Mikey Burton is a self-described “designy illustrator” based in Chicago. After ten years in the biz he’s found a great sense of his own personal style. To find out about his newest blog, Barrel Body and how he got to where he is now, read on.



CB: Why/where’d you come up with the name/concept for your new tumblr, Barrel Body?

MB: Even though I’m 6 feet tall, I wear a 30 length pants. So, I’m like Michael Phelps, all torso… minus all the athleticism. Most of my weight gathers in my center which creates a barrel like frame. I think it’s commonly called barrel chested, but my girlfriend Carli likes to call it my “barrel body”. I’m happy with my man shape, but I’m getting older and I like to watch what I eat. The initial idea was just to record my daily calorie intake visually to maintain my barrel.

CB: Ha!, that’s pretty awesome. How do you go about making these illustrations? They almost look like watercolor paintings. Do you draw them and then vectorize them? Or are they all created digitally?

MB: Everything usually starts as a pencil sketch, but then I will scan that in and build the art in illustrator. I’ve been exclusively using the blob tool rather than the pen or shape tools though. It has a looser quality that I really enjoy, and has forced me to change up my style a bit. I’ve also been drawing some of these with my phone using adobe ideas which is a drawing app that exports vector files. It’s basically just the blob tool from Adobe Illustrator in it’s own app. I purchased a bamboo stylus solo too which is a little easier that trying to draw with my finger. It’s not in anyway like actually drawing, it’s something completely different… kind of like playing a video game.

The soft “watercolor” like texture is a process I’ve been working on for the past few years. This effect is accomplished by using my crappy black and white laser printer. I try to buy off brand toner cartridges so when I print something out, I get great chalky mottled textures. So, basically I create vector shapes and print them out through my crappy printer, and then scan those back in. The variety of halftones and different texture qualities comes from printing things out at different sizes.

CB: That sounds really cool, but also like a lot of work. How long does it usually take to complete each illustration?

MB: Start to finish, it usually only takes about a half hour to an hour.

CB: Wow - that’s fast! You’ve been designing for awhile now, how much has your aesthetic changed over time? Are there things you’re doing in design now that you wouldn’t have imagined you’d be doing when you were in school?

MB: When I was in college, my focus was completely on graphic design. I wanted to graduate and get a design job making logos, posters, brochures, etc. I even focused on environmental design which seems really weird now, like doing way-finding, signage and such. I didn’t have much interest in illustration cause it seemed hard to make a living at. In school, my biggest creative outlet was designing gig posters for bands. I did this for about 4-5 years, and through that process I developed somewhat of an illustration style. What started out as a rock poster aesthetic, became much more editorial in nature (or at least more refined). An art director at Wired saw one of these posters and asked me if I did editorial illustration. I thought in my head “no, but I do now”. That was in 2010, from then it’s just been a steady build of illustration work. I still do a lot of design too, and I love to incorporate typography into my illustration. This is the main reason why I call myself a "designy illustrator". I think it’s the mix of doing a lot of different things that makes me happy with the work.

CB: Being able to see how you’ve grown and developed your own style over your lifetime has to be a pretty great feeling. For those of us who don’t do creative work, it can sometimes be difficult to see a progression in our abilities the same way a artist, musician, or chef might have the opportunity to. Last question, if you weren’t a designy illustrator, what would you be?

MB: My dad is a jeweler and my grandpa and my great grandpa. It has always provided really well for the family, so part of me always has a little regret that the family business might end at this generation. My folks were always so encouraging with my art and I really owe them a lot.

CB: Sounds like creativity runs in the family! Thanks for chatting with us Mikey.

Keep up with all things Mikey via his twitter or Instagram. Sign up to be notified via email anytime he launches a new CB tee, here.

Adé Hogue (pronounced ah-dae) is a young Chicago based graphic designer. While his time in the design world has been short, he’s had no problem coming up with ideas for how to get his creative ideas out into the world. Click through to learn more about this up-and-coming designer.



CB: How did you get on the path to graphic design? Your personal site lists a background in engineering & drafting; did you originally go to school to be an architect?

