My good friend Hannah isn’t all that horrible, but her fans already know that. She’s grown an avid following for her YouTube channel on the supernatural, and Hannah reached out to me for her first merchandising venture. Based on her inspiration, these cryptids share a campfire and presumable share spooky stories about humanity, human encounters, and sightings.

I produced an illustration rich in detail and several color versions for varying T-shirt colors, thereby maximizing sales potential. The shirts were screen-printed on-demand by a third party.

Within a few days, the illustration earned Hannah thousands in profit. With a royalty-based agreement, I was able to charge my friend a low flat rate to start the project, but I invested much more time and care into the detailed illustration than that rate alone merited. I was well invested in the product selling, and soon after launch it was clear that our royalty agreement had been the best for both parties. Hannah had a product that was selling well beyond our expectation, and I had made more than I ever would have charged for a flat rate, especially for a friend.