elainehsu.ca: Sloan SMEARED — Elaine Hsu Illustration

Art Director, Illustrator, sleeper-inner.

SLOAN: SMEARED

Back in November 2024, Canadian band (and forever-favourite) Sloan played two sold-out concerts, performing their 1992 debut LP Smeared at Toronto’s Concert Hall.

I was asked to create new merch designs for their shows and online store.

Four illustrated faces of the members of Sloan, in a comic book style. — Musician Luke Doucet said they looked like a buncha Meg Ryans and Harry Potter and I am 💀💀💀

The art direction influenced by their original album artwork, featuring the guys in four yellow and blue squares. The (intentional) offset colouring was to mimic a screen-printed look:

Concept sketches for Sloan t-shirt design — Concept sketches featuring different background treatments

Back of Sloan's Smeared LP, with 4 squares featuring the band members — Inspo #1: back of Smeared LP

1992 promo photo of Sloan of the band posing around a giant pink star — Inspo #2: Geffen promo photo of band from 1992

Image of computer monitors with WIP drawings of Patrick Pentland — Process of drawing (and referencing) Patrick

Image of computer monitors with WIP drawings of Andrew Scott — Process of drawing (and referencing) Andrew

The comic book style was also an ode to some of my favourite comic artists from the early 90s, including the Hernandez brothers (Love and Rockets) and Adrian Tomine (Optic Nerve).

Final shirt design of Sloan t-shirt — Shirty shirt!

Pieces of flair

Merch available at sloanmusic.com!