AH: I originally went to school to become a civil engineer. Growing up, my dad was a computer/electrical engineer, so it felt natural to go in that direction. After studying engineering for two years I realized I wasn’t ever going to be happy doing it (and the fact that I failed Physics), so I decided to change majors. I’d never even taken an art class in high school before, but for some reason, I felt like it was the right direction. I ended up becoming a pre-Art major, and eventually landed my way into the BFA program at UNC Charlotte!

CB: Wait, what?! You’d never taken a formal art class until you were halfway through college? That’s amazing to decide to just leap in a totally different direction. Were you nervous?

AH: Well, I took one in elementary school, does that count? Haha. It was pretty nerve-wrecking to make that transition. When I told my advisor, she looked at me like I was a little crazy. Maybe I was!

CB: Seems like it turned out just fine! How long have you been in the graphic design world now? Do you feel like you’ve figured out your own style/voice?

AH: I guess technically I’ve only been in the graphic design world for about two and a half years now. Although I had a few legitimate design jobs while I was a student, those years don’t really count! I honestly don’t know if I have found my style/voice yet. When I pick up a brush pen, yes. But for anything else, I feel like I’m still searching for it! I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing!

CB: Are you doing anything to stretch yourself/try new things? What kind of stuff do you work on “for fun”?

AH: Yeah, all the time! Both of my Cotton Bureau shirts were random designs that I created for myself. I was lucky enough to have other people like them as much as I do! I work a lot with type now, and it all started with a small, 30 day personal project I did. I did it just to learn how to work with type, and now I’m able to do it full-time. Recently, I started a new personal project (Letter On Me) because I wanted to get more practice doing type on objects! Hopefully, I will have some more personal projects in the near future. Those are the kinds of things that are fun for me!

CB: Letter On Me looks super awesome! What a creative way to turn things people may not have a use for/be tired of into beautiful art. One last question, are you still searching for good sweet tea in Chicago, or have you finally found some?

AH: Thanks! Chicago is an amazing city full of so many awesome things, but sadly, sweet tea is not one of them! Can’t find a quality glass to save my life. The search continues!!!

CB: Good luck on your search, Adé!

If you’re familiar with any good sweet tea haunts in Chicago, reach out to Adé via his twitter, dribbble, or instagram accounts.

Simon Walker is a freelance designer and custom typographer based in Austin, Texas. He’s donated the proceeds from both of the hand-lettered tees he’s done on Cotton Bureau to a friend battling cancer. Nice and talented, read on to learn more about the man behind the Super Furry moniker.

CB: What’s your story? How’d you get interested in design and typography?

SW: My love of letters began as a young teenager in England in the 80s, when hip hop culture was starting to make itself known. I’d always loved drawing, but I was immediately enamoured with graffiti and the way those letters warped and flowed and became abstract art. It wasn’t until my twenties in college when my love for lettering resurfaced during an art class, where I was making all these drawings and adding words to them without really giving much thought as to why. My professor at the time told me what I was doing was actually a thing called “graphic design”, to which I responded “what’s graphic design?” He then handed me some brochures to a couple colleges that offered courses in communication design - one of which was for the University of North Texas. I wish I could remember his name, because I genuinely owe my whole career to that one conversation.

CB: Aha! Further proof that everyone who lives in Austin, isn’t actually from Austin. How did you decide to go to school in Texas? How’d you get from there to Austin?

SW: We moved from England to San Antonio when I was 15 years old, back in 1988 (I’ll let you do the math). After a few years there and then another 5 at UNT in Denton, I spent about two years working in Dallas before being asked to interview at GSD&M Advertising in Austin. That was kind of a no-brainer, and I ended up staying at GSD&M for 12 years before finally, this year, breaking out on my own and going solo.

CB: How is freelance life treating you? Have you had any challenges going from a structured environment to a looser one?

