This is a silk screened poster that we created for the Grog Shop, one of Cleveland’s most beloved indie concert venues. Minus the Bear was gracing the stage, and the Grog asked us to work up a stellar poster for the show. The combination of a teddy bear (cliche, but hey, it works!) and a knight (taken from a track on the band’s new record, Planet of Ice) created a strong focal point for the poster.

The actual style of the illustration’s hatching and contour lines is something that I’ve been developing for sometime and it worked perfectly for this piece. The poster was well received by both the band and the venue, and further cemented our relationship with Grog Shop as we’ve continued to craft more posters for the venue. You can purchase the poster through the Arsenal. – Oliver Barrett

When sketching to think up something that would fit the band’s relaxed, but edgy sound. The “teddyknight” concept worked pretty well because of the soft look of the bear and the hard-edged helmet and the sharp halberd. I was careful not to make the bear look threatening or aggressive and I came up with the sitting pose with a relaxed arm through a series of sketches.
I wanted the bear to look like he didn’t know what to do with that lance that he’s holding.