Florida’s Forgotten Coast – Design Stages of Graphic Art

I’ve been on a major kick of designing and lately I’ve focused on Florida’s Forgotten Coast. You know, the coast you forgot. One of the first designs I created was a coastal lighthouse scene. I am very happy with how it looks but it started with just a few shapes and an idea. Here’s a walkthrough of the process…

I wasn’t loving the rectangle and thankfully, the oval got me out of that corner. Actually, it got me out of all the corners. 🤓 Are you ready to see the final design? And yes, I’m about to send you over to my Etsy site to see it. Hehe. Take a look at the pelican, lighthouse, horizon sun, and a bit more in my Etsy store — Out of the Wilderness on Etsy.

I hope you enjoyed a brief “behind the scenes” look at one of my creations. More to come!

-Out of the Wilderness

American Idol 2026 – First Reaction and Picking the Winner

It’s the first week in March and American Idol just narrowed down all the contestants to the top 30. Next up, they’ll go to Hawaii to complete the final round of eliminations before viewers get to vote for their favorites. I tell you all of that to set up what I’m about to say: Before voting begins and before the 30 are reduced to [whatever the next round is, maybe 24?], my final pick for the winner is…

Brooks Rosser.

He’s already taken songs I’ve never heard before and made me fall in love with them. When Luke Bryan said Brooks will have a recognizable voice in years to come, he couldn’t have been more right. Put a blindfold on, listen to 100 singers, or a thousand, and you’ll know Brooks with 100% certainty. Of course, that doesn’t mean much if the voice is terrible but his is not. It’s really good. The other two in the top 3 will be Genevieve Heyward and… I’m going to hold on just yet for naming who the third will be. But count on Brooks to win it all!

-Out of the Wilderness

Tate’s Hell State Forest in Florida Has Quite the Background!

The story of Cebe Tate is something you might expect from rural north Florida in the 1800s. There’s a shotgun, a snake, hunting dogs, a medicine man, and that’s just the beginning. For the full tale, click here.

Tate’s Hell State Forest was designated as such in the mid-1990s but I hadn’t been to it until much later. In fact, I hadn’t even heard of it until sometime around 2020 when the state of Florida bought thousands of acres further east of Carrabelle, the town with the official address of Tate’s Hell State Forest. As I’ve been designing works centered around Florida’s Forgotten Coast, I knew I wanted to make something for Tate’s Hell because… with a name like Tate’s Hell, how could I not? Below is what I came up with… and this is available as a trucker cap in my Out of the Wilderness Etsy store.

I tried to incorporate pieces of the folklore story in the image: the snake coiled up as the “S” and, of course, the shotgun Cebe lost when he was in the forest.

Florida has my favorite state parks. It’s incredible that a state can offer so much diversity in nature, from areas like the Florida Keys, through the Ocala Forest springs, all the way up to the unique plot of land called Tate’s Hell. Do you have a favorite park or state forest in Florida? Leave a comment below.

-Out of the Wilderness

I Mute These Campbell’s Commercials Immediately

At first, the ads just bothered me. Now they’re reached a diabolical level because I can’t watch anything without those uncomfortable “Mm Mm Good” Campbell’s commercials coming on 59 times. I can’t find the mute button fast enough.

Never in the history of any home with children has a situation come up where kids (or adults, in the mac and cheese ad) gathered together and just grunted about food. Each of these two commercials is irritatingly quiet and just gross when the kids start moaning. Or the teen girl when she says “good” and I can see the mac and cheese in her mouth. The only only people who want to see the inside of anyone’s mouth are dentists! I’m glad we have good dentists in the US but I’m not one of them. I have a feeling other people are not loving these commercials, either… Campbell’s turned off comments on the YouTube videos. Never a good sign.

Move on the next campaign, Campbell’s…

-Out of the Wilderness