Vintage 66 Graphics

Project: Hellbetty Postcards

2012-03-14T01:55:00.002-07:00

This is a variation on a postcard design I did recently for Hellbetty Jewelry. They are releasing a new product called wine charms, which are like bling for your wine glass, but each one is different so you can also use it to identify your glass at a party if you set it down for a minute. These cards are multipurpose, since they are not only promotional postcards, but they serve as the product packaging card as well. Wine charms will soon be available in sets of six at select locations and directly form Hellbetty as well.

Promotional postcard for the new wine charms from Hellbetty Jewelry.

Project: Atomic City Whimsy

2012-03-12T17:26:00.001-07:00

I just finished up this double-sided business card design for Atomic City Whimsy on Etsy. They specialize in cool vintage decor, handmade jewelry and crushed glass art. They've got some real nifty stuff, so you'll want to check them out from time to time.

As for the design itself, we went with a bold mid-century modern look featuring a solid populuxe flavor, with this strong diamond pattern in orange and aqua, and finished it off with a couple of tasty retro fonts (Dairyland & Mister Television) from Font Diner.

The new business card design for Atomic City Whimsy.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss

2012-03-02T02:14:00.000-08:00

Today is the late Dr. Seuss' birthday, he would have been 108. It feels like I should have so much to say about an artist that I hold in such high esteem, but honestly, is there anything that hasn't already been said about the good doctor and his contribution to the art and literary worlds? Is there any praise that hasn't already been heaped on him many times over? I can't think of a thing, and so I will simply let his own artwork speak, and I think nothing would be more apropos than a selection of images from his 1959 book, The Birthday Bird (from Random House Books). Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss, or Mr. Geisel if you prefer.

The legendary Birthday Bird of Katroo, by Dr. Seuss.

The Birthday Bird enjoying the slow moving birthday Smorgasbord.

The Birthday Bird, the birthday boy, and a couple of one-horned goat-like things.

Retro Business Card Designs: One More

2012-02-28T16:03:00.001-08:00

Retro business card design featuring vintage clip art and retro fonts.

This is the straggler of the series of business card design examples I posted earlier. I ran into a bit of design funk on this one, so I just let it sit for a couple of days and then came back to it. It features a horizontal design on the front and a vertical design on the back with retro fonts and authentic vintage art from (probably) the 50's.

Cheers!

Retro Business Card Designs

2012-02-27T01:56:00.000-08:00


A retro business card design inspired by the classic cars of the MCM era.

Vintage bowling alleys were the inspiration for this business card design.

This design would be perfect for anyone looking for a bit of a vintage flair.

I just wanted to show off some of the new business card design examples that I've been working on. These all have a Mid-Century Modern look to them, but in the future I'm thinking about maybe delving into the Art Deco and Streamline Moderne periods for something retro, yet different.

Thanks for stopping by.

Oregon Coast

2012-02-12T01:58:00.000-08:00

Seascape from a few years ago. Walnut & India Ink on Watercolor Paper.

I will be out of the studio/office for most of the week,. My girl, Sweets, is taking me to the beach for a much needed (by both of us) vacation. I'll see you about Friday or so. Have a great week.

Cheers!

2012-02-06T05:22:00.000-08:00

Today is my youngest niece's twenty-second birthday and this is the card I did for her, because what says Happy Birthday better than a banjo playing turtle?

Turtle Birthday Cards; ink & marker on bristol.

Beach Study: Twin Rocks

2012-02-03T02:33:00.000-08:00

Twin Rocks; watercolor and white gouache on 300 lb cold press paper.

I'm planning to offer some hand painted greeting cards in my Etsy shop later this month, so I've been working on my watercolor chops. This is Twin Rocks, Oregon, which is just south of Rockaway on Highway 101. Not familiar with Rockaway? It's a bit north of Tillamook (like the cheese), if that helps.

New Logo for Your Business

2012-01-30T04:00:00.000-08:00

Behold the almighty logo, whether it’s fun and quirky or more of the stately and elegant variety, the logo is the face of any business. A well designed logo brands your business and tells your customers who you are and what you deliver. On the other hand, a poorly designed logo can have a disastrous effect on a company’s image, giving the wrong impression, sending mixed messages, or even worse—giving an unintentional, embarrassing message.

The arrival of a new year is a great time to look over your business identity. Is it sending the right message to your customers? Is it time for an upgrade—or maybe just a fresh new look? Perhaps you're just starting your business and aren't sure what you need. Whatever the case, I'll be happy to work with you and get you the quality graphic design that fits your needs. Stop by Vintage 66 Graphics today and fill out the handy contact form to get your project started.

Get Your Very Own Custom Pin-up Girl Today

2012-01-25T11:00:00.000-08:00

Have you ever considered having a pin-up girl of your very own to help promote your business? Well, by golly, there's no time like the present.For $325 you can have your very own cute little pin-up girl to help brand your business, and add a nice kick to your existing logo. Whether you want to go wild or mild, your pin-up girl can add a little spice to just about any of your promotional materials: website, blog, letterhead, business cards and more.Get yours started today by filling out the Vintage 66 Contact Form.

New Biz Card for 2012

2012-01-20T17:15:00.000-08:00

I'm impatiently waiting for UPS to deliver these from the printer today ( I believe sometime before 7pm.) so in the meantime I just wanted to show off the new Vintage 66 Graphics biz cards for 2012. Both of these images have been slightly modified from the original version to make them look better onscreen, but are essentially the same.

Vintage 66 Biz Card for 2012—Front.

Vintage 66 Biz Card for 2012—Back.

Update: They arrived and they look fantastic! I forgot to mention earlier that I had them printed with a dull matte finish instead of the standard glossy look, and I'm really pleased with the results. Woo-Hoo!!!

How About a New Business Card Design?

2012-01-16T03:15:00.000-08:00

Even in the digital age we live in, where everything seems to be done virtually, the business card is still the proven workhorse of small businesses worldwide. A potential client or customer may meet scads of people in your line between the time you first meet them and the time they need your goods or services. However, a well designed business card can be a great reminder long after your elevator speech has faded from their memory.

For $85 you can get a custom double-sided design in full color, and I'll even throw in 100 professionally printed UV coated business cards on 16pt. stock, delivered right to your door (USA addresses only, contact me for international shipping rates). This is an affordable way to get your new business started on the right foot, or to give your existing business a great new look and nice little boost for the new year. Get yours started today, just fill out the Vintage 66 Contact Form.

Special Deal: Small Business ID Package

2012-01-09T16:07:00.000-08:00

Are you starting a new business this year? Do you have an existing business that you want to re-brand? The beginning of a new year is a great time for a fresh start, to make new plans, to head out there and take the world by storm. Well, by golly, what better way to do that than a brand new business ID package to help set yourself apart from the competition. This basic package deal includes everything you'll need to get off on the right foot, without paying for stuff you don't really need. Visit the V66 Specials Page for more information.

Pop Rocket Cosmetics Logo

2012-01-05T21:08:00.000-08:00

Here's a project I was hoping to get posted around the holidays, but what with said holidays and other business commitments, I never got the chance. Nevertheless, here is the cute little cowgirl logo I did last month for Pop Rocket Cosmetics, which will be available soon, if not already (I'll try to keep you posted about that). Just as a point of interest, Pop Rocket is put out by the same folks who run Bombshell Brazilian Waxing & Beauty Lounge, in Richmond, Virginia, and as luck would have it, I also did that logo as well.

The Last Post of 2011

2011-12-31T16:53:00.000-08:00

This drawing of the now gone Castle restaurant in Gladstone, Oregon is a walnut ink wash with a bit of pen & India ink. I did it from memory, so I know it isn't exactly correct, but it's really just a study, and I'll revisit the subject later for a more correct rendition.

As I recall, the Castle started out as a lapidary shop in the 20's and was later converted to a roadhouse in the late 30's or so. In the 40's and 50's it was a very popular jazz club in the Portland Metropolitan area. My dad remembers drunks falling into the moat outside, and visiting one time in particular during the mid-40's and there being buckets on the dance floor to catch leaks from the roof; the dancers just danced around them. Can you imagine the insurance liability today? In the 70's my parents and I would go there for dinner once in a while, the food was fantastic, not healthy mind you, but oh, so tasty. Sadly The Castle was closed down for good sometimein the late 80's or early 90's, and allowed to decay quite a bit. A few years ago a local business man, Jim Raoke (owner of the landmark, Roake's Footlong Restaurant) tried to re-open it as a restaurant, but the grandfather clause on the zoning had expired due to lack of use, and the neighbors put up a big stink about letting him do it for fear that he would open a strip club (despite Roake offering to sign an agreement that he wouldn't). Fucking imbeciles! The result was that the Castle was razed and replaced by a small housing development of shitty looking, cookie-cutter houses, called Castle Park. Sigh.

Walnut ink drawing of the Castle Restaurant (demolished) in Gladstone, Oregon

Well kids, it looks like yet another year is coming to a close, so this will probably be the last post of 2011. This has been a turbulent year, full of tough choices, sacrifices, and sad losses (R.I.P. Pete). There were even a couple of times that were just flat-out scary, yet somehow I made it through. Having said all that, I don't think I would trade any of it for anything, because along with the bad, I have learned a great deal about myself, truly testing my limits from time to time. Not pleasant, but certainly valuable. I also picked up some truly awesome clients this past year and would like to thank them all for giving me a chance to work for them, and thanks also to you readers for stopping by and taking a look at my blog.

And now, I propose a toast to us all:
Good health, prosperity and better times in 2012. Cheers!

