Baby Alonso

I was asked to create a flyer and raffle tickets for an incredible 7-month old child named Alonso. 

Baby Alonso was born on September 23, 2011 with two congenital heart defects; coarctation of the aorta and borderline hypoplastic left heart syndrome.  These defects were not discovered until 9 days after birth when he started turning blue and was rushed to the emergency room.  Doctors where able to stabilize him enough to have him flown to San Antonio [Texas] Methodist Children's Hospital where he underwent open heart surgery to correct the coarctation and create a hole in the atrium to relieve pressure in the left side of his heart.  Alonso also underwent a nissen fundoplication to address his severe reflux which almost killed him after his heart surgery.  Recently the coarctation has resurged twice but has been corrected with heart catheterizations.  If his aorta doesn’t hold, he is going to undergo a second open heart surgery.  In a few years, Alonso will require open heart surgery to close the hole in between the atriums.

With the help and generosity of the Spanish Rock group Maná, all members autographed a Squire guitar that is now being raffled for an "Autographed Guitar Giveaway". 

Tickets are going for $10.00 a piece; ALL proceeds go to baby Alonso's family to help with medical expenses.

If you have any questions, or would like more information on where to aqcuire tickets or give a monetary donation, please feel free to contact me at Oz@GraphicLaunch.com or you can also call Mr. Molano at 956-337-8942.

Your help and prayers are greatly appreciated.

I paint, but I'm not a painter...

I'll explain the title...  Before the days when I even knew what Graphic Design was, there were pencils, crayons, colored pencils, markers, and paint.  My parents say they knew my talent since the age of three.

It wasn't until high school that I found out what the digital world had to offer.

The primitive people figured things out on their own, recording time and history with paint made from mud, fruits, and anything else the Earth presented.  I can honestly say, I've never taken a real painting class in my life.  Most of it I've learned from trial and error, or by observing others.  By no means do I consider myself a "painter", but I have (and do) play around with the media on occasion.

Just yesterday evening a friend of mine asked if I could paint something for him...  I try not to take specific requests for anything other than digital graphics.  The problem being that my "art" comes with inspiration, which nowadays is harder to find time for.

"Niagara Falls," he says.

Wow.  Niagara Falls.  Let's just draw up one of the seven wonders of the world... no problem...

But, because it's his birthday today, and because I have not painted in a LONG time, I decided, why not.  I did give him fair warning though, "you may not get what you're hoping for."

Unfortunately, I did not take photos along the process because (not to sound conceded but - ) I did not expect it to come out as good as it did.

Now, before you scroll down to see the finished product, keep in mind - I DO NOT TAKE REQUESTS FOR PAINTINGS OR DRAWINGS.  Sorry.

Enjoy!

"The Great Falls"

After the Falls, the inspiration still lurked within so I continued this morning.

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At the beginning of this post I mentioned the primitive people for the reason that (again) I don't consider myself a painter.  Painters would laugh at the tools I use.  For example, I have a set of 6 very cheap brushes that I bought at Michael's for about $4.00.  And I have the most inexpensive paints you could possibly buy (because I'm cheap).  And I wait until canvases are on sale to buy any.  And I use paper plates as my palette (pictured below).

I am primitive.

Enterprise Elementary

Good evening followers!  If you truly are an avid follower, you know I have not posted any recent entries on this blog. For that I apologize.  If you are a first-timer, you will know by the posted dates that this is true.

Let's get to it.  If you skim around GraphicLaunch.com, you will come across a design (under "Mascots") for Enterprise Elementary.  This design was a remake of a very traditional "old school" looking logo/seal. If I can get my hands on it, I will definitely post the comparison.

I was recently asked by my contact, if I would be willing to help once again.

It is very unfortunate when someone you know is diagnosed with anything, let alone cancer.  The school's PTA wants to sell t-shirts as a fundraiser for a respected teacher at the school.  The funds raised would assist in covering her medical costs.

By following the guidelines and ideas provided, the design below was created.  I am not certain what color shirts are planned for the final production, so for viewing purposes, I've left it on a white background.

This design was created in Adobe Illustrator for silkscreening.  Three colors were used to limit final cost: white, black, pink.

Wodever Expansion

Wodever Performance Gear is quickly expanding.  With shipments quickly coming in, it is imperative that all business aspects are covered - especially contact information.


Even in the present-day digital world, business cards are one of the most important and cost-effective marketing tools a business can have. 


Think for a second:  It is extremely simple to share contacts through your smart-phone, but how many contacts are on your list that you have no idea who that person is, or who that phone number belongs to?


A powerful and well-designed business card can effectively promote your business.  On the other hand, there's a good chance that if the look and quality of your card is shoddy or unprofessional, it may be thrown into the trash and forgotten.


Below is the new business card design for Wodever Performance Gear...