Pattern Bliss

Sunny floral print for the spring. Big strokes of yellow paint always makes me happy. Take care and keep creating.

I am joining @joannehawker 's #marchmeetthemaker challenge. Day 4: Brand/Logo. #MarchMeetTheMaker .

What I love to create is always adapting to each new creative inspiration— with each new creative brief. I think the unifying elements are a sunny color palette, texture, surface designs, people and faces, hand lettering, typography, and motion graphics.

I am so excited that Alicia Keys was back to host the Grammy Awards this year. All the controversy sounding surrounding the Grammys and nominations was distracting. I know the awards will be a true celebration of music because she is hosting. I can tell you that I feel the positive vibe Alicia sends out into the world.

My second portrait for Grammy Awards is a portrait of Alicia Keys.

Featuring a few artist portraits this month that I created for music’s biggest night—the Grammys. Lizzo is my first portrait. This fabulous 8-time GRAMMY nominee is a rapper, singer, songwriter and classically trained flutist. Lizzo makes her GRAMMYs debut. You don’t want to miss her performance.

Work days can be stressful. I think every day is better with a yoga and meditation time.

One of the things I like about editorial illustration is the fact the client will you give you a specific framework to help you understand the purpose of the project and ultimately help you in the creative process. This animated illustration of Lizzo and her song Truth Hurts was a personal project with the creative brief supplied by Lilla Rogers in a Make Art That Sells course.

Lilla Rogers must be psychic because as a class we began this Lizzo project a month ago—and this week when we completed the course, Lizzo received 8 Grammy nominations—including song of the year for “Truth Hurts.”

Creating gifs and animations is one of my favorite types of projects as an illustrator because it engages people quickly and powerfully. The motion in animated gifs catches your eye and gets you to stop scrolling through the newsfeed. 

Also I think one of the super powers of a gif is that animation makes it possible to break down complex ideas visually. As an artist, animation gives you the power to visually explore abstract ideas. Imagine trying to explain several concepts quickly in one project. For example, in this Lizzo project the concepts of female empowerment, positive body image, and heartbreak were portrayed through animation. 

You can find more of my animation on Instagram here.

Do you have plants in your work area? I do. Besides being so healthy to have around—they filter the air—they make me feel happier too. (Art by Chris Olson)

A collection of sketches for a Make Art That Sells editorial assignment. The brief was to illustrate morning, moon, potato, high, successful, tools, pulling, and herbal tea. Quite an unusual collection of words. Fun to do! I am looking forward to seeing what Lilla Rogers wants us to do next. 

This animated graphic features a tropical park and a dog running on a path. This gif was created for Urban Jungle Week. Motion graphic was made with the Procreate app and Adobe Photoshop. by Chris Olson.

Can you ever have too many flowers? I don’t think so.

This animated graphic features a plant loving lady. This gif was created for Urban Jungle Week. Motion graphic was made with the Procreate app and Adobe Photoshop.