Sports Propaganda

Phillies World Series Print, Lester Autographs

2008-11-07T05:57:18Z

I finished up the Phillies World Series print this week. As soon as it was approved by MLB I made it available on my website and I'm proud to say its getting a great response from the fans. The people of Philadelphia are really excited for this win, and it is well deserved. They have waited a long time for the Phight'ns to win one. The print is selling very quickly so far.

I am adding a new type of item to my website: autographed prints. I'm going to try to obtain MLB authenticated autographs on my prints when the opportunities are available to me. The first Print I have available is Jon Lester, which I have 20 of. I think these are really unique items and I'm excited to make them available to you. A limited edition hand made piece of art, signed by the player it portrays is much nicer than a signed photograph. Each autographed print has a special authenticated hologram as well as a certificate of authenticity. Up next is Jason Varitek.

I had mentions on 2 decent sized blogs this week - "The 700 Level" in Philly, as well as one called "Uniwatch" which is written by an ESPN writer Paul Lukas. I had a HUGE response in terms of website hits from that. I depend on this type of word of mouth, so anytime somebody helps me like this, it is much appreciated.

Loren and Wally interview link

2008-10-16T13:54:52Z

If you happened to have missed the Loren and Wally show interview on Wed morning, its on the web. You will have to forward to "10:17" time stamp with the bottom slide bar. Here is the link to the interview

Radio interview

2008-10-14T18:08:25Z

Just a quick promotional note: I'll be doing an interview on the Loren and Wally Show tomorrow morning. If your in the Boston area the station is 105.7 FM and if you are out of the area, I believe you can listen online at www.wror.com. I'll be in the studio and on the air somewhere between 7:30 - 8:00 am. I believe they will be giving away a print or two to listeners.

I went to the game last night and it was a nightmare. The Sox got killed 9-1. The whole game was painful to watch and the crowd was really not into the game. I'll be there tonight, hopefully the game is a bit more entertaining.

This design was just approved by MLB so I'll start working on it tomorrow. Russell Martin of the Dodgers:

Playoffs, New prints

2008-10-10T03:08:45Z

I was at the Red Sox clinching game on Monday, it was the second playoff clinching game I've been to in the last few years. It was pretty exciting but not the most exciting game I've ever been to. My friend Brian and I are famous for waxing poetic about game 5 of the 2004 ALCS against the Yankees as the greatest playoff game ever. Our story telling has taken on a bit of a "fish story" style since it actually happened. What was truly a LONG game of 14 innings (5 hours, 49 minutes), is now being sold somewhere around 47 innings, which took 6.5 weeks to play. I think Brian claims to have pitched the 7th inning at this point. I'm starting to believe him. Thankfully, along with my Red Sox... I'm heading to this years installment of the ALCS next week. I'm show my tickets below not as much to brag, as much as to show you im so far into the bleachers barely in the stadium. The word "Upper" Bleachers just stings a little. Maybe I'm spoiled.

I finished up 2 new prints this week. Yankee Stadium and David Wright. Yes I know the 2 New York teams arent in the playoffs, but these were designed before that was decided. I hope fans like them. Up next is going to be Russell Martin of the Dodgers.

Here are a couple of pics of the 2nd and 3rd stages of the Wright design:

And the finished product:

I'm always looking for help getting the word out on my artwork - its how I make my living. If you have purchased a print or just like the way they look, I can always use your help passing the word on. If you have friends that are baseball fans, pass me along on Facebook or Myspace, send an email, open your window and shout it to your neighbor. Pigeon Carriers, ect... It all appreciated and youll be helping out a local artist. I'm hoping to get the word out prior to the holidays. As you may have seen, I have prints for many MLB teams now.
Get on the email list and get the discount code :)

2 New Prints, short video

2008-09-25T02:38:21Z

I've been on a printing frenzy this past week - completing two new designs: Albert Pujols of the Cardinals as well as Kosuke Fukudome of the Cubs. These will be the first of two or three more designs each for these two teams. The Cubs in particular are having an outstanding year and the fan fervor is at an all time high. These are both limited editions of 250.

Up next, Yankee Stadium. Yes I, the die-hard Red Sox fan am commemorating the soon to be torn down, hallowed grounds of Yankee Stadium. This place certainly deserves it though. Did you know that 16 World Series Championships have been clinched at Yankee Stadium? 9 by the Yanks, 7 from opponents. Thats amazing. I'd like to do a whole series of stadiums...Fenway, Yankee Stadium, Wrigley, ect. This might make a nice series for people to collect.

