Luke Skywalker's Hand

So what ever DID happen to Luke Skywalker's hand and lightsaber after being severed by Darth Vader at the climax of The Empire Strikes Back?  Perhaps they're just floating in deep space through asteroid fields.  What are the chances of surviving that??

Or perhaps we'll find out in Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens!

I had a blast inking this illustration live on the air with Jedigoddess Presents, on Deep Ellum On Air.  Stay tuned for today's recorded episode to pop up on the site!

Zombie Rocker - Limited Edition Texan Gothic T-Shirt Design

I'm proud to announce the first Limited Edition Tee-shirt design from Texan Gothic!
What's more metal than a severed zombie hand... with a burning hunger to rock?!

Limited Edition Texan Gothic Tee from an original Brad Albright illustration.
Super soft with a dark graphic edge. Dress to depress!

Claim yours while they're available at www.TexanGothic.com
** Take $3 off through Black Friday with Coupon Code: 'Zombie'

• White on Black 100% cotton, ultra-soft 30-single weave.
• FREE US SHIPPING - November Preorders shipping early December.
• Available in Medium / Large / XL

"Killer Headphones" Skull... - Daily Line Art #2

"Don't Feed The Reaper" - Daily Line Art #1

On October 13th, 2014, I began a challenging new routine of waking at 5am to coffee, heavy metal, and two+ hours of traditional line art illustration.  This is where we began.

New Albright Illustration website & blog!

Thanks for visiting!

I'm proud to invite you to visit me at my relaunched portfolio site and integrated blog at www.AlbrightIllustration.com , or just click the image below!  

Texan Gothic / DSVC Dallas Awards

I'm honored that a batch of my self-promotional 'Texan Gothic' series and MFA thesis illustrations were awarded a bronze medal at last night's annual DSVC juried show!  (The thing itself is a solid bronze lightbulb that has to weigh nearly 5 pounds!)  This was my first time to attend a DSVC event, and I was immediately blown away by the caliber of work that was on display.  The Dallas Society of Visual Communication assembles some remarkable talent, and there had to be close to 500 people there!  

The exhibition and formal awards dinner was an impressive event with designers, creative directors, illustrators, educators, and other industry titans in attendance.  Fossil's Senior VP Tim Hale won the Golden Egg lifetime achievement award, with previous winners including Stan Richards of The Richards Group and illustrators Jack Unruh and Bart Forbes (both of which were guest lecturers for my graduate MFA class in March 2012).  All in all, a very classy event!

I'm honored to be involved and look forward to meeting more folks in years to come.  Thanks very much to the Dallas Society of Visual Communications, guest judges, and to the Hartford Art School low residency MFA in llustration program! 

I'm encouraged and excited to share the full series after graduation next month!

Cinco de Mayo Red Bull Posters

Happy Cinco de Mayo!  While I'm finishing up my graduate illustration thesis, I'm eager to get back to making regular blog updates.  But rest assured, I've been busy!  In the meantime, here's a sampling of some illustrated poster commissions for Red Bull.  It's an honor working with them, and a great opportunity to play with some wild color schemes and hand-lettering, which I've been anxious to do more of.  Stay tuned for some other fun commissions!

Quick(ish) 2012 Recap & Thanks!

Thanks to everyone who has helped make 2012 a great and creative year!  

In the past 365 days I went from art show stagnancy to having been involved in more than 20 art shows (due in part to my first year of being involved in Dallas' Kettle Art gallery, thanks guys!!).  Thank you to everyone I've been fortunate to show with, and for your community and friendship!  

This year I had the great pleasure of designing my first three album covers (thank you to the families of Spector 45, Panic Volcanic, and The Black Moriah).  I've enjoyed active freelance work designing logos, apparel, product labels, and posters, found success opening and building my Etsy shop, and finally self-taught myself screen printing.  Thanks to everyone who wears or shared an Albright scarf!  

Thanks to Hartford Art School's low residency illustration MFA program, I've enjoyed the challenges and joys of working with some of the most talented and passionate artists and illustrators around the country, learning from from the absolute best.  I'm looking forward to spending the next quarter developing a killer thesis and bringing it all full circle for a July graduation.  I’ll miss it terribly when it’s over.

Dallas’ custom vinyl toy scene provided an invigorating creative outlet and a remarkable group of peers.  I’ve become great friends with some of Dallas’ finest designers and artists through the ‘Vinyl Thoughts’ and ‘Show Me The Munny’ art shows, thanks very much to the minds behind Vinyl Thoughts Nation and Shop Atama.

I also moved on from my full time position of 5 1/2 years to join an awesomely talented team at Bioworld Merchandising, developing licensed apparel and accessories for some of my all time favorites like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Batman, Ren & Stimpy, and Coca-Cola.  

