PeterWestermann.com

Ephemeral

2009-12-22T19:14:00.005-06:00

Time & Space

2009-12-15T22:26:00.001-06:00

Another collaboration with the very talented Amanda Siegal

The Battle Royale

2009-12-02T03:24:00.003-06:00

This is an event that may take place in the future. That is all we know.

Drift Collaboration

2009-12-02T03:12:00.002-06:00

Collaboration with photographer Amanda Siegal

16-Bit Concert Poster

2009-11-21T01:14:00.007-06:00

Collaboration with Steve Janisch from Nifty Nine Designs for dubstep group 16-bit

Threyda Apparel (Part 2) - Packaging

2009-11-21T00:28:00.004-06:00

Since we approached our clothing as conduits of some very talented artwork, it was absolutely necessary to make sure the entire packaging experience had as much attention to detail as the rest of the product. I had bought quite a few tshirts on the internet in the past, and found the unpackaging process to be rather disappointing. Many companies are trying to cut corners to save money these days, and so almost every shirt I ordered showed up simply folded and placed inside a mailing bag with nothing else to entertain besides the item itself. I felt if we were to show respect to the artistic contributions of our artist, the packaging it comes in should show exude the same sense of passion and dedication.

My first step in this packaging process was to create the individual hangtags. I wanted the tags to add some personality to the artwork. Thus, each shirt comes with it's own unique tag that displays a view of the original artwork, the artwork's title, the artist's name, and a handwritten edition number. I felt it was important to give credit to the artist first and foremost, as they are sole reason behind any of these things existing.

The next project was the box. There was some debate whether it would be worth shelling out a decent amount of money for these custom manufactured items. In the end I feel it was worth it. In my experience since this decision, I feel people generally understand that when you reach to this level of attention to detail with your product that you truly care about what you are selling.

The main design is loosely based on the traditional sand Mandalas made by Buddhist Monks. I've had an interest in Mandalas (and made one of my own) for some time, and always felt they were great symbols of patience, inspiration and dedication. There is a very faint pattern visible throughout nearly the entire surface of the box, the same one used on the website and other prints material.

Blast Wakeskate Magazine Ad

2009-11-20T23:48:00.009-06:00

Threyda two-page advertisement featured in the upcoming issue of Blast Wakeskate Magazine.

Threyda Apparel (Part 1) - Identity Logo

2009-11-18T22:00:00.004-06:00

From the start, I knew that if I was to build a brand around artwork, a brand image that was created to showcase the art itself would be very important. This is the reason I immediately chose to make black, white and the shades of grey inbetween the official colors (or lack thereof) of Threyda. I decided there is no better way to make sure the colors used in a piece of artwork stand out the way they should, than to keep all supporting material void of color.

My personal tastes for artwork typically leans towards the complex, the detailed, and the inspiring. I also love when things have a natural flow present. I wanted all of these qualities to be evident in Threyda's logo. The overall feel the finished product took on was most likely influenced by my love of Arabian calligraphy.

To me, this logo represents several things. Firstly, it can be viewed as a liquid drop or a flame...two things that embody a natural flow in their own beautiful and unique ways. Secondly, it is meant to resemble an eye...a deeply important symbol to me as the visual gateway of the mind and truly the entire reason art and design can exist.

All things told, I feel this was one of my strongest works to date, and I am deeply attached to it. It has been a great feeling seeing others make similar strong attachments, and for this I am grateful.

Introduction to Threyda

2009-11-18T18:47:00.018-06:00

Once I update my artwork page and get everything back up to speed, it will be obvious that compared to previous years I have not produced as much. My new artwork-based clothing project, called Threyda, is the reason for this. I have been working on this project in some way shape or form since November 2008, which is when I first started on the identity and website.

For the past few years I have greatly enjoyed the creation process of my personal work, but have always hoped to someday expand into something that could grow beyond myself and become something collective. Threyda is the manifestation of these thoughts. First and foremost I am a fan of the arts. I spend a large amount of time viewing other people's work and find myself quite absorbed in the talents of modern creative minds. Through Threyda I am able to reach out to these other artists and help them bring their work to more people.

In these next few weeks I will post all of the design projects I encountered and finished for Threyda, along with some details about my thought process behind each step.

