A few days ago I received a box in the mail. This box contained the first samples of five greeting cards I did for JQ Greetings. Here are pictures of these cards. The fine folks at JQ Greetings wrote the copy and performed typesetting. Some of you folks have been asking me how to get your hands on these fine cards. I can purchase them at cost and sell them, but before I place an order I would like to get a general idea of those interested (besides Mom and Dad). Prices will probably range around $10 to $15 per pack (pack of 5), plus shipping and handling. So, if you are interested leave a comment below, or send me an email via my contact page.

Don’t you hate when you’re taking a leisurely swim in your shirt, pants, and shoes, when suddenly you’re stalked by predatory sharks of the credit card variety? That’s the very scene I just got done illustrating and animating for Unitus Community Credit Union (a Portland, Oregon based credit union). This was a very fun project where I worked closely with Unitus’ head graphic designer, Bill Caddell, to create a quirky, yet ominous world of predatory credit card sharks. To view the animation click here. Be sure to turn the sound on (sound by Andrew Cecka).

I plan on doing a more in-depth post later on detailing the process (storyboarding, sketching, and so on). But for now, enjoy. And no, Unitus does not have a branded Coast Guard-style helicopter.

I wanted to draw people’s attention to an important event happening in Portland this week (Thursday, January 21). It’s a concert called Songs for Haiti, held at the Aladdin Theater in SE Portland. The concert features some of Portland’s musicians Thomas Lauderdale (bandleader of Pink Martini), Cool Nutz, Portland Cello Project, Storm Large, Grammy-nominated pianist Janice Sroggins, and more.

I’ve had the pleasure of creating some newspaper and flash banner ads promoting the event. As you can see from the fancy graphic I designed, 100% of money raised goes to Mercy Corps. You get to have a great evening, and help out the relief effort in Haiti. How cool is that?

More info available at Aladdin Theater’s website here.

Hello, everyone. It’s been a little while since I posted anything so I thought I’d post another card illustration I recently completed. Just your average horse wearing a bikini coming out of a birthday cake. Nothing too out of the ordinary (I think I need therapy).

Some people (not many) are asking me how to purchase these cards. I don’t know yet. Stay tuned for more info.

In case you’ve been wondering why my site is “ClelandIllustration.com” instead of “ClelandDesign.com”, it’s because ClelandDesign.com has been taken. And whom, you may ask, has this domain? My wife. I’ve been trying to acquire it from her for several years now, and she won’t budge. I’ve offered her millions of dollars but she refuses (something about money not meaning anything because we have a joint bank account). I even made her hot chocolate last night—still won’t budge. Oh well.

Since she’s being a big meanie I’ve decided to be the nice one and update her portfolio website for her. She has really great work, and needs a good site to showcase it. The site has been updated a few weeks now, but we’ve added a blog over the weekend, so be sure to subscribe. Check it out at www.clelanddesign.com. Comment on her first blog post. Encourage her to update it regularly, because she has a lot of cool stuff in the works.

Hello, everyone. I wanted to point you in the direction of a new program my dad, Donald Cleland, is creating. I should have posted this a couple weeks ago. He has created a theatre program for home school children. Actually, a better description is he’s extending his program that he established over 20 years ago. Back in 1986 he created a summer theatre camp for kids on summer break. The program is called Ya! Theatre (Young Actors Theatre), and to this day it continually sells out every summer. A brief description in his own words:

“In Ya! children will discover and nurture their creative and performing talents. They’ll find a place where they will be treated with respect, patience and dignity.  It’s also a place where their imaginations can run wild amidst laughter and fun.”

My wife, Rayna, re-created the branding/logo for Don’s program, and I whipped up this site in WordPress. Enjoy!