SugarOverkill Official Blog

Sesame Street T-Shirt Design Challenge

Mai2x — Fri, 04 May 2012 04:48:47 +0000

Threadless is collaborating with Sesame Street and holding a T-Shirt design challenge. Among the prizes to be given away are:

$2000 cash
$250 Threadless gift certificate
A signed copy of My Life as a Furry Red Monster by Kevin Clash
A signed copy of The Wisdom of Big Bird (and the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch) by Caroll Spinney
A copy of the Sesame Street 40th Anniversary Book, signed by Sesame Street founder Joan Ganz Cooney.

I always looked forward in watching the show as a kid. For my design I incorporated as many details about my favorite characters as I could remember. I portrayed them in chibi forms to make them look like little kids. If you take a closer look at the numbers and letters you will notice that each of them are staring at something. Can you guess them all?

Voters also get a chance to win a $100 Threadless gift code when you vote on 50 Sesame Street designs. You can start by supporting and voting on mine right here. Voting starts on May4, 2012 and ends on May 10, 2012

I sketched the whole artwork first on my sketchpad, scanned, and then did the vector work. Used 8 colors in total (including white), and had to separate and then group each color on separate layers, making it a total of 8 layers. This is a best practice for t-shirt or textile printing. I don’t usually separate colors by layers that’s why it took me 36 hours to finish everything (or more, since I lost count of the hours). Despite all that I had lots of fun in doing this! It made me reminisce about my childhood and even made me remember one of my favorite songs from the show:

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Small Business Branding Package

Mai2x — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 05:39:41 +0000

Since many home-based shop owners have been commissioning me for logos, banners and business cards I decided to offer promotional packages with discounts and free services for a limited period. With this you can save between $30 up to $48.50 compared to my standard rates.
I have 5 packages which I can adjust according to your needs.

I offer the following services:
Logo (mascot/symbol + text)
Business Card Designs 3″ x 1″ (free)
Business Card Design 3.5″ x 2″ (or your preferred size)
Etsy Banner
Facebook Timeline Cover
Web Avatar Icons (free)
Product/Clippie Card Design 3.5″ x 2″ (or your preferred size)

If there’s anything you need that is not listed above just email me and I’ll send you an adjusted package offer.

I provide the facebook timeline cover in psd (photoshop) format so you can edit and insert your product images.
Printable designs are provided in pdf format with full bleed.

Please send your inquiries to my email: contact@sugaroverkill.com or through my contact form. I only accept payments through Paypal.

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Happy April Fool’s Day!

Mai2x — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 09:30:36 +0000

Wishing everyone a prank-filled and humorous day. Remember to keep your safety helmets on!

Ijimekko and Itami - April Fool's

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Freebie: Kawaii Face Guide

Mai2x — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 03:13:21 +0000

While going through my files I found an old illustrator file which contained most of the Kawaii faces that I have been using. I decided to create a chart and make it available as a reference guide for other aspiring Kawaii artists out there. I hope this will be useful to them just as it was to me when I started out.

You can get the free guide here: http://sugaroverkill.com/site/freebies.html
This image is not for sale and should only be used as a reference.

I will add more freebies in the future so be sure to follow me on Twitter or on Facebook.

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Custom LOTR Tattoo Kawaii Style

Mai2x — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 06:07:21 +0000

While I was in the process of moving I was also working on a tattoo design commission for Katie Toomey. She loves the Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien and requested I incorporate some of the LOTR elements into the design. I also added a few video elements since she is a video editor by profession.

Here are the initial sketches I made for the characters:

Sam and Frodo with some Lembas

I loved the idea of turning the hobbits into bunnies (Hobbunnies!) to make them appeal more vulnerable and cuddly.

Legolas, Arwen, Aragorn and Gandalf

I ended up increasing the number of tails for Legolas and Arwen because I wanted to make them a bit more special since they are supposed to be elves in the story. This way they kind of look like Kitsunes. Aragorn is depicted as a black wolf here and Gandalf as a cat (with a beard!). Also had the idea of adding a big film reel in the center.

Final illustration and lineart

I sent Katie printed copies of the final colored version and also of the line-art to make it easier for the tattoo artist to draw the outlines. I also added in a signed print on special paper as a present for Katie so that she can frame it. I’m glad she loved how everything turned out and I can’t wait to see the tattoo!