The exposure I have on the MLB.com store has given me a whole new audience and I'm optimistic for the forthcoming holiday season. I just found out that I'll have a nice Ad in the MLB retail catalog, so hopefully this will really introduce my work to some new people.

Lastly I'll leave you with a few photos of me working in the studio as well as a link to short video of me printing. The quality isnt great, it was created off-the-cuff, but you may get a kick out of it. Happy playoffs everyone!

LINK: Short Video of Chris speakman printing.

PICS:

Laying down Pujols print - 3 colors applied.

Applying ink to stencil with squeegee.

Last Layer applied. Finished!

2 New Prints - Ortiz, Cole Hamels

2008-09-17T03:18:13Z

I received a thank you email from a customer who happens to be in the military today, and i thought I would share...

"Hey Chris,

I rec'd the print you sent me and wanted to thank you again. It's now framed and hanging in my office along with a signed Tom Brady Jersey I got last year and I make all my soldiers come and salute both each day!"

The thought of the brave men and women in uniform saluting my artwork each day was amusing enough to inspire me to share with you all.

Anyway, two of the 6 new prints are printed and available - David Ortiz and Cole Hamels. (see goofy shot of me below) I cut down the edition sizes on these to 200 and 250, mostly because printing 400 was just exhausting. I sent out the email notification on Monday morning and so far the response has been excellent, so i'm pretty excited. Philadelphia fans in particular seem to be enjoying the new Hamels print, probably sparked by Cole's incredible season. Tomorrow I'm going to start printing the Fukudome and the Pujols designs.

I met with Kerrie Thomas at Back Bay Framery today. She owns and operates the high end frame shop / Art Gallery located on Newbury street in Boston's Back Bay. Kerrie showed me some of the other sports artists the Framery carries and I can safely say that I'm in good company. I'm hoping to see a print or two framed and displayed in their window soon. Kerrie turned out to be a really sweet person who I think is considerably supportive of local artists. I'm really excited to be represented there.

One last thing... there is a good chance I'm going to have some of my limited edition Varitek prints autographed by Jason himself in the next week or so. If I'm able to do so, I'll have them along with the corresponding certificates of authenticity available on the website for purchase. I am keeping my fingers crossed. I think autographing the prints might be a really nice touch and make the value of each print increase dramatically.

WWI Propaganda Poster Exhibit

2008-09-06T20:37:40Z

I was walking by the Boston Public Library today and noticed they had an exhibit featuring classic WWI era Propaganda Posters, so I figured I would check it out. Aside from the fact that its almost a professional obligation for me to go, it turned out that the show was free too!

It was really interesting seeing alot of these prints in person. I have seen many of them in books and on the internet - even the occasional modern day reproduction, but never the original prints that helped serve the country's needs during that time. I noticed a fairly large difference between the WWII posters I know of and their predecessors displyed at the opening. For one, the artistic style was much more dramatic, but so was the content. Everyone seemed to be draped in an American Flag, Lady Liberty made frequent appearances and so did the Boy Scouts. Most wanted you to buy war bonds or to conserve wheat or flour. By contrast, many of the WWII era posters were more direct, using caricatures of Axis Power leaders and the evils they represented. Not directly calling on your patriotism, rather scaring you into doing your part. Probably justifiably so.

I snapped some shots of the WWI posters they had on display - see below...

I was really excited to see one particular print - in my opinion it is the most iconic propaganda poster in our history and most likely contributed to our country's collective characterization of "Uncle Sam". I just designed my very own version of this (see both below) I'm hoping it is available in the next couple of weeks. Keep an eye out and get on the email list of your not already. Its going to be a smaller edition than the recent prints I've done - 200 total this time.

Yup - Thats me with my pal Uncle Sam

Below is my own Papi version...

New Offset Posters

2008-09-05T00:20:07Z

I finally printed up some new offset posters this week. The relatively new Fenway Park design is now available in poster form and the original David Ortiz design is available as well. I was excited to have the Ortiz printed, mostly because it was my very first design (all the way back in Dec 2006) and holds a sentimental spot with me. As simple as it is, I still think it is one of my best.

I went almost immediately to the Yawkey Way Store next to Fenway to drop off some samples of the posters. I know the sales of the other sports propaganda posters they purchased from me have been selling well so i though i might peak their interest in the new ones. One of the store managers mentioned that the Dustin Pedroia poster is selling particularly well, which makes sense because of the absolute tear he has been on. I cant remember another player being this hot at the plate in years. I think the last 2 weeks have catapulted him to the most likely to win the leagues MVP this year. This got me thinking that I would like to design something for all the major award winners each year, as well as a special edition for the world series winner.

