Freelance Illustration
While I provide a range of graphic design services, freelance illustration has been my primary business and the reason for this web site. My competitive advantage is that my customers can get many different styles and media — all from one artist. The styles range from fully digital to hand-painted art, cartoon art to photo-realism. My favorite illustration technique is pen and ink, with color added by either watercolors or digital overlays on the computer.
For me, the highest compliment is when a customer says,
“You drew what I was thinking!”
Jazz Foxes Poster Art
Poster illustration for Fox Jazz Fest. Ink and digital color.
Zanti Misfits Ink Illustration
Zanti Misfits from The Outer Limits tv show. Pen and ink illustration.
Go Fish Book Illustration
Illustrated children’s book, “The Panfish Party.” boballenauthor.com
Pen and Ink Frog Illustration
Frog illustration, part of a wildlife series. Pen and ink.
Wicked Monkey Illustration
Art for “Wicked” gala at Fox Cities PAC. Pen and ink and watercolor.
Wicked Monkey Illustration
Art for “Wicked” gala at Fox Cities PAC. Pen and ink and watercolor.
Gilbert Gottfried Caricature
Pen and ink caricature illustration of Gilbert Gottfried.
Frog Surfer Character Design
Illustration for children’s book. Pen, ink and digital color.
Gamer Sloth Illustration
Banner illustration for YouTube gamer. Pen and ink and digital color.
Children’s Book: Polli Wogs
Illustration for children’s book. Mixed media. https://bit.ly/4j192Ir
Fish Eating Contest Illustration
Illustrated children’s book, “Battle of the Bass.” boballenauthor.com
Rex in a Box Illustration
Illustrated spelling lessons. silvermoonspellingrules.com
Fighting Bass Fish Illustration
Fishing t-shirt design series. Pen and ink.
Monster Fish Illustration
Character design for children’s book project. Pen and ink and digital color.
Smiling Dog Portrait Illustration
Cartoon dog illustration for pet portrait project. Ink and color markers.
Ice Fishing Illustration
Illustration from “Walter Under the Ice.” boballenauthor.com
Pen and Ink Owl Illustration
Owl illustration, part of a wildlife series. Pen and ink.
Wicked Bookcase Monkey
Large-format art for “Wicked” gala at Fox Cities PAC. Ink and watercolor.
Aspen Leaf Illustration
Original art for Aspen Coffee shop. Sepia ink and gouache.
Pen and Ink Walleye Illustration
Walleye illustration, part of a wildlife series. Pen and ink.
Bear Illustration in Pen and Ink
Bear illustration, part of a wildlife series. Pen and ink.
Halloween Mouse Illustration
Children-themed seasonal illustration. Pen and ink and watercolor.
Mansion Portrait Illustration
Commissioned house portrait. Pen and ink and watercolors.
Dental Implant Illustrations
Digital illustrations for dental implant brochure. dentalcrafters.net
Political Debate Editorial Illustration
Cover illustration for magazine. Mixed media, pencils and watercolor.
To succeed as a freelance illustration business, my work must be focused on meeting the customer’s needs and deadlines. The results must be commercially useful and meet the technical specs that keep it looking good across any number of electronic or print media. As an experienced illustrator I am also available to help resolve production issues. I am often hired by other Graphic Designers to supply illustrations for their customers’ projects. This allows me to put my strongest skills forward, collaborating with other graphics pros to ensure great-looking results.
Reason number one for using an illustration rather than a photo: artwork grabs attention. A good illustration visually expresses your message before your words are read. In the end, it is about whether or not readers notice your message. And custom artwork overcomes demographic “barriers,” because a jazz sax-playing fox or a friendly bikini-clad frog can communicate across all gender and nationality distinctions. Mascots and custom character designs are a big part of what we do in helping businesses brand themselves, presenting their message to the world in the most appealing way.
An illustration can go a step further than a photo, and explain the message. There are things you simply cannot take a photo of. And those are the kinds of ideas that creative, entrepreneurial minds dream up (and ask me to draw). A creative illustration is much more interesting to look at than a photo, and it invites the viewer to stay around and hear what you are saying.