Category: Art Commissions

Customer Service Cartoons

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I just finished a series of 12 illustrations for Positive Promotions. These were not children’s illustrations, as is my typical genre, but very corporate-targeted cartoons for a customer service department. I think they may go with an established training program or something, but I didn’t get any details on their exact purpose.

If you’ve followed me at all, you’ll notice that these pieces are not anything close to my typical art style. Instead, these were meant to match some previous artwork that the company had been using for years. I can typically match other art styles, as long as they’re cartoonish rather than realistic.

I didn’t even draw these in my trusty Adobe Photoshop, but instead used Adobe Illustrator. The project wasn’t very technical. Just simple shapes and paths with fixed-width lines. Still, it was a good opportunity to brush up on my Illustrator skills which I haven’t had much call to use lately.

I’m sharing these samples to show that I can match other cartoon art styles, and that I can work in Adobe Illustrator. Just in case that’s something you’re looking for. As always, I am accepting commissions. Contact me for more information.

A woman sits at a desk in an office labeled Ranch Supplies Customer Service. Her desk has a sign advising people to put yourselves in your customers' shoes. A man stands near her in very fancy cowboy boots and says, "I'm feeling really uncomfortable in some of our customers' shoes!"
A woman works a desk in an office. She is frantically typing as someone yells at her in her headset. There are signs on her desk and wall around her saying, "Danger! Stress Zone," "Help! I'm Stressed," "Stressed to the Max," "I'm really stressed!!", and "Stressed? Yes, I am." Behind her, a man says to her, "Lisa, I'm concerned. You seem to be showing signs of stress."
An office labeled Customer Service has two co-workers sitting at adjacent desks. They are both working on knitting a sweater with two neck holes that they're currently wearing together. The caption below reads, "We believe we serve customers best by being part of a close-knit organization."
Two co-workers stand near a wall labeled "Customer Service Employee of the Month" which displays several portraits of workers with star-shaped heads. One of the workers standing in front of the wall has a star-shaped head and says, "So many stars..." The other worker, with a normal human head, says, "Our manager says there's room for lots more stars!"
There are two treadmills set up among typical office cubicles with people running on them. There are signs on the machines saying, "We go the extra mile," and "In step with customers." Behind the runners, another worker is sitting in a desk chair lifting a dumbbell. Behind them, two people discuss them. One says, "Our customer service department is really taking shape!"
In front of a row of office cubicles, two people dressed as rock stars seem prepared to perform. One is sitting at a drumset. The other is holding a bass guitar and offering a standard guitar to a woman dressed as a drab office worker. The non-rocker has her hands up in a negating gesture and says, "When I told everyone, 'We Rock,' this isnt' what I had in mind!"
In an office labeled, "Customer Service," a man hold up three photos showing three different smiles. He says to his co-worker, "I always have a smile in my voice, but I'm not sure which smile to use."
In an office labeled, "Customer Service," one woman watches another wearing a tutu tie on toe shoes. The woman half-dressed as a ballet dancer says, "These will keep me on my toes all day!"
A man dressed in office casual clothing sits next to Santa. There is a line of children waiting their turn and an elf overseeing them. The man says to Santa, "All I really want is good customer service!"
A woman at a desk in a cubicle has a number of awards displayed. She has an Oscar, an Olympic Gold Medal, a Nobel Prize, a Grammy, and a trophy labeled Customer Service Good Attitude Award. She is gesturing to the Customer Service one and telling a co-worker, " This is what I'm most proud of!"
Several people sit or stand around an office conference table. A projection screen is pulled down with bullet points for Exceed Expectations, Customer Experience, and Results-Driven. A bee hovers in the air with a pointer. The bee says, "Today we will talk about some of the most important BUZZ words in customer service!"
A woman is watering a large potted plant sitting on the floor next to her desk. Her cubicle has lots of healthy-looking green plants. A coworker is walking by. She tells him, "I treat my plants like I treat my customers--with plenty of care and respect."

3 Voodoo Dolls

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Here’s a commission I finished this week. It was drawn for Isaiah Vest with the group Stileto. It’s a cover for a song titled Coffee and Drugs. The album will drop on April 22nd.

Because of the song title, the image contains drug themes. Nothing egregious, just some pills spilled on a table. But since I’m primarily a children’s illustrator, I’ll hide it behind a link. Click here to view final image.

Here’s a safe version:

An illustration of three voodoo dolls slumped together in front of a spilled, cracked coffee cup. Copyright © 2022 Isaiah Vest.