Bombshell Logo Project

2011-12-15T15:26:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to do a little boasting about this logo project I recently finished up for the Bombshell Brazilian Waxing & Beauty Lounge in Richmond, Virginia. At this writing they haven't changed over their website yet, and I'm also working on some images for their Facebook page, but this is a sneak preview of things to come. Not only that, but I did a logo for Pop Rocket Cosmetics, which is their new cosmetic line that will be coming out soon as well. I'll be posting about that one a little later.

Christmas Sketches

2011-12-15T01:32:00.000-08:00

Earlier I was trying to get myself into the holiday mood with some Christmas sketches.

The classic snowman.


A Christmas stocking.

And of course, Santa Claus.

Happy Birthday, Randy Rhoads

2011-12-06T18:43:00.001-08:00

Many years ago, back when I wanted to be a musician, I was hugely influenced by the phenomenally talented guitar virtuoso, Randy Rhoads. He would have been 55 today if he hadn't been tragically killed in a small plane crash back in March of 1982. While his influence on me was initially musical, I have to think that somehow he has influenced me artistically as well, if nothing else, just because he had such a huge impact on me when I was younger.

There has been a great deal written about Randy and his talents, his incredible tone, his fluidity, dedication and so fourth, so I don't think I can really add anything that hasn't already been said, and even if I could, nothing I could say would speak as well about him as his own playing. So here are three examples of his talent, all of them live versions recorded from the soundboard for top quality. And now without further ado, I propose a birthday toast to Mr Rhoads: happy birthday, and thank you for the inspiration. Cheers!

I know this is pretty late in the day—in fact it is already too late on the East Coast—but, I have been putting this off all day, because I've been fighting the urge to go off about the shabby treatment of Randy's recorded legacy by the shit-weasels, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne. However, I don't want to sully something honoring Mr. Rhoads, so I'll leave most of that for another post at another time, but I will say that I hope both Osbournes get exactly and precisely what they deserve. And in case you're wondering, it's a long story, but briefly, in an effort to screw the original drummer and bass player out of their royalties, the Osbournes re-recorded the bass and drum parts for the first two albums with different musicians and erased the original work, then re-released the albums. While Randy's amazing work was left intact, it is now diminished, tied to musicians he never worked with, and that he had never met, all for the greed of two very pathetic individuals.

Mid-Century by the Bay Flyer Project

2011-11-09T03:37:00.000-08:00

It's been far too long since I've posted here, but I've been busy with a flurry of projects. Some of these projects are are still in progress, and one of them needs to stay under wraps for now, however, I can tell you about the new promotional flyer design I just finished up for author, Heater M. David. She will doing a book signing next month for her recent book, Mid-Century by the Bay. If you're lover of San Francisco, or Mid -Century architecture then you owe it to yourself to take a look, and if you're going to be in the Palo Alto area on December 3rd, you can meet her in person and have her sign a copy of for you. It would make a tremendous Christmas gift for yourself or for the retro fan on your list.

As for the design, Heather wanted something fun, yet still elegant and classy, and of course, there had to be an MCM feel to go along with the subject of her book. I started with a clean white background to help keep it quiet, then added a couple of nice retro fonts, specifically: Mister Television and Dairyland from Font Diner. I believe they're both in the set called Casino Buffet. For the date and time section at the bottom, I chose a great vintage looking sans-serif font called News Gothic. It was also very important to have the cover of the book featured, and I used a classic grid pattern for the layout, which is similar to the book's cover. I then filled in a couple of the other sections with images taken from the book. To balance out the design I sampled colors form the book cover for the information blocks, set the type in white, and then used those same colors in the display text at the top. Originally, the top space also featured some retro looking sphere shapes, and while they had a really nice mid-century look to them, they were so heavy—even in a much lighter blue color—that they overpowered the design, so we took them out. But then there was a bunch of airy white space with the text floating around in it, basically it was unbalanced in the other direction, so Heather asked me to try some sputniks similar to the ones on her website, SV Modern. It was a good call, they added a nice retro look not too heavy, but not too light either. And there you have it.

All photos used in this design are copyright Heather M. David.

October Business Card Special Ending Soon!

2011-10-28T16:43:00.000-07:00

Hey Kids just a reminder that the October Business Card Special, featuring the design and 500 double-sided full color professionally printed business cards for $99.95 is ending soon. Oh, and did I mention the free standard US shipping?

Have a Safe and Happy Halloween!

Order Yours Today!

Gift Certificates Coming Soon!

2011-10-21T05:18:00.000-07:00

Coming this holiday season!

Later this month I will be offering gift certificates for graphic services this holiday season. I'm still working on the Gift Certificate page for the website, and there will be more details to come, but basically you'll be able to purchase any denomination you want to give, or you can get one of the business card package deals that includes the design, printing and US shipping. Packages start at as few as 100 cards, and go up to 10,000 or more. What a great gift for that hard to shop for small business person on your list.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, yes, I've also been playing around with a new look for Vintage 66 in 2012. What do you think?

Coming Soon: Hellbetty Apparel

2011-10-15T02:30:00.000-07:00

I recently did the design layout and set up the files for a line of apparel from Hellbetty Jewelry. The lineup will include men's tees, double-sided ladies tees and boy shorts undies for the ladies as well, although one would think they would be called girl shorts. Anyway, everything should be coming from the printer soon, and I will keep you updated on that and where you can get yours. In the meantime, here's a preview.


Men's Hellbetty Jewelry T-shirt.

Double-sided Ladies Hellbetty Jewelry T-shirt.

Boy Shorts from Hellbetty Jewelry.

October Special: 500 Business Cards With Design Only $99.95

2011-10-13T18:11:00.000-07:00

This month's special is for 500 full color double-sided business cards professionally printed on 16 pt. cards stock with your choice of a UV gloss finish or a dull matte finish. This includes the basic design and free standard US shipping via UPS. Order yours today!

Special Price good through October of 2011.

New Project: Moe's Mid-Century Modern Minneapolis Logo

2011-10-13T01:34:00.000-07:00

Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, I am proud to present to you the retro logo I just finished up for Moe's Mid-Century Modern Minneapolis. Moe is in the process of opening up an Etsy shop and I will link sometime soon. For now, I'm just showing off a really cool mid-Century inspired logo that I am really happy with. We also did cartoon character versions of Moe and his cat, Cleo, which I will feature in a follow-up post that I hope to put up soon.

Thanks for stopping by.
Cheers!


Click for larger version.

Now Serving . . . Corn Dogs!

2011-10-04T22:23:00.000-07:00

This is a sample promotional poster for a corn dogs. It is sitting here while I decide if it is ready for my portfolio or not, something I call the "cooling off period". In the meantime, you can get one started for your organization or business right here.

Retro Corn Dog Promotional Poster

Work In Progress—Tiki Girl

2011-10-02T03:30:00.000-07:00

This is one that I got sidetracked on because I had some paying projects to work on. I hope to get back to her soon, but with the holidays rapidly approaching, it's hard to say when exactly that will happen, although now that I think about it, maybe I can work it into some kind of tiki themed Christmas deal. Anyway, this is the inked version that I scanned in and was working from.

Work In Progress—October Pin-up Girl

2011-10-01T02:31:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted lately because I've been busy on a couple of projects, but those are both winding down now, and I'm gearing up for the promotional part of some special offers for the month of October. I haven't done a pin-up girl in quite some time, so I thought this would be a good excuse, and, of course, this being October and all, I've decided to give her a Halloween theme. I should be back Monday or Tuesday with the finished results, but for now, here is a sneak preview of (for lack of a better title) the October Pin-up Girl.

This is the cleaned up sketch that I scanned in to work from.

Here is the digital version, which is about halfway finished.

Sketches: Retro Heads

2011-09-08T04:45:00.000-07:00

A four pack of retro cartoon heads from the almighty newsprint sketchpad that is always kept in my car. This was actually from a few weeks ago when I got skunked on a Parking Lot Characters field trip—surprisingly none have shown up since the warm weather started, perhaps they've all migrated to Walmart for the season. Anyway, I drew these from my imagination just to be drawing something.

Projects: Hellbetty Jewelry Part II

2011-09-08T02:28:00.000-07:00

This is just shameless boasting, because I'm really proud of the Hellbetty Jewelry Project and happy with the way everything has turned out. The client is tickled pink as well, which makes me that much happier. Anyway, this is the latest batch of printed items hot off the presses, the T-shirts and the business cards.


Photo: © 2011, Tarrah Moore. hellbettyjewelry.com

Behind the Scenes: Cartoon Tests

2011-09-06T17:25:00.000-07:00

I've been working out an idea today, which is a variation on my cartoon style, but instead of the usual ink, or digital, I'm doing it in black colored pencil and blue art sticks. The style I'm shooting for is reminiscent of the soft black & white children's book illustrations of the mid-century, such as those of the legendary, Syd Hoff. You might not think it, but one of the most important choices I've had to make to get the look I want is the choice of paper. To make a long story short, I did three versions on different types of paper to see which one looks the best. So now, without further ado, I present the three test versions.

#1 Charcoal Paper

#2 Cream Tinted Drawing Paper

#3 Cream Manila Drawing Paper

After playing the "Three Bears Game"—this one's too lumpy, this one's too smooth . . .—the one I'm happiest with is #3, the cream manila drawing paper. It's got a nice soft texture and an old school feel, you might even say an "antiqued" look to it. The funny thing is, that I found this paper at Goodwill, and parts of the top sheet were sun-faded, so it had obviously been around for a while. I'll probably never be able to find it again, in fact, after this test, I've only got 47 sheets of it left, which will be fine for this project, but what about the next one? I'll figure something out. If nothing else, I can always scan a blank piece of it and use as a texture for future digital art, so I'll at least be able to use it that way.

