Beto Petiches is an illustrator, animator, and graphic designer from Mexico City. Despite spending most of the past four years working on a singular project, he has still found time to doodle some great tees for us! Read on to learn how he turned a life of doodling into a career.

CB: Hey Beto, how did you get started as an illustrator?

BP: Thank you. It is quite an honor to be referred to as that, I personally don’t think of myself as an illustrator because most of my drawings don’t get to that stage where they can be what I consider illustrations. I think of myself as a doodler, that’s where my drawings live happier.

I started pretty young - I was the classic shy introverted boy who drew to express himself. I wasn’t that good, but my family did a pretty good job encouraging me to keep going. My father was a great painter and cartoonist, he drew for some newspapers, I was really inspired by him. I copied the cartoons from the TV shows I liked and started making my own comics. The kids at school liked that, so it was my way to make friends. Soon I was known as the guy who could draw funny stuff. I got interested in graphic design, I didn’t know a thing about it, but I was really into it. Designing logos and posters for school campaigns and friends’ “imaginary” bands (notice that the word imaginary is AFTER friends, I’m talking about their bands, I had real friends) led me to study Visual Communication.

I learned a lot about design, typography and art, not that much about drawing or illustrations, but after that I got to work with a designer I admire a lot, Alejandro Magallanes, he was a great teacher. With him I did make lots of illustrations and animations, it was a really fun experience. I kept drawing and I learned (and keep learning) how to use my drawings to express not only humor, but meaning. That’s why I use that sketchy look, the first intentions drawings are full of expression and are more human to me. Just like my preschool TMNT comics were.   :)

CB: Which do you prefer to do the most of now? Doodling/illustrations, graphic design work, or animations?

BP: I think I have one that I like the most but more than that, I like the fact that I’m lucky to be able to do those three almost all the time. That is because I tend to get saturated or frustrated with repetitive things, I think it happens to many designers or illustrators. For me it is really exciting, because you don’t get stuck, you keep moving and learning. For the past 4 years I’ve been working in a stop motion project, called Revoltoso, with friends and colleagues. The last year and a half I did nothing else than animating, about 14 hours, seven days a week. We were 3 animators, living the most hard but enlightening days we’ve been lucky to experience. The animation process is over now and It was the best thing I’ve done so far, but as you might imagine, it is a relief to be able to focus on design and other things now. Animation is tough, specially stop motion, but the satisfaction is way greater than the effort; it is the one where I feel more comfortable. I really like it, even if it’s just quick animations, that is why I animate a lot of the things I doodle, to see those sketchy lines wiggle.

As I said, it can be exhausting, that is why I’m lucky to be able to do other things, otherwise I’d be really tired. Maybe I would have better animation skills, but I would lose other experiences. I don’t think skill is the defining rule for my work, or at least, it is not how I approach it. My first concern is always the idea, a good concept. The technique won’t matter if you have a good idea. That is what I try to do with my work.

Don’t get me wrong, that’s just what I try to achieve. There are people with brilliant ideas and impeccable skills, and those are the best. If you can achieve both, go for it. I really admire those artists, but I have a personal fascination with the process. To be more clear: it’s not unusual that I like better a sketch in a storyboard, than a final animation product. Something about the expression of quick lines, just gets me.

CB: This is the project you were working on, Revoltoso? This movie looks so cute! How did you get involved with this project?

BP: Yes, that’s it! Well I got involved from the very beginning, or maybe even earlier. The directors of the film are two brothers who started the company Cinema Fantasma in order to do Revoltoso, a stop-motion film about a little boar in the Mexican Revolution. I went to college with them, but even before that, we went to the same high school, junior high and even primary school. So we knew each other and have worked on different projects way before the idea of Revoltoso started.

In the early stages, along with some other friends, we were drawing concept art, characters, sets, soldering armatures for the puppets, etc. We did everything ourselves, even learning stop-motion, because we were all new in this. Then I left for a while, a whole year which I used to work with Magallanes, but returned when the animation began. The animation stage is over now, the film is still missing some sound editing and a little post production, but it is almost ready to start knocking on film festivals’ doors.

Me and my partner, Maira Frappé, are in charge of Cinema Fantasma’s graphic design. We did the logo and all the visual communication for the company. I also did Revoltoso’s logo and even the 2D animation you see at the beginning of that kickstarter video. We have plans for many other projects, but first, we need to get Revoltoso out there, I hope someday you guys have the opportunity to see it. We know that not everyone will like it, but we hope they would at least appreciate all the work involved. Because it was a lot of work, but as you can see from the video, it was also a lot of fun.