SW: Freelance life fits me absolutely right - I love working at home, being at home with my family every day. I don’t even mind the bustle of the comings and goings of everyone around me. I loved working at GSD&M - there are few agencies, I’m sure, that offer that exact blend of freedom, respect, and creative passion - but there’s nothing quite like being on your own schedule and making your own rules (and then breaking them). The biggest challenge is of course financial, in that you’re never 100% sure where and when your next paycheck is coming from (a big difference to getting paid every 1st and 15th without fail), but I’m staying gratifyingly busy so it’s all working itself out pretty well I think.

CB: That’s great to hear - some people (myself included) really struggle to get work done at home. Going back a little, you mentioned being enamoured with graffiti as a teenager. Does it still interest you? Where else do you find inspiration these days?

SW: I still appreciate graffiti, for sure, and I feel like those sensibilities come back to me sometimes when I’m taking liberties with letterforms, but it’s not a world I spend any real time in these days. I get my inspiration from anywhere and everywhere - it’s not even necessarily anything I go looking for, we just live in a world surrounded by letters so, you know, it’s hard to get away from them. The kind of lettering that excites me the most is the stuff you see in the world that’s sort of accidentally good, like a logo on some cheap, obscure brand of hair gel on the bottom shelf at a Diamond Shamrock - there probably wasn’t any practiced skill involved, but the stars aligned and a killer treatment emerged and now there it is, hiding away in plain view, waiting to be noticed.

A big thanks to Simon for chatting with us. To be notified when he releases new tees via CB, sign up here.

Our latest interviewee is a Pittsburgh local and CB pal, Mundania Horvath. Dane is very active in the local design/maker community, runs a popular local blog, and supports various events year round. Read on for more about her background and her ever evolving artistic endeavours.

CB: When we were first introduced to your work you were making amazing collage posters, but over the last year you’ve started making house portraits. What caused the shift?

DH: I’ve always been in awe of Pittsburgh architecture and knew I wanted to incorporate that into my work but I wasn’t sure how. In 2013, I worked as a designer for a local architect firm and while I was there, I came up with the idea of illustrating Pittsburgh houses as a year long project. I wanted to challenge myself into doing something in a medium that I wasn't entirely comfortable with, with a subject that I was passionate about. At that point, I hadn’t done illustration work since college. I actually practiced a few houses before I launched Pittsburgh Digs. Once I started posting the series, it took off unexpectedly. I received some press and then people started requesting commissions. I do still work on collage pieces and recently started a new collage project. It's hard finding the time to keep up with both and my full time gig on top of that. I wish we had more hours in the day!

CB: That’s great to keep yourself interested and learning by working in new mediums. Of the homes you’ve done, has there been a favorite?

DH: (editors note, she couldn’t pick just one; neither could we).

CB: These are all so beautiful! How did you get started in the graphic design world? Were you creative as a child?

DH: I was very creative and organized as a kid. I would sketch daily and keep my drawings dated, numbered, and signed in folders. (I still have them!) I later went to art school intending to focus on illustration, but a professor encouraged me to pursue design instead. So my introduction to the graphic design world was pretty traditional; I went to art school, did a design-focused internship, and then got a job with a small company in the Pittsburgh area.

I think that my illustration style was incongruent with the way that my professor taught, and he wasn’t very encouraging. I don’t regret ultimately focusing on design, but I wish I had continued with illustration too. I stopped sketching after that and didn’t return to it until I began my house illustration series in 2013.

CB: Do you ever thinking of going back to school and focusing on illustration? Or is working on that skill on your own time what works for you?

DH: Over the years I have learned that illustrations can come in different styles. I feel very comfortable where I am and I have the pleasure of working on house commission portraits for clients. During the day I have a full time gig at a university as their web content editor. I love my job and want to focus on that for now.

CB: It’s great to have a side project where you can continue to build upon a skill set you already have. Is there anything you’re interested in trying in the future that you don’t already have much experience with?

DH: I want to paint a mural, learn how to play drums, do a collage series that uses fiber art techniques and publish an illustration book.

CB: Wow - those are some ambitious goals! Good luck Dane, we can’t wait to see what you turn out next.

To keep up with Dane on the many things she is involved with, you can follow her on twitter, instagram, or her blog, Steeltown Anthem. Sign up here to be notified the next time she releases a tee on Cotton Bureau.

