From Start to Finish
There are projects that come along that are just a sheer pleasure to work on, And this one surely qualifies. Celestial Seasonings has been a fantastic company to work with. Really a dream come true for me. Last summer they asked me to work with three other...
Drawing from History
This project came about from a request from my rep to create a piece for our yearly calendar project. We were partnering with the Field Museum in Chicago to develop imagery that honors the immense fossil collection at the museum. One of my favorite things...
Yeah, I can do “photo realistic”
I was asked to add the fire in this photo. It is next to impossible to photograph. I painted it entirely in Painter, and then exported to Photoshop. EXPO asked me to create an idealized view of their markers. The design needed a precise control of light...
Sweet Savannah
I made a trip to Savannah Georgia and was impressed at every turn. The public squares every 3 blocks or so with lovely live oak trees, Victorian brick architecture, & magnolia trees. I have also admired Martin Heade's Magnolia painting's for some time and...
Retro Relaunch
When I was a kid the cough drop of choice was Smith Brothers wild cherry. Since then we have soothed our throats with many different brands, but I still remember the simple clean white box with the two guys on it. This market segment has been flooded with...
Make Like a Tree
I designed some trees for a play production. I had a lot of help cutting leaves out of paper, and straitening coat hangers. Here are some photos of the work. This is a shot of the stage. It all starts with a drawing.
Pineapples are Cool
I have always thought pineapples were interesting, so being up against a deadline for an ad in The Workbook I chose a pineapple drawn from one my wife brought home from the store. But like most pineapples, the proportions were a little outlandish for my...
A Great Opportunity-Almost
When I was a young concept artist at Source inc. in Chicago, we revered Joe Duffy's work on Classico pasta sauce. In the world of maximum shelf impact pop, this design stood out for its beautiful illustrative design and muted color pallet. It certainly was...
Iconic Illustration Works!
In 2000 Hidden Valley needed a makeover. I was asked to paint an idealized sunlit farm valley & sky, with (17) flavor icons. For 11 years the (valley) has defined the brand and ranch dressing in general. This was a bit of work I did to show the development...
SWEET BBQ Illustration
I have done a lot of Pringle's illustrations, but this one was SMOKIN'.
A Dream Job for Me
My wife would always hold up a Celestial Seasonings tea package and say, "honey you should be doing work for them". I would say, "yep, that would be the coolest". Thank God He heard my prayer and they called me and said they had wanted to work with me for...
Food & Wine Event Poster
This poster image was created for an event in Palm Desert CA showcasing famously talented chefs and wine curators. I even was privileged enough to travel there, eat & drink and sign my posters. It is a large painting I did digitally in Painter, but like...
Pencil Landscape for SaraLee
The client wanted me to create a farm with lots of naturalistic landscape elements for a back to nature look. However, it needed to be (idealized) in composition and tone.
Tea for the Diet-Conscious
This illustration was created for Celestial Seasoning Tea Co. The goal was to make an appetizing image while suppressing it if that makes sense.
Cascade
© 2010 Michael Bast Illustration
Sample of Packaging Illustrations
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Turning Leaf Illustration
Gallo wine was looking to refine there existing leaf icon, but keep the established visual look of the brand.
Pecan Orchard Farm
The inspiration for this painting came from Grant Wood & Robin Moline. It was used for a pecan ice cream package background. This is my rough pencil sketch. Final pencil drawing with added tone in Painter. First pass of color in Painter. I like to build...