Thanks for stopping by.
Cheers!

Get Paid For Referring Clients to Vintage 66 Graphics!

2011-09-05T02:37:00.001-07:00

At this point it is still unofficial, but I am now offering a finder's fee to anyone who refers new clients my way. Basically it goes like this, you tell somebody about the great services and products available from Vintage 66 Graphics, then let me know via email, and I will make a note of it. If that person ends up hiring me, I will send you a 10% finder's fee within three (3) business days of the client's final payment being approved. I don't want to imply you're going to become filthy rich by these referrals, a $50 job will only net you $5, for crying out loud. Of course, a much bigger $2,000 job will get you $200,

so it really just depends. There are a few limitations, for example, this offer does not include referrals to the Vintage 66 Zazzle Shop, although Zazzle already has an affiliates program in place, so you can get in on that too, if you like. Also, the job must be completed, meaning if the client cancels, there is no finder's fee. I'll be posting about this more when there is an official launch, but in the meantime, if you have any questions feel free to ask.

Now Offering Professional Printing Services

2011-08-27T18:05:00.000-07:00

I am proud to announce that I have recently added quality, professional printing services to the Vintage 66 Graphics menu of goods & services. Whether you need business cards, brochures or an outdoor banner, by going through Vintage 66, you can save gas, time and the headache of coordinating a printing job, and you'll get a great price in the bargain. In addition to a wide variety of products and surfaces, I can also get you silver ink, dull matte finish with spot UV and metallic inks. So the next time you need a printing job done think of Vintage 66 Graphics.

Traditional Art: Pink Flamingo Surfer

2011-08-24T21:13:00.000-07:00

Here is a pink flamingo surfer dude in gouache and ink that I did for my sister for her birthday last week. I did have to digitally adjust the colors in some spots, there's a really a long, boring explanation about the CMYK mode vs. the RGB mode, but if you care you probably already know, and if you don't, it really doesn't matter, so I'll spare you the boredom and just say it's because that's the difference between digital and tangible art.

Thanks for stopping by.
Cheers!

New Service Listings on Etsy

2011-08-20T19:04:00.000-07:00

I've finally gotten the V66 Etsy shop squared away, I mean for the time being, it is a work in progress after all, like pretty much anything else in the Vintage 66 Online Empire (including this very blog). Anyway, one of the new sections I've added is for Custom Graphics, which features logos, business cards and even custom pin-up girls.Of course, if you want to skip Etsy, you can contact me directly for any custom work, and I do have more flexibility when working away from Etsy, just because I don't need to make a custom listing and can make changes without needing to re-list or update the listing.

You can get 5,000 business cards, including the design and US ground shipping via UPS for only $190. Save gas, save time and avoid the hassle of working with a printer.

How about a custom pin-up girl to help promote your business? One initial investment is well worth the cost of $225. She'll add sparkle and umph! to your flyers, T-shirts and whatnot.

And finally this listing is for a custom retro logo to help you brand your business, organization, or band and features up to two rounds of revisions for $350. This is the real deal made in the USA, not some mediocre, hacked out piece of crap from a cut-rate design firm that outsources their work to other countries such as Taiwan.

Vintage 66 Now Offers Design and Printing Package Deals!

2011-08-18T01:46:00.000-07:00

How's this for one stop shopping? Not only can you get killer business card designs done here at Vintage 66 Graphics, but I can also handle the printing for you and have your finished cards shipped right to your door. Man Alive! Talk about convenience. And in case you're wondering, yes, I can also do: stickers, brochures, T-shirt designs, folding table tents, postcards, event flyers, indoor & outdoor banners and more. You can get your project started by visiting this link.

Projects: Hellbetty Jewelry Part I

2011-08-14T22:55:00.000-07:00

I recently completed a really fun project for Hellbetty Jewelry, a small company that makes upcycled jewelry out of old domino tiles, Scrabble tiles, etc. When I say small, I mean just the two owners, Tarrah and Jen, a couple of crafty rock-n-roll moms with a passion for making really cool stuff, which they do completely by hand. Being this small gives them the opportunity to easily go in a number of directions without spreading themselves too thin, they sell at fairs and markets, as well as wholesale, they offer home parties, and do custom designs for the individual, but they also do band merch—for example, they did some really cool stuff for the local band, The Warshers. Really unique and creative stuff.

Originally they had an existing logo and business card design, but they wanted some tweaks, however, for a number of reasons, including the fact that we didn't have access to any of the original vector files, we decided to completely re-brand Hellbetty Jewelry complete with a new logo, new colors and the addition of a devil girl mascot type character, tentatively named Betty. At the beginning of the project I met with Tarrah for coffee and we went over what she was looking for, the people she was trying to reach, short term goals, long term goals and that type of thing. Once I had a good idea of what was needed, Tarrah pretty much turned me loose to see what I would come up with, you can see the results below. It was a pretty big project, so I'm going to split this into two different posts, this one, which is just a brief overview, and then the second post, which will go into the design process a bit more. I'll also be doing the corporate ID design on the Hellbetty sister company, HB Jewelry, which will focus more on sports team fundraising and family stuff, so there will be a third post when that is all done. And now without further ado, I present the Hellbetty Jewelry Project: Part I.

This is the logo, which is pretty straightforward. It's bold, and legible and the tail and horns give it just enough mischievous character to match the spirit of the company. There are three different variations: shadowed, red, and black, which will pretty much cover any given situation.

This is Betty, the Hellbetty girl, I'll focus more on her in the next post, but she is such a big part of the ID that I couldn't leave her out of this one. There is a longstanding tradition of devil girl characters in lowbrow/alternative culture since at least the late 40's & early 50's when motorcycle and hot rod clubs (gangs?) first started using them in their logos, or maybe even the days of WWII, I believe I've seen photos of devil girls painted on the noses of a couple of bombers. Of course, they became even more popular when legendary underground comic artist, Robert Crumb unleashed his character, Devil Girl on the World.

The business card is truly the workhorse of any small business, even now in these modern days of eBusiness. This is the front and back of the Hellbetty business card. It's really cool because it offers the best of both worlds, one side features the traditional horizontal layout, while the other has a more contemporary vertical layout. The design is strong, bold and memorable, but most importantly, it's legible.

This is a tightly cropped version featuring the logo and and a head shot of Betty. It's intended for a square sticker, and while this version of the design is 2" X 2" we've got a vector version so that it can easily be increased to T-shirt size, or even as big as a billboard if necessary, with no pixelation or loss of quality.

This is co-owner of Hellbetty Jewelry, Miz Tarrah posing with the outdoor banner (which is based on the website banner) and will be used for the Hellbetty table/booth at fairs and such. It's the piece that I am proudest of, if for no other reason than because it is so big! It is 8' X 2' and I've never had a chance to see my work this large before.

Retro Inspiration: Vintage Luggage Labels

2011-08-11T17:15:00.000-07:00

One of the great things about designing in the retro vein in the age of the internet is that there is so much material available for inspiration, especially with photo sharing sites like Flickr. No matter what time period fascinates you, somewhere on the internet you will probably be able to find at least a handful of examples to glean some ideas off of. That is the great thing about good design, it never goes out of style. It will certainly have the look of the time period, but if it was well designed in the first place it will look good through the ages. Case in point, I recently found a treasure trove of vintage luggage labels on Flickr. Many different nations and cultures are represented in this collection, and date wise they range from the late 19th century up into the middle 20th century. Below are a couple of examples, and you can click to explore the entire collection.

Watercolor: Pacific City

2011-08-09T05:18:00.000-07:00

This is Haystack Rock at Cape Kiwanda in Pacific City on the northern Oregon Coast. There are actually two Haystack Rocks on the Oregon coastline, the other one is in Cannon Beach, which is about 65 miles north of Pacific City. Both of them are majestic and beautiful no matter the weather, and are well worth the visit if you find yourself in the area. Anyway, this was just a little watercolor practice I did over the weekend while taking a break from website updating. Some parts of it I'm happy with, others not that much, but overall I'm pleased. However, I should mention that I did warm it up a little bit with the magic of digital technology just to make me a little more pleased. Thanks for stopping by.

Traditional Art: Old Beer Sign

2011-08-01T20:33:00.000-07:00

This one is completely from my imagination, it's an old beer sign done in gouache and ink. I'm still fairly new to gouache, so there are a few rough spots in this one. I think I'll start offering original art in my Etsy shop after I get my chops up a bit more.

Cheers!

Summer Business Card Special

2011-07-27T03:30:00.000-07:00

Business card package deal promotion for Summer 2011. Get the design, printing and US shipping for one affordable price. These are high quality standard sized (2 X 3.5) business cards, full color double-sided UV coated or dull matte finish on 16 pt stock. Other quantities are available starting at as few as 100 cards. I can also get you magnet business cards, postcards, flyers, and much more. Just let me know what you're looking for.