Illustrator extraordinaire Virginia Poltrack is lucky number seven in our interview series. Her Mollusca Cephalopoda tee is one of our all-time best sellers and probably not just because she’s exceedingly nice. Click through to learn more about her love for illustration and her experiences with Google Glass.

CB: How’d you get started being an illustrator? Did you draw a lot as a child?

VP: My first memory is watching my Dad draw a picture. I remember watching him draw, and seeing the lines and shapes come together like magic, and I thought, “Why would anyone ever want to do anything else? That is AMAZING! He just made something, where once there was nothing! I want to do that.” I was completely captivated and from that point on - drawing was it. That was all I wanted to do. I think I was 3 or 4, but that path never really changed for me. I have piles of sketchbooks, drawings, pens - you name it. I’ve kept everything. I was just always the “artist”!

CB: Ha! I suppose that makes it hard to move. Where some people haul around boxes and boxes of reading books, you have a whole history of your work on shelves I suppose? What are some of your favorite things to draw?

VP: Oh, I have sketchbooks that are probably 20 years old at this point! It's actually pretty funny to look back through them - the first couple sketchbooks are full of dragons and science fiction characters (although, to be fair, so is my current sketchbook…) I have a few things that I really love to draw - owls, birds, octopii, Star Wars characters. When I went freelance full-time, I talked to some other freelancers to get advice, and one common thing I heard (which was excellent advice) was to always have personal projects. Have a project that you do for fun, with no limitations. This serves a couple purposes. First, you’ll stay busy - instead of sitting around, freaking out because you don’t have any work, you’ll stay busy and productive. Secondly, it keeps your skill set active. Thirdly, it gives you something to post or promote. I decided I would draw all the characters from Star Wars - there are so many, it would take forever, and it would keep me occupied between other projects.

Sometimes people will comment and say, “Why do you draw X all the time?" but again, there’s a reason behind it. If I can’t think of anything else to draw, I’ll use one of those "things”, because I know I can do it. Also, I think re-visiting the same subject is an excellent way to measure progress. If I drew the same owl every day for a year, I could look back and see improvement, which is really important. Right now, I’m working on portraits of all of the Doctors from Dr. Who. Again, it’s fun, I can promote it, and it keeps me busy in between the other projects. Especially working with technology (websites, Google Glass projects, etc) it’s nice to take a break for an hour and work with a pencil and a piece of paper.

CB: That’s awesome! I’d love to be able to have the ability to see how I’ve grown and improved in such a tangible way. You’re right about keeping yourself busy with personal projects, it really keeps the mind fresh and ready for what’s next. Speaking of Google Glass, how’d you get involved with that? You went to the Google I/O Conference recently, right?

VP: Oh, let me talk about Google Glass (I know it’s a slightly polarizing topic for some, and I am biased in favor of it - but..here’s my story about Glass.)

I never really liked technology. I liked pencil and paper. But I watched this promotional video for Glass, and I was just hooked. I wanted to try it! I entered the “#ifihadglass” contest and won. I knew I could make videos and photos about my drawings, but I also wanted to be a part of the technology. I live in Johnstown, PA - when else in my life was I going to get a chance to test out beta technology for a company like Google, and have them see my work? It felt like a pretty amazing opportunity! I have used Glass with my illustrations, but I’ve also been a part of creating apps (Glassware) - like Word of the Day (sends a vocabulary word once a day to Glass), Vignette Postcards (I made seasonal illustrations people can use with their photos to share on social media), Flash Stacks (is a way to send custom content to Glass) and a few others. I went from disliking technology to really being at the front of it! This entire past year, my focus has been on Google Glass and wearables. But it’s been one of the best years EVER - I was invited to Google I/O (their developers conference). I got to go to Google HQ and hang out and meet some amazing people, I’ve had the Glass team share my illustrations all over social media, and the other Explorers have been incredible. I’ve made new friends all over the world and met some of the best people ever - all because of Glass!

