Shiny Metal Thing

New Blog

2010-05-29T15:51:00.001-05:00

Check out my new blog...

ShinyMetalThing.com

2010-02-14T17:06:00.001-06:00

Oh, good for you sound bite Christian Bale sound bites

Cd Design

2010-02-09T19:23:00.001-06:00

Yay.. 100 cds printed and being handed out. Go Ben.

I designed this while thinking about old records.

poster 01-30-01

2010-01-03T16:31:00.001-06:00

I know a secret

2009-12-02T12:10:00.002-06:00

Just playing in photoshop.

zombies! and photoshop.

2009-10-04T22:37:00.004-05:00

Ok. I have a ton of respect for talented photoshoppers out there.

It is really hard to take two totally different photos and convincingly put them together.

I'm much more familiar with Illustrator now... so thought I'd have some fun w/ photoshop.

I know it is colorized.. and the zombies have bad outlines.. and I chopped a zombie head a little with the eraser.. not the saw. However, I am learning.. It was fun.. and I think the fog I made came out kinda cool...

Hopefully not

2009-10-03T17:57:00.002-05:00

Poster for Ben

2009-08-29T20:31:00.000-05:00

Go see Ben

2009-06-08T12:23:00.001-05:00

Ben Ripani Music Co. is playing two shows this week..
try and make em. Fun times.

Here is the flyer for the second show I did this weekend...

Quick poster for 6-10-09

2009-06-03T23:33:00.002-05:00

Just a quick poster for Ben and his new Music Co.

Field Museum Pics

2009-04-27T21:37:00.001-05:00

Fun stuff...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7330986@N06/sets/72157617410503566/

Merch Sticker / Card

2009-04-21T19:53:00.003-05:00

This is for Ben's Suitcase full of Merch.

Gray Ghosts 5-2-09

2009-04-18T02:54:00.003-05:00

This is for my buddy Frank Green's band Gray Ghosts...
He and I designed this the other night.. Thanks Frank!

Gray Ghosts poster ideas

2009-04-15T16:12:00.005-05:00

Anyone love or hate any of these? Any feedback is welcome!!
yes.. i know it is just "Soda Bar" :j
Thanks..

Ben's flyer 4-10-09

2009-03-16T14:02:00.001-05:00

Go see the show...

Not done yet.. just a sample

2009-03-12T10:12:00.002-05:00

Like the direction this is going?

Ben's show on 2-21-09

2009-02-10T22:59:00.002-06:00

Go see Ben... Silvie's Lounge ... Chicago.
Look now... poster...

01-29-09 show

2009-01-18T23:43:00.002-06:00

go see live music. there were a million (read : 6) other colors before orange....
i wanted it to be eye catching, but i'm sick of red.

Thanks for the gift Eric.

2009-01-13T23:02:00.002-06:00

Fun stuff...

Sister and Mother..

2009-01-08T22:47:00.004-06:00

Fun times at my cousin's wedding..

Edgar Allan Poe

2009-01-08T21:45:00.002-06:00

Here is the pup. Eddie for short..

My wife at ~8 yrs...

2009-01-08T21:18:00.001-06:00

HAHA

This kid..

2009-01-08T20:34:00.002-06:00

I have no idea where I got this photo... it just made me laugh...
Tell me you don't chuckle.. just once.?? hmm? just a little laugh?
I wonder what the scene looks like from behind the camera..

cd cover art..

2009-01-08T20:18:00.004-06:00

This was the first part of Ben's album that I had finished.
I carved this.. then scanned it in..

SO FUN

CD release poster

2009-01-08T08:00:00.002-06:00

Here is the poster I made for Ben's CD release party.
It is framed in his house.. YAY.

Wrong colors

2008-12-31T18:54:00.002-06:00

the last post had the colors wrong.. however.. i love it..
anyway.. here is the original.

January 7th Flyer for Ben

2008-12-31T18:51:00.002-06:00

Here is the poster I came up with for Ben Ripanis show on Jan 7th..
Whatcha think?

Long time gone

2008-12-31T18:50:00.002-06:00

It has been an awful long time since I updated my blog.
Shame on you all for not pestering me sooner.
I'll be posting more in the near future...

hope st session blurred

2008-06-30T23:09:00.002-05:00

illustrator.

illustrator monkey

2008-06-16T08:42:00.002-05:00

Just messin around with illustrator.

Hope st red

2008-06-13T23:23:00.002-05:00

pen, markers, paint marker, illustrator

Hope St Traced

2008-06-13T08:13:00.002-05:00

Here is another hope st. sketch...
Drawn with a few pens that were running out of ink.
The other is that same pic live traced (poorly) in illustrator.

MS Bike Run 2008

2008-06-11T13:29:00.004-05:00

I was asked to design a shirt for a bike run.
I designed it with a Harley logo... I should have asked more questions
because it ended up being a Bicycle run.. haha.. had to do a little re-design.
Here is what was sent to the printer.
The top left is the front of all of them.
The top right is the back of almost all of them.
Bottom left is back of Joe's shirt.
Bottom right is the back of Jen's shirt.

ink and hope

2008-06-01T17:41:00.004-05:00

what do you hope for?
what makes you think of hope?
light at the end of a tunnel? a rose?
ideas?

