Art and Clients Series: 2. The One who like it Customize for Holiday Season

The story went back to 2012 when I won in his contest for custom Xmas family postcard illustration which featured his family and related to the current trend that year - Gangnam style music video.

Since then, he regularly contacted me every year near holiday season to order custom illustration related to any trend happened that year for his family postcard to be printed and sent to all their family, friends and colleagues with a very specific details in his brief of what I should do to come up with the illustration as he would expected. Until one day, it stopped because of a reason.  

 The reason was Covid19, and so he stopped ordering in those years until he finally reached out again for another annual custom card illustration after the pandemic era was over. we still continue working together until last year because I wouldn't know whether he will do so for this year.

 

 

Art and Clients Series: 1. The One with Unique Imaginations

In more than two decades of my life working in art designing, both in fashion or clothing and graphic or illustration, I've come across so many different challenges and type of clients.

As for now, I would like to share one of my experiences with one certain client who wanted to build his own business in clothing industry with his his own brand back then a few years ago. He was a young man with a lot of unique imaginations which I need to put into illustration or graphic design form for his clothing products. The picture which attached in this post was one of it. He had one original character as the main brand mascot in all of the illustrations I did. There were many other illustrations in which I, as a designer wouldn't think that far for the ideas and inspirations. 

We worked together for 2-3 years producing some designs and he even sent me the sample of his products and a nice appreciation letter. However, we suddenly stopped working when I asked him to give me some times to finish other project with tight deadline before working on his latest idea. Maybe he was also in a rush and couldn't wait for me to do it.

In the end, overall it was a nice experience and I always appreciate what he had done for me in the past and for his trust in using my design service. I wish him the best.   

  

 

Music Cover Illustration from a Missing Client

A few years ago, I had a string of projects from someone who claimed to be a newbie artist/rapper as for the new beginning of his career after he left his old work related to martial art or sport (I forgot which one). 

 

He continuously gave me new order for each song he wrote and recorded. He even gave me the lyric and song to understand better about the specific concept he wanted for it. And so I did as he requested for all the songs with various illustrations. He even started his own channel on one big social media to share his music and also showing those illustrations for each of them. We worked together for almost a year for it and I tried to support him on his channel. Until one day the project came to an end. He said he would contact me one day if he ever need my design service again. He was good as a client and I had no problem working for him that time.

 

Time went by and after around a few years later and many other projects that came after him, I got curious to see how he's doing with his new career and I checked his channel only to see all of his songs had been gone as if those weren't there since the beginning. I googled him by his real name that he'd once mentioned to me but to no avail. I wonder what had happened to him because it seemed like everything related to him were erased. Until now, there was no clear news about him or rather, I found out something but couldn't be confirmed that it was him related to it. Something that definitely would made it understandable as to why he disappeared. Only God knows.

 

The picture I attached in this post was the initial illustration for one of the song in which the final one was way different than this.  

 

Annual Girl's Scout Event in T-shirt Design

I got a special project back then from one girl scout organization from U.S back then a few years ago.  

It was a project with specific brief of how they want it to show to their young members. It supposed to also show the spirit and youth with cheerful vibe and most of all, the relationship with nature as girl scout.

I came up with this idea after reading their brief and they instantly approved within a day after I showed them the concept. The picture in this post was the one their agreed on which showing a little girl scout with her backpack facing the mountain scenery, bird and sunrise with tent. They only want the design with minimal colors used on the t-shirt which was only 3 colors.

In the end, this was one of the most satisfying projects which finished within less than 3 days and the client was happy with it. 

Feel free to contact me for any design or illustration commission/inquiry/project without AI through e-mail: thedreamernoodlemie@gmail.com or DM through Instagram: @noodlemie  

An Unfinished Music Cover Concept for An Abandoned Contest

I got invited into one contest for music cover with quite high price back then a few years ago. They specifically described the elements that should be included in the illustration and I came up with the concept as the picture attached in this post.

It was a rather unfinished contest since the contest holder in the end abandoned the contest without explaining the reason why. I left it unfinished although it crossed my mind several time the urge to finish the concept but still I finally decided just to let it be as it is. 

This kind of things happened a couple of times whether due to the client being busy or lost interest in continuing because they didn't find what they wanted or simply changed their mind about it. Of course the curiosity arose in our mind as people who participated in the contest but we could do nothing about it but only to let it go.

Anyway, in this art business, things happened and not all process are smooth as we want it to. Once again another lesson learned. It may seem like I've been sharing many bad moments in life in several post I've written here in my blog, but believe me, these things were only 20 to max 30 percents compared to the good things that happened in it. Life is never flat and it never will. Because at the end of the day, another day another chance to take and another new door to open.   

