Fernando Creative Design

Cartoon character animation illustration development process: african american character design

2012-01-20T07:31:00.000-08:00

Here is a quick illustration study I made starting from a sketch book drawing. I created the character by first making a pencil sketch, I then scanned the sketch and digitally added smooth line art and color. I really like how the light and shadow brings the character to life. I also enjoyed adding the small idiosyncrasies such as his eye color, freckles, skin tones, and other small details. I imagine he has a deep voice, I will name him John Henry.

Click the below image to see larger view.

Chocolate package label design graphics- food item cover illustration

2011-10-26T23:48:00.000-07:00

I recently completed this packaging label wrap design for a new chocolate bar product made in Puerto Rico. The front package illustration is actually a rendering of the real farm fields where the cacao beans are grown. I also created the art for the chocolate molding- which is based on the front cover packaging design. The client and I went back and forth with several pencil sketch variations of the label design before we elected this to be the best design option. The client provided me with some general outlines of what kind of look and feel he wanted for the packaging art- I took the lead from there and let my imagination run with it. I am also working on the display case and other size variations for this chocolate food product- I'll post those when they're done. I accepted to be paid in chocolate for this project so it was a win win for the both of us- just kidding, if only chocolate was a form of currency- maybe if I was Willie Wonka.

3D hardware model rendering illustration

2011-10-12T10:07:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick illustration of a hardware accessory made of rubber. I created it using adobe illustrator and adobe photoshop digital software. I created it fairly quickly and was happy with the final look. I added a glossy sheen to it at the end to give it texture and make it look new.

Hip Hop Reggae promotional illustration design

2011-09-07T23:44:00.000-07:00

This is an illustration I've been working on for a musical duo The Green Leaves. The custom illustration art will be used on their cd packaging and other promotional art.

Altar postcard design: Premios Arpa award promo

2011-09-07T23:34:00.000-07:00

I just completed this design for an awesomely talented Christian pop band. The band wanted a postcard design to promote their nomination for a prestigious annual award show. They were nominated for best new album of the year- Congratulations Altar! I designed this promotional postcard art to match their cd cover design that I created a year earlier (shown below).

CD package design: Latino Christian Music- Canta al Señor

2011-09-07T23:19:00.000-07:00

This is a recent cd package design and poster art I recently completed for a talented and upcoming latino christian musician. The christian musicians name is Fito Delgado. Sometimes design clients are very involved in the cd design process and sometimes they prefer to keep their distance and let me develop the packaging art. I work fine either way- it all depends on weather the client has a specific unique idea in mind for the design or not, in this case pastor Fito had a very specific look in mind. He described his concept to me and gave me the colors he likes, I took that info and created this cd package and poster art.

I started by designing the cd cover, once the cover art was approved I followed through to the rest of the cd packaging and promotional art. The packaging came out great, on time, and exceeded his expectations- needless to say he was very happy with the end result.

Built To Last- postcard illustration design: Christian grunge art

2011-03-23T22:07:00.000-07:00

Here's a recent postcard illustration I created for my friends over at partnersinministry.org a Christian church service organization. They started by giving me the postcard title "Built To Last". I then started brainstorming different concepts. I felt this concept was the best fitting. I took the title and made weathered stone letters of them and added cracks, scratches, and textures- along with vines, moss, and greenery growing on it. Ta-da!

Jazz Instrumental cd cover design art: organic wilderness grunge design

2011-02-21T11:44:00.000-08:00

Here's a recent cd cover design package I created for a jazz musician. He described his music to me and the feel he was going for and I created the art based off his descriptions. He wanted the art to reflect his personality and the music which was organic, solemn, and mysterious. I added some strong colors and textures to help liven up the forest environment. The artist told me that he was a loner and has always been intrigued by the wilderness and celestial mysteries. For the artist title and album title I used a script font to reflect the organic feel of the design. to make them look hand written and personal- like the album. I also added a figure off in the distance walking towards a mysterious light that can be interpreted to be many different things and the musician liked that.

