Daily project progress.
Tidal Costume Design
This was my first commissioned costume design. Over the past six years, I’ve done extensive 3D printing and custom-fit costume work, and this project has easily been one of the most enjoyable I’ve taken on. One of the companies I collaborate with on various design and art projects initially asked me to create just a helmet for one of their characters, which I documented in a full video linked above.
A few months after the helmet was completed, they commissioned me to finish the full costume and repair some damage the helmet had sustained during use. A link to the YouTube Short covering the completed costume design and helmet repair can also be found above.
Commission.
One of the things I love doing as an artist is commissions for various people businesses I love having as many clients as possible throughout the year. Whether it be commissioned, murals paintings, tattoos, logos, banners, etc. This one was definitely one of my favorites as I’ve grown up drawing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles throughout various stages of my young life. As well as being an Wu-tang fan. Although this was a request, I was more than happy to design these it’s been a very long time since I’ve drawn these characters. In this gif I showcase the three different versions of this design. I’ve sent to the client which he was more than happy with. I’ve also posted below the individual digital drawings of just the outline of each character. I may take each of these and expand on them further to make each its own poster. Comment below and let me know what you think about this design.
Simpsons & Fortnite Print.
The Simpsons has long been one of my all-time favorite animated American TV shows. If you browse through the digital prints in my shop, you’ll notice a few Simpsons inspired pieces I’ve created. I’m also a longtime fan of Fortnite, the well known battle royale shooter that I’ve been playing with friends on Discord for years.
Although this Simpsons themed print was originally intended for another purpose, the timing couldn’t be better the newest season of Fortnite features The Simpsons, combining two things I genuinely enjoy. This print includes around 50 different characters along with several iconic Springfield landmarks.
It will be available in two different sizes in my shop over the next few days. It’s being offered for a limited time (or until I receive a cease-and-desist, as I do not own the rights to any Simpsons or Fortnite characters).
If you’d like an early heads-up when it goes live, be sure to follow me on Instagram!
Japan Photos
I definitely had a great time in Japan this year. My trip lasted about two weeks, from the end of September to early October. I landed in Kobe to meet up with a friend and traveled from there to Tokyo, stopping in different cities every few days.
Two weeks definitely wasn’t long enough to see everything Japan has to offer or to fully take in and learn more about the culture. I also underestimated how many cool things I’d want to buy!
Here are some of the photos I took during the trip. Can’t wait to go back!
Failed Design.
At 36, I’ve racked up thousands of designs that never made it past the drawing board. By “failed,” I don’t mean bad ideas just projects that weren’t used or selected. Any artist knows the ratio: far more failures than successes. I’ve had plenty, but what matters is resilience the drive to keep creating and moving forward.
This particular design was my submission for Red Bull’s 2024 Chariot Race in Arizona, CA. I created it in Shapr3D on my iPad Pro and followed all the submission guidelines, but it ultimately wasn’t chosen. That’s part of the process. Next year, I’ll try again, though my main focus remains the Soapbox Race.
The Vitruvian Man
The Vitruvian Man is one of Leonardo da Vinci’s most iconic drawings, created around 1490. I’ve admired da Vinci’s studies, paintings, and inventions for much of my life, and this piece has always stood out to me. Executed in metalpoint, pen and ink, and watercolor on paper, the drawing reflects Leonardo’s exploration of human anatomy, heavily influenced by De Architectura, the treatise by the Roman architect Vitruvius hence the name Vitruvian Man.
Because Vitruvius never illustrated his writings, later artists sought to visualize his ideas. Leonardo’s interpretation combines Vitruvius’s concepts with his own anatomical studies. The image depicts the ideal human form and its proportions, shown within both a circle and a square, with the navel at the center of each. This geometric framework offered insight into historical theories of symmetry, balance, and anatomy.
My logo draws inspiration from this image. I wanted to create a symbol that reflected the tools I work with daily, so my character holds everything from a caliper to a paintbrush. The multiple arms represent the many different projects I manage at once something I take great pride in. The design has become a centerpiece for my new business cards. Over the years, the Vitruvian Man has been reimagined in countless ways, but for me, it remains one of the most enduring relics of art history, science, and the Renaissance always present in the back of my mind.
LED MATRIX CUBE.
Coming soon to my shop under 3D Prints is my custom-designed LED Matrix Cube. This cube is capable of displaying a wide variety of LED patterns, all fully programmable through Wi-Fi using its built-in ESP32 chip. Thanks to the pre-installed WLED software, you can connect with any Wi-Fi device to set patterns, colors, segments, and even timers for customized light shows.
