These experiments always start with the intent to see what I can produce from a "blank canvas" in Photoshop. I innocently began with a few created textures, but in the middle, these peculiar looking obelisks materialized. Although they reminded me of eggs, I eventually accessorized them with a group of rings and found a bit of the texture that resembled grass and placed it in the foreground. What started as an abstract composition evolved into a literal yet surreal landscape. Because the "Planet Garden" is such a bizarre idea, it might be interesting enough to further this concept into future experiments.

It was on a Sunday Afternoon that I decided to experiment with abstract shapes in Photoshop. The challenge was to create something compelling from just a "blank canvas". Little did I know when I started that I would be completely enticed for the rest of the afternoon creating these crazy little compositions. Even though they are nothing more than abstract designs, I thought they all resembled the impressions and personalities of celestial bodies within our solar system.

Another planet in the series. Although I listed the "Earth" piece first, the "Earth" is actually the one I did the last, and the one I truly like the most. It seemed each composition was evolving to it and even though I think a few of these are satisfactory, I wanted to list them to show how one design can inspire the next.

Another experiment from the "Planet Series". This is another example of the evolutionary steps of playing with different abstract geometrical shapes. The ellipse made the title obvious and the type was added at the end.

The genesis of the now known, the "Planet series". The whole series took about five hours to produce which resulted in six compositions on an otherwise uneventful Sunday Afternoon. It started from experimenting with sharp geometric shapes, blending one into another. I felt it had a very "cubist" feel and tried to compliment its sharpness by drawing round objects and using the geometrical background as texture.

This is another "blank canvas" experiment but instead of using geometrical shapes, I wanted to take a more expressionistic, and "painterly" approach. One of the wonderful things about doing these exercises is that you never know what to expect.

Just a little meaningless experiment in Photoshop. This was a result of making a selection of an odd shape and subtlely painting the edges. This makes the shapes look transparent in the middle.

Ok, this is as silly as I get. I was decompressing from finishing the ReadyAbout Postcard campaign shown in the Illustration category. I took the brain graphic I created earlier and ventured to create an old retro horror movie poster. The "blood splatter" was created for a previous flyer by spilling india ink on paper which was scanned into Photoshop.

One of my playful photoshop collages. At the time I had an inspiration in scanning found objects such as the letter and a sugar packet, to fabricate a "starbuck's-like" collage..

Art Bell's "Coast to Coast" is a syndicated AM radio talk show. Art's discussions range from conspiracy theories, prophecy and paranormal experiences. This seal was inspired when Art Bell was discussing George Bush's announcement of the "Shadow Government." Art thought this could use a governmental seal of its own and challenged all designers listening, to create a design. The center illustration is an obvious depiction from the comic book character, "the shadow."

During my down time, one of my favorite things to do is to look at other designer's portfolios. I came across an incredible designer who's portfolio was very inspirational. This design was a "spur of the moment" exercise at an attempt to create an original piece utilizing someone's style. Another feature to the exercise was to abandon the urge to be literal with the visual content. In a twist, the photo of the women's body becomes secondary to the visual effects and the typography.