –Ben DiCandilo Philadelphia Flyers, Marketing Manager
Thank you, Flyers!
I owe a large debt of gratitude to the Flyers for making me a part of something so big (and orange!).
Thank you to the Marketing Team – They had great ideas and clear communication.
Thank you to the costume company for their incredible work!
And thank you to the man inside the Gritty suit, who has really brought this two-dimensional drawing to life!
The full story behind the creation of Gritty:
Interview by Mark Brickey on the popular art and design podcast, Adventures in Design
I go into full detail of the process of how I designed Gritty with the Flyers, and how I dealt with the outpouring of reactions to the mascot I helped create, both negative and positive. Adventures in Design is a really great podcast that has interviewed many of the best artists in the industry, so it was an honor to be included!
Interviews and Press about the creation of Gritty:
Gritty took the world by storm, and I was very fortunate to be part of it. It was really humbling to be interviewed by over 20 news outlets, several of them on camera, and to be a guest on my favorite art podcast, Adventures in Design.
https://i0.wp.com/www.flylanddesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/Demon_Face_and_Fire_Skulls-watermark.jpg?fit=590%2C800&ssl=1800590Brian Allenhttps://www.flylanddesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/FlyLand-Designs-Web-Logo.pngBrian Allen2018-09-18 09:22:392018-05-03 11:25:52Demon Face with Fire Skulls
Demonic monster illustration with many eyes and horns grins as a city burns behind him.
The design was for apparel and a vehicle wrap for the russefeiring tradition. If you haven’t heard of it, basically russefeiring involves an entire class of Norwegian students renting a bus (a Russebuss), painting every inch of it with really cool street art, and then partying in it night and day for an entire month during graduation. The different classes wear their designs ever where they go as they clash with rival classes. I’ve done a bunch of these now, and really enjoy it.
https://i0.wp.com/www.flylanddesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/Dreadville_WHITEbg-Low-Res.jpg?fit=800%2C800&ssl=1800800Brian Allenhttps://www.flylanddesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/FlyLand-Designs-Web-Logo.pngBrian Allen2018-04-17 11:02:252018-05-03 11:26:05Demonic Dreadville Monster Russ Bus Logo
Vinyl wrapped zombie helmet I illustrated for Blaze Artworks’ new line of monster themed motorcycle helmets.
It was a fun challenge to try to figure out how to illustrate something in two dimensions that would ultimately wrap around a spherical 3D object. The client was kind enough to send me a helmet that I was able to physically trace and photograph to create a template, using some tricks I learned at my first professional art job at XGX Racing more than a decade ago. Thrilled with how this turned out!
Silk-screen poster illustration of a happy Loch Ness Monster I created for the band Lochness Monster. I had a blast working on this. The band gave me a ton of freedom on this design, and I came up with the idea of having the Loch Ness Monster looking friendly, with a severed arm dangling from its mouth, and the collected trophy/cameras of tourists hung around his neck. He’s an elusive fella! The design was set up for silk-screening using around 5 colors, created primarily for promotional posters and apparel for the band.
Client Testimonial:
They look awesome!! Thanks, really great job on this!!
How to draw Lochness Monster for rock poster and t-shirt using Pentel Brush pen on paper.
Silk-screen poster illustration of a happy Loch Ness Monster I created for the band Lochness Monster. I had a blast working on this. The band gave me a ton of freedom on this design, and I came up with the idea of having the Loch Ness Monster looking friendly, with a severed arm dangling from its mouth, and the collected trophy/cameras of tourists hung around his neck. He’s an elusive fella! The design was set up for silk-screening using around 5 colors, created primarily for promotional posters and apparel for the band.
https://i0.wp.com/www.flylanddesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/Lochness-Monster.jpg?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=110801920Brian Allenhttps://www.flylanddesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/FlyLand-Designs-Web-Logo.pngBrian Allen2016-06-08 09:38:312016-06-08 09:38:31How to draw Lochness Monster Rock Poster Video
The nice folks at Scholastic hired me to draw concept illustrations for characters in a redesign of an educational app called Sushi Monster, in which kids solve math problems with a friendly but terrifying sushi chef. I explored a lot of different character sizes, shapes, and attitudes. We initially thought the best direction would be to create the main characters as zombies, and the supporting characters as other types of monsters. Unfortunately, due to a gypsy curse, the project was cancelled in the early stages before we had a chance to really get going.
https://i0.wp.com/www.flylanddesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/App-Character-Monster-Concepts-1-Low-Res.jpg?fit=650%2C650&ssl=1650650Brian Allenhttps://www.flylanddesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/FlyLand-Designs-Web-Logo.pngBrian Allen2016-04-07 13:36:382016-03-13 13:42:18Education Game App Monster Character Designs
Logo design I created for an automotive repair shop and racing company called G&L Diesel, featuring a monster character holding a turbo.
The client hired me to create a sharp looking logo and a humorous mascot character. After submitting a few concept sketches, we picked this version of the monster: a horned, and mischievious looking creature holding a turbo and zipped into a racing suit.
The logo was provided in several different variations, colors, and formats to maximize the client’s usage.
Children’s book illustrations I created for Amazon’s CreateSpace. This story was written by Denise Watkins, and is about a strange creature that emerges from the ocean with an insatiable hunger for Creamsicles.
Illustration for a really cool fantasy card game in development called Abomination. The general object of the game is to create different creatures using mixed body parts and other technology. I was comissioned to design and illustratate the logo and box cover. The box art features a comical but creepy monster assembled from all sorts of different body parts, with a mad scientist in the foreground.
Editorial commissioned by Rosebud Magazine. This custom illustration appeared in the magazine as a full page, accompanying an article about hydroponic tubing. The editors gave me a lot of freedom with the design. There only direction was that they wanted a robot made of tubing attacking a city. Looking forward to working with them again soon.
©Brian Allen