The first version (the pink cube) features a circular LED layout with 144 individually programmable LEDs. The second version (the blue cube) takes things up a notch with 384 programmable LEDs for even more stunning displays.
My inspiration for this project comes from years of seeing creative LED cubes built by others some complex, some minimal but all fascinating. Whenever I look at my own design, it immediately reminds me of the Tesseract from the Marvel movies. As a superhero fan, it felt natural to let that inspiration guide me.
Each cube will include a custom stand and a rechargeable USB-C port for easy powering.
Product photos by zacharyrich.com
Redesign
Every graphic designer or artist usually has a go-to medium they feel most comfortable with or even excel at when creating an image. Some, of course, are versatile and develop skills across many mediums. I’ve always fallen into the second category. Since I was young, I’ve had a deep appreciation for all kinds of art and the different tools and techniques used to bring it to life.
One habit of mine maybe unique, maybe not is that whenever I look at an image, my mind automatically starts breaking it down. I picture how I would draw it, design it, or reimagine it in my own style, even if I have no intention of actually recreating it. It’s just a default way my brain processes visuals.
Back in grade school, one of my favorite things to do was try to recreate images exactly as I saw them. It didn’t matter what it was cartoons, realistic portraits, landscapes, architecture anything my eyes landed on became a challenge. Over time, I grew to not only focus on accuracy but also on pushing myself to add something new: a unique interpretation, an artistic twist, or just a subtle shift in tone that made the work feel like mine.
Below, you’ll see an example of this process. On the left is the original piece, a collection of colored-pencil drawings scanned into digital format and edited in Canva or Photoshop. On the right is my re-creation where the entire image was produced in procreate on an iPad Pro. Having worked in both methods, I respect the value of each approach.
I’d love to hear your thoughts what do you like or dislike about either version? Drop a comment below and let me know.
Animatronic Kirby build pt1
Here’s the first chapter of my animatronic Kirby build, and I think I’ve gotten a solid head start on the project. I’ll be releasing more videos in this series, plus a few shorts highlighting small fixes or behind-the-scenes work that won’t make it into the main video. If you enjoy what I do, be sure to follow my YouTube channel and stick around for more 3D-printing projects and art.
Digitally drawing an image using a photo reference.
Here’s a full start-to-finish timelapse of me digitally replicating an image of a striped shore crab. The process is very similar to traditional drawing with pencil or pen—the only major difference is the luxury of having an undo button. Back when I worked strictly on paper, I’d erase mistakes or, if I was using ink, find creative ways to cover them up.
When I’m working on something like this, my focus is on breaking the subject down into shapes. I concentrate on outlining each form as accurately as possible, comparing it to the reference image. That often means isolating specific areas and refining them individually until they match the original crab photo.
Once the full outline is complete, I evaluate how close it is to the source. If everything checks out, I trace over the base with a clean, solid black outline that becomes the final structure of the image. From there, I color it in—pulling the exact hues directly from the original photo to match the crab’s tones.
This particular piece actually started as a logo redesign, but later I expanded it into a full-body illustration, which you’ll see unfold in the timelapse.
The Art of Redesigning
I figured I’d start posting some official redesigns from time to time. What I mean by that is: occasionally, I’ll share projects where I was asked to rework or improve an existing design. Personally, I find that redesigning can sometimes be quicker than starting from scratch. Instead of building an idea from the ground up, you’re given a foundation a concept and composition to enhance with your own artistic touch. It’s like being handed a blueprint that just needs your unique style layered on top.
Fishy, fish, fissshh.
Here’s a batch of aquatic creatures I’ve drawn for Cabrillo Marine Aquarium using colored pencils. So far, I’ve completed about 31, but I’ve had to pause to focus on other art projects. Colored pencils were one of the first mediums I learned as a kid, and I’ve always had a deep love for working with them. There’s something special about seeing incredible images come to life through the work of talented colored pencil artists.
I still have around 200 more animals to draw, and I’ll be posting individual timelapses of each one on my TikTok. Check out my previous post for more info!
New TikTok Series
Excited to share that I’ll be posting a brand new series of timelapses on my TikTok featuring drawings, paintings, and digital artwork in progress. The series, called Work Hours, will showcase different time lapses of my creative process throughout the day from quick sketches to full-on painting sessions and everything in between. If you're into art, process videos, or just want a behind-the-scenes look at how my pieces come together, make sure to give my account a follow!