I’m ever thankful that I've had the great fortune and invaluable support of a fantastic group of parents who have entrusted me with tutoring their talented young ones in drawing, illustration, and general creativity.  You guys are a joy and an inspiration, and you continually impress me with your growth and enthusiasm!

Finally, a tremendous thank you to my family, friends, and coworkers who have supported me through the creative rollercoaster and various life changes.  Cheers to a new year of growth, productivity, and happiness.  Be safe!

Sketching Anatomical Reference

Today I made a spontaneous trip to Fort Worth's Amon Carter Museum to collect reference and sketch some of the awesome sculptures and paintings by Remington and Russell. I recently discovered how much I love that place!  With free admission every day, it's quickly becoming my favorite destination in DFW to research illustrations.  It's proven invaluable as I'm starting to really dive into my thesis.

The Black Moriah 'Casket Prospects' Thrash Metal Album Cover Illustration

I recently had the pleasure of developing the cover art illustration for The Black Moriah's full length Casket Prospects album release.  

As a DFW metal band with serious black/thrash chops and a brutal western theme, they're arguably the perfect client.  They're talented, professional, and a pleasure to work with.  In fact, the process of discussing concept with them and working up dozens of thumbnails lead me to want to expand upon the idea for my graduate illustration thesis through Hartford Art School's low residency MFA Program (see my 'Spooked' post below for a glimpse at the new body of work).

For those with a taste for Slayer and dare to be thrashed, they'll be playing with Nile at Trees in Deep Ellum, TX / March 30th, 2013.  Snag a ticket while they're available here.

Follow The Black Moriah on Facebook, stream tracks, or purchase the album from TheBlackMoriah.com.  

Spooked 3D - Gothic Western Illustration / Album Cover

Here's a glimpse of things to come...  'Spooked' is the first in a series of Gothic Western heavy metal-esque album cover styled illustrations.... in 3D!  Get your red/blue glasses out, for the love of the desert!

Silkscreened Hitchcock Scarves

I finally got my act together and produced the long-planned Hitchcock Scarf design, building a brand new one-color press, testing a new style of silkscreen, and experimenting with printing a halftone gradient pattern.  

So far these are getting a tremendous response, and the pinstripes in particular are flying like crows!  Thanks to my friends at Dallas' Kettle Art gallery for their support and enthusiasm, modeling them with style!

The hand-printed scarves are available in limited quantity at the gallery and in my Etsy Store in black, pinstripe, and limited luck-of-the-draw distressed varieties.

George Wallace III, such sophistication!

Amber Campagna, classic Hitchcock Heroine!

Pinstriped edition

Solid edition

Burning my design into the emulsion coated screen

Home-made one color press, freshly lacquered!

(This time around, I found that the quality of print and reliability of the stencil was greatly improved by using a pre-stretched aluminum silkscreen frame as opposed to a hand-stretched wooden frame.  The improved tension across the screen prevented some issues I previously had with inconsistent print quality and ink smearing.  Self-teaching myself the process has been challenging, but also quite rewarding.  Getting better all the time!)

Holiday Show Poster & Illustrated Frame

In the spirit of supporting small businesses and local art this holiday season, Kettle Art is kicking off its 8th annual Holiday Presence show!  It's a great place to buy some affordable gifts from your favorite Dallas artists.

When I was asked to put together a show poster for the event, I wanted to experiment with designing a custom frame while also applying a softer, seasonal palette to my typically stark black linework.  I had a good time plotting which artistic media to embed in the frame itself, and how to create a quick read that the Kettle Art gallery provides a framework for local artists to play and exhibit.  Oh, and I also wanted to cleverly hide the #8 in the shape of a snowman.  See what I did there? wah wah.

Holiday Presence #8 opens at Kettle Art, Thursday, December 6th at 7pm, hope to see you there! Feel free to RSVP @ the Facebook Event Page

Sterling Archer - Custom Vinyl Munny

I recently finished this pair of custom 'Archer' mini Munny vinyl toys, based on the title character from the FX comedy.  One was a direct commission, and I figured why not make two options and have the second to keep, show, or sell down the line.  The 4.5" size is a lot of fun, but small enough to be a good challenge to paint and draw on.  Sculpting and painting the accessories is another challenge entirely!



I also made a 12"x12" painting for Vinyl Thoughts 3 in Dallas, which now accompanies the commissioned toy.

"Would you say that we'd be venturing into a zone... of danger?!"

Alien & Jonesy - iPad Sketch with Jaja Stylus

Starring my favorite movie monster, here's a quick time-lapse video of my first real attempt on the iPad with my new Jaja pressure sensitive stylus.  I've been fumbling around getting the hang of the Jaja and identifying the quirks in both Procreate and Sketch Club apps.  I'll always love my Wacom Cintiq for serious work, but this seems to be pointing in the right direction for a portable option.  I'll post again with more in-depth thoughts on it.