Art + Illustration + Design from the wandering, uncharted mind of Levi Watson.

June 11, 2013#

Weddings are the coolest. They’re so close to dreams; it’s unlike anything else. All these people that you know and love from so many different stages of life all are joined together to just celebrate and dance while the rest of the world pauses for an evening. Magical stuff.

So, I am always excited when someone asks me to contribute something artistic to their wedding — even if it’s just a sketch or two. In backwards chronological order, here’s a few illustrations I had the privilege to create for some wonderful friends on their special days.
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Justin & Jessica Neill — May 18, 2013.

These two awesome tech geeks just asked me to throw their names up on the vertical plasma at their warehouse venue, so I thought I’d have a little more fun with it. (Plus – This was an excuse to give my new Kuretake brush pen a whirl. Picked one up immediately after discovering Ryan Andrews’ stuff. You should read this comic of his.)
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Jonathan & Lindsey Hays — June 8, 2012.

Terribly sorry to someone on ETSY. My sis, Linz, sent me a link and it was a basic, “Can you do this? But make it me and Jonathan?” So, I obliged. This modern style juxtaposed nicely with their rustic, outdoor wedding. And it suits their new place well I think.
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Paul & Katie Tucker — August 6, 2011

Katie the crafting fiend built basically everything but the building and the people at her wedding and reception. Amazing stuff. She and Paul asked me to outline a basic tree for the intention of a fingerprint leaf guestbook to blossom as each guest said hello. And now it’s planted as a nice memento on their wall.
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So yes, if you have any painting, drawing, illustration ideas for an upcoming wedding of yourself or a loved one, say hello! I would love to make you something for the very special occasion.

1 Comment /
drawing, painting

May 28, 2013#

Various graphic elements that I created (among other tasks…[#]) to support the Gurus of Tech 2013 conference at Willow Creek in Chicago. Goal here was to build a consistent brand for the Gurus13 event that maintained a specific style and purpose.

The big point of gurus is conversation and connection. It is a time for tech folks working in local churches around the globe to meet like-minded peers and engage in ongoing discussion/learning/ever-growing tech community.

Hence the decision to maximize the #gurus13 element of the brand and lead all elements back to twitter and facebook as a place for folks to continue to connect after the free event.

Shown here are a cover for the Gurus13 schedule/notebook, an excerpt of charts from the Gurus vendor kit, a digital signage display for Mankin Media, two banner ads that ran to promote the event, and an example of a promo card for a specific vendor giveaway. View more branding elements at www.gurusoftech.com.

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[#] = Disclaimer: I work full time for Mankin Media (and therefore also Gurus of Tech).

May 26, 2013#

poolside sketchin

First swim & sketch of the year. (Maybe next time I’ll man up and draw the swimmers as well).

No Comments /
drawing

May 11, 2013#

and goodnight…

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animation

May 10, 2013#

good morning

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animation

May 5, 2013#

adelaide’s sun and moon
computer, 11×17 inches, 2013.

Basically, I have a daughter on way due this July. Her name is Adelaide. Kelly and I are really excited. So, I made these for her in the meantime.

forefront
So on the literal level, yes, these depict myself, Kelly, and Adelaide journeying and resting together under the sun and moon. Maybe I hope she will see these in her room and remember that we will be with her day and night as she becomes whoever she chooses to be. That’s been the most exciting part so far. Wondering what she’ll be like and waiting to simply watch her become her.

furthermore
The other half of this stemmed from a whole lot “what on earth is coming our way??” — I kept the characters vague and out of focus to mirror different stages of life. Prepping for child numero uno has been a tremendous whirlwind of all of them. The excitement of being a kid, the surprise at how fast time flies by, the prayers to somehow figure out all the unknown adult/parent stuff; all that.

These days I simultaneously feel like the kid on the tree swing, the older figure pushing that kid, and the contemplative persona resting against the trunk, watching the mystery all happen.

I guess…making these helped remind me that as the sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises, that there is someone with me too. The sun and the moon, they are my Father’s eyes.

art style
I really admire Alex Griendling’s work and transparency. He wrote a really helpful how to pixel blog that Josh sent my way that looked like a lot of fun. (Definitely proved true. The whole process plays like a video game.)

That, plus an immense admiration for the art style of Fez attributed most to the visuals. Ballake Sissoko’s At Peace soundtracked the serene mood.

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up for grabs
Anyway, prints for sale here. Hope you enjoy.

Also — Feels weird to bring in any money for something made for my future daughter so…all proceeds will go to End It Movement. You should click on that link. Until just a couple weeks ago, I definitely was unaware of the appalling 27 million people in slavery still today (50% aka 13.5 MILLION of which are children). Please take a look, spread the word, and support the rescue.

May 1, 2013#

statement

My love to create mirrors my love for creation. This Earth is an astounding masterpiece, especially in its minute details —

The slow wave of the shadows of a row of trees unfurling across a sun-soaked, orange meadow. The magic wonder of refracted light playing games with you while you glide your fingers in and out of the surface of a lake. The hazy, unexpected memories that roar into focus at even the faintest trace of scent from the year’s first evergreen.

And yes, even in what we have built here, there is so much awe and wonder — Moments like simply staring out the window as a passenger of a night drive, into a patterned blur of streetlights across flickers of stretched reds, yellows, and whites of the distant skyline, blurred from distant mornings spent glaring way-too-close into the RGB units of your family’s old color TV.

I love those details.
I love exploring and experimenting with them.
In this moment, those experiments manifest most as a lot of themed environments, distorted patterns, and intricate abstractions.
In the next? Who knows.

I hope to run further down the rabbit hole into more art experimentations to develop more of these ideas floating around, and bring some of them back to land. In addition, I hope to continue to pursue illustration to help support the projects of others around us diving into the details they love and sifting through their ideas and dreams.

To me, Life is a mystery. And art? Both a maze and a key.

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So, please continue to join me here as I transfer life’s adventures into art, and more importantly, please share your exciting journeys and stories with me. I love to collaborate and support other people’s wild and wonderful ideas, and… well… I just love a good story and meeting new folks so reach out anytime.
Thanks for reading.

April 9, 2013#