Oregon Coast Watercolor:Twin Rocks

2011-07-25T05:00:00.000-07:00

I just finished up this watercolor painting , which I am sending to my niece who is having a birthday later this week. She doesn't read this blog (at least I hope not) so it's not like I'm letting the cat out of the bag, and if you know her, don't tell her. Now she's living in Texas, so I chose Twin Rocks because of a childhood connection, oh and I should point out that she's only 6 years younger then me, so there isn't a huge age difference. My sister used to have a beach cabin on the Oregon Coast in Rockaway, which is just a stone's throw from the town of Twin Rocks. It was named for the two rocks (actually called sea stacks), although they really don't look like twins, more like a dragon or sea serpent, actually. Anyway, it seems like we spent quite a bit of time there when we were kids, especially in the summers, and this is one of my favorite views, and hopefully one of her's, too, so I thought I would send her a "little piece of home".

Twin Rocks looking south from Rockaway, Oregon.

Lesson Learned: Don't Force It!

2011-07-16T17:40:00.000-07:00

It may seem like an odd decision to highlight one of my mistakes on my professional blog, even if it was many years ago. But, as my old friend Pete often used to say: I've never learned anything from my successes, I've only learned from my failures. It's even better is if you can learn form the mistakes of others. This cartoon comes from back in 2003, it was my submission to a local newspaper's cartoon contest, and despite the problems it was my first published piece. That doesn't mean that I won the contest, it simply means I followed directions, so my cartoon was published on the newspaper's website in the honorable mention section (the whole article has since been removed) along with the sixteen or so other cartoonists who also followed the instructions. I don't remember the exact contest requirements, but I think the one's who were disqualified all had size related/layout issues. The theme of the contest was Portland history, which I have a huge passion for, so it seemed like the contest was tailored just for me. However, as the deadline neared, I had talked myself out of doing it, (actually it was the cruel little voice on my head that did all the talking) but as luck would have it they extended the deadline because of a lack of qualified submissions. So I defied the little voice and went for it.

I have always had a fascination with the Hotel Portland, a beautiful 19th century hotel which should have been preserved, but sadly, was torn down in the 50's to make way for a parking lot—Seriously! Today the site is Pioneer Courthouse Square, Portland's Living Room, although they brought back some of the original ironwork, and the Starbucks on the square used some tiles from the original hotel for their floor, so at least some of it is still there. Anyway, I had this great idea about a mythical resident of the hotel who created a time machine and went forward 100 years to modern day Portland, only to discover the hotel was gone and the locals were rude and surly. I even had a great bit where he went to the rare book room at Powell's bookstore, and finds some of his books for sale. Well, as you can probably imagine the story came out to be about 8-12 pages of material, but I only had 4-5 panels to tell the story. So, of course, being the logical type that I am—yes, that's sarcasm, in case you missed it—I tried to jam all that material into a five panel cartoon, rather than coming up with a new theme or a different story line. The result is a disjointed story that really doesn't make a lot of sense, because so much of it had to be cut out. Lesson learned: don't try to force it. Artistically it is okay for the most part, but that single dark panel in the top corner with all the other panels being mostly light, throws the entire composition off balance. It would have been stronger if I had either used some darks throughout, or removed that big patch of dark all together. Oh, and I used the font Comic Sans, which is a crappy font even for cartoons. Well, that was a long time ago and I've learned a couple of things from the experience, and now, hopefully so have you.

Thanks for stopping by.
Cheers!

Not a complete failure, but it could have been much better.

Parking Lot Characters: The LargeTopless Guy

2011-07-07T16:55:00.000-07:00

I was nearly finished with this one before I realized just how much this fellow looked like a middle-aged Charlie Brown gone to seed. It was one of the first sunny days we had had this year, and I wasn't even all the way to my usual sketching grounds when I spied this gomer strutting down the main drag in downtown Oak Grove. This is what happens in Oregon after a cold and drizzly spring and early summer, guys like this feel compelled to take their shirts off and wander around at the first provocative hint of sunshine. Now as an artist and former connoisseur of nude dancing establishments I've probably seen well over a hundred miles of naked human flesh, some of it more pleasant than others, and I consider the human form to be a fascinating piece of machinery, and generally take each one as is. However, when I see sights like this it really makes me wonder about the über-conservative folks who get so offended by public breastfeeding. Seriously! A woman can grow a small human being inside her body, and then after it is born, use her body to feed that same little human. How amazing is that?! Yet, here we are in the year 2011 and despite a growing laundry list of the benefits of breastfeeding to both mother and child, there are still people who are offended by this act as if it's something dirty and shameful. Meanwhile, this character, and his ilk, like so many fur-less bears, can lumber down pretty much any Main Street in the great US of A with nary a glance. I'm just sayin' it seems a little backward to me.

Thanks for stopping by.
Cheers!

A large topless guy strolling down the street.

Sketch: Devil Girl Portrait

2011-07-01T15:47:00.000-07:00

This is just a quick color sketch of a devil girl's head, I was trying out the new tube red gouache I picked up yesterday. It comes from a local company in West Linn, Oregon called M. Graham & Co. It's pretty nice to work with, and I find it interesting that they list honey as one of the ingredients.

Anyway, I haven't done any devil girl stuff in quite a while, and it's also been far too long since I've done any gouache, and it felt real good on both counts. After I've worked out a few of the kinks I'll probably put some original art similar to this piece up for sale on the Vintage 66 Etsy shop. So, you'll want to keep an eye out for that later this summer. Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers!

Color sketch: Devil Girl Portrait

Parking Lot Characters: The Oak Grove Wiseguy

2011-06-26T02:05:00.000-07:00

Okay, I've got absolutely no proof that this guy has any ties to the mob, but he looked a bit like a wiseguy with his Hawaiian shirt and the way he was swaggering around the parking lot, but in little Oak Grove, Oregon, it isn't very likely. The funny thing about this guy is that the day I happened to see him was the very same day that they caught James "Whitey" Bulger, the former Boston mob boss and number two on the FBI's Most Wanted List. How's that for a coincidence? Gosh! I hope I haven't just outed some poor slob in the Federal Witness Protection Program— Oops! I really don't think he is a gangster or any kind of fugitive, in fact, the more I look at this drawing the more I realize he looks more like an old lesbian on vacation—I really don't know what that means, it just sounds funny. Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers!

The Oak Grove wiseguy making his way across the parking lot.

The MCM Line of Gibson Guitars

2011-06-21T18:38:00.000-07:00

Both the Gibson Explorer and Flying V are usually associated with the hard rock/metal/punk genres, but did you know that they were actually first introduced in the late 50's? I didn't until recently. They were part of a new "Modernistic Series" that Gibson originally released in 1958, the series also included a super-rare model called the Moderne. The Moderne, in fact, is so rare that there is some disagreement about whether or not any of them were actually produced in the 50's at all (they were reissued in the early 80's). However, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top seems to have one, but sadly, it can't be truly authenticated because there is such a dearth of information about them. All three guitars were inspired by the futuristic atomic culture that was taking the country by storm in the post-war 50's.You can clearly see the influence of the extreme Googie-esque angles, the tail-fins of the cars and the Mid-century design in general mirrored in their radical body styles. Unfortunately they were way ahead of their time, and none of these models really caught on until much later, and they were pulled from the catalog by 1960. I had always assumed—yes, I do know what happens when you do that—that they didn't come out until sometime in the 60's, but those models were actually reissues made from spare parts and such. So there you have it, you learn something every day.

The Explorer and The Flying V were first released in the late 50's.

Behind the Scences: Rejected Pinup Sketches

2011-06-21T02:35:00.000-07:00

On occasion I get the impression that some folks think that those of us in the art field just sit down and whip out masterpieces left and right. I think the reason for this is that most people only see the the finished product, and not all the sketches and rough drafts that go into the process. In truth, even the old masters would labor over the composition, the angle of an arm, or even a basic hand gesture. The only master I have ever heard of who didn't do tons of preparatory drawings and sketches was Caravaggio, he would just start painting. Of course, he was pretty close to insane; fantastic artist, but he truly was a crazy son-of-a-bitch. Now that I've wandered clear off into left field, let me get back to my point, which is that even the sketches that don't make the cut have a certain value. They pave the way for the finished product, which in this case is a pinup girl that I am doing for a client, Hellbetty Jewelry. For now I can't show the sketches of the final pinup girl until my client has launched all of the material I'm creating, which will be soon, so check back for that. In the meantime, I can show you these three sketches that helped me get to the final version. Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers!

This one had a lot of promise, but unfortunately her pose is just too static for a good pinup.

I was also pleased with this one for many reasons, and her pose is much better, but in the end she still wasn't the right one.

At one point I thought this one was actually the winner, but halfway through it became clear that she simply wasn't working out, so I had to start over.

Parking Lot Characters: The Worried Sweater Girl

2011-06-10T03:08:00.000-07:00

I hit the coffee shop on Wednesday with high hopes for a new addition the the Parking Lot Character Series, but I'm afraid it was pretty slim pickins. In fact, about the best I could do was this little worried gal in a striped sweater. Not that there's anything wrong with her, well other than the fact that I didn't give her a mouth (maybe that's why she's so worried). She was just kind of bland for the PLC Series, that's all I'm saying. Actually, there was one other character who would have been pretty good, I think, I didn't get a very good look form the front. He was a big lumpy redneck in a ginormous pickup with a dune-buggy on a trailer. Ironically, the reason I missed him is because I was sketching the striped sweater girl to kill time while I waited for Mr. redneck to come back from the liquor store. Before I knew it he was back in the truck and roaring out of the parking lot; all I saw was a hint of bushy mustache and a ball cap. Dammit Anyway! Maybe next time I should take a spotter with me to keep me on track.

The Worried Sweater Girl.

