From the category archives:

Technical

Ameritech “Signals” Magazine

Ameritech Signals Magazine Diagram

Randal did this vector digital illustration in Adobe Illustrator for Ameritech’s “Signals” magazine in the 1980’s. It demonstrates how their wireless technology can penetrate walls and windows in buildings giving customers better cell signal reception.

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PVD Remediation System Diagram

PVD Remediation System Diagram © Randal Birkey

This diagram was created by Randal in Adobe Illustrator as vector art for an engineering client who manufactures prefabricated vertical drain remediation systems. It has a cutaway section showing how the system looks and works below ground, as well as how it is laid out above ground. These systems help prevent groundwater contamination, as well [...]

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1972 Datsun 240Z Cutaway

1972 Datsun 240Z Cutaway © Randal Birkey

Randal once owned a car like this (see photo below) and used his personal knowledge of the car along with his technical illustration skills to create the “transparent” style cutaway line art illustration, focused on the engine and front suspension details. The 1972 Z-car is regarded by many as the best classic year of any [...]

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4 Cylinder Engine Cutaway

4 Cylinder Engine Cutaway Illustration

Randal created this cutaway technical illustration of a 4-cylinder automotive engine as a self promotion piece for use in advertising his technical illustration skills in the 1980’s. This illustration was done by hand with Rapidograph ink pens on smooth illustration board.

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Cutaway House

Cutaway Steel House

Randal illustrated a typical house shown partially cutaway to reveal how Dale Industries/Incor steel framing products can be used in residential construction. The base line work was done in a 3D wireframe software, then transferred to Adobe Illustrator in a 2D format for adding color fills, line weights, captions and border framing.

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Castle Keep Cutaway

Medieval Castle Keep Cutaway Illustration

Randal has been asked to provide illustrations in many textbooks. This one was done for an elementary textbook on the Castle Keep. It is a cutaway diagram showing the floors and various typical activities inside the Keep.
This illustration was hand done in Corel Painter software on a Macintosh computer using a Wacom Tablet.

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This is Amsted

This is Amsted

Randal Birkey was asked to create a series of illustrations for a corporate communication piece called “This is Amsted.” The illustrations depicted the main activities of each division of a large manufacturing company located in Chicago, named Amsted Industries. At the time, the divisions were named:

American Steel Foundries
Baltimore Aircoil Company
Burgess-Norton Mfg. Co.
Diamond Chain Company
Griffin Pipe [...]

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How Gold Is Made

How Gold Is Made

Randal Birkey was commissioned by a Denver, Colorado graphic design firm in the 1980’s to prepare a series of illustrations on “How Gold is Made.” The illustration series was to be used by their client, Santa Fe Pacific, (now Newmont Gold), in printed corporate communication brochures, posters and other tools. The series was modified several [...]

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Manufacturing Conveyor System

Conveyor System

This is one of the earliest line illustrations Randal did after starting his freelance career in 1980. A client needed a simple line diagram of a manufacturing process to use in a printed company communication brochure. Randal worked from photo references to create this line art illustration. He worked with Rapidograph ink pens on smooth [...]

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Wilson Sporting Goods

Wilson tennis racquet cross section

Randal was contracted by Wilson Sporting Goods to do a series of illustrations for their tennis product catalog. Each racquet in the catalog featured a cutaway illustration showing the layers and materials used in its construction. Each illustration was done by hand with pencil and color pencil on 100% cotton drafting vellum for that “techie” [...]

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