“I was inspired by screen print posters but had no idea how they were made. Using digital art, I replicated the grit, rigid color schemes, and opportunities for happy accidents.”

-Reid Faylor, quietly in the shower

The Story Must Be Told live at Ryman Auditorium

I designed this highly surreal, quasi-religious poster for The Story Must Be Told podcast. They were performing a live show at the historical Ryman Auditorium, original home of the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.

Hidden details for fans of the show: a Garfield mug, the word “Chalms” (twice!), a can of Cro-Croa, the cryptic symbol of the podcast.

My favorite detail is the mouth. For reference, I asked a fan of the show who worked in medical teeth casting for a interesting mouth model, and he sent a perfect image. It set the mood!

Sureni Weerasekera, Live at the New York Comedy Festival

Sureni was particularly drawn to The Story Must Be Told poster I did above, and wanted something in a similar surreal, bombastic vein for her headlining show at the New York Comedy Festival.

For inspiration, she requested the following elements: Sinhalese folklore demons called “yakka,” curry leaves, the intricate details of ancient temple steps, and Dante’s Inferno.

She said: “I'm not afraid of grotesque designs, I love that you have a lot of ‘controlled chaos’ going on in your work.”

I was proud of the distinct elements and how they all blended together here. I played on the title to give an erotic tone to the elements—probing fingers, inviting lips, and some suggestive candles.

Louis katz live show poster

Louis needed an 11x17” poster designed that he could sell at shows just a few days later. He asked for something intricate and 60’s inspired, with lots of color and a detailed depiction of his face. I sent him thumbnails within the hour, we picked a direction, and I began illustrating immediately. I finished the poster, sent it to Louis. He did not like the color scheme I had used, and felt the 60’s aesthetic wasn’t pushed hard enough.

I asked Louis several questions: could he send me some additional reference art? Is there a specific color scheme he is drawn to? When does the file needed to be delivered to the printer? He responded, and I re-imagined the poster using the composite pieces of the original poster. I set them to be customizable to suit changes like these. By the end of the day, he had a new design based on the old that he loved and still uses.

Aparna nancherla & josh gondelman live show poster

This was one of my earlier posters I designed in the New York City stand-up scene, and it got me a lot more work with people and set the mood I would pursue since: bold colors, eye catching designs, dramatized portraits.

Josh and Aparna had a simple request: a poster that combined their two faces, please. I picked two different color schemes for each half, and fell in love with the secondary color scheme that emerged.

The show originally had a different title, but inspired by the poster they changed the show’s name to “An Evening of Comedy with Two People Whose Faces Look Weird as One Face.”

My face is down here

This is one I made to sell on my online shop. I consider it the third in a series of finding my own little branch of surrealism. It took a lot of playing to find the right colors. My favorite elements are the stippled shading on the smoke and the detail of the hair—the textures are clearly defined, the shapes loose and flowing.