Daniel Sulzberg

All

Cartoon & Humour

Character Design

Children & Family

Conceptual

Editorial

Sport & Fitness

Cartoon astronaut with fishbowl helmet and peace sign on purple background

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Yellow cartoon monster with palm tree eyes on blue background

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Cartoon skeleton wearing a hat and skateboard with a worm on head

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Playful cartoon brain with glasses and cap walking

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Cartoon basketball with arms and legs dunking on facial expression hoop

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Happiness is easy

“The vibe of being relaxed, casual and yourself is a part of who I am and it definitely shows in my work."

Training

Dan is a graduate of UCLA’s design programme.

Approach

Dan has a loose creative process that starts with sketching on paper as he plays with ideas for his piece. The sketches are refined, and the composition is honed for a final sketch that he’ll scan in. Then Dan colours the image using his iPad and Apple Pencil, before transferring it over to Photoshop for the finishing touches.

Styles

Vivid colour, positivity, surrealism and whimsy are all elements of Daniel’s style, which he says is heavily influenced by where he’s from – California.

Impressions

Interview

Video

Website

Send Enquiry

Interview

What led you to become an illustrator? It seemed that right around 3rd grade when other kids stopped drawing, I kept on going. I drew on everything from the walls of my bedroom to the margins of my notebook paper. I was always drawing. Becoming an illustrator was a natural process for me and being a kid from the 80's I was inspired by Saturday Morning Cartoons, Comic Books, and Nintendo games. My dad owned an art gallery and I never knew there was a career outside of being a professional gallery artist so it was extremely eye opening when I learned all the different kinds of illustration jobs that existed. Did you study illustration in college? I didn't study illustration in college but I did go to a masters program at UCLA for Communication Arts. It was there that I realized that I didn't really connect to graphic design work and all of my projects were illustrative. That's when I knew that was what I truly enjoyed. Where did you grow up? I grew up in Danville California, a small town about 45 minutes of East of San Francisco. I love where I grew up and everyone knew me as Dan from Danville, which is why I called my illustration studio "Danvillage."Do you have a childhood memory relating to drawing/art that you hold dear? I have many childhood art memories but one of my favorites was that my older brother who is ten years older than me was also an artist and extremely talented. I used to sit next to him and try to draw just like him and it's how I learned a lot of my early skills. Where do you live now and what drew you there? I currently live in Santa Barbara California. My wife and I moved here about 3 years ago from Santa Monica after our son was born and we absolutely love it here. It's a small beachy town with mellow and positive vibes and a great place to raise our children. Living near the beach was something I've always aspired to and it's my place of meditation and happiness.Describe your studio for us My studio is a room in our house that includes a giant bookshelf filled with my favorite comic books, art books, beer can labels I've designed, and work I've had the pleasure of collaborating on. I have a large art desk that holds my ipad and laptop and I've filled the space with candles, a light up lava rock, and a record player. The other half of the room is a baby nursery for our newest addition who just turned one years old in January so the vibe is cozy, relaxed, and inspiring. Do you have a studio pet?My studio pet is my fluffy dog Coco. She is a Corgi/chow mix which we call a Chowgi and she constantly lets me know when she'd like a walk, a snuggle, or for me to feed the baby so she can eat all the dropped scraps. Describe the view from your window The view from my window is the street of our neighborhood in San Roque. I love to stare out sometime and see people walking their dogs or loads of interesting birds that fly right up to my window. My neighborhood has a flock of wild parrots and occasionally I see their beautiful green and red feathers land right on the telephone lines outside. Who or What is your biggest inspiration? I am inspired by so many things. There is not just one that I can point to. Music is a big inspiration to me and I'm a huge fan of music from the 80's. In the art world, I've always been drawn to the work of Murakami, Salvador Dali, and Studio Ghibli. I'm definitely inspired by nostalgia and things that make you smile or give positive vibes. These days, my biggest inspiration are my two kids. They make me want to create work that will leave a positive impact in the world.How do you get your ideas? I've always been a storyteller. Before I was an illustrator I worked as a screenwriter in Los Angeles and was always coming up with ideas for stories. I have numerous ways that I like to stimulate creative ideas and one day, I'd like to put together a book of all the techniques I use to generate stories, projects, and ideas. I keep a special note section on my phone where I will add bits and pieces of ideas and see if they can fit together with other bits and pieces.