The Parking Lot Characters Series is a somewhat irregular collection of posts featuring semi-finished drawings of people I observe while sketching and drinking coffee in a local parking lot, which is shared by super market, a liquor store, a big corporate coffee shop and a handful of other small businesses. I then take the rough sketches back to the studio and rework them in ink and color before posting them here.

Retro Pinup Girl T-shirt Available Now!

2011-06-06T21:49:00.000-07:00

Just in time for summer! This cute retro Pinup Girl T-shirt is now available in the Vintage 66 Zazzle Shop. I just realized last night that I never posted this design for sale when I finished it last year. I don't remember why now, I think I was just sidetracked by a project, or maybe I thought somebody wanted to buy the design. Nevertheless, I've made some minor changes and now she's ready to go. You'll be the envy of your friends and neighbors.

Vintage 66 Graphics Retro Pinup Girl T-shirt by Vintage66
See more Vintage 66 graphics T-Shirts

World War II Propaganda Posters

2011-06-06T16:40:00.000-07:00

This is the 67th anniversary of the D-Day Invasion that took place on the beaches of Normandy, France. While I was looking for something relevant to post, I stumbled across this slide show of thirty-seven intense and beautifully illustrated propaganda posters form World War II on the LIFE Magazine blog. While this isn't specifically D-Day related, it delves into the psychology behind what both sides were fighting for, or in some cases what they were told they were fighting for.

Custom T-shirt Design For Your Business?

2011-06-06T03:43:00.000-07:00

Not a real business, but a cool retro design just the same.

If you’re a small business owner you may have toyed with the idea of an official T-shirt for your company, but in these tough economic times perhaps you’ve found it hard to justify the expense. Granted, that could be a valid point; you certainly don’t want to just toss money around willy-nilly, simply because it’s something that would be cool. On the flip side, however, there is a hidden value in having a T-shirt designed for your business, because it isn’t just a cool T-shirt, but it’s a walking (and sometimes talking) advertisement for your company—every time someone wears it in public, and this is a benefit that will last for, in some cases, many years to come. For example, a good friend of mine brought me a T-shirt from Tommy’s Joynt in San Francisco many years ago, and I literally wore that shirt to rags before I finally retired it. Even though I’ve never actually been to Tommy’s Joynt (but I hope to go someday, I hear they’ve got a killer buffalo chili), thousands of people saw me wearing it around town over the years, and while I’m sure it didn’t even register with quite a few of them, there were many others who did notice, and some would even ask me about it. You just never know which potential customer might see that T-shirt, and when you think about it, that’s a pretty long lasting value.

A nifty retro pinup girl design for Vintage 66 Graphics.

Having a custom T-shirts designed is a great way to help you increase your company’s brand recognition by having your employees wear them, and maybe giving them out as souvenirs to some of your best customers. It’s probably cheaper than you think especially if you already have a high quality vector version of your logo. In fact, in most cases your biggest cost will be having your shirts printed up, but even that can be controlled with good design. For screen printed T-shirts, I believe that in most cases three colors or less in your design is the best way to go, anything more is just a waste of money. Of course, to help get some of your investment back, or even to make a profit, you can always sell the shirts in your shop or on your website. Think about that, people are paying you to let them advertise your business for you. How cool is that?

Parking Lot Characters: The Crazy Manure Lady

2011-06-02T16:59:00.000-07:00

The Parking Lot Characters Series is a collection of semi-finished drawings of people I observe while sketching and drinking coffee in a local parking lot, which is shared by super market, a liquor store, a big corporate coffee shop and a handful of other small businesses. I then take the rough sketches back to the studio and rework them in ink and color before posting them here.

Here'sa special weekend edition of Parking Lot Characters, although the original sketch was done about the middle of last week. I had barely turned my car off when I spied this charming lady angrily yammering to herself while she humped what appeared to be a heavy bag of some type of farm animal poop across the parking lot. I had the windows rolled up and she was on the other end of the parking lot, so couldn't hear what she was screeching about. In fact, she was actually so far away that I couldn't even tell for sure if it was a bag of manure or not, but the idea amused me so I putit in. Truth be told, I strongly suspect she had one of those newfangled Bluetooth deals on the far side of her head, which is a perfect example of why you should not indulge in that particular technology—because you look like a raving nut-bar to the rest of us.

Crazy Manure Lady.

Parking Lot Characters: The Angry Bamboo Man

2011-06-01T03:24:00.000-07:00

The Parking Lot Characters Series is a collection of semi-finished drawings of people I observe while sketching and drinking coffee in a local parking lot, which is shared by super market, a liquor store, a big corporate coffee shop and a handful of other small businesses. I then take the rough sketches back to the studio and rework them in ink and color before posting them here.

I was going to do a new Parking Lot Character on Wednesday, but when I got to the coffee shop I realized that I had forgotten my sketch pad (which resulted in a swearing festival). I finally remembered the pad the next time I went, but then with the long weekend . . . well, lets skip the long explanation and just say that I'm a little behind in my Parking Lot Character series and this one is from sometime last week, or maybe from the weekend. Anyway, there is a certain type of older guy who always seems to look angry no matter what he is doing. Today's offering was just such a fellow. He had that irritated look about him when he went in to Fred Meyers (Krogers for you non-Northwesterners), but when he came back with an unruly gaggle of bamboo under his arm, he really looked pissed! I don't know if the cashier wouldn't give him a sack for his bamboo, or if he just hated the stuff, but whatever the case, he was not happy, and I'm glad I was there to document it.
Cheers!

Budget Business Card Design: Two Toned Automobile

2011-05-31T16:14:00.000-07:00

The sporty retro look of this double-sided retro business card designwas inspired by the two tone automobiles of the Mid-century era, suchas: the Clipper, the Fairlane, the Roadmaster, and the Metropolitan et al.Since you only buy the electronic file one time, and can have as manyor as few printed as you need, it’s an economical choice, too. It’s alittle something I like to call affordable elegance. You can see more details here.

Automobile themed "budget" business card.

Bowling Themed Business Card Design

2011-05-29T16:45:00.001-07:00

I've recently starteda line of "budget" business card designs for my Etsy shop, and this isthe first one. This striking double-sided retro business card design was inspired bythe bowling alley culture of Mid-century America. It's an eye-catching design at an affordable price, and is perfect for the retro loving small business owner, or even as just a profile card. Visit here for details.

Now available in the Vintage 66 shop on Etsy.

The Birthday Chicken

2011-05-23T01:36:00.000-07:00

My dad had a birthday last week and I made this card for him. I didn't have any particular bird in mind, just a nondescript blue bird with red tail-feathers in a party hat. Well, when Dad saw it, he decided it should be a chicken, and I'm just fine with that. One of my favorite children's books is The Birthday Bird, by Dr. Seuss, which Dad read to me no less than a million times, even when it wasn't my birthday. So now I proudly present The Birthday Chicken. This one was done in ink and markers for those of you keeping score at home. Thanks for stopping by.

-Cheers!

Inking Practice

2011-05-22T02:11:00.000-07:00

This is just a couple of doodles I did while practicing my inking. I think I did these a while back in preparation for a project that fell through. I had forgotten about it until I stumbled across it tonight while searching through one of my infamous piles for something else. Oh, if you're wondering, I used a brush pen on tracing paper.
Cheers!

Parking Lot Characters: The Magnificent Beard

2011-05-18T21:53:00.000-07:00

The Parking Lot Characters Series is a collection of semi-finished drawings of people I observe while sketching and drinking coffee in a local parking lot, which is shared by super market, a liquor store, a big corporate coffee shop and a handful of other small businesses. I then take the rough sketches back to the studio and rework them in ink and color before posting them here.

Howdy Kids! Earlier this afternoon I was out getting coffee and running some errands, which means that I was out in my car sketching and drinking my coffee (so that I wouldn't have to listen to Starbucks' crappy music selection). If you're a people-watcher like me, a busy parking lot can be a treasure trove of interesting characters and assorted goof-balls. Today's lucky winner is this gentleman who was sporting a truly magnificent beard. Incidentally, the real background was more a suburban setting, but this is what came out of my pencil, so it looks like he's strolling around downtown, when he was actually in more of a strip-mall type place.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers!

This gent was sporting a truly magnificent beard.

Lighthouse Drawing

2011-05-16T21:57:00.000-07:00

This is just a quick little sketch-drawing of a non-existent light house. I didn't do it consciously, but I think it was inspired by one of my favorite lighthouses on the Oregon coast, at Yaquina Bay in Newport.

Cheers!

Sketch Dump!

2011-05-11T03:33:00.000-07:00

After my last post, I feel like I'm getting too uptight, I mean they are sketches after all, and they do call them that for a reason. Anyway, I haven't done this in a while, but I was going through one of my newsprint sketch pads and found some colored pencil doodles and such that I'm happy with, so here they are for your consideration. Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers!
~Robert

Expressions: Perplexed & Grouchy

Laughing Guy


The Mr. & The Mrs. Getting Ready to Go Out

Mr. Hoity-Toity

Landmark Lodge Motel Sign

Vintage Radio

Another Vintage Radio

Vintage Clock

Cartoon Guy Heads!

2011-05-02T03:42:00.000-07:00

These sets of cartoon heads are not finished drawings, but what I would call "cleaned up sketches". One of the reasons I don't put up raw sketches all that often is that they get so messy that a lot of them don't translate very well after they've been scanned, so they don't look too good on screen. As a workaround I have gone over some sketches with a brush pen on tracing paper. This way they retain much of their original spontaneity yet still look decent on screen. I just have a couple of offerings today, Guy Heads 1 and Guy Heads 2—now how's that for some imaginative titles? I've also got a third set called Nakey Gals if you're interested, but that one will have to go somewhere else where I can better control who can see it, in other words so that nobody inadvertently stumbles upon some cartoon nipples while at work (maybe I'll add a link to that later).

