By John Potter

EscapeKey.net ‘99 EscapeKey.net ‘00 EscapeKey.net ‘01 Escape Key Graphics ‘02 EscapeKey.net ‘03 Escape Key Graphics ‘04 Escape Key Graphics ‘07 Escape Key Graphics ‘08

Well, it looks like my last redesign was in May of ‘08. Time has marched on and a change had to be made. This is my ninth major redesign/rebuild since 1999. I wish I could say it will be the last, but it probably wont be.

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Some Ways I Can Help You Use Google Earth

By John Potter

A while ago I began maintaining a Google Earth file pinpointing the locations of most of the panoramic photos I’ve shot, but the file isn’t just available for download. I’ve also embedded the file into some of my web pages using Google Maps as you can see here.

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Adobe Illustrator Time-Lapse Map Video

By John Potter

I was recently contracted by the beautiful tourist attraction, Flamingo Gardens, in Davie, Florida to redesign their visitor’s map. You may recall that I did some panoramic photography for them previously and posted an article about that.

This was a very exciting project for me, and I decided to record the project in on going screen capture and made a time-lapse video of the process from it like I did with my “Photoshop Time-Lapse Video.“. The map required a lot of skill, patience and a variety of techniques and tools in Adobe Illustrator. Further complicating issues, the tree canopy at the park is so thick that aerial photography is not helpful at all. I started out sketching the paths, but later switched to a hand held GPS. It was very helpful, but I still found I needed to clean up the design and revisit the park to verify the accuracy. I also did some more detailed sketching during that visit. At that point, I had a good basis to start with. From there on it was lot’s of dedicated work and patience. I utilized a lot of custom textures and brushes I have made over the years and created quite a few new ones as well. Some parts were more of a technical challenge while other parts allowed me to draw in a freehand style. A project this big was bound to supply variety.

There were, of course, revisions and changes that are not all reflected in the video and in the interest of not boring anyone to death not every tree, shrub and shelter is rendered in the video.

I have really enjoyed working on this project. This map is a quantum leap ahead for Flamingo Gardens in legibility and comprehension as well as aesthetics. Now they will have a map that will keep their guests from getting lost and make a nice souvenir as well. The map should be released to the public in or around April.

The video is available below from Vimeo and my server and it is also available from Youtube.

This project is featured on Digital Urban!

Photoshop Time-Lapse Snow Scene

By John Potter

Before	After

Foreign Trade Zone Corporation of Mobile, Alabama recently approached me with a project. There was a need for a holiday card photo of their offices. They wanted a snowy scene at night. Unfortunately, the only images available to them were during the day and without snow (since it doesn’t snow in Mobile). The photos were great and the basis of the project.

This was a great project for me. It was a great opportunity to do something really cool (no pun intended) in Photoshop. I decided to record the project in on going screen capture and made a time-lapse video of the process from it. I did have one crash that resulted in some of the work not being included in the video, but most is. The video represents about five hours of work compressed down to about six minutes. I hope you enjoy it.

The video is available below from Vimeo and my server and it is also available from Youtube. If you like the time lapse format, you may also be interested in my “Adobe Illustrator Time-Lapse Video”

Escape Key Graphics For Your Illustration And Design Needs

By John Potter

See more drawings and paintings
in my Illustration Portfolio

If you didn’t already know…Escape Key Graphics is me; John Potter, an artist, illustrator and graphic designer living in south Florida. Some years ago I began freelancing under the name of Escape Key Graphics and what started out as my online portfolio has evolved into more of a blog/portfolio. I am still available for hire and can produce artwork like you see on this site at your request. So….on to the reasons you should choose me for your design and illustration resource.

• Quality:
  I strive to exceed the expectations of my clients. My goal is to deliver something you could not have even imagined at the outset. I want to see my clients beam with pride and I have time and again. Have a look at my Illustration and Graphic Design portfolios. They speak for themselves.

• Integrity:
  I produced all of the artwork on this site. Unless CLEARLY stated otherwise I created everything you see here. Having original, unique work represent you lends you high credibility and elevates you above your competition. In today’s litigious business climate it’s essential to hire someone who creates original work for the protection of your business. Have a look at my Illustration and Graphic Design portfolios.

• Experience:
  Nostalgia aside, we can learn from the past and I have over twenty years of experience in the field. For instance, I know what dodge and burn in Photoshop does because I have done it in a real darkroom. I’ve also seen fads come and go. I’ve seen many ideas fade into obscurity while others took off and I learned from all of them.

• Straightforwardness:
  I wont try to dazzle you with techno babble or insider lingo. Good quality work speaks for itself and if it doesn’t, then it’s probably not good quality work.

What Isometric Drawing Is And When It May Be Useful

By John Potter

Isometric drawings (or isometric projections) represent three dimensional objects without the perspective tapering off towards one or more vanishing points. In other words…things in an isometric drawing don’t get smaller at a distance. This makes the drawings look somewhat realistic while retaining much of the geometric information of a schematic. You may hear it refred to as a form of axonometric projection or drawing.
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New TTF Fonts in Gallery for $1

By John Potter

Potter Nouveau 01

I am pleased to announce the release of three new custom fonts which I designed.

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New Logos in Gallery

By John Potter

New logos in Graphic Design Gallery

Tech or Treat logo

Hard Work logo

I’ve had some logos piling up that I hadn’t yet included in the gallery, so I thought now was as good a time as any to add them.

Some like the “Tech or Treat” logo to the right are more illustrations than logos depending on the intended use. The “Tech or Treat”, for instance, was to be used on T Shirts and stuff more than letterheads, and the client wanted all of that text included.

Most designs were done in Adobe Illustrator, although you will see some “by hand” drawing and a little bit of Photoshop work. Most of these logos were not published (which DOES NOT mean that they are public domain or free to use without my permission). They may reemerge in some other incantation in the future. I just didn’t want to sit on them forever because of that. If they are being seen they are doing more good than if they are archived away. I may be adding a few more in the weeks to come, so keep coming back and having a look.

The “Matrix” and “Got Pasties” logos are older and you may recognize them from an old post, “Best Unused Logos of 2008“.

I hope you enjoy the new logos.