Wheaties no longer makes commemorative cereal boxes, but Capitals fan Erle Howard sure does. Erle and his son Adam were collecting Stanley Cup merchandise when they realized their collection would be short on cereal boxes–unless they designed some on their own.
With an associate’s degree in graphic design from CCBC and a bachelor’s in illustration at the Philadelphia University of the Arts, Erle was equipped with both the idea and the skill to make it happen.
The artistic process definitely requires true dedication–it is a time consuming one. Each design took hours of sketching, a day’s worth of inking, scanning, and coloring in Photoshop, and then a few more hours to get the image on the box just right.
Capitals Crunch
Erle’s first piece was aptly titled “Capitals Crunch.” He was halfway through it when he saw RMNB’s piece about TJ Oshie eating Captain Crunch on his day with Lord Stanley, which gave him the drive to finish it up and post it on his Instagram.
The box features the Capitals’ gap-toothed captain digging into a Stanley Cup full of delicious “Sweetened corn and oat cereal that not suck.”
Willy’s Lucky Charms
Erle’s next box was “Willie’s Lucky Charms,” timed to come out on St. Patrick’s day and inspired by Tom Wilson’s breakfast of Lucky Charms, eaten out of the Stanley Cup for that extra silver-polish championship flavor. Wilson also signed a fan’s box of Lucky Charms during a recent autograph session.
Erle’s Instagram, which he created a year ago, is full of more Capitals’ project. “The ideas are random,” Erle said, “just for fun and to get myself drawing more.” He’s been a Caps fan since they joined the league in 1974, but it was being a hockey dad during the years his son Adam played for the Baltimore Stars hockey club that made it their favorite sport.
So far, his work includes a Charlie Brown-inspired “Gr8 Pumpkin” for Halloween, a killer whale with the Cup for Wilson after he was concussed by Ryan Reaves, and a Hershey Bears Claw Machine (so many puns at once!) after Hershey’s annual Teddy Bear Toss.
He still has more ideas than he has the time and looks forward to sharing even more delightful Caps creations.
Headline photo: Erle Howard