Christian Church Postcard Graphic Design: Bible Art

2011-02-14T23:16:00.000-08:00

Greetings world- it's been too long since my last blog post, I've had some life changing experiences keeping me busy, nonetheless, better late than never. Here's a postcard design I did for a group called - Partners In Ministry. They provide a valuable service to Christian churches by providing them with professional designs for their events and activities. I like their motto "A bold new way to proclaim the old rugged Cross". The client started by just giving me the concept of the postcard and I took and ran with it, the concept was so rich that there were several different art directions I could have taken. Ultimately I decided on this design, I incorporated some ancient lettering used by the earliest scribes. I also kept a natural color palette of brown and green because I felt it gave it a comforting feel that all can relate to. I made the letter "o" into a crown of thorns and placed a beam of light shooting through it (robust with metaphorical meaning). I also added a vintage illustration of a bible in the background and overlaid organic textures throughout to complete it. I'm pretty happy with this design- more coming soon.

Fernando Medina Art Gallery Show- Chicago area, Aurora IL

2010-07-21T11:45:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos from my recent art gallery show at the Aurora Roundhouse. The exhibition included my illustrations, oil/acrylic paintings, pencil drawings, and digital art.
The show went well, I met some interesting people, local art lovers, and other artist. I rarely show my original work in public - so this was nice to do, it inspired me to show my work in public more often.

Medical heart ekg illustration sketch

2010-07-06T15:45:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick medical heart illustration sketch I was working on. There's an ekg reading flowing through and around the heart. The sketch is incomplete, but in essence, that's what a sketch is I guess- incomplete. It's more of a study really.

Redefining The Fall cd cover design- Texas based Christian Rock band

2010-06-24T10:17:00.000-07:00

I created this cd cover art for a Christian Rock band based in Texas. The cover concept is- when all else is falling apart and destruction surrounds you- one thing stands amidst the wreckage. This band at first just wanted me to design the cd cover art but once they saw the cover design they decided to have me create the rest of the cd packaging including the inside panels, traycard, and disc art.

Midtown pub and grill restaurant logo design- Aurora, IL graphic designer

2010-06-24T09:38:00.000-07:00

I created this logo for a new pub and grill restaurant located in downtown Aurora, IL. This client wanted a logo graphic design that conveyed class, a welcoming atmosphere, and something that just felt "home town". I started by sketching a few ideas and presenting him with some options- once he saw the logo design concept sketches he instantly gravitated to the logo design seen above- it was a hole in one. The building sketch in the logo design is the historic Leland Tower in Aurora, IL. Midtown pub is located on the first floor of this building. He now has the logo on all his employee t-shirts, window decals, menus, and other promotional material. I also created the logo design below that wasn't used but I thought it was pretty nice.
The food is great, I recommend the Hawaiian pineapple burger- actually I think I'll go there for lunch today. You can view their facebook page here

Chocolate by mail vintage label package design

2010-06-24T09:13:00.000-07:00

These are a series of label packaging designs I created for a Chocolate by Mail product. The product is a high end chocolate. The client wanted to maintain a simple vintage style to the label design.

d7 Band Christian cd art graphic designer, musica Cristiana cd diseno grafico

2010-06-24T08:42:00.000-07:00

This is the cd packaging design I created for a Christian rock band based in Kansas City. They wanted a cd design that conveyed it was a live recorded concert. I designed the d7 logo on the cover and added several textures to give it a rich depth and I made the colors dark but rich. D7 didn't want a band photo on the cover so I created a lively crowd in an abstract environment as if they where attending a concert in another dimension.
D7 also wanted to incorporate their song lyrics, thank you's, and production notes- so they went with a 6 panel design to fit all the text. I carried the cover design theme throughout the packaging to give it a cohesive look. The band is now very happily promoting their new cd release on tour.