Change of Plans.
In previous posts, I shared that my animatronic, Kirby, would be featured at Coachella this year. However, there has been a change of plans, and my animatronics will now return to Coachella in 2026. In the meantime, I’m excited to announce that I’ve designed a special greetings card for Coachella in collaboration with Global Inheritance, which will be available for purchase at the festival this year.
I’ve poured my heart into capturing the spirit of the festival—everything from the vibrant atmosphere to the experience of camping under the desert sky, soaking in the music, and the weather. If you’re attending, make sure to stop by the Global Inheritance booth to pick up your card. I’ll be at Coachella for Weekend 2, and the card will only be available during that weekend.
For more information about Global Inheritance and the important work they do, be sure to visit their website.
Stainless Steele gears from PCBway.
In my latest YouTube video, I demonstrate how I utilized stainless steel gears provided by PCBWay to enhance the movement in my Big Robot Head project. I've been developing this mechanical robot head for approximately a year, and the process has been progressing smoothly. This project is loosely inspired by a full-scale robot I'm also working on, but that's a separate endeavor. In this video, I explore various actuators, their functions, and the specific ones I've integrated into this project. With PCBWay as a sponsor, I'll be incorporating their products and services to bring my ideas to life and improve the functionality and mobility of the robot.
Kirby animatronic update
The full Kirby shell is nearly complete; however, there's been a slight change in our timeline. Unfortunately, this project, along with my other animatronics, will not be featured at Coachella this year. On the positive side, this adjustment allows me more time to focus on the mechanical intricacies and internal components of the design. Stay tuned—this is all for now, but I'll be back soon with more updates on the progress!
1st Half of Kirby shell
I've completed 3D printing the first four shells for the lower half of my Kirby animatronic. Over the past weekend, I meticulously sanded and glued each piece together. Printing the full shell in eight separate sections has allowed me better access to areas that would be challenging to reach if it were printed as a single piece. As I write this, the final four pieces are currently printing. If all goes well, I anticipate assembling the entire shell within the next week and a half, though I remain cautiously optimistic.
Many may not realize the challenges I face with issues like warping, measurement discrepancies, and occasional machine malfunctions—problems that are sometimes unavoidable. However, the key is perseverance and striving to achieve the most accurate design possible.
Kirby blower
I'm unveiling a new design for Coachella 2025. In a previous post, I shared my intention to create this, and it's amusing because many will likely wonder why Kirby is sporting red shoes that differ from his usual round ones. The inspiration stems from one of my earliest digital illustrations, created on my iPad in 2020. The artwork, titled No More Nightmares in Dreamland, features Kirby wearing the iconic Kanye West "Red October" Air Yeezys atop a girl's head. Initially, my Kirby design included the standard red boots, but I decided to revisit and pay homage to that 2020 piece by incorporating the Yeezys into this year's design.
Currently, I'm in the process of 3D printing the entire shell. Stay tuned for more updates as the project progresses. You can expect to see this full animatronic at Coachella 2025!
Dimensions.
I'm considering naming my upcoming solo exhibition "Dimensions," slated for 2025, if everything falls into place. This year, I've been diligently working on a series of new canvas pieces, some of which will complement the 3D-printed works featured in the show. The choice of venue and timing are crucial factors for me. I've always envisioned what my ideal solo show would look like, but until now, I haven't had the opportunity to bring that vision to life. While I've participated in group exhibitions where I had some input on the selection of my pieces, the solo shows I've had didn't feature a cohesive series that I felt strongly about presenting. I'm hopeful that this time will be different, aiming for a collection of at least 40 pieces, all unified under one theme, displayed together in a single location.
Fully Vandalized. 2024
As 2024 comes to a close, I'm reflecting on the mural I painted in 2021, which has unfortunately been fully vandalized. While it's disheartening, I view its three-year run as a success—bringing color and vibrancy to 3rd Street and the community. Fortunately, I'll be repainting the wall with a fresh design and new colors.
For those interested in seeing the original mural before the damage, you can visit the "Work" tab at the top of this page. Additionally, I have a three-part time-lapse video of the painting process available on my YouTube channel.
I aim to begin the new painting in the coming month, before the new year. I'll be sharing the thumbnail or concept designs here soon, so check back if you're curious about the upcoming artwork.
