3rd Optics

The works of Brian P.

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Dunzo

Pretty much done with tumblr since they decided that nipples are too much for the human brain to handle. Catch me over at instagram.com/brianbpickens from here on out.

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Here’s a couple of prints I did for a recent show here. “Telltale” and Shiny Eyes” are both based off of stories found in the amazing WV Ghost Story book “The Telltale Lilac Bush” and I’d been wanting to get these out of my head for a while. Available as 16″x20″ prints! 

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Some ideas for, and then the finished logo for POPSHOPWV’s GIRLS ROCK! program. This one finally came together after I got to lay eyes on the lyrics to theme song for the camp, which is an awesome little ode to the power of girls. 

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A week’s worth of work in about 15 seconds. Art! Thanks to Blaine Mullins for taking these pics while we painted!  

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I spent the last week in Charleston, WV working with Ian Bode on our newest collaborative mural “Don’t Tell Me This Town Ain’t Got No Heart”. Based on the nightlife of Capitol Street, and Charleston in general, it’s meant as a celebration of the state capitol’s downtown culture. It was an incredible week of painting furiously, drinking heartily, and eating like a king. The design for this project started as a bunch of sketches on separate pieces of paper in Charleston and Morgantown, with a rough background that Ian had put together. These various illustrations were brought together on a template based on the measurements of the building, and I put the elements in their places. It bounced back and forth a couple of times, and then it was finalized, pretty much the night before I was due to head down and get to work. We projected that final black and white design on the back of Sam’s Uptown Cafe from about 50 feet away, sizing it up to match the wall - and grabbed some massive sharpies to trace in the design. The fact that the projector, which was in a busy Saturday-night parking lot wasn’t even bumped, was near miraculous. 

We worked for a week painting, adding new personalized details to the mural (the blue unicorn was requested by the owner’s daughter) and generally sweating our asses off and/or getting soaked by the rain. It was all pretty awesome. Ian will finish up the tiny details, get the door designs done, and get the graffiti-proof coating on the wall. I’m truly lucky to have such a good friend and collaborator to work with. Thanks to everyone involved for a fantastic week of making some art. 

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I AM THE LIQUOR has a new EP out! Go give it a listen, it’s good stuff. 

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This piece of garbage. 

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Purple Cat, Beerus, Popshop. I like this drawing. One of the first ones to go in my new sketchbook. 

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Jeah! New Stickers. WEST BY GOD VIRGINIA. 304. MONTANI SEMPER LIBERI. Get ‘em over at Made In West Virginia! 

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Another piece of illustration/painting done for the fine lads of the M.F.B. This time for their stone-cold jam, P.H. Steve!  I had a great time working on this one. I went and made a crazy detailed version of Steve’s Bass, and ended up blending it in a fashion that basically washes out all the detail! Oh well, it looks good. I’m also happy about incorporating his signature outfit design into the overall design, and getting the actual waveform of the song worked into the background. Most importantly, the M.F.B. digs it. Always awesome when the client is happy. 

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Some concepts I put together for the West Virginia Craft Brewers Guild. In the end, none of them were used and they went with something very simple. In hindsight, I want to kick myself for not giving them something like that to look at. It’s not usually my style, but it’s an aesthetic I need to familiarize myself with, and add to my initial ideas for designs.

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Soon to be a new sticker over at madeinwv.com. Started out as a sketch on a brown paper bag from the Evansdale Blackbear in Morgantown. Before that it was a random idea at about 3 in the morning while I was trying to go to sleep. 

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I did a “cover” image for the new MFB single, “Funkle Sam Needs You”. Love these dudes, and have jammed this track about a zillion times.

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#ROCKTOBER 2017. Another flyer for the great @popshopwv in the bag. I wish I would have had a little more time to work on this one, but hey, it happens. 

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Desperate times call for desperate measures, like political cartooning. Feels gross. 

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Another thing that I did for a local band that they weren’t into. A bit too weird for what they were looking for, I think. OH WELL. Fun to draw, though! 

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Doubt this will be used for anything, so here she is. Rock n’ roll Babydoll.