Aurora Illinois paddle sports festival logo graphic design

2010-06-24T07:16:00.000-07:00

The Aurora, Illinois paddlesports committee approached me with the goal of revamping their 2010 promotional graphics. They host an annual paddle sports weekend in Illinois, and this year they were holding it in my home town Aurora, IL. They wanted a graphic that could work in various facets including poster art, logo, t-shirt graphic, favicon, and more. They needed this design finished fast and within a budget, so I dedicated a weekend to completing the art in time for them to send to the local newspapers and I constructed the best fitting project parameters to fit their budget. Another difficulty was that they wanted the design to be simplistic but they also wanted it to embody multiple concepts: fun, educational, and both canoes and kayaks had to be incorporated. That's a lot of concept to fit into a simplistic graphic. I started by sketching out a few ideas and presenting them various ideas- once they narrowed it down to their favorite designs- I polished them up by adding color and sharpening the lines. Once I created a final draft the client fell in love with the design- then it was just a matter of refining it and making a few minor revisions. The paddlesports graphics received rave reviews and the event was a great success. Below is an additional design concept I created that wasn't used but I thought came out pretty nice.

Walter Payton roundhouse poster illustration art: Nobody's guaranteed tomorrow

2010-04-27T14:41:00.001-07:00

"Nobody's guaranteed tomorrow" is the caption that goes along with this poster art. I drew this piece using an 18x24 Strathmore drawing sheet and a few graphite pencils. Walter Payton is my favorite football player of all time, not only because he played for Chicago, but because he played with so much heart- you have to admire that. Unfortunately his life ended prematurely, but his legacy will live on forever. When I was a teenager I met him while working as a busboy at the Walter Payton Roundhouse restaurant in Aurora, IL- he didn't approach me with the traditional "how you doing?" and a handshake, no- he started rough housing and boxing with me. As it was happening I was thinking, I'm boxing with a football legend- I better take a dive!

The illustration depicts Walter Payton looking down upon the Walter Payton's Roundhouse Complex - back when it used to be a train station.

Roots: hip hop band poster illustration design

2010-04-27T14:32:00.000-07:00

I illustrated this poster art to commemorate the greatest rap group of all time coming to the Chicago House of Blues, the one and only ROOTS! I created a concept that illustrates the bands "realness" by inserting the mic chord into the wrist veins. The four corner designs represent the 4 elements of hip hop: turntable dj's, break-dancing, graffiti, and rhyming.

Silent Scream- Spanish rock band cd cover design

2010-03-26T07:33:00.000-07:00

I designed the graphics for this Spanish Rock cd cover art a few weeks ago. This heavy metal band from Spain hired me to create the art for their newest album release titled "Teoria De Cuerdas" which in english means "String Theory".
They had a specific idea for the art direction of their cd art, they just didn't now how to visualize it- so they gave me a collection of band photos and adjectives that described what they wanted in the art and then I went to the drawing board.I came up with the concept of blending their individual band photos with intricate fractal designs- and it worked out great because it incorporated the "string theory" concept- visible in all the fractal threads and strings. The cd package included a 12 page booklet, I created individual fractal/photo designs for each band member and added their name and instrument. The art panels were placed adjacent to song lyric panels.They're currently on tour in Spain promoting this album and they've been receiving a lot of praise and positive response to the cd design as well as their music.

Illustration Art for Children/Youth Awareness theater production: Change Teen Statistics

2010-03-08T11:15:00.000-08:00

These are a collection of custom illustrations I created for a theater production company called R.E.di Foundation, directed by Kimberly Farah and Diana Martinez. The illustrations depict American youths and the risks they face in today's world. The art was used to compliment the stage play and used as backdrops during the performance. The illustrations process was started by hand drawing the concepts in pencil, I then transferred the sketches into my computer with a scanner and touched up the line work. Before adding any color, texture or details, I sent preliminary proofs to the client for them to review and approve- there were a few minor revisions- but for the most part the art was just as they wanted it. I then brought the sketches into adobe Photoshop started to add color, I used a muted pallet on all the illustrations to maintain consistency throughout, I then overlaid some textures of old weathered paper and coffee stains to give it a rich depth. I also added a grunge black border around the illustrations to isolate the image and to ground the action/characters within the frame. The stage play was a huge success and is now being performed throughout the Midwest at middle schools and highschools.