CB: That’s fantastic! You must be so proud of all the work the entire team has done to get to this point. How have you found time to design tees for us (and other outlets) while participating in a very focused and intensive project like Revoltoso?

BP: We finished shooting in April, so now I have more decent work schedules. But even when you are shooting, you always find time to draw, because you can’t animate all the time. We have limited space and resources, like lights, cameras and even people. Also, we didn’t have an ideal studio so we had problems with the weather and the materials, and all those things take time to fix and you need everything to be perfect to set the new shots and have all the puppets ready, etc.

About a year ago, I saw an amazing design on Brandon Land’s instagram, I really wanted to have that on a print or something. Some days later he announced that he made it into a t-shirt, I immediately bought it. That’s how I discovered Cotton Bureau and I thought it was awesome, because I had always wanted to have my designs on t-shirts, I had even made some t-shirts myself with ink, brushes and markers, but it was really difficult for me to get some of the ideas I had in mind. So that same night I learned how it worked and decided to upload something to see if it got accepted. It did.

I did the Beary Sorry design exclusively for Cotton Bureau, but I noticed that I could upload some of the designs I had on my instagram, just like Brandon Land did. That’s why I really liked it, I could upload anything that I think would made a great shirt design, that’s why It doesn’t take much of my time, it is what I do anyway.

Sometimes when I have more time, I try to design for specific themes and contests. But in the meantime the doodle nights are just fine. It’s not that I don’t dedicate time to the things I upload because I don’t care, on the contrary, I love to have that freedom, I think all that random doodles are more honest. From the mind to the paper without that many thoughts or filters. Maybe that explains my fascination with sketches and scribbles.

CB: That’s a great point, that what comes out first in our work is probably the most honest. It’s great that you have been able to have success turning your doodles into t-shirts! If you could work on a project of your choosing, with any designer/illustrator in the world, what type of project would you work on? Who would you like to work with?

BP: That’s a really tough one. I have a lot of heroes that I look up to, they just inspire me. I will try to think on some in particular while I answer the first question.

It would definitely have to be really dynamic and fun. I think the best project would be one without an specific goal. Maybe it ends up in a flipbook or a poster or a mural or I don’t know, but the process would get us there. I like it when, by some accident, you end up in a totally different but awesome place. That’s how I try to work, not being afraid of erroring (hehe). For me, the ludic approach is just more fun and interesting.

But if you want a more precise answer, I would really love to make some drawings and designs come to life. I had the opportunity to do that for Alejandro, but I would also love to animate some of James Victore’s amazing posters, Luke Pearson’s characters, Jean Jullien’s illustrations, Jon Burgerman’s doodles, Mikey Burton’s drawings, or Isidro Ferrer’s designs. I’ve got too many idols, and I would love to create something with anyone. I think I would learn a lot, at least that’s what I always try to do. As illustrators, doodlers, animators, etc, we never stop learning. We are eternal students, but some of them are great teachers, as well. So, I love being able to see great work everywhere and learn from that, as I try to incorporate all my learnings in my own work.

CB: Thank you for chatting with us, Beto!

To see more of Beto’s work you can follow him on tumblr or instagram and you can sign up to be notified whenever he releases a new tee on Cotton Bureau right here.

Designer, photographer, and musician Brent Schoepf hails from the land of lakes, Minnesota. Despite the bitter winters he finds plenty to keep him busy. Read on to see how this jack of all trades balances his roster of creative endeavours.

CB: You’re a graphic designer by day, a wedding and portrait photographer by night and weekend, and a t-shirt designer while you should be sleeping. Did we get that right? When do you eat?

BS: Ha! You hit the nail on the head, though I’d say “jack of all trades, master of none” sums it up quite nicely. And it’s silly, but I’ve actually been known to forget to eat when I’ve got a lot going on. That’s what post-midnight pizza is for though, right?

CB: Yes, that is exactly what pizza is for! Where do you think this seemingly endless supply of creativity comes from? What keeps you creating in all different mediums?

BS: I can tell you that the ‘supply of creativity’ stems from my previous desire to impress my two older siblings. They were both so talented at everything, and as a teenager I felt the need to prove myself worthy of any accolade I could get from them. Constantly working on artistic endeavors sort of became part of my identity, and now I can’t stop! Being able to switch from design to photography to music and back again has helped keep myself from getting creatively bored. The only problem with having so many projects to work on is that they all stay half finished!