 

Mural Design For a Contest that did not finished in time

A few years ago, there was a competition for one famous beverage cola brand to create a mural design based on their commercial advertisement at that time. This mural will be painted directly on a wall in one European country. 

After I've watched the ads over and over again, I came up with this idea. I wanted to combined all the elements from the ads in one picture. Due to contest's short time, I didn't manage to finish coloring the concept in time because apparently it took quite long time to finish this concept. So, in the end, I just submitted the outline without colors to show them thinking who knows they would consider my initial concept as a good one. Unfortunately, my concept was not convincing enough and failed to go through to the next round. 

A couple of months later, in between my free time after finishing some projects, I came across this unfinished concept and then finished it until the concept completed and I kinda wonder what if I finished it on contest time. Anyway, I posted in my social media as my portfolio. Here is the result as on the picture attached. 

Feel free to contact me for any design/ illustration service through e-mail: thedreamernoodlemie@gmail.com or DM me on Insta: @noodlemie 

 

A Tribute for Late Friend in Custom illustration/Design

This would be the last post in the last day of year 2025. A throwback of a heartfelt experience I had back then. 

A couple of years ago, I got an inquiry from someone for a personal custom design/ illustration as a tribute for his late friend.

He specifically described the details that he wanted me to include in the design and he also provided me the references of his late friend in photos. His late friend was a quite young man, a gym enthusiast and a happy friendly person with so much energy and spirit to dedicate, live and share his life for his loved ones, his friends and his work. Not to mention, his healthy life style that he tried to maintain until one day he suddenly passed away.

The client didn't disclose further why he passed away and I didn't want to ask since it was a private matter. He wanted him to be remembered as the best person he was and that gave me the motivation to do the best I could at that time.

So, this was the illustration I did for him with some details such as wording small front part design were left out here to emphasize the person and the background only for this blog post. He was satisfied and thankful for the result. He will print it on t-shirts that will be worn on his late friend's memorial day with the rest of friends and family.  In the end, we all wanted to be remembered and loved by people around us. 

For portfolio purpose only. Any use/copy/share/re-post is not allowed. Feel free to contact me for any illustration/design service through e-mail: the dreamernoodlemie@gmail.com or DM on Insta @ noodlemie.  
 

A 'Funny' Story about Illustration Project for Book Cover and Pages

I had this 'funny' experience when I got this illustration order for book cover and pages from someone back then. They wanted me to draw for them based on their mixed references for each illustration in detail request but with inadequate payment. They said it was because they are amateur and young who needed more support for this. It is about their fantasy adventure story anyway that they're trying to sell to people. I agreed on term of providing only one type of final file for them and no other.

Long story short, I did it all as their request with some back and forth revisions which I did professionally in short amount of time. Once all are agreed upon for final, they even told me that I won't be credited in those illustrations. I didn't care anymore that time since I just want it to finish sooner. I politely told them just do whatever they want with it. No word of gratitude from them, nothing, just simply done and finished. 

The funny thing I mentioned earlier is, a few months later they contacted me again and asked for new and bigger file and also another different type of files for free. They said they needed for their promotion since the reaction to their book was quite good. I just ignored it and never bothered to reply because the audacity to even ask was beyond me to comprehend. I just considered this as a valuable lesson for next time that I should not let my kind thought of helping people got in the way in doing my work professionally and being appreciated properly for it. 

 

The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026) - One of the Most Anticipated Movie Next Year

This sequel movie is one of the highly anticipated upcoming movie that I would not want to miss out since I truly loved the prequel or the original movie.

Just a bit insight from the first movie; the story revolved around a newly graduated college girl who used to work as a reporter but then got accepted in one famous fashion magazine with such a tyrannical lady boss. Her work is one of the dream job of many girls her age. She had a hard time adjusting, adapting and struggling to fit into the work requirements and when she finally did it, she drowned in it only to lose herself in the process. Nonetheless, she was so dedicated and without her knowing, her boss actually satisfied with her work. In the end, she had enough after she started losing her time, moments, family, friends in her life for her work and chose to quit.

I wonder what it has to offer in the 2nd movie a few months ahead after 20 years of the first movie. I'm seriously curious and since the first movie inspired me and made me rather connected to my work at that time somehow in fashion world. I like the actors, I have high hope for the 2nd movie to be as good as the prequel seeing that the original casts would play in it and the promising teaser trailer which has been released a few weeks ago.