The bike diva illustration is close cropped on these labels to show just her head and shoulders vs. the full length image on the lotion labels. Also the background image is mostly solid with a few floral elements rather then a full vine pattern.

Another key change was using the sun ray pattern along the top, where as on the lotion labels the tonal leaf pattern is shown along the top.

Like the lotion labels, the idea was to create a template style that could easily be updated by swapping out colors to fit with new scents as Essential Journey’s expands their line of liquid soaps.

Order online at www.essentialjourneys.com.

Banana bike illustration on t-shirt. Photo courtesy Roly Poly Crafts.

I just competed a series of line drawings for Roly Poly Crafts to screen print on garments: t-shirts, baby one-pieces, diaper covers and the like. Roly Poly owner, Ruth, has a wonderful sense of hip nostalgia in the selection of images she asked me to draw for her. The illustration style is line art, with no shading, designed to be printed in one color.

Illustrations include a banana seat bicycle, high top sneakers, a prancing unicorn, a folk/country singer, iconic trees, and “Mixed Tape” cassette.

View more images and shop Roly Poly Crafts at Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/rolypolycrafts

Top: closed box; Bottom: open box

I rarely miss the chance to take a workshop from instructor, Steve Pittelkow when he is in town teaching at Asheville BookWorks. He is an amazing marbler and wonderful teacher. I especially recommend his multi-day classes where you spend a day or two creating papers and then another day building a box or book using those papers.

The Lantern Box project was the first project where I designed a sheet of marbled paper specifically for the box. I wanted the inside and outside of the box to be covered using one piece of paper which would flow together, but have distinctly different colors. I used a freehand technique to pull the marbling ink into the flowing shapes I desired vs. using a combing technique to make a specific pattern.

The box itself was an interesting one to make. It is a double walled hexagon shape with curved exterior walls and straight interior ones. It is actually not as crazy hard as it looks, but like all boxes I’ve made cutting carefully and patience in the assembly is needed. The end result is colorful and remarkably sturdy.

Short sleeve and sleeveless examples of the Essential Journeys Bicycle Jersey. Photo by rebecca d'angelo, courtesy Essential Journeys.

Kimberly, owner of Essential Journeys, is an avid bicyclist. When she isn’t making her wonderful soaps she is usually out on the road with a group of friends riding around Asheville, or off leading a group of bicyclists on an Alaskan adventure.

So to combine her two passions she asked me to design a bicycle jersey that would be fun, colorful and promote Essential Journeys.

We started with the base art from label designs for the floral pattern on the front and sleeves. We made one sleeve green and one purple – why not, much more interesting then both the same.

On the back we used her biking diva logo and added bright sun rays behind her. The back pocket list her product lines and of course the website URL. Another fun feature of the jerseys are words up the sides: “Soap Pedaler” and “Petroleum Free.”

The jerseys are offered in short sleeve and sleeveless options in cuts for both women and men. For information on ordering, visit Essential Journeys online shop: Bicycle section where you can order jerseys as well as matching arm warmers.

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The noise barrier included on the I-4401 section of I-40 on the West side of Asheville was the first in the state of North Carolina to include a molded pattern design. Completed in summer of 2008, this project is by far the largest design piece I have worked on.

One of my favorite items to work on has been the labels for her lotions. Bold colors + illustration focus = happy design time.

I love finding the colors that speak to the lotion flavor, be it Lavender Morning, Almond Spa, Zinnia & Gardenia, or White Tea & Ginger. Added to these initial four are Chai Tea,

Thai Lemongrass, Purely Naked (unscented), and my favorite Grapefruit Splash.

All lotions are available in 8 oz. and 16 oz. sizes, with a select few also available in a 2 oz. travel size.

Check our the Essential Journeys website for ordering lotions, Soap By the Slice, Lube for the Lips and more.

Design work began with the end pieces, where the buttons for playing the concertina are accessed. The placement of these is fixed so the artwork had to precisely include those locations. The design on the end pieces is centered around a tree image, with leaves/branches extending out into a pattern as they reach the edges. The design also serves to allow airflow in and out of the concertina while playing.

Design created for the bellows.

Using the style and elements from those end pieces as a guide, designs were created for the bellows papers and edging. These designs are gold tooled into the leather around the ends and on the bellows.

For more information on Thomas Concertinas, more images, and to hear the instrument played, please visit: www.thomasconcertinas.com