On last thing, I have 6 designs (yes SIX!) in the works and submitted to MLB for approval. In addition to the names I mention in my prior posting, Yankee Stadium and David Wright are in the pipeline too- keep an eye out!

Designs in the Pipeline

2008-08-22T05:56:38Z

Its 1:58 am on Friday morning and I've been in a designing frenzy. I'm at that point in the night where I've had too much coffee so my brain is racing, but my body is ready to crash. This is becoming a common occurrence these days. The good news is - I've got three new designs that I'm submitting to MLB for approval tomorrow. Theres a fourth in the works too, I'm hoping to finish that up Friday afternoon. I always seem to get more accomplished when its really late at night with a little music in the headphones.

The Utley and Howard prints have been a success in Philadelphia so far- which I'm really excited about. When the prints are delivered, customers sometimes are a bit surprised at the quality and I end up receiving a few emails expressing satisfaction with their purchase. I'm always excited to hear this, because quite frankly, I want to make sure I'm putting a really good product out there that people can be proud to own. Its a leap of faith purchasing artwork online, so I'm happy to receive the positive feedback. Ultimately I depend on word of mouth and repeat business, so quality is paramount.

I've decided to keep the designs under wraps this time until they are completely ready, but I will give you some names... Cole Hamels (Phillies), Albert Pujols (Cardinals), and Kosuke Fukodome (Cubs). The fourth is half done - a brand new David Ortiz (Red Sox) design. These new prints are all heavy on the propaganda - with clear messages calling fans to action to support their team. I spent quite a bit of time researching WWII propaganda for these - pulling concepts directly from what I've found.

Lastly, my father in-law Nelson built a new foot pedal for my vacuum table (see this post for description of vacuum table). My old pedal I built myself and has been breaking down. The original pedal has proven not to be the most durable of all creations - so I'm thankful for good ol' Nellie's skills. I think you will see who is the electrician in the family. See Below...

Blog Mentions

2008-08-15T16:51:31Z

I've been fortunate enough to have my work featured on two fairly high profile blogs in the last few days and I thought I would mention it here. First, on www.bostondirtdogs.com where Steve Silva - the writer and web-master (and all around kick *** guy) has used my work from time to time, resulting in hundreds of people checking out my site. I owe the Globe article last fall to exposure from his site (which resulted in a Dunkin Donuts poster campaign). If your a Red Sox fan and have had your head in the sand for like 7 years, be sure to check it out.

Secondly, I'm REALLY excited about - www.the700level.com is a Philadelphia based blog and a heavy hitter at that. After reaching out to Matt Pesotski, co-owner of the blog, he went above and beyond the call of duty highlighting my work. I asked for a simple link and he gave me a highlighted story.

I'm a one guy operation, trying to make MLB's minimums to stay licensed and I have to say, gestures like this have enabled me to survive in an industry that can be difficult. Selling artwork isnt always the easiest thing to do in a down economy. I just want to thank Steve and Matt for their generosity and good will. Thanks guys!

Last nights game / New Prints are ready

2008-08-14T15:52:46Z

A good friend of mine from college called yesterday with last minute tickets to the sox game. He was in town from CT with a couple of friends of his. When I met the three of them down by Fenway, I was told we had 4 tickets, in two different places (2 each). The plan was to switch off about half way through the game. Two of the tickets were about 6 rows up from the Texas bench/homeplate area. In the second inning my phone started blowing up with calls from friends, parents and old co-workers with the news that my mug was showing up on television every time the camera zoomed on a right handed batter. I thought it was funny to hear that but not that big of a deal. After the game, I made it home in time to catch the replay on NESN. Curious what my fat head looked like on the small screen, i tuned in. What I found was an almost constant shot of me spitting sunflower seed shells into a cup. File under: Classy

I finally finished up the Beckett, Utley and Howard prints. They are on my website for sale now - make sure you contact me for the discount code if you plan on purchasing. I've been fortunate enough to get them up for sale on the storefront on MLB.com too. I'm hoping that this will give me the exposure in other cities that I will need to sell the "Non- Red Sox" designs. Obviously I'm starting with Philadelphia, but I have other players from other cities in the works too. Anyway, if you happen to know anyone in Philadelphia who is a baseball fan or who runs a blog, I could use your help spreading the word.

Manny Design is ready, discounts

2008-07-21T18:13:30Z

My hands still have wet ink on them as I type this - which explains the red fingerprints on the keyboard. I really should be more careful with my beloved mac.