Thanks for stopping by.
-Cheers!

T-shirts For Sale

2011-04-28T16:36:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder that summer is coming up, and I've got some cool T-shirts for sale. All shirts are Gildan 2000/2000L brand black shirts, and the price of $18 each includes USPS shipping. There is also a discount for fans of the Vintage 66 Page on Facebook, if you haven't already, simply click Like and you're in.

Warning Noon T-shirt

Funny drinking T-shirt.

SkullBurst T-shirt

Rock-n-roll skull design.

Angel Wings T-shirt

For the ladies.

Note: The Angel Wings design is printed on the back of the shirt.

Promotional Video: Art Dork For Hire!

2011-04-22T17:16:00.000-07:00

This is a quick promotional video that I put together recently. Nothingfancy just a little something to highlight my art and designs, and tohelp get the word out that I am an available for hire.

Your Opinion Please: T-shirts

2011-04-20T21:22:00.001-07:00

This isn't a done deal yet, but I've been kicking around the idea ofdoing a new T-shirt for sale soon, and I would like your opinion aboutcolor choices. It will probably be a one-color, Tiki themed shirt. Tovote simply add a comment telling me which color scheme you would youmost like to see available?

A: Cream Colored Ink on a Dark Brown Shirt.

B: Cream Colored Ink on a Stone Blue Shirt.

C: Cream Colored Ink on an Orange Shirt.

D: Cream Colored Ink on a Black Shirt

E: Dark Brown Ink on a Cream Colored Shirt.

Introducing the New Vintage 66 Graphics Blog.

2010-07-22T20:35:00.000-07:00

Greetings! The time has come to move the Vintage 66 News Blog forward in an effort to help better configure my internet empire. I recently posted about the new Vintage 66 Graphics Website, which I'm really quite pleased with, and with the new service I'm using, I had the opportunity to add a blog to the actual website, and I really couldn't think of a reason not to. This blog will remain up, since one of the few drawbacks is that I don't have the ability to import these posts to the new blog, and I would really hate to just delete it after all the time and effort I've put into it. I'll check back in here from time to time in case there are comments or anything like that, but for now, you will find the freshest V66 news here on the all new Vintage 66 Graphics News.

Thanks for stopping by.
Cheers!

New Shirts on the New Vintage 66 Web Site!

2010-07-05T00:07:00.000-07:00

hile the New Vintage 66 Graphics web site is still in beta format, I have just added some screen printed T-shirts for sale. These are actually what I would call proto-types and I honestly don't know if they'll be printed again after they're sold out. Why not swing on by and take a look.

New V66 Web Site Unleashed!

2010-06-29T02:22:00.000-07:00

The beta version of the New V66 web site is up and running. Later this month, after I've worked out a few bugs and whatnot, I'll be mapping it to the Vintage 66 domain. I'll also be tweaking and updating it throughout the summer so there is lots of new, exciting things to come. Feel free to stop by anytime!

Shaken, Not Stirred.

2010-06-16T05:22:00.000-07:00

This is the third in a series of self-promotional postcards I did for V66. I've utilized vintage clip art along with some retro fonts and design elements for an eye catching promotional piece. This style would be a great solution for any small business on a tight budget. Since I don't have to draw the characters from scratch, it saves time and money for everyone concerned, without having to sacrifice quality.

Come And Get It!

2010-06-14T03:37:00.000-07:00

Got a hankerin’ for some of the tastiest retro graphics and design services on the range? Vintage 66 Graphics is serving up flavorful graphics for any size appetite from petite to hearty. You can choose a basic customized design featuring authentic vintage art or go with a unique and completely original cartoon, illustration or design. Get ‘em while they’re hot!

This is the second in a series of self-promotional postcards I did for V66. I've utilized vintage clip art along with some retro fonts and design elements for an eye catching promotional piece. This style would be a great solution for any small business on a tight budget. Since I don't have to draw the characters from scratch, it saves time and money for everyone concerned, without having to sacrifice quality.

Now Serving

2010-06-11T15:58:00.000-07:00

Vintage 66 Graphics is now serving up some of the most delectable retro graphics and design services around. You’ll find a menu with a wide range of tasty graphics for virtually any sized appetite, from basic customized designs featuring authentic vintage art to completely original cartoons, illustrations and designs, and all with a spectacular vintage flavor.

This is the first in a series of self-promotional postcards I did for V66. I've utilized vintage clip art along with some retro fonts and design elements for an eye catching promotional piece. This style would be a great solution for any small business on a tight budget. Since I don't have to draw the characters from scratch, it saves time and money for everyone concerned, without having to sacrifice quality.

Sneak Peek :New Vintage 66 Spokes-character

2010-06-10T01:34:00.000-07:00

Wake the kids and call the neighbors! Vintage 66 Graphics has a brand new spokes-character, Bert the Graphics Dog. His duties will include helping out with some information/tutorial posts as well as adding a little extra charm and humor to the everyday V66 marketing campaign. Of course, it is also quite possible that Bert will have some surprises up his short, yet stylish sleeve, but that will probably be a little further down the road after he gets used to his new surroundings. And now here he is, ladies and gentlemen, in all his resplendent glory, Bert.

Historic Route 66 T-shirts

2010-05-20T04:21:00.000-07:00

Holy Smacks! Summer is nearly hear, and you know what that means. T-shirt weather,of course, well actually as far as I'm concerned it's always T-shirt weather. Nevertheless, I'm pleased to announce that I'm kicking off the summer T-shirt season with a swell design inspired by the legendary Historic Route 66, sometimes called the Main Street of America. When it was first built in the 20's it stretched over 2,400 miles between Chicago and downtown LA, although it was later realigned because of traffic concerns so that it ended at the Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica instead.

Now, you can be the first on your block to own one of these beauties, the design is available in three color choices: black, cream or brown. But that's not all, because you can customize it to fit your taste. You can put your name on the back, resize the design, or change the shirt color. Go ahead and play around and see what you can come up with. Make it your own!

Black Design on a White Shirt

Historic Route 66 T-shirt by Vintage66
View other Historic route 66 T-Shirts

Cream Design on a Brown Shirt

Historic Route 66 T-shirt by Vintage66
Shop for a t shirt on Zazzle

Brown Design on a Natural Colored Shirt

Historic Route 66 T-shirt by Vintage66
Get t-shirts from zazzle.com

Hot Rod Brain Project

2010-05-05T02:31:00.000-07:00

I've been planning this post for a while now, but I'm still not sure how to classify it exactly. It's not in depth enough to be an actual tutorial, but it's a little more complex than just a this is the final product post. I guess you could say this is a very brief overview of the many steps involved in an illustration project, for those who have ever wondered.
First Rough Sketch:
The project started when I was contacted by John, one of my Flickr friends. John does public relations and copywriting etc. and he was interested in having me do an illustration/design he could use on his web site and other collateral business items for his business Hot PR Shop . Now, John already had a really cool concept in mind, a hot rod with a brain for the engine, but if he hadn't I would have brain stormed and sketched out three concepts for him to choose from. But since he already had one, I did this first sketch based on a photo of a hot rod that he had taken at a hot rod show. At this point I wasn't too concerned with perfection, I just wanted to get all of the elements out there.

Second Rough Sketch:
Oh, I should probably mention that John and I are about 2,500 miles away, so this project was done entirely via emails and a couple of phone calls. Anyway, after I sent John the above sketch he told me what parts he liked and what parts he wanted changed. Notice that while the elements are the same at this point, yet this one is quite a different looking design. Everything is still fairly loose, I was just making sure we were on the same page.

First Digital Sketch:
In case you're keeping score at home, there were many sketches between this version and the previous one, although I didn't bother to count them, so I don't have an exact number. At this point I went from traditional media to digital and did this version based on earlier sketches. Actually, the process involved tracing parts of a couple of different sketches in Adobe Illustrator and then re-sizing the pieces to fit together. Of course, the best part about digital art is quick editing and the ability to save multiple versions.

Early Layout Version:
This version is an early layout featuring type. While we knew what text was going to be included, John hadn't decided on the final fonts at this point, so I put these placeholder fonts in to give him an idea of how the finished product would look. While this version is a lot tighter than previous versions, I was still experimenting with certain elements, specifically the grill/engine compartment area. Somewhere along the line, the pencil had been changed to a pen, which implies a writer more than the artist feel of the pencil. I also played around with some colors, such as the green brain, and I tried a simplified version of the flames (saving a copy of the original version just in case). I used the little squares of color on the left edge to make sure all the colors were the same throughout the illustration. It's surprisingly easy get get two shades of the same color going, which can cause problems further down the line.

Final Version:
And here is the final version: the red is just slightly darker, and it's a good thing I kept a copy of the original flames because those are the ones I used. The brain is a more healthy pink color, and the grill has been brought back up in height to about the size of the original reference photo. The text is set in the fonts John chose, and I've got myself a happy client, which is a really great feeling.

Well kids, I reckon that's about it for now, thanks for stopping by.

Cheers!

A Little Shameless Boasting

2010-05-02T21:30:00.000-07:00

Just last month I did a job for John over at the Hot PR Shop. Well, I'm happy to tell you the he was pleased with my work, so he wrote a really nice testimonial for me, and I just wanted to share it. Thanks for the kind words, John.

And now without further ado, my first happy client testimonial. Woo-Hoo!