CB: That’s awesome that you had someone to look up to in regards to art and creativity. For so many young people, that part of growing up ends up getting squashed to focus on “more important” things. You were lucky! Now wait, music? We didn’t know you were into music too! Are you in a band? What type of music do you make?

BS: Oh gosh! I make terrible music. Thankfully all I have on the internet are some home recordings from three years ago, which is too long ago for me to be embarrassed by. I’ve been making completely electronic music by myself over the past year that will probably never see the light of day, but occasionally my siblings will take something I’ve made and make it worth a listen or two. I’m far more self conscious about music I’ve made than any art I’ve produced, probably because I’ve got no clue what I’m actually doing. It’s a heck ton of fun though!

CB: Are you a person that listens to music while you work? Do you draw inspiration from music?

BS: I struggle to work without music. I’ve gotta have something playing or I lose focus. I’m not often finding design inspiration from music, but I’d say that music helps cultivate the atmosphere that I need to find inspiration.

I’ve been using designers.mx quite a bit, where designers around the globe make a mix and create the cover artwork for their album. It’s lots of fun to hear what designers I admire are listening to.

CB: If you could make music with anyone, who would it be? Why?

BS: I should probably name someone like James Blake, Sufjan Stevens, Peter Broderick or something like that, but I’d rather make an album with my siblings. I just know the music we’d make would be more special than with someone I don’t actually know. It certainly wouldn’t be as good, but I think it’d be something we would all cherish for a long time. We’ve played together just a few times over the past years, and those times are always my favorite.

CB: That is so true, thanks Brent!

To keep up with everything Brent has going on you can follow him on twitter, instagram, and dribbble.

Mackey Guenther is a student, designer, and developer hailing from the great PNW, Seattle to be exact. While Mackey is our youngest designer, he’s also one of our most prolific. Over the past two years (literally, he was one of the designers on the site on the very first day we were open for business!), he’s had seven designs on our site, four of which have gone to print. No small feat for someone who is just getting started in the professional design world. Read on to learn more about Mackey, how he became interested in design and development, and which designer he’d love to work with someday.

CB: We hear you’re only in 8th grade - how’d you get into design at such a young age?

MG: When I was in 5th grade, I took a web design class, hoping to learn how to build web sites. What I ended up discovering (other than how not to use <div> tags) was that I really enjoy building things with code. However, my creations weren’t exactly… beautiful. I decided to figure out how to visually clean them up, and, with lots and lots of practice, learned my way around web-based and graphic design.

CB: Mackey that is amazing! When I was in 5th grade I was trying to figure out Where in The World Carmen Sandiego was. Occasionally I was successful. You mentioned practicing a lot, how many hours would you say you were putting towards your skill, each week?

MG: Hahaha! Thanks! Each week, I would spend about 10 hours working on design projects - homework allowing, of course.    ;)

CB: That’s pretty impressive, nice job! How do you keep up with design trends, learning new skills, etc right now? What are you excited to learn how to do next?

MG: I keep up with the design world by following my favorite designers on Dribbble - quite often, the latest design trends are evident in their work. I learn new skills by identifying the holes in my existing design and code capabilities, and putting aside time to fill them. (As a student, my schedule - while often tight - has some flexibility.)

I’m currently learning Node, and looking forward to all the possibilities it opens up to me as a developer. I’m also enjoying exploring the “internet of things” with my Arduino Yún, and building web applications that integrate with it.

CB: What type of applications have you built for your Arduino Yún?

MG: For the last couple weeks, I’ve been working on a goal tracker. It detects the outer-facing color of a red-and-green wristband I wear, and sends it to a database. The wristband starts at red at the beginning of every day: if I complete my goal for the day, I flip it to its green side, and if I don’t, I keep it on its red side. (Green represents goal completion, and red represents goal incompletion.) I’ve also built a weather logger that gathers temperature information and logs it to a database.

CB: Wow - both of those projects sound great. The weather logger could have quite a few wide-reaching practical applications! If you could work on a project with any designer currently living, what would the project be and who would you want to work with?

MG: This is kinda far out there, but I think it would be really interesting to design icons for use in manned ​space-exploration vehicles -​ basically, for their signage and digital interfaces. The icons would need to be incredibly clear and understandable, but detailed enough to convey complex maneuvers. In a high stakes situation, as might occur in space, you might need to obtain lots of information from a single glance at an icon. I’d want to work with Luis Prado on this project. His icons are tremendously expressive, understandable, and really quite ​beautiful.

CB: Thanks Mackey!

You can check out more of Mackey’s work on dribbble and github. You can follow him on twitter.