Anyway, as of about an hour ago - the Manny print is ready to go. The timing on this might be bad with some of the press Manny has been getting lately... but its made me think back about all of Ramirez's accomplishments. To begin, he's probably the most feared right handed hitter since Joe Dimaggio, if you disagree, please let me know because i dare you to come up with somebody better. A member of the 500 HR club, a former batting champion, home run champion, RBI champion, and a world series mvp go along with 2 giant rings on his hand and thats just the beginning of his resume. His mere presence in the lineup gives the Red Sox an anchor to build around and his clutch hitting is a proven commodity. I for one would love to see Manny retire as a Red Sox and take his rightful place in the Hall of Fame as one of the games greatest pure hitters.

Plus, imagine what the Hall of Fame speech would be like? I almost cant wait...

One last thing...

I'm always looking for ways to keep my costs down so I can pass along savings to customers. There are a couple of things I've been able to do in regards to shipping costs. I ship Priority mail and typically charge a flat $12. From now on shipping will be $10 and if you buy three or more prints, shipping is free. ALSO - I'm going to be sending out an email soon with a discount code for 10% off all screen-prints, just to reward people for being on the email list. If you are interested in purchasing something, please get on the email list and ill send the code over to you. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Chris

All Star Break & New Designs

2008-07-16T03:32:06Z

I'm sitting here watching the All-Star game, enjoying the one time a year I can root for Mariano Rivera. The score is tied 3-up in the ninth and it seems that the mid-summer classic is delivering in a big way this year. I expected the typical AL trouncing, but the NL is at least making a game of it. Hopefully we will lock up home field for the World Series.

Speaking of the National League... I've submitted 4 new designs to MLB for approval, 2 of which are approved already and the other two should be soon too. Two of the new prints will be my first non Red Sox designs. I'm really excited about this...the chance to portray some of baseballs other stars is lighting a good size fire under me. Watching the All-star game is reminding me of the potential in it all. Hopefully I will be able to introduce my work to some other cities in an affordable way, and they will be well received. Check them out...

The first two available will be Ramirez and Utley, followed by Howard and Beckett:

Signing Posters and meeting Mark Waitkus

2008-07-01T22:49:18Z

Saturday I went down to The Yawkey Way Store for fan appreciation day. I arrived and saw a table with a stack of posters on it, and a sign that said "Chris Speakman signs his famous Dunkin Donuts Posters". After a roll of the eyes and a smirk, I sat down and took in the scene. There seemed to be a pretty solid turnout of fans, mostly families with children. Jim Rice, Hazel Mae, Joe Morgan and some other former red sox players were in the back of the store signing autographs. It was a funny thought that I was there "signing" as well. If you had your choice between a Chris Speakman autograph and a Jim Rice...which would you choose? Well luckily nobody had to choose, I wouldn't want to show up Jim :) I'm kidding of course, my only thought was that I may sit there all day without signing a single poster.

Well, it turned out to be a really fun experience, I signed a whole bunch of posters for Red Sox fans who were familiar with the poster campaign and gave some stickers to a slew of cute kids. I even saw one little boy with a full uniform on, eye black and all - priceless! Everyone was really friendly and t was nice meeting everyone.

The other great moment of the day was meeting sports artist, Mark Waitkus. If your not familiar with his name, you probably have seen his work around town. Its everywhere including Borders, and the Yawkey Way Store. He was a really great guy and provided some really helpful tips on being a licensed MLB artist. You can see his work at: www.markwaitkus.com I would love to show somewhere with Mark someday, I think our contrasts in style would complement each other well and attract lots of Sox fans.

Saturday at the team store

2008-06-27T03:30:03Z

The owner of the Red Sox team store asked me if I would be willing to come down this Saturday, June 28th and sign some posters for Red Sox fans, I believe it is "fan appreciation day". Dunkin Donuts donated a whole bunch of the posters I designed for the days event, so if you have any interest in having one personalized by yours truly, please stop by the Yawkey Way team store. The posters are FREE. I think it would be fun to meet people and maybe talk baseball a bit.

Speaking of the team store...I made my first couple of retail sales this week - the Red Sox Team Store, and Newbury Comics will now both be carrying my offset posters. It will be really cool for me to see them in these stores - and hopefully the first of more retail spots to help me get my work out there. I'm really excited for this as it will be a big part of the business end of it all going forward.

Lastly, the coolest thing happened today...I received a call from some folks at the Red Sox about my prints. I guess an employee at the park had some prints framed on their office wall. Another Red Sox employee took noticed and wondered if I might be interested in giving prints to the players! They asked me if I might donate them to be presented to each player in the clubhouse just as a fun little gesture. I of course was honored at the idea that the players might like my work - so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they do! I feel like a nine year old kid when things like this happen.