Hope St Mountain Thumbnail Sketch

2008-05-28T13:08:00.004-05:00

Quick thumb of an idea where the street goes through mountains.
It would be cut out of a wood or rubber block. The street/sky would have no color and the
Mountains would have all the color w/ small areas showing contours.
Leave a comment for feedback...
Please excuse the crummy cell phone pic :)

Demons stickers

2008-05-19T21:28:00.002-05:00

Just some quick stickers I did for a softball team.
One is for a good hit.
The other is if you get injured during play.

St. Watercolor

2008-05-03T10:31:00.003-05:00

I mixed these concentrated watercolors together to get this cool green/brown color.
It doesn't show up as well in the scan.. but here is a sample.

Hope St Moleskin Graphic

2008-04-27T01:56:00.006-05:00

Just an idea for a Hope st. graphic.
Scanned a blank moleskin page and used a photo for the buildings.

Cold Weathered Man

2008-04-24T21:32:00.006-05:00

messing around w/ conte for the first time in a while...
looking for ideas for ben's album.

st sketch

2008-04-23T23:51:00.001-05:00

Winter Trees

2008-04-22T20:38:00.004-05:00

Just messing with scan settings on some watercolor trees I did last winter.

ben again

2008-04-22T08:41:00.004-05:00

i'll be posting a bunch of rough sketches and ideas for ben's theme...
to see the progression...
This is an idea for spirals.. cause the thing in your inner ear that lets you hear is spiral shaped.
It is called the cochlea. music... hearing... ya know :)
Not all that original.. but i'm just starting this project...
leave a comment.

Hope St

2008-04-19T22:33:00.002-05:00

First idea for hope st.

Another snowman

2008-04-12T10:55:00.002-05:00

For my Aunt....

Snowman prank

2008-04-11T08:24:00.002-05:00

Those kids think they are so funny!

More Mice

2008-04-08T08:21:00.001-05:00

Mice...

2008-04-03T23:40:00.004-05:00

Messing with concentrated liquid watercolors... They need some cleanup work, but I like the different styles. It is funny how the ones I liked the most.. all faced the same way. More to come later.

I still don't like my scanning setup.. the scans here don't have the same look that the real pics have at all... I just have to keep messing w/ the settings... If anyone has a great setup then can relate.. I'm all ears.

11.06 Las Vegas shirts

2008-04-02T13:05:00.003-05:00

Went on a trip to Las Vegas with some friends...
I figured we should have shirts to commemorate it.
This is the design I came up with.

Got the inspiration from one of my favorite musicians.

Inside a broken clock
Splashing the wine with all the rain dogs
Taxi, we’d rather walk
Huddle a doorway with the rain dogs
For I am a rain dog too

(from Tom Waits' Rain Dogs)

Pumpkins in pencil

2008-04-01T14:15:00.003-05:00

Just a rough sketch of some pumpkins I made up..

Excuse the bad cell phone pic...

Now.. what should I put on the log... What would pumpkins be fascinated by or wary of?

Dancing Oil-aholic

2008-03-31T19:40:00.002-05:00

My robot has a beard. So what...?

Angry Duck

2008-03-31T19:39:00.002-05:00

This guy makes me laugh...
Drew him a while ago..

Buzzard Tribute

2008-03-31T19:35:00.003-05:00

I love The Goon by Eric Powell.
In my top 3 for sure.

Here is a pic I drew of Buzzard.

Monkey With A Jetpack

2008-03-31T18:09:00.003-05:00

Watercolor and Ink on a wood board.
A birthday gift for Senica..
To mark the beginning of her new movie production company.

Zombies - Ink and water

2008-03-31T18:00:00.002-05:00

I love zombies.

My first Logo/Business Card

2008-03-31T17:56:00.003-05:00

This was the first logo and business card I created.

Fun stuff..

Elementally my dear Watson.

2008-03-31T17:52:00.001-05:00

I thought this was funny... Made it into a shirt for my sister..

Old Tshirt Design

2008-03-31T17:45:00.002-05:00

Never made this into a shirt though...

Do NOT feed the mice...

2008-03-31T17:04:00.002-05:00

Clay Heads

2008-03-31T16:58:00.004-05:00

Ok... I was in the third grade and my teacher made everyone in class play with clay because I couldn't keep my hands still. I kept banging on the table.. or twirling a pencil.. I'll never forget that. When I was younger I thought she was being nice to me. Now I realize... she just wanted an hour every Friday where I was quiet.

Flowers for you...

2008-03-31T16:31:00.004-05:00

Here is a little guy I cut out of a practice rubber block.
He makes me laugh...

Oooh.. check out that Shiny Metal Thing...

2008-03-31T16:15:00.003-05:00

Welcome to Shiny Metal Thing.

My name is Joe Mastroianni.

This is a blog to post my sketches, designs, and other art I make.
All constructive criticism is welcome.. I'd appreciate it!

Hope you enjoy...