It’s also been a crash course in a new way of designing - Glass (and all wearables) behave in a totally different way, and require a new way of thinking about design. I’ve learned a lot about best practices in the last year - what looks best on a translucent display for Glass, how to best display text, logos, formatting - it’s been an education in and of itself. Again, I know that people question the technology for a number of reasons, but for me, it was very simple. It was an opportunity to be a part of something new and exciting - an opportunity that wasn’t going to happen twice. I fully intended to take advantage of this and make the most out of it, and I think I’ve been doing a pretty good job of that!

CB: How exciting! Sounds like it has been a whirlwind year for you, but that you really learned a lot and had fun too. How did you come up with the ideas for the Glassware apps you’ve created?

VP: The Glassware app ideas came from a few different places! The first app we made was called “Glassentation” and it’s basically a way to send slide notes to Glass. Think of it as turning your Glass into a teleprompter, of sorts. My husband does a lot of public speaking, so that one was his idea! Word of the Day (which is my heart - I love that app beyond words) was my idea. I love vocabulary and learning new words. In fact, most of my sketchbooks have vocabulary words in them. If I see a word I don’t know, I write it down, along with the definition, and try to use it as often as I can. I thought it would be a fun application for Glass! It actually evolved from there, as well. Glass has a feature called a “vignette” - which is basically a picture overlayed on a picture. So people started taking a photo with the word of the day that related to the word, and shared it on social media. So that app actually turned into a game, which is fantastic! We also worked with a friend of ours, Jeremy Shore, and he developed the Android / Wear version. So now, if you have an Android phone and/or smart watch, you can get word of the day for that, as well! WOTD for Glass is an official app, which means we went through the review process and had it approved by Google. Moving forward, anyone who purchases Glass will have the option to turn on WOTD and start getting the notifications! We are at over 6,000 active users, which I am so proud of, especially considering Glass is still a beta product that not many people own!

Flash Stacks grew out of Vignette Postcards. Vignette Postcards was actually Google’s idea - they wanted a way for people to be able to share holiday greetings with Glass. I took a bunch of custom typography and made images out of it, that people could send to Glass. So for example, people would take a photo of their Christmas Tree, and in the corner, it would have my drawing of the text “Merry Christmas!”. The problem was - what if people wanted to send their own information to Glass? They had no way of doing that - until our friend Cecilia Abadie reached out with Flash Stacks! It allows users to send photos, text, and other information to Glass, giving users complete control over custom information. We are REALLY excited about this - I think it opens up a lot of opportunities for medical and educational uses. There are a few more apps in the works as well - we have more ideas and projects than time, unfortunately! But it’s a good problem to have, I think. It’s also worth mentioning again, that the community was a crucial part of this process. We used beta testers for each app, and they would give us helpful ideas and feedback!

CB: That’s really interesting how involved the Glass community is with each new idea that comes along. Such a great way to get feedback and make improvements! Speaking of community, how did you find Cotton Bureau and why did you decide to submit your ideas for t-shirts to us?

VP: So I’ve only been “online” a few years - I started with Dribbble (of course!) I used to look at Dribbble every day, but didn’t have an account. Finally, I signed up and got an invitation, and became active in the community and on Twitter. Of course, we all know there are some people and organizations that stand out - which is how I found United Pixelworkers! I went to a Dribbble meet up in Pittsburgh, and I remember a few things - one of which is how kind Jay Fanelli was when I got to meet him (which meant a lot to me!) I also remember talking to him about being in Johnstown - and he said, “It’s not where you are, it’s the work that you do.” I really took that to heart, and appreciated him saying that. So I was a fan of Pixelworkers for years, and was REALLY excited when Cotton Bureau launched! It was a no-brainer for me - getting to work with really talented people that I respect! To me, even having a design accepted is a big deal - and having it go to print or making some money is just icing on the cake! It’s a win-win situation - I can’t say enough good things about you guys!

CB: Virginia, you are too sweet! Thanks for spreading the CB word so much, we really appreciate it. Congrats on having so many tees go to print, we really love your latest tee, Owl King!

Virginia’s Owl King tee expires Wednesday, Sept 23rd at 2pm - be sure to snag one before they’re gone! To keep up with her work, you can follow Virginia on twitter, dribbble, and instagram.