Leslie Sademan

I recently did some illustrations/designs for Schwinn Bicycle Company. I really enjoyed thinking in 3D and figuring out how the helmet design would flow and come together. I had fun with the colors and trying to convey the movement of the race theme without being too obvious about it. The client was pleased with the results and I'm super excited to hear if the major store brands will pick this up for actual distribution in the future!

This was another helmet design I did recently for Schwinn. The direction given was to design a toddler, woodland, outdoors theme helmet. I always love to start with rough sketches and see how close to my first thoughts my designs end up being. Illustrating the bear and the fish was whimsical and fun. I originally was just going to do woodland creatures in the redwoods and mountains and it took a nice turn when I added the fish and river. I would love to see a little cyclist sporting this fun helmet!

This was an additional toddler helmet design I did for Schwinn Bicycle Company. The direction was the same woodland, outdoors theme. It was fun illustrating the fox and coming up with a not-so-conventional outdoors color palette. I thought the wood grain and the tree circles were a subtle way of bringing in the woodsy outdoors into a more modern design. I'm hoping I get to see this cute helmet on some little guy in the future as well!

This project started as just a map themed brochure to help foster youth navigate the world of higher education. I was literally given lists and lists of copy. The only idea the client had was to do an actual road map to go step by step, using letters and numbers to each step and a key to find what that step meant, etc. It seemed very overwhelming and too much information to unload on someone all at once. So I directed the client to go in a different direction, using a brain to illustrate the path of numbers that lead to the steps. This broke down the information much more easily for the reader, and was so well-liked that it expanded into a whole packet of information booklets, checklists, the map, etc. It was a really great project that challenged me in new ways, particularly taking tons of information and breaking it down more simply and visually for readers. I kept a playful color palette and clean design. It would take a ton of pages to show the whole design, so to the left I have a photo of some of the packet with the Illustrator and Indesign files I used. Every last detail from concept to design, down to production, was all me.

This was a logo design I did for a salon/therapy studio. The woman who owned it offered a plethora of services and wanted her business to have a professional presence that could be communicated on a street sign as well as her personal cards. I incorporated the feeling of sunshine and a tree with energy and positivity.  I typically start out with sketching and then clean up in Illustrator for a brainstorm in grayscale, then I work my way into adding various colors.

On this project I was tasked to create a trio of bbq sauce labels for a company called Culinary Twist. The client requested a design that brought the Texas vibe with a clean, modern style. I started with my typical rough pencil sketches and as the client decided what they were starting to like, I transformed my sketches into illustrated, digital designs. We fine-tuned the copy and colors and I set up the labels for press. I really enjoyed being able to see the rough sketches turn into actual bottles of bbq sauce on the shelves of Whole Foods Market as well as other grocery stores. So fun to see your work out in the world. 

I helped out on a few photo shoot guidance sketches for Pottery Barn Teen magazine. The Art Director would give me an idea of what products from the store they wanted to highlight on the cover and I would come up with a sketch/water color composition for the pitch to corporate and for the photographers to use as guidance when they set up their shoots.

Culinary Twist had three prior flavors on the market for their Maya Bay, Bora Bora and Baja flavors. I had to come up with the label for the "Kyoto" flavor, keeping the same style as the current line of marinades. 

Everyone loves sticky buns! It was a blast working with this client on their new biz. I had creative freedom to have fun with the logo and the end result showed it! I was very pleased, and so was the client! You can see how my mind works from bottom to top on all the variations we went through to get to the final design.

This was a dream come true project. I have always wanted to illustrate a children's book! It was an immense learning experience and I enjoyed every challenging minute of it. I created each piece of art using gauche paints and colored pencils. The character creation and design was all from my heart. Even though the story was not written by me, I felt the characters come through like they were my own. I did the layout and prepress work for the book as well. It was a heavy load of work but well worth it!

These are various illustrations I have done for clients and friends on small projects here and there. Always having fun with the ride.

This is some art from my past... a reference that I have traditional skills as well as digital. One day I will find the time to go back to drawing, painting, and sculpting...when I no longer have small people vying for my attention.