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Accepting Commissions

Mai2x — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 04:59:33 +0000

I’m currently accepting and working on commissions full time. Here are a few points I’m good at or I can offer:

Customized tattoo designs
Cartoon vector illustrations of food, cakes, breads, and pastries; Can create menu elements, logo, business card design or web elements for bakery or cake shops
Kawaii or Dark Kawaii elements for your web page or blog such as banners, logos, ads, etc. (no web coding, graphics only)
Create a vector out of your sketch

* For the points mentioned above, prices vary depending on what you need and the complexity. Send me an email at contact@sugaroverkill.com for a quote.

Special Limited Offer!!

Chibi Commissions for $10 (full-body) +$5 for pet/mascot + $5 for detailed background. More complex details in the hair/headgear cost $2 extra. More complex details in the clothes will also cost $2 extra.
Example, something like this would cost $15:

I can provide you with PNG files and separate the chibi from the mascot so that you can recycle the images the way you see fit. I can create a chibi out of yourself, your friend, or your original characters.

Sidenote: The drawing above is me together with Spitzen, the mascot of my blog www.darksideofcute.com.

If there’s anything you need that I have not listed above just send me a email.

*Currently I only accept payments through Paypal.
*”Chibi” commissions require full down payment.
*Other commissions might require 50% downpayment.

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Throw Pillows and American Mojo

Mai2x — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 06:22:10 +0000

We just released our first line of throw pillows in collaboration with Zazzle and American Mojo. All American MoJo products are produced by sustainably employed single moms in the USA and contribute to breaking the cycle of poverty for single moms and their children.

Here are the pillow details:

Sizes 20”x20” (square) and 13”x21” (lumbar).
100% grade A woven cotton.
Fabric is made from natural fibers, which may result in irregularities
Handmade in the USA by sustainably employed single moms.
Hidden zipper enclosure; synthetic-filled insert included.
Machine washable.

At $59.95 each, they might come off a bit pricey but rest assured this is for a good cause. If you feel like helping out single moms, this is just one way of doing it. You can also help out by sharing this article to your friends by clicking any of the social icons below. Share the love!

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SugarOverkill Tattoo Feature: Katie Toomey

Mai2x — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 11:09:25 +0000

As some of you may already know, I put my artworks up for tattoo licensing. Katie Toomey, a video editor from Indiana US, has chosen to license 7 SugarOverkill pieces to adorn her left sleeve. Here are some pics of the process that she sent me:

Initial tattoo process; the outlines

A closer look; kawaii ice cream attack tattoo.

Tattoo artist at work!

Candytooth characters in Halloween mode!

Some colors were already filled in

Kawaii Cupcake Tattoo in full color!

~~Katie has promised to send me more pictures of the tattoo process. I will be posting them soon including the final outcome. I’m sure it will look awesome!~~

Update: March 19, 2012: I just received more pictures from Katie. See them below:

Ouchie...

Shinikaru in focus

Kawaii Ice Cream in Color

Wow! love the colors!

If you want to use my SugarOverkill artworks as tattoos feel free to send me an email including the reference numbers of the images you would like. The reference number can be found in the Gallery section of my website when you click on a particular image. If you have something in particular in mind I also accept commissions.

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Special Halloween Sale

Mai2x — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 19:04:29 +0000

Get 15% off of all our Halloween items! Even if you are not into the Holiday you might still like our spooky and cute characters to keep the whole year round. Use the code SPOOKTACULAR when you check out.

The discount lasts until the night of the 31st of October 2011 so hurry while you still get the chance.

Happy Shopping!

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Halloween Goodies

Mai2x — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 21:04:57 +0000

We have just released a new set of Halloween designs. With the Holiday knocking on your doors in a week, here are some great items to pep up your party. Choose from a variety of home, office and phone case products.

Surprise your guests with these adorable and customizable coasters. These little cuties will be the talk of your party!

Send out Halloween postcards and greeting cards to your friends and loved ones. Make them more personal by adding your own text or images.

Still can’t get enough of Halloween and love to flaunt those spooky characters all-year-round? Then these phone cases are the perfect thing for you. Available for Iphone 3, Iphone 4, Ipod Touch, Samsung Galaxy, and Blackberry. Check out our Artsprojekt store for more!

If you love to collect little trinkets and items be sure to check to out our Halloween buttons and keychains!

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