Hi, my name is Bryan and my life is art! You probably know me as 'Papa Spongy' if you've found your way here from the the NFT/Web3 space. In my 20s as a musician, rapper and music producer I went by 'Dustin Marlin' (the stage name I was given early in my music career) and to this day more people know me as Dustin than Bryan. Whether you're a potential employer/client or just a web3 friend stopping in to check out what we're doing, thank you sincerely for your interest in my artwork!
I have been drawing since I could hold a pencil. Comic book art and eventually a massive love for cartoon character design and animation in general drove an overwhelming desire to blend my love of two art forms (music and cartoons) into one fluid vision. That passion has been the driving force in my life. I have studied and enjoyed working in multiple art mediums including charcoal sketching, acrylic painting, ceramic sculpting, stop-motion animation, 2D digital animation, photography, videography and more.
In young adulthood I concentrated on the art form I was most passionate about...music. I studied sound engineering and worked in the field both professionally and as an entrepreneur, producing my music and for others in my personal home studio. Although I had gone a different direction with my studies, I never put down the pen when it came to drawing. I mastered many of the programs in the Adobe Creative Suite including Illustrator, Photoshop, After Effects, Character Animator, InDesign and more on my own. I'm currently spending some of my free time learning Blender and am loving it! Sculpting has always been one of my favorite art forms to work in and digital sculpting is getting fun as I start to grasp the very basics of the program. I have been actively working as a freelance graphic designer and web developer for over 3 years now but my mastery of my craft in digital art goes back way further. As much as music is still a giant part of who I am as an artist, I have grown to identify not only as a graphic designer, but a graphic artist, first and foremost. Thank you again for taking the time to view my art and I look forward to communicating with you in the future and/or potentially working together to create something amazing!
PLEASE NOTE: I do not include any of my work from clients I am currently working with or have NDAs with.
Logo design and branding projects have become a passion of mine. Sometime's they are quick jobs and short term clients and as a freelancer it's much easier to find bigger clients that want to work with you for a longer time. Most of them aren't looking for too much help in the logo and branding department. Seeking out and helping small businesses properly re-brand their businesses and create a company image they can be proud of has become I truly love to do! Here are a few examples of my work!
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Probably my biggest passion as an artist... character design! My ultimate fantasy is that the comic book and movie script I have developed in conjunction with my band's debut EP would be picked up by a larger network or animation studio and developed to it's full potential. Even if that fantasy was never fulfilled, I would still think it would be a dream job to work as a character designer somewhere in the animation industry. The whole passion spurred on most of my self study in graphic design and animation. I recommend checking out BAM Animation's YouTube channel if you're interested in learning about the animation industry. That channel, among many other sources, and getting my first Wacom tablet 5 years ago changed my approach to my whole artistic vision. Some of my character turnarounds are still a little choppy and I'm always honing my character design skills. I am very proud of the characters I've created for our band and the overall vision for the world of Mr. Green The Grey. Check out the band's model/expression sheets!
As the crew of the spaceship Athena in the 'Mr. Green the Grey' saga and MGTG NFT Collection at mrgreenthegrey.com AND as the band 'Lost In Looking' at our website lostinlooking.com. Stream the LiL music on Spotify or wherever you listen to music!
As a freelance graphic designer I have made my bread and butter designing merchandise and packaging for a number of companies and clients. At one point in time I ran my own t-shirt and apparel company, Prescription Detroit, working with some great local charities and giving back a percentage of our sales to aid in Detroit community efforts. The experience there helped me gain credibility with some of my bigger clients and the rest has been history. These are just a few examples of my work in this area!
As a struggling artist and musician working tirelessly to see the vision for a cartoon band mixed with a comic/movie series to fruition, learning about NFT technology and the communities that were being built in the Web3 space was like a light bulb going off. I had been working for the better part of 10+ years to bring my creative vision to life and it felt like I was never going to find a way to get it all off the ground. I have worked with a great record label (Luxor Records) that has been super supportive in helping me make it all happen but it still feels overwhelming at times. It's been a big dream that's taken a long time to get this far. I couldn't be happier to have made my way through Web3 with all the experience I've gained as a founding creator, investor, community leader and so much more. It's been fun working in the space and using my talents to help build communities and promote some cool NFT ventures. I love working in the NFT/Web3 space! Here's some prototypes I've done and some pieces from the my Mr. Green The Grey NFT Collection!
