Hal O’Weenie

Inspired by the irreverent humor and collectible nostalgia of Garbage Pail Kids™, I created an original trading card character: Hal O'Weenie, a mischievous Halloween-themed character with his own backstory and personality.

Using an AI-generated sketch as a jumping-off point, I designed the complete card system in Illustrator — building the typography, framing, and composition around the visual language of vintage trading cards. The real work was in the details: layered texture, directional lighting, and hand-tuned aging effects to sell the wear of a decades-old collectible. It's a small case study in art direction — knowing what a piece needs and building the craft around it, regardless of where the raw materials start.