September 30th marked the first announcement for the 2026 edition of Prepare the Ground (@preparethegroundtoronto ). Here's the original artwork I put together for the posters themselves, which I'm really excited to share with everyone. This year's grouping of bands is nothing short of exciting, and I can't wait to see you all there again! Head on over to the PTG Instagram for the full announcement details. 🖤
#art #darkart #illustration #graphicdesign #occultart #blackmetal #deathmetal #doommetal #ptg2026 #preparetheground #preparethegroundtoronto
I'll post about some of these individually, but I figure I would just make a post that catalogues a large swathe of logos I've created within the last 2-3 years or so. I can't quite remember the time span. My brain is a festering clew of worms and I forget a lot of things very easily. I did this same thing quite a long while ago and it's neat to take a step back to see how far things have come.
This is post number two for the day, too, and I'm kinda just testing the waters to see how the algorithm works (or, well, doesn't).
Anywho. Take a gander.
Enjoy.
And have a fantastic day.
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#logodesign #darkart #metallogo #bandlogo #illustration #graphicdesign
For the third year in a row we have partnered with local brewing legends Woodhouse Brewing to craft the Prepare the Ground Lager, a hearty malt brew with subtle citrus notes that finishes clean. You can find it at all of our venues where alcohol is served. The can features the festival artwork by our amazing art director Stephen Wilson.
Today I turn 39. Before I turn 40 I would like to spend some more time engaged with art making in non-digital forms (so notifications don't pull me away in the middle of drawing), get away from the soul erasure that is social media (despite it comprising a large portion of my workflow, much to my chagrin), spend less time consuming dread (but remaining informed), and spend more time connecting with new friends, old friends, and friends I've yet to make (and also, leave the house more often, because being a hermit is bad for your mental health).
I'm a slow artist, I always have been, but this past year I've been slower than ever, more depressed, more disengaged, less enthusiastic, and incredibly forgetful. Seeing tragedies unfold here in the Twin Cities, the rest of the country, and beyond is exhausting, and that is very much the point. If I can take anything positive away from all this, it is your community, your friends, and your neighbors that you can turn to in times of hardship, and in turn, be the one they can turn to as well, becoming part of turning the tide of negativity, apathy, and gloom.
So with the turning of the page of another year, I'm going to try and be better not just for myself but for people around me. It's easy in these moments to forget the importance of connection (even when you're a miserable metalhead). In addition to my stupid face, here's some old art from years 2011 - 2018.
Stay safe out there. Xo
#darkart #illustration #drawing #artofig #artwork
New logo I completed over the summer for Philadelphia's Ecliptor (@ecliptormetal ). For those of you in attendance at their March 26th show in Philly, sponsored by @fireinthemountains , you absolutely don't want to miss their live debut. 🖤
⚔️ OBSIDIAN PRE-ORDER IS LIVE ⚔️
@ghorotdoom ‘s third full-length album Obsidian is now available for pre-order!! Vinyl, CD, Cassette, and Digital formats are at your disposal along with brand new T-Shirt and Long Sleeves. Snag yours today and receive an immediate download of our first single Void Drinker 🍷
And as an added bonus, anyone who purchases a Vinyl + T Shirt or Vinyl + Long Sleeve Bundle will be automatically entered to win a Vinyl Test Pressing signed by the band!!
Shop Today @ Ghorot.bandcamp.com
US Vinyl/CD/Cassette/Digital - Ghorot
US Vinyl/Cassette/Digital - @kotmrecords
EU Vinyl/Digital - @laybarerecordings
Behold the mighty album artwork for @ghorotdoom ‘s 3rd full-length record OBSIDIAN!! We’re thrilled to once again work with the masterful, singular artist @unknown_relic on this brutal offering. Obsidian is Ghorot at its most primal, a harsh and dissonant eulogy to the dawn of man; noisy and violent, mournful and cavernous, a fitting slab of brutality from Boise’s blackened-doom trio 🌋
Pre-Orders & T-Shirt/Long Sleeve Bundles launch Friday, March 6th on Bandcamp
EU Vinyl/Digital - @laybarerecordings
US Vinyl/Cassette/Digital - @kotmrecords
US Vinyl/Cassette/CD/Digital - Ghorot
Recorded/Mixed/Mastered by @apangry at The Boar’s Nest - Salt Lake City, UT
PREPARE THYSELVES
The year nears its end, and with it comes recounting the steps it took to get here. It was not an easy year, filled with great and crushing moments, a lot of revelations, a long absence of a loved one, not to mention the political strife permeating into everything. Drawing skulls and dreamlike imagery feels useless when you feel like hope for the world is in short supply. It feels like it slows me down to a glacial pace with all things and then some. In the coming months, I need to come to a better understanding of how to avoid these same tired paths, the negative self-talk, the endless cyclical catastrophizing. In short, perfection is the enemy of good.
Being an artist for me is as much about creating as it is agonizing over it. "What if I fuck this up, and everyone realizes I'm a fraud?" But, I've noticed my biggest leaps are when those moments of uncertainty are shorn off, I say "who cares, wing it and just make shit", learn something about myself in those very same steps, then keep working at it. Maybe regarding it as simply "winging it" diminishes the instincts I have when lost in the pages, because...shit, that's what it's all about, right?
Back in 2006 there was this quote from Doc Hammer about The Venture Brothers when discussing the show's themes that left its mark on me. "It's about the beauty of failure. It's about that failure happens to all of us. Every character is not only flawed, but sucks at what they do, and is beautiful at it and Jackson and I suck at what we do, and we try to be beautiful at it, and failure is how you get by. It shows that failure is funny, and it's beautiful and it's life."
So in this step over the threshold, between the doorway of years, I'm trying to remember that. Failing and fucking up is a good thing. It means we can learn to be better versions of ourselves as long as we're open to the experience of moving forward, facing our flaws, and doing our damndest to make something beautiful with them, as artists, as musicians, as people. As long as you're still here, breathing, thinking, you, we, can do just that.
"The worst enemy of creativity is self-doubt" - Sylvia Plath
See you in 2026.
S.
#art #illustration
It is a snowy, cold Tuesday night here in Minnesota, and while I work on a slew of other works, here’s a skull drawing for your viewing (dis)pleasure.
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#art #illustration #darkart #occultart #skullart
Excited to share our new artwork and logo created by the amazing @unknown_relic . They are the best ❤️ T-shirts will be available at our very first show on 7th November with @oromet_doom ,@old_iron_band , and @feralseason at @babayagaseattle . A few weeks after that we are excited to be lurking at @electricalaudio to record our first EP!