A Basketball Story – Interior 14

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Not to end on too harsh a note for the kids, they do get to go to FUNZone. The agreement was for if they went undefeated during the regular season. So, losing the championship doesn’t keep them from getting their party.

The kids from the Jackrabbit team got to go to the FUNZone trampoline party room. The image shows seven of them and their coach. Five are leaping around on the trampolines, two are in the ball pit, and the coach is juggling three ball pit balls.

A Basketball Story – Interior 12

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This is a very morality focused storyline, if you haven’t gathered yet. Since the kids goofed off so much before, it catches up to them. They aren’t paying much attention during the game, assuming they’ll win with no effort, and so they lose the final championship game.

Two comic book panels. The first is a basketball game between the Jackrabbits and the Sea Turtles. The Sea Turtles are playing hard, but the Jackrabbits aren't paying much attention. The second panel has the Sea Turtles with the championship trophy and the Jackrabbits sad and shocked that they were defeated.

A Basketball Story – Interior 11

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Here’s the 11th interior.

The team is in a locker room at the Sea Turtle’s school. They’re relaxed and goofing off a little. Nothing serious, but they also don’t seem very concerned about the up-coming game.

Seven members of the Jackrabbits youth basketball team are waiting in a locker room at the Sea Turtle's school. Two are sitting on top of the lockers, one taking a photo of the other. Another is sitting in an open locker, smiling at a teammate's phone as she takes a selfie of both of them. Two players seem to be asleep. One is laying on his stomach on the bench, playing on his phone.
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A Basketball Story – Interior 10

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Here’s the 10th interior.

The coach substitutes at the Sea Turtles’ school and observes that the team is really working well together. They’ll be a real challenge to the Jackrabbits next time they face them.

The coach stands inside a brick building, looking out the window. Outside, the Sea Turtles youth basketball team practices on the blacktop court on the playground.

A Basketball Story – Interior 9

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Oh, I’m sorry. I got a bit distracted over Thanksgiving and didn’t get around to posting the rest of this series. Here’s the 9th interior.

From A Basketball Story, a picture book I illustrated for Entrepreneur Media Inc.

The Sea Turtles have heard that the Jackrabbits get a trip to FUNZone if they win all their regular season games. They’re determined to stop that. I intentionally chose to depict the two huddles, essentially the same pose but with different characters, from two different views.

A three panel comic strip illustration. The first panel shows 5 members of the Sea Turtles team huddled together with a speech bubble saying, "NO FUNZone FOR THEM!" The second shows a view from inside the jackrabbit's huddle, looking up. Five members of that team are saying, "FUNZone!" The last panel shows after the game with the Jackrabbits victorious and the Sea Turtles defeated. The Jackrabbits are mostly all standing with fists raised in triumph, but with one hugging another player and another actually leaping in the air. One of the Sea Turtles has their head in their hands, crying. One comforts another teammate. And another walks away.

A Basketball Story – Interior 8

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Here’s a two-page spread. You can see the kids are goofing off. Not really doing any harm, but not doing what they’re supposed to be doing either. In the story, at this point, they’re starting to think they’re undefeatable and they don’t have to work at it anymore. This will cause problems later.

Again, this is from the latest illustration project I finished, A Basketball Story, for Entrepreneur Media Inc.

An illustration of the corner of a school gymnasium. A kids' basketball team lounges around and goofs off. The scoreboard shows that they won the last game by 20 to 7. The coach looks on in disapproval.

A Basketball Story – Interior 7

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This image covers about a page and a half, with the gutter running between the boy leaning against the wall and the poster. The gray wall color extends all the way to the left, with text overlaid in that empty space.

Aside from the cover, this is our first and only close-up of members of the Sea Turtles team. They’re discussing how, if they work very hard, they can keep the Jackrabbits from going 10 – 0 for the season.

Again, this is for the picture book, titled A Basketball Story: Always Be Humble, which I just finished illustrating for Entrepreneur Media Inc.

In a school hallway, three members of the Sea Turtles basketball team stand around a poster showing the Mid-Season League Standings for four teams. One boy leans on the wall, the girl has her hands on both boys shoulders. And the other boy faces away from the viewer with one hand in a fist.

A Basketball Story – Interior 6, Right Side

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Here’s the right side of the interior I posted yesterday. Coach Miles is explaining how he’ll take the team to FUNZone if they win all ten games in the season.

Coach Miles is standing in front of a classroom white board with "10 - 0 -> FUNZone" written on it. Two players in the front row are incredulous.