"Robert did a logo and some related design work for me. I got great work from him that was done in the most professional manner. Robert strove to make sure I got what I wanted (and I did), along with making changes quickly. In addition to being talented, Robert is something many designers are not - dependable. I couldn't be happier!"

For those of you keeping score at home, yes, I have mentioned doing another post on the process of the project I did for John, and I will indeed be doing that post, I'm just getting a few other things taken care of first, but it will be coming soon.

-Cheers!

Available Now: Nifty Retro Business Card Templates

2010-04-22T06:47:00.000-07:00

I know what you're thinking: Jeepers! I sure wish there was a magic retro business card machine! Well, my friend, your wish has been granted . . . or at least the next best thing. I am proud to announce that I have just released the first round of my Nifty Retro Business Card Templates over at the Vintage 66 Graphics Shop. Like I said, this is just the first round, so there are more designs to come, as well as some other cool retro templates; promotional postcards, flyers, etc. Of course, if you don't see exactly what you like, I am available for hire to do a design just for you.

Retro Business Card by Vintage66
color business card printing from zazzle

Retro Business Card by Vintage66
See other Retro Business Cards

Retro Business Card by Vintage66
View more Retro Business Cards

Pedal Pushers T-shirt Design

2010-04-09T01:47:00.000-07:00

Hey, I know it has been awhile since I've posted here, I've been really busy with some other projects, and since I've recently wrapped two of them up, I wanted to do a little boasting. This is one that I finished earlier in the week. There's a group of friends down in the East Bay area who get together and ride their vintage beach cruisers around. They call themselves The Pedal Pushers and I was aked to design a T-shirt with a retro/vintage flair for them. I'm really happy with the way the project turned out. This is the final version:

I used shirtmockup.com to show them how this design might look on a T-shirt when they get them printed up. Okay, I'm done boasting . . . for now at least.

Be sure and check out the next V66 post, I plan to go a little more in depth on another recent design I did featuring a tricked out hot rod with a brain for an engine.

Vintage 66 Graphics: Two Years Old Today

2010-04-08T02:42:00.000-07:00

I have to be honest, the only reason I am aware of the significance of today's date is because I just renewed my business name. Nevertheless, two years ago today I started up Vintage 66 Graphics, incidentally, if you're wondering, the name comes from the year I was born: 1966, and my love of vintage & retro design—I like to think the graphics part is obvious. Anyway, I made this decision shortly after closing down my previous attempt at rocking the graphic design world in the form of, RNW Graphic Productions, Inc., which I had opened as a corporation on the merit some very bad advice from a very expensive attorney, who for legal reasons shall remain nameless. I basically had two options, give up and go home, or pick myself up and try it again. As costly a mistake as that was, both financially and psychologically, I learned some really valuable lessons from the experience, and more importantly, I'm still here slugging it out, and doing just fine as a sole proprietor. So, kiss my ass Mr. Expensive-Lawyer!

Hot Rod With a Brain

2010-04-02T04:07:00.000-07:00

Holy Mackerel! I know it's been quite a while since I've posted anything, but I've been a busy lad, in fact, I'm here to do a little boasting a bout a project I just finished up. I did this cool little illustration for John over at the Hot PR Shop. He does public relations, copy writing and whatnot, and as a matter of fact, I was just looking at his web site and it seems he's having a special for the month of April on radio ad copywriting.

Anyway, as you can see below, it features a hot rod featuring a brain for an engine. I was all set to do a post about how the project came about, although not entirely step-by-step, just a few things along the way. Sadly, I just realized that many the files (including the final T-shirt version) are way too big to be posting here, so I'll have to do that post a little later, after I have trimmed down some of the files to a more manageable size. So I guess you can think of this one as the appetizer.

Cheers!

Somedays I Am a Bit of a Meathead!

2010-02-06T05:18:00.000-08:00

Man Alive! For all my knowledge of graphics, digital art, and all the files and whatnot, I'm still a bit of an old fart when it comes to modern technology. I just realized that I seem to have had the settings for my comment notifications for this blog set up in a rather wonky fashion, and consequentially, I have been completely unaware of most of the comments that have been left. So, if you were one of the kind folks who left me a comment and I didn't reply, I apologize, I wasn't trying to be a butthole. Oh, and yes, the settings have now been adjusted.

Cheers!
Robert

Phase III is Now Complete!

2010-02-06T05:02:00.000-08:00

I hope this second month of 2010 is treating you well so far. Woo-Hoo! I'm doing a little horn tooting, since I just republished the latest version of the Vintage 66 Graphics Website, (the most notable change is the addition of images to the left side bars) and it is now pretty much set for the next few months or so, although I may do some tweaking and changing and rearranging of images. Also I plan to update the Shop Page as well as the Shop itself, soon — there are lots of exciting possibilities on both fronts, as well as some surprises. In the meantime, I'm truly happy with the web page layout itself, and I'm excited to be moving on to phases IV and V, as well as publishing some posts on my badly neglected Sketchblog.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, have a great weekend.

Cheers!
Robert

Graphic Design Snafu

2010-02-01T01:49:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to show off a perfect example of how to do it wrong. I think screwing up a job this bad is every graphic designer's worst nightmare, although there are a lot of hacks out there who call themselves designers who would have no problem with it, as long as the check cleared—god damned Mac-Monkeys. Do you know what else amazes me? Someone actually signed off on this job, in other words, someone with a lot of money saw this mess in the planning stage and said: Golly, this looks swell, here's a big check. Unless Megaflicks offers nothing but porn, this gaff should have been caught long before it got to this stage. I'm just sayin'.

see more deMotivational Posters

Done With Phase II

2010-01-31T02:02:00.000-08:00

Woo-Hoo! Just a little 2 AM boasting. I just finished up phase 2 of the almighty 2010 website update, which mainly consisted of rewriting most of the text for the contact page and the home page. I also added a contact form, which I'm quite pleased with, and I'm starting to add some images to the left side bar (only on the home page at this point). The other pages are still under consideration, but there could be some big changes, and there is also the possibility of the addition of either an FAQ or About page. Now, there's something to write home about!

Vintage 66 Website Updated

2010-01-24T18:17:00.000-08:00

Heavens to Murgatroyd, I just finished phase one of the design update for the Vintage 66 Graphics website. The most obvious change is the new header, which has also been added right here to the V66 News Blog, and the V66 Zazzle Shop, and is based on the new 2010 business card design. I was originally planning to change to an entirely different color scheme, but in the process of playin' around, I came up with this version that I'm really pleased with. If you're wondering, the three-tone lightning bolt design was inspired by a vintage trailer that is parked not far from my house.

Art Dork Extraordinaire

2010-01-06T21:44:00.000-08:00

I'm just doing a little boasting for now, and showing off my new business card design for 2010. I'm still in the planning stage for the new year, but I'll be back soon with an update of what you can look forward to—because I know you're waiting with baited breath. Cheers, for now, and comments are always welcome.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T03:04:00.000-08:00

I just want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and thank you kindly for taking the time to read my blog.

Holiday Shopping at Vintage 66

2009-12-01T20:52:00.000-08:00

Heavens to Murgatroyd! The holiday season is quickly approaching and we've got some new products, as well as some old classics posted posted for sale on the Vintage 66 Graphics Shop. And you can save some money by starting here at the Zazzle Coupon Code Page. There are codes for many different products, T-shirts and mugs for instance, and most of the codes are valid until December 31st. It's a great way to save money and you don't have to go to a crowded mall, or any of that nonsense.

Bad Example T-shirt
Something I always tell my nieces and nephews, remember Uncle Bob is the BAD example.

Bad Example T-Shirt by Vintage66
See other I'm the bad example T-Shirts

Maple Bars Ladies T-shirt
Destined to be a classic a vintage image of a happy 50's gal, with a bit of contemporary attitude.

Eat My Weight In Maple Bars by Vintage66
More Eat my weight in maple bars T-Shirts

Warning Noon T-shirt
Another one of the best sellers at Vintage 66, so I call this one an old classic.

Warning Noon by Vintage66
design your own tee shirts on zazzle.com

Free Shipping on Cyber Monday!

2009-11-30T05:29:00.000-08:00

Holy Mackerel! Check this out, I've just put up even more new products, mostly T-shirts, but more are on the way. Anyway, to kick off Cyber Monday properly, the kids at Zazzle are going to pick up the shipping fees. That's right, free shipping, just use this Code: FREESHIP2DAY when you check out. NOTE: This is FOR TODAY ONLY , Cyber Monday, so you'll want to do it now. Check out the links below, or head on over to the Vintage 66 Graphics Shop today.

Funky Skull

Funky Skull T-shirt by Vintage66
View other Skulls T-Shirts

Devil Eightball Beer Mug

Devil Eightball Beer Mug by Vintage66
Make custom Travel mugs online at zazzle.com

Evil Virgin T-shirt

Evil Virgin T-shirt by Vintage66
View more Evil virgin T-Shirts

Retro Stink Finger T-shirt

If You Think My Attitude Stinks .... by Vintage66
Make a personalized shirt on zazzle.com

Instant Idiot T-shirt

Instant Idiot T-Shirt by Vintage66
Create custom shirts on zazzle

Retro Christmas Card

2009-11-29T02:37:00.000-08:00

It's late and and I'm growing more weary with each keystroke, so this is just a short post. The full 2009 Christmas Collection isn't done yet, but here is a quick peek at some of my most recent card designs. Of course, you're also welcome to just head on over to the holiday section of the Vintage 66 Graphics Shop.

