The Creative Pain

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The Creative Pain

Embracing the challenging stages of the creative process to overcome those pesky mental blocks.

09/16/2026

A great illustration doesn't automatically make a great product. ✏️
One of the most important parts of bringing an illustration into the real world is understanding how the artwork will translate to the final product.

For this piece, the goal was to turn my original illustration into a holographic sticker. That meant thinking beyond what looked good on my screen.

Where should the holographic material show through? Which details would have the most impact? What areas needed more contrast? How would the colors react to the material? And how could I use the effect intentionally instead of simply making the entire sticker holographic?

These are small production decisions, but they can completely change the final result.

It's easy to create a fun illustration. Turning that illustration into a successful physical product requires another layer of thinking—understanding the material, the production process, and how people will actually experience the artwork once it's in their hands.

For me, that's one of the most rewarding parts of creating physical products: the illustration is only the beginning.

09/13/2026

A little behind-the-scenes look at how I build my vector illustrations in Adobe Illustrator. ✏️

This one was a highly detailed concept, with nearly 8 hours spent building, adjusting, and refining all those vector points. From the larger shapes down to the smallest hidden details, it's always fun seeing just how much goes into the final piece—especially when you zoom in close and see how everything is actually built.

Created in Adobe Illustrator using my Wacom Cintiq Pro.

09/09/2026

Even the Flying Dutchman deserves clean vector paths. 👻✏️
Here's why vector is so important in consumer products.

One of the biggest reasons I love working in Adobe Illustrator is because every illustration is built with scalability in mind.

Whether the artwork ends up on apparel, packaging, publishing, toys, or digital experiences, vector gives me the confidence that it can adapt without sacrificing quality. That's why I spend so much time in Outline Mode. It lets me evaluate the artwork at its foundation—making sure the shapes, curves, and structure are strong before color and texture ever enter the conversation.

That mindset became especially important while helping develop the theatrical consumer products style guide for The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants. Creating artwork for consumer products means thinking beyond a single illustration. Every asset needs to work across a wide range of products, formats, and global partners while staying true to the personality of the brand.

That's what I love most about illustrating in vector. You're not just creating artwork—you're building something that can live almost anywhere.

09/07/2026

Should I illustrate in Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop? Why not both? pt.9 ✏️

Sometimes the most important creative decision is knowing what tools to use and when to switch tools.

I can spend hours pushing an illustration further in Illustrator—experimenting with shapes, gradients, brushes, and texture. And honestly, I love seeing how far vector can go. But just because I can build something in Illustrator doesn’t always mean I need to.
At a certain point, Photoshop can give me the result I’m looking for with more freedom. That’s usually when I make the switch—bringing the vector artwork over and experimenting with texture, lighting, grain, and those small imperfections that can completely change how the final piece feels, based on the effects PS provides.
Over the years, I’ve learned that being versatile isn’t about using every tool possible. It’s about knowing what you’re trying to achieve and choosing the tool that gets you there.

Sometimes that’s Illustrator. Sometimes it’s Photoshop.
Most of the time, for me, it’s both. ✏️

How do you know when it’s time to switch tools?

09/03/2026

Very proud to share a few highlights from the illustrative toolkit I created for my friends at StickerApp

One of my favorite parts of this project was designing characters and graphics that felt just as playful, colorful, and creative as the brand itself. Each illustration became an opportunity to explore a new idea, personality, or weird little moment while still feeling like it belonged in the same world.

That's the joy of projects like this. You get to play, experiment, and have fun while building something that gives a brand something not many have... a personality!!!

And when the brand already loves stickers, creativity, and making cool stuff... you have a pretty great playground to work with.

09/02/2026

If you have a creative job, don't forget to have fun.

My friend Morgan Rindengan stopped by the new studio a while back and captured a few photos of me working, creating, and showing a bit of the behind-the-scenes of my design process.

I came across these three photos again today, and at first, I didn't think much of them individually. But when I put the sequence together, I realized they captured something pretty special—a moment that reflects so much of how my creative journey has felt.

It reminded me to enjoy the process. It's easy to get caught up in the individual challenges, but after 15 years, I'm incredibly thankful that this career still keeps me hungry, challenged, and excited to create every day.

The bigger picture is what matters—making work you enjoy, collaborating with good people, learning along the way, and remembering how lucky we are to be creative. Even on the hardest days, I'd still rather be doing this than anything else.

Don't forget to have fun with it. ✏️

09/01/2026

The more I illustrate in vector, the more I appreciate the build. ✏️

I've been illustrating and developing different styles and techniques in Adobe Illustrator for over 15 years, and one of the things I still enjoy most is that there's always something new to learn.

Switching over to Outline Mode is always a treat. Suddenly all the polish, detail, and texture disappear. No color. No gradients. No texture. Just the shapes and paths holding everything together.

I love comparing these two views because they reveal how a detailed vector illustration is actually built. What feels complex in the final artwork can often be broken down into surprisingly simple shapes—layered, repeated, adjusted, and refined over time. And more paths don't always mean a better illustration. Sometimes it's one cleaner curve, a simpler shape, or knowing when there's already enough.

Even after 15 years, that's what keeps vector illustration exciting for me. There's always another technique to explore, another way to simplify a shape, and another opportunity to improve the way I build.

08/28/2026

17 illustrations. One visual world. ✏️

We did it again! I teamed up with one of my favorite clients, StickerApp , to develop a custom illustrative toolkit designed to expand their visual world and bring even more personality to the brand.

The goal wasn’t to create one hero illustration. It was to build a collection of assets that could work together, stand on their own, and give the brand more ways to show up across content, marketing, and physical applications.

That meant thinking beyond the individual drawings.

Each illustration needed to share the same visual DNA—from shape language and linework to color, texture, and personality—while still feeling unique enough to tell its own story. The result was a library of 17 custom illustrations inspired by the creative world of StickerApp: energetic, experimental, a little weird, and of course... all about making great stickers.

What I love about projects like this is seeing illustration become part of a larger brand system. A single piece of artwork can create a moment, but a thoughtful toolkit gives a brand a visual language it can continue building with.

Huge thanks to Nora Buerhop and the entire StickerApp team for continuing to trust me to play, experiment, and bring some of these crazy ideas to life. 💛

08/14/2026

The best part of a vector illustration is the part most people never see. ✏️

08/12/2026

Concept sketch → Final vector illustration ✏️

A sketch isn't the final answer, it's the first conversation.

Before I begin building in Adobe Illustrator, I spend most of my time exploring the idea on paper. This is where I test the composition, establish the perspective, and capture the personality of the illustration. It's quick, flexible, and gives me the freedom to solve problems before committing to the final direction.

For client work, this stage is just as important. Sketches create alignment, spark discussion, and allow feedback to happen early—long before color and texture. Once the concept is approved, Illustrator becomes a tool for refinement. I've found that the stronger the sketch, the more confident the ex*****on. Not because every line carries over, but because the idea already knows where it's going.

Are you presenting sketches to your clients? If so, how rough are your sketches?

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http://www.thecreativepain.com/

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