Mad Snax

Client: Threadless
Year: 2015
Categories: Illustration

In 2013, I was approached to work on a collaborative design for Threadless. The concept was a Twinkie in a post-apocalyptic scene because of the urban legend that Twinkies have a 50 year shelf-life.

Work on the design languished for over a year as production ran into problems such as me having another baby, laziness, and budget cuts (unemployment). However, with the theatrical release of Mad Max: Fury Road, production resumed on the design with a new artistic direction that took visual cues from the Mad Max movies.

After two years, work on Mad Snax was finally completed and submitted to Threadless.

Final Illustration

Flat Colors

Line Art

Sketch

Early Development

Revised Sketch

Color Study

Initial Sketch

Initial sketches had references to “Planet of the Apes”, “Thundarr the Barbarian”, “AKIRA”, and “Fist of the North Star”. Later revisions included the Twinkie the Kid character used to market the snack in the past. The character design was based on the iconic look of Mad Max from “The Road Warrior”.