Mid Century Modern Christmas Card

Retro Blue Christmas Card by Vintage66
View other Retro Cards

Simple Retro Christmas Card

Retro Christmas Card by Vintage66
Browse more Retro Cards

Cyber Monday is Almost Here!

2009-11-28T02:57:00.000-08:00

Well, by Jingo! It seems like it's always something. As you may or may not know, Cyber Monday is quickly approaching and I was hoping to have scads of retro Christmas cards available, but there were some design miscalculations (and its pretty hard to point fingers in a one man operation) so I have to go back and fix a few things. Rest assured, the cards are still coming, but probably not by Monday. In the meantime, I've been busy posting some awesome new products just in time for the holidays, so check out the links below for some cool new designs as well as an old favorite emblazoned not just on T-shirts, but some other nifty products, like mouse pads, beer steins and trucker hats. They make great gifts to tickle the funny bone of that crude and vulgar miscreant on your list, and you can do your shopping without even having to put on pants. Try that at Wal-Mart—well, okay that was a bad example, but you know what I mean. Oh, and just a little money saving tip, you might want to start out by checking out the Zazzle Coupon Code Page for the latest holiday coupon codes, because in this economy, every little bit helps. And in the interest of fair play, I want to point out that these codes are good at ALL Zazzle shops, not just mine. Or if you like, you can just swing on by the Vintage 66 Shop and browse around. Open 24 hours, 7 days a week for your holiday shopping convenience.

The Devil Eightball
I recently re-released this design, which is the best selling design in Vintage 66 Graphics history, by the way. It features a surly, devilish 8 ball with a pint of beer. The problem was that it was only available on black garments because I thought the original file had been damaged, but lo and behold, I found it the other day, so now it is back in all of its original glory, and available in ALL shirt colors, as well as some other products. A great gift for yourself or your favorite billiards nut.

Devil 8-Ball T-Shirt by Vintage66
See more Pool T-Shirts

Warning Noon
This is another great selling design, now available on a swell trucker hat. Part humorous slogan, part public service, it's like getting two hats for the price of one. Now isn't that a bargain?

Warning Noon by Vintage66
make a custom cap on zazzle

Doesn't Count
Okay ladies, how many times have you had to say this: It Doesn't Count If I Have To Tell You! Well, by golly, now this slogan is available on a T-shirt, and while it is the super cool ringer shirt that is shown, it is actually available on a number of cool shirt styles. The design features a wacky retro Latin font, and authentic vintage art. Get yours today!

It Doesn't Count If I Have To Tell You T-Shirt by Vintage66
Browse other Men jokes T-Shirts

Asshole Magnet
This is an all too common situation, it just seems that the sweeter the gal, the bigger the asshole she ends up with. This shirt is a humorous approach, and while it won't fix the problem, it might make her feel a little better.

Asshole Magnet T-shirt by Vintage66
design your own shirt on zazzle.com

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-25T02:26:00.000-08:00

New Blog Post On My Sketchblog

2009-11-03T21:44:00.000-08:00

Not much to report at the moment, Halloween is over, but Festivus, Christmas the New Year are all barreling down, so I've been getting some products ready for that. In the meantime, I just put up an amusing illustrated blog post over on my almighty sketchblog, A Walk on the Wiles Side. Check it out if you like childish fart humor. I'll be updating on holiday products as soon as it is available. Have a great week.

Cheers!

Robb

A Brief Look at Vintage Advertising Spot Illustrations

2009-10-19T01:53:00.000-07:00

Soon I will be launching a line of customizable retro business products on my Zazzle shop, business cards, promotional flyers, rack cards and things of that nature. I've had a long love affair with vintage cartoons, illustrations & advertising, and it has certainly had an effect on my styles, both artistically and design-wise. Basically, I will be offering templates featuring designs that are heavily inspired by the atomic era of mid-centure modern pop culture, black and white spot illustrations from the 30's to the 60's and old motel and restaurant signs from along Route 66, among other influences. I don't want to spoil the surprise, but I will go into more detail in a later post. Anyway, for today I just wanted to take a quick look at some authentic vintage advertising spot illustrations.

Great Googly-Moogly! He sure is excited—almost delirious in fact, about that huge dee-licious burger. Why even the burger itself emanates excitement. Just look at those glow lines (also called emanata in the cartooning world).

Sometimes the art can be rather disturbing, and the slogans a bit underwhelming, but these quirks only add to the quaint charm of the piece.

I think I mentioned something about not always being politically correct—yeah, follow the tubby guy for big portions.

Again we find the somewhat arbitrary slogan, this time it's paired with as many fonts as possible in one design. Evidently, these people are so particular they only need two ellipsis instead of the usual three.

Thanks for stopping by.
-Cheers!

Last Minute Release

2009-10-19T01:12:00.000-07:00

I'm not really sure how this keeps happening, perhaps it's my age or something. Actually the longer I do the this art thing, the more often it happens. I did this Trio of Jack-O-Lanterns illustration last year and it was all ready to go and everything, but come this year I somehow forgot about it. So, this is a late release, but it is available and if you hurry there is still time.

Goofy Jack-O-Lantern Trio Halloween Card by Vintage66
View other Halloween Cards

Vintage 66 Halloween Clip

2009-10-12T01:55:00.000-07:00

Ladies and Gentle men! Children of all ages! Here it is the much anticipated Vintage 66 Graphics Halloween Thingy. Mostly I was just testing out the possibilities, but of course, the website and store are both live and ready to go. May actually be a little late for the invitations, but plenty of cards & Gifts. So, stop by today.

-Cheers!

Final Halloween Product Goofy Jacks T-shirt

2009-10-09T17:18:00.000-07:00

It dawned on me late last night that I had not made a T-shirt for my Goofy Jack-O-Lanterns illustration that I released earlier, so I put this one together, although I left the text editable, just in case you want it to say something other than Trick Or Treat! Anyway, this is the final product for Halloween 2009, and after I finish a few marketing projects, such as the upcoming and much anticipated Halloween Youtube video, I will be moving on to Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and no promises, but possibly, Festivus! So, check back soon for the World Premier of my first video.

-Cheers!

Goofy Jack-O-Lanterns T-shirt by Vintage66
View other Halloween T-Shirts

The Halloween Collection 2009

2009-10-05T17:23:00.000-07:00

About 4:32 this morning I finished posting the 2009 Halloween Collection on my Zazzle shop. I actually have two more illustrations I want to add, but I'm not sure if I'll have time, since Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years are all breathing down my neck, and I'm also working on some retro business templates, business cards and flyers, etc. Well, I got up today and found out that one of my designs had won a TBA (Today's Best Award) on Zazzle, so I'm feeling really great about that. Anyway, I just wanted to do a little boasting.

Thanks for stopping by.
Cheers!

TBA Winner for October 5th, 2009
Customizable Halloween Party Invitation

Trick Or Treaters Halloween Party Invitation by Vintage66
announcements designed on zazzle.com

Goofy Jack-O-Lanterns Mug

Goofy Jack-O-Lanterns Halloween Mug by Vintage66
View other Jack o lanterns Mugs

Funky Skull Ladies T-shirt

Funky Skull Happy Halloween T-shirt by Vintage66
Make custom t-shirts on zazzle

Halloween Swag: Round 1

2009-09-29T05:00:00.000-07:00

Howdy!
Sorry I haven't posted here in awhile, but I have been one busy fella. I've been busting my tail to get out some Halloween Swag. I'll post more about it later probably after I finish round 2. Nevertheless, here is a peek at some of my newest designs and products for Halloween, which along with many other designs, are available at the Vintage 66 Graphics Shop.

Cheers!

Black Cat Halloween Party Invitation by Vintage66
Browse more invites and announcements at zazzle

Funky Skull Happy Halloween Mug by Vintage66
customized coffee mug with zazzle.com

Funky Mod Kitty Halloween T-shirt by Vintage66
Create customized shirts with zazzle

Surprise Hot Seller: Spanked Early

2009-09-09T21:32:00.000-07:00

This is the perfect shirt for all you naughty girls out there, and evidently there seems to be a lot of of you, since this has become one of the hottest selling slogan T-shirts in the last couple of weeks over at the Vintage 66 Graphics Shop. So, if you're a bad girl who needs to be pulled across someones lap for a good spanking, this is the perfect shirt for you. Also makes a great gift for your favorite bottom girl.

Spanked Early by Vintage66
View other I just to be need spanked T-Shirts

The Triumphant Return of the Devil 8-Ball T-shirt

2009-09-02T19:13:00.000-07:00

After a short hiatus, the surly Devil 8-Ball design is back! Yes, and remember you read it here first, the best selling T-shirt in Vintage 66 history is back. It is rather a long and complicated story, but it is only available on Black T-shirts for the moment. Although I'm thinking seriously of redesigning it soon, if for no other reason than because my style has changed so much since I did this version. A great shirt for hanging out at your local pub.

Devil 8-Ball T-Shirt by Vintage66
Browse more Pool T-Shirts

Living the Dream

2009-09-02T19:01:00.000-07:00

This is another design that has been a long time coming, but I am oh so happy that it's finally here. You see this design does double duty, meaning one slogan but two possible meanings. For those of you still doing well in this crappy economy, it is a proud boast, but for anyone not doing so well, this is a sarcastic, with a side of snark. And just think, you wont even have to change your shirt when the economy gets healthy again, and it will, because it always does—always. In the meantime, get yourself a Living the Dream T-shirt.

Living the Dream T-Shirt by Vintage66
Make a customized t shirt online at zazzle.com