My daughter has a gift. Not sure if she will pursue her gift long-term, so for now I will treasure it for as long as I can. Her gift is the ability to translate the pictures in her mind to paper. We’re not talking classical masterpieces the likes of the greats, but she has a cool style for a four-year-old. I have been truly impressed by many of the drawings she has created for us.

A couple of days ago my daughter was at the table huddled over a piece of paper like she often is. I wasn’t allowed to see what she was working on. Not until it was finished. What she revealed to us was an outstanding picture she drew. It’s a picture of her mom. It was a cute & cool drawing. We heaped lots of praise and encouragement.

I decided to convert the drawing to digital form to keep a copy for myself and then realized it would make a cool shirt. It is now available. When my daughter saw that I put her art on a shirt she grabbed a few more pieces of paper and created additional drawings. I’ve made those available as well. I plan to make more available over time if she is good with it. Some drawings will only be for us. Will be some great memories in the future when we look at the drawings again. We’ve been keeping them in a safe place.

I could not be prouder of her abilities. Her ability to draw what she visualizes far surpasses my skills, even after more than 20 years’ experience. Can’t wait to see more of her creations.

These are the items I have converted to digital and made available here on this site.

The post Natural Talent appeared first on pixelmandan.

Two years have passed and I am beginning to wonder if that translation of hobby to income will ever take place. There has been lots of effort for all involved, but the apparel (especially t-shirts) is hugely competitive. One cool aspect has been the opportunity to design for major brands of the world. However, the designs presented have yet to yield the orders that lead to revenue.

There is no telling how much longer it will take to see the fruits of all the hard work. No idea how long I can hold out for that to happen.

Here’s to the hope something will come to fruition soon.

Much frustration remains.

The post The Apparel Industry appeared first on pixelmandan.

Truth is, I lost my drive to do anything after being asked to stop selling certain items.

My frustration and discouragement led to motivation. I have been asking questions and learning the process for creating and selling officially licensed products. Still learning.

One great thing that has come about was an introduction to a company that is a licensed manufacturer of apparel. No, not Nike or adidas…but a company that has a product I believe in and can stand behind. Their apparel products are made from post-consumer recycled plastic bottles.

I have been designing artwork for the licensed properties they work with. So far I have gotten to design for several universities, my alma mater included. Waiting to see if schools chose to offer the apparel selections in their various retail outlets. A few schools have already; University of Oregon. UMASS, and Ithaca College.

One of the coolest opportunities was designing items for the NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Visitor Complex. Two of my designs were selected and are now in the gift shop and online store for KSC. Funny side note, I started out in Aerospace Engineering in college with dreams of being part of the teams that design and built spacecraft for human travel. That lasted a semester. That field is tough…and meant for the intellectual elite. I found my way to graphic design and now have a product associated with NASA. I’ll take it!

Men’s T-Shirt Official NASA Meatball Recycled Material Gray

Men’s T-Shirt Rocket Science Recycled Material Navy

At some point I plan to offer my own private designs that are not related to trademarked properties on the recycled plastic bottle products. For now, I will gladly continue to design for the different properties and organizations they are connected with. Hopefully their message of sustainable products grows and my designs are part of it.

The post Update appeared first on pixelmandan.

I have a passion. It is football. It is a specific college football team. It is the Arizona State University Sun Devils. I want to share that passion.

In the last few years I’ve begun creating fan art and posting it on social media. It’s fun. It’s one way I can express my fanatical love for my beloved Sun Devils. Sadly, I cannot contribute financially the way I want to. I own and operate a small business. The earning from the business are focused on providing for the family and what remains doesn’t allow for season tickets or contributions to the athletics program.

So, I created my own way to contribute. It may not equate to advancing the bottom line of ASU’s financial efforts, but it does allow me the opportunity to support in a way that utilizes my talents.

Maybe some day the passion will translate to something that enables me to support ASU Athletics with monetary value.

To me, there is real value in sharing my passion the best way I can at this point. #ForksUp

The post Sharing My Passion appeared first on pixelmandan.