Editor’s Note: This blog post, which was originally published on Ben Lueders’ business blog, Fruitful Design, on Friday, recaps the process he undertook to enter What Cheer’s Color Contest for a Big Omaha ticket.
Ben (left, photo from twitter.com) has given us permission to re-post it here, which I asked him for because I think his drawing is a lively snapshot of a few Silicon Prairie personalities (including our own Analog the Prairie Dog) and because the story behind his drawing is a fun one.
– Danny Schreiber, Silicon Prairie News
Thanks to our sponsor
For the last few years the good folks at Silicon Prairie News have helped to organize an innovative conference for designers, techies and entrepreneurs in the heart of Omaha. They call it “Big Omaha.” Last year was the first time that I really became interested in being a part of this unique, annual experience. Unfortunately, it was scheduled during the week of my wedding! So this year, I was really looking forward to going…
But when the 2011 Big Omaha details were announced, I realized that I might have a hard time convincing my wife, Megan, that it would be worth the cost. We had recently switched to a cash budget system and had been trying really hard to be good stewards with our money. (Especially since we are expecting our first child in August, and Megan won’t be working for long) But by the time I had figured out a way to pay for my Big Omaha ticket, I discovered that the event had been sold out! Obviously I was forlorn.
Then suddenly – just a couple weeks before the event itself – a very creative local web design company known as “What Cheer” announced a contest. Whoever could color their cow the best, would win a free ticket to Big Omaha. I was ecstatic! This was the chance I needed! But what should I do?
When I first printed the pdf, it accidentally printed vertically… like this:
I liked it! The added space above and below the cow, filled me with creativity. Already I started imagining little caricatures of Omaha’s tech culture surrounding the little cow. SPN’s prairie dog… the Secret Penguin… perhaps Princess Lasertron and her baby in some sort of spacecraft. Perfect! I just knew this personal touch could set me apart. But what about the cow herself?
Then I had it –
Inside the What Cheer headquarters there is an entire wall covered in a very iconic black and white floral design wallpaper. I thought it would be cool to meticulously re-create this pattern on my cow. So I first looked it up…
Woah! The pattern was a lot more intricate than I had remembered. But nevertheless I began to try and dissect it in photoshop…
But as I began to lightly sketch the basic pattern into my cow – I accidentally dropped some food on it. The paper was ruined! I went upstairs to my wife to tell her I was giving up. Who was I fooling? I couldn’t win! There’s probably hundreds of awesome artists submitting drawings. But to my surprise, Megan encouraged me to keep going at it! She thought I had a solid concept!
And so, with newfound inspiration I printed out another copy of the cow… and set to work. But before sketching, I did some super-sleuthing for images on the web to base my artwork off of:
Then I began inking in with Sukura Micron pens…
Steve Gordon of RDQLUS Creative with Oxide Design‘s beagle “Rosie.”
John Henry Muller of What Cheer fame with the Twitter bird.
Princess Lasertron‘s Megan Hunt, and her adorable baby sidekick Alice.
Silicon Prairie News’ Prairie Dog and the Secret Penguin mascot.
Typography 
Then I colored it all in with colored pencils! Like a child would!
In the end, I decided against the intricate What Cheer pattern on the cow, and simply turned her spots into the words “BIG OMAHA.” I still think the floral design was a great concept, but it just would have been too difficult to execute effectively on such a small cow. (Printing vertically severely shrunk my bovine.)
I finished the drawing at 2 a.m. this Tuesday morning – the day it had to be postmarked by! After only 3 hours of sleep, I took Megan to her job at Starbucks and then waited around in the cafe until the downtown Post Office opened at 7:30. Did I have a chance?
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * This afternoon I was pulling out of a Target parking lot with my wife and brother… when I heard a Twitter notification on my phone. I stopped the car.
“It’s What Cheer – I just know it!” I exclaimed out loud. “I won that contest!”
As I pulled out my phone, I squinted through the sun’s glare on my screen. I could barely believe my eyes:
I was right. I suddenly felt like Charlie Bucket winning that Golden ticket. All my dreams were about to come true!
By the time I got home, my design was all over Twitter and Facebook. I felt like an instant celebrity. I could hardly believe I was going to Big Omaha!
Special thanks to @JohnHenryMuller and @WhatCheer for coming up with this awesome contest! It was tons of fun to be a part of. Also, thanks to @Slobotski and @SiliconPrairie for creating the amazing experience that is @BigOmaha – I can hardly wait!
Also, just want to shout out to all my new and old Twitter friends that were so encouraging to me today: @LaurenChristie, @JordanJohnson23, @DannyAway, @GreatDecay, @RamHatter, @Image_Made, @JeffSpiehs, @AGOutLoud, and @DanHolke.