Indonesian Indie pop/punk band: cd cover design

2010-03-07T09:41:00.000-08:00

The name of this band is Lunno which means beauty. This band from Indonesia wanted a cd cover with a photo of the band combined with a steam punk styled design. I gave it a vintage look by overlaying aged textures and a yellow tint, however I kept the yellow tint bright and saturated in order to maintain a level of modernity. I superimposed several gears in the background and on the borders I overlaid blueprint drawings of a locomotive steam engine. The collection of design elements came together well to create this organized mess and most importantly the band was happy with the final design.

Hair Salon Logo design: Kapon Salon

2010-02-25T14:35:00.000-08:00

I created this logo design for a new local hair salon that will be opening its doors in the next few months here in Aurora, IL. The client wanted a design that was simple and chic, and most importantly she wanted the logo to be instantly recognizable and communicative to the public. I first drew several designs that incorporated hair but they turned out to be too complex and detailed, so I kept carving away at the concept until I arrived at the stage of "less is more", then the design started to look more promising. I was also working with two very talented art directors that contributed they're creative eyes to help tailor the final design you see above. They use both versions for different scenarios. I created this logo using a pencil and sketchpad along with adobe illustrator cs3.

Alt Rock cd cover design- Third Law of Motion

2010-01-22T09:58:00.000-08:00

For this cd cover design I created a geometric symbol logo to represent the band. The band can reuse this emblem on other promotional material such as tshirts, stickers, and maybe even tattoos. I first sketched out a general idea for the logo, I then created it digitally using adobe illustrator, once I had the look I wanted I created a 3D view of it to give some depth, lastly I brought it into Adobe Photoshop to add the stone texture and colors. I overlaid several textures atop the logo to give some tangibility and make it look aged. I also overlaid a golden sepia color tone over the whole thing to help bring it together. Below you can see the traycard design in which I incorporated a photo of the band members with the track list above them and the logo structure in the background.
Below are some images of the design sources before their completion phase.
As you can see I cut the background out and desaturated the colors, I also adjusted the lighting by tinkering with the levels and deepening the dark's and lights. You also see the black logo before being rendered into it's 3D state, along with another unused logo design. Hope you enjoyed the insight- check back soon for more design blog posts.

Eagle wolf logo design illustration

2009-11-19T15:15:00.000-08:00

I designed this logo for a European musician that performs ambient music- sometimes called "soundscapes". The artist name is actually James Eaglewulf- i'm not sure if that's his birth name or if he legally got it changed- but regardless, that's a pretty awesome last name. Nobody messes with Eaglewulf. This client wanted a logo to represent his recording studio based on his last name- he wanted it to be detailed and to have a somewhat serious mystical overtone- he also wanted it to be a solid color so he can reproduce it in various mediums. I designed the wolf and illustrated the wings onto his back- I then went in and hand drew the etching lines inside the logo.

Petra Metal Queen- cd cover design photo collage

2009-09-29T12:37:00.000-07:00

I'm hoping body armor comes back into style- because this girl looks awesome. This style of fashion is both functional and nicely designed. This artist is a heavy metal rock musician from the UK who wanted to convey an image of her self on the cd cover that reflected her musical persona. Every now and then a design project comes along in which the client has a very specific image in mind and it's up to me to visually replicate that idea. I worked on this design job for over a month. It took longer than I expected but it also turned out better than i expected. The client basically gave me a photo of her face and I came up with the rest of the body and background. I used photoshop to compose this piece out of a collection of photos. It's not as noticeable now, but the figure pictured above is made up of 5 or 7 different humans, including arms, neck, ears, face, breast, legs, etc.. they're all body part photos taken from different humans. I felt like a mad scientist. Design-wise these kinds of projects are difficult because you're asked to combine a bunch of elements and make them look like one cohesive piece. I started by working in grayscale (this helps make all the elements look the same because they're only black and white) I then tailored all the body parts to fit the correct size and lighting, after this I added color and overlaid textures and filters to make it one happy design.