Illustration Collaboration with the Pirates of 826 Valencia

How much fun was it to work with the finest pirates in the land over at 826 Valencia?It was so much fun, I'd walk the plank to work with them again.They more or less gave me free conceptual and illustrative reign and I came up with a calendar featuring wild creatures doing hilarious jobs that they might not be great at in the beginning, but they have fun and give it their *all*, and WOW are they are chock full of enthusiasm! I called it 'Wild Work', and had big fun with the title lettering. The llama window washer, the puffer fish acupuncturist, the bat dj raving in the cave...they are all in there. Go get a calendar, ya'll. When my calendar work was finished, it was too hard to say goodbye so I jumped back on the pirate ship and did their holiday card. Again, with the creative freedom, yay! For their festive card, the brief was to stick to two colors maximum as it was destined to be letter pressed by the fine folks at Dependable Letterpress. This is and was so thrilling to me, as letterpress has long been so dear to my heart. Growing up in Tennessee, I perused the stacks at Hatch Show Print and even did a short internship there in my youth.My college pal Kevin Bradley has also been a nearly lifelong inspiration for me, both in Tennessee and now on the West Coast, with his Church of Type. Oh happy letterpressed day!So, yes...this project was certainly well in my wheelhouse.I came up with the copy Happy Ahoylidays, and they loved it! Then I lettered it up and illustrated a ship in a bottle full o' presents with a pufferfish in a pirate cap figurehead helming the prow. I just cannot say enough great things about working with 826 Valencia!