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Coin shortage editorial graphic during pandemic

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Concert Flyer for Indie Rock Band Khruangbin

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Hotspur's Asian footballer of the year Son Heung Min poster

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Example of a humorous sandwich character

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Psychedelic San Francisco Brewing Co. beer can with Haight Street signs and surfboards

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Cover design of 'A Monstrous Search-and-Find' book

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Art gallery interior with people viewing paintings by Daniel Sulzberg

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Animated beer mug with sunglasses holding a burger and a small beer

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Colorful animated Danvillage scene with diverse characters and activities by Daniel Sulzberg

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Editorial section called Unshaken about earthquake preparedness

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Surreal colorful meditation scene with a figure and whimsical cosmic objects by Daniel Sulzberg

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Digital billboard showing Feast LA event poster by Daniel Sulzberg

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T-shirt with Santa Barbara Half Marathon colorful graphic by artist Daniel Sulzberg

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Children searching for afikomen in a vibrant room with cityscape by Daniel Sulzberg

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Children building snow monsters decorated with candy canes and horns in mountains by Daniel Sulzberg

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Dark beer bottle with colorful geometric and miniature room illustrations on label by Daniel Sulzber

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Colorful illustration of diverse people on paths with house and signpost by Daniel Sulzberg

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Animated taco truck with dancing legs and taco character by Daniel Sulzberg

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Cartoonish cover for Music Geeks Magazine

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Graphical illustration of giant garbage bin

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Whimsical cartoon band performing on stage by artist Daniel Sulzberg

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Daniel Sulzberg

Selected illustrations

What's Wrong Section for Highlights Magazine

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Washington Post editorial about father's day

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Lagunitas Brewery Digable Planets concert poster

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Cartoon character of Sun riding a scooter

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Whimsical doughnut character design with a touch of humor

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Psychedelic cartoon scenes inside letters Q, A, and H with vibrant colors

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Cover illustration for Sarasota magazine with a kids theme

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Colorful illustration of diverse characters and objects around Wacky Words text by Daniel Sulzberg

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Cartoon character with large hand, green cap, and quirky expressions

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Tugboat packaging design by Daniel Sulzberg

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Monster octopus for Eyeyah! Kids Magazine

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Great American Beer Festival 2021 poster with animated beer mugs by Daniel Sulzberg

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Three animated characters with rockets and scientific symbols by Daniel Sulzberg

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Prairie Artisan Ales beer bottle and glass with chocolates by Daniel Sulzberg

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Colorful digital communication scene with diverse characters and devices by Daniel Sulzberg

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Colorful whimsical cartoon collage with diverse characters by Daniel Sulzberg

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Colorful cartoon characters racing go-karts on a winding track by Daniel Sulzberg

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Cartoon turtles surfing and playing music on tropical beach by Daniel Sulzberg

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Colorful life board game scene with houses, cars, balloons by Daniel Sulzberg

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Sun character running with sunglasses in Santa Barbara Half Marathon poster by Daniel Sulzberg

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Illustration of a soccer player kicking ball with Santa Barbara background

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Happy Hanukkah fantasy poster for Facebook

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Label design for Ransack the Universe beer

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Connecticut Department of Transportation poster illustration

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Slip-on trainers by Vans and Daniel Sulzberg

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Kids' Theme Poster Print for D Prints in China

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PFP NFT Collection for the charity "Glow Tribe"

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Santa Barbara Family and Life's cover celebrates creativity

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Isometric Mayhem Artwork for Kids' Fantasy

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Highlights Magazine cover on "What's Wrong Section"

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Colorful cartoon map with amusement park and city landmarks

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Dead & Company's Final Tour Jun 07, 2023 Poster

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Streaming platform logos performing comedy on stage

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A piece about spring dining during the Pandemic

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Los Angeles Times features top kids' food places in town

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Illustrated book cover with Vincent van Gogh and sunflowers by Daniel Sulzberg

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Feast LA banner on city building at night by Daniel Sulzberg

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Vibrant skull and coffee cup illustration by Daniel Sulzberg

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Santa Barbara Half Marathon colorful illustration by Daniel Sulzberg

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Daytrippin in Paradise cartoon with character and animals by Daniel Sulzberg

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Alien spacecraft abducts accordion player in cartoon style by Daniel Sulzberg

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Colorful board game with car driving between houses by Daniel Sulzberg

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Poster honoring reggae icon Ziggy Marley

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Santa Barbara Half Marathon medal featuring sun character with sunglasses by Daniel Sulzberg

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Illustration of crowd watching a football match by Daniel Sulzberg

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Colorful holiday illustration with diverse people and West Hollywood greeting.

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Cartoon illustration of 'Freaky Fair Ground'

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Label illustration for San Francisco Brewing Co.

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Dune Coffee Roasters advertising illustration

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Selected Clients

Red Bull, Major League Soccer, The Washington Post, LA Galaxy, Seattle Sounders, Tottenham Hotspur, Evite, Zedge, Wise Potato Chips, Lake Colouring, The Dirty Heads