Ontonagon Lighthouse Badge

Digital illustration in Procreate with various pen and texture brushes.

Started by hand lettering a vintage-y wordmark, and because of the rising layout I thought the lighthouse (and angles of the light beam) would play well off of the O and t ligature. This iconic lighthouse is a historic landmark and defining feature of the town.

I'm working on adding texture for aged/weathered effect, as well as the distressed press lines in the background. This takes some practice to find the right balance, not sure if I'm there yet.

I ended up tying everything together with the diamond badge to drop in the state and founding. The colors are reflective of the geography, with navy and yellow for Michigan and a blue-green for the woods and water of the North. I may go back and keep tweaking to make little brighter.

I could see this on the front of a shirt, or a stripped down version as a patch on a baseball cap.