The Ink Horse

2009-01-09T17:28:00.003-06:00

Playing around with some india ink drops in water, a horse appeared

A Message To My Fellow Tool Fans

2007-10-28T21:55:00.004-06:00

It's been a great experience communicating with people who enjoy my work. I feel greatly privileged each time I have the opportunity to share a few messages with a stranger who felt the need to get in touch with me. Some of the best of these strangers have been Tool fans.

Until I created a magazine cover for the band, I hadn't been in contact with other Tool fans other than my friends. I've been a devoted fan of Tool for over a decade, but I didn't have a grasp of how special their fanbase really is until the past year or two. I've never met another group of fans who were so open minded, intelligent, friendly and passionate.

It excites me to see how Tool has positively affected others like myself. They have given us the tools to view our existence in a different perspective. The opportunity to view things through a new light and the challenge to elevate our state of mind and explore the unknown.

Tool introduced me to the concept of the third eye - one of the most pivotal concepts I've ever learned. I've been prying it open as much as possible ever since. They've been the energy moving my creative spirit over and over again. They invoke visions and ideas like few others have ever done for me.

My favorite Tool songs often cause synasthaesia. The movement and soundscapes invoke inner visions that are hard to describe, and even harder to recreate. I've often dwelled on the idea of making an image for each song on a Tool album, creating a visual album that tries to depict my feelings and the lyrical message for each song. Hopefully someday I will have the ambition to go through with such a project, as I would love to see how closely they relate to the ideas other fans have swirling in their minds.

Thanks to all of you for your support and ongoing communication. All of you have helped drive my ambition and inspiration to follow my will and wind. Spiral Out!

Deftones Magazine Cover

2007-01-03T17:43:00.002-06:00

(repost from November 29th, 2006)

The December issue of Maximum Ink magazine will feature the Deftones, along with cover art I put together on extremely short notice. I was asked to do this with only a handful of hours left to go before the magazine went to press, and was considering watching South Park reruns and eating junk food instead. My love for the Deftones inspired me to stay up late pounding mountain dew energy drinks and handed in my work about half an hour before the deadline. Go caffeine!

For those of you who are into the Deftones' style of metal, I strongly recommend their new cd Saturday Night Wrist. I've been playing it for a while now, and it's definitely becoming one of my favorites.

TOOL Cover Artwork for Maximum Ink

2007-01-03T01:49:00.001-06:00

(repost from September 1st, 2006)

Through a string of seemingly random connections I was asked to create some original art for an issue of Maximum Ink featuring an exclusive interview with Tool. Being one of my favorite bands, I attempted to work my way into the interview somehow, but failed to come up with a good way of getting to Los Angeles. Either way, I was more than happy to take the chance to create something for a band that has created so much for me.

Click on the image for a fullsize desktop picture. The piece I put together is much larger than the magazine layout would allow, you can see the full version here.

First Post / Welcome

2007-01-02T02:21:00.002-06:00

WELCOME! - The means by which you managed to stumble upon this page doesn't matter. The important thing is, you are here. First off, I'd like to introduce myself. Hi, I'm Peter. Nice to meet you, too. So, uh, you come here often? Yeah, me too. Great.

Now I'll try to vaguely explain my reason for having this page to begin with. Above all, this is the place where I will share my creative endeavors with whoever cares to experience them. I don't make things for myself, I make them for everyone else in this world who might care in the slightest about visual art and design. If I was the last person on earth, I can guarantee you I wouldn't be spending most of my time trying to furthering myself and my skills. What would I be doing? Thats a great question - probably smashing a window at the nearest Ferrari dealership so I can finally drive one recklessly while listening to "Straight Outta Compton" at full volume.

I also wanted to mention that I'm going to refrain from posting boring and meaningless details of my life. I'm not going write about having a bad day, I'm not going to write about my relationship problems, and I'm certainly not going to bitch about how life isn't fair and nobody understands me. If you were hoping for these things, let me introduce you to your new best friends - MySpace, LiveJournal and Xanga.

I realize I am not a genius. I'm not going to write about things I don't know very much about. This is solely for my philosophies on art, design, perspective and the ways in which they can affect our life. I hope you find something you can enjoy and connect with. I hope you can go away with something new and possibly even be inspired to think or see things in a different way. If you don't, thats okay too.