Dogs climbing trees, PatCom Thank You & Serious Art Request

This is a Ruffed Grouse, one of several breeds found in Idaho.  My dogs flushed a pair the other day while H and I shared a wonderful afternoon with Miss V.  The silly birds run before they fly, and I really don't think they are very smart.  My female Akita was pretty darned determined to climb a tree after one when it hopped up there, pulling my wife along for the ride.  That was fun.  Well, more fun for me than H.  ;)

PatCom:  Holly and I want to thank all of the people who made the Citadel PatCom last weekend such a success.  As she and I ran around town meeting people and getting dry administrative chores done, several members of the Citadel Steering Committee were busy on the mountain getting firewood cut, building a fire ring, bringing water up the mountain, helping arrivals get trailers and tents set, and welcoming everyone who travelled to the location, many from thousands of miles away.

It is because of the work done by so many others that the PatCom not only worked, but was a great success.  I'm not going to name names, as usual.  Some are known to you, some are not.  Yet the weekend was a success not only because of the work they invested, but because of the people they are, and the people who attended.  This is a real Community.  This is Tribe.  At the moment many of us are separated my thousands of miles - but that is already changing for some of us.

Thank you all, from me and Holly.

Art request: I need a favor from one of our artistic Patriots.  I need a custom piece of artwork made for the back of t-shirts.  I have a small list of elements that I want included, and I'll list them below.  Here's the hard part - I suck at art and envisioning what I want.  It's one of those "I'll know it when I see it" things.  Anyone out there with the skills, time and desire to give it a whirl will earn my eternal gratitude - for whatever that may be worth.  The design I finally select will earn the artist a` III Branded Cold Steel blade.  It's not much reward for what I consider to be very hard work, but it's what I've got.  Also, I need permission to use the piece in perpetuity, across all mediums.  FYI: It will be the logo for III MMA - a studio Holly and I have decided to open to continue and enhance our CQB efforts.

I can promise you it will make national news venues at some point, and you may choose to be credited or not (if you prefer the shadows).

OK - here is my general concept:  The III is essential.  I envision it at the top of the design, bold letters (serif) with a stylized version of the Gadsden snake coiling and wrapping around it, fangs bared and ready to strike.  The snake may even be constricting the III slightly across the middle - something that denotes not only strength and power, but also the fangs convey imminent death if pushed. 

No Gadsden flag - just the snake and somewhere on the image "Don't Tread On Me".  No yellow

I think the "MMA" should be aligned beneath the III - probably at the very bottom of the overall design - but use your artistic sense and you may choose to put it directly under the III & snake.  The III and MMA text should be bold, and with a castle stone pattern - see the stone at IIICitadel.com as an example.

Next, I want a head-on silhouette of a Spartan helm, probably large and in the center of the overall design.  It should be large enough to be the most dominant feature, the first that catches the eye.

Black Helmet.  Maybe gold/black.

"Don't Tread On Me" and "Fear No Man" need to be worked in there - choose the font and location as you see fit.  Also, please build a version with "Patriots Fear No Man" and "Americans Fear No Man" - HK is not certain exactly which phrase she will prefer.

Next item: "Molon Labe" in ancient Greek mixed in there somewhere.  It can be subtle or bold, whatever fits your artistic sense.

Optional elements: A pair of Japanese Katana swords, in their black, laquered scabbards.  If you add the katanas, please make them symmetrical.  If you see a good place to add a pair of 1911 pistols - again in symmetry, awesome.  If not, no biggie.

Here is a list seven Japanese words that should be arranged as a list, if you choose to add them at all: Jin, Gi, Rei, Chi, Shin, Chu, Koh.  Staccato font (looks like Japanese brush text) for the Japanese word.  If these can be worked in with some sense of symmetry (perhaps down the nose of the Spartan Helm?)  - I'd LOVE it - but I'll leave it to you.

Finally - a red, white and blue color scheme.  I will leave this entirely to you - I don't want a waving, easily discerned American flag - but perhaps a subtle, tattered image of stripes that is nothing more than a few streaks, a, "undercurrent" or a few elements shaded in these colors.  Perhaps these color elements can be diagonal, across the III and MMA text.  I also need a version in greyscale. No skulls or symbols of obvious death.

Ok - finally again - a vector image is essential, eps format makes all of the printers happy. (printers require a minimum of 300 DPI)

Size (I lied, not done yet) - plan on a finished size of about 16 inches tall, with a width that is proportionate.

If it matters, you can expect this to be printed on light ash grey shirts as well as white.  It will also be sublimated onto gi kimono tops.  When printed, it needs to remain crisp, all elements identifiable (though you may choose to make some elements, such as the various text requests, subtle and nuanced, taking time to "discover" as someone studies the image, not lost in subtle shades.

Here's the really tough part - I am a basket case (read tyrant) for symmetry.  Everything needs to look "balanced".  I suspect you artists understand what I mean.  Finally - I need it to be "clean" rather than "too" busy.  Much of the art being offered in the current marketplace, especially in the MMA/Patriot world of shirts, is VERY busy.  That's too busy.  But I do want to "approach" that general theme, while remaining simple and utilitarian.  A few symmetrical "Tribal" elements are welcome, if they help add to the overall product.

The "first impression" it should make is "Bad Ass", "Confident", "Honorable" and "Dignified".

How's that for a simple request?