Hopwood creates XXL #3 w/ Roadrunner

The way artist Benjamin Hopwood – with his comic-book-esque style -is going, it won’t be long before he has his own universe of XXL characters he’s designed. With his new XXL Roadrunner, he now has three XXL’s including the Valkyrie and Orc.

Key in creating this new Roadrunner character was giving it, its own distinct look since there was already a famous cartoon Roadrunner out there. Maybe you’ve heard of it. Meep. Meep.

More about the Roadrunner disc:

The go-to roller disc for many top golfers, it’s also handy for when you need a precision hyzer-flip in the woods and countless other finesse shots.

Creating an Original Roadrunner

To put his original take on the Roadrunner, he consciously avoided looking at that Warner Brothers cartoon version and instead referenced real photos of roadrunner birds.
“I didn’t want to look at the Roadrunner cartoon b/c it’s too easy to use their styling cues,” said Hopwood, who’s also done several other DGU discs including the Freedom Rocs and the Narwhal.
You can see that especially in the detail of the XXL Roadrunner’s wings, torso, and neck. It actually has roadrunner bird qualities, unlike the Warner Brothers cartoon version, which looks nothing like the actual bird, said Hopwood.

Hopwood started out with a version of the bird coming at you, but then as the design process continued, he redesigned it to the current profile version. One thing that stayed the same was the cool, old school helmet on the bird’s head.
For the helmet, Hopwood said he remembered seeing a Dodge Roadrunner car logo featuring the Warner Brothers cartoon Roadrunner holding a racing helmet by its side. But for his design, he wanted to see the bird actually wearing it. He added a feather on top to show the bird speeding along.

Here’s a pic of one of Hopwood’s XXL Roadrunner’s that he colored in with Sharpies. Keep an ear out for him to auction it off soon.

Hopwood’s other XXL’s

Proving to be one of DGU’s most popular XXL designs, we recently did another release of Hopwood’s XXL Valkyrie. His XXL Orc breathed new life into the disc that was originally released in 2004.
Hopwood said he’s always wondering about which stock stamps could look better. And, instead of waiting on commissions, he submits them and sees what sticks. That’s what happened with the Valkyrie and Roadrunner.
He wants to do more. One that he’s really gunning for is an XXL Viking. Hopefully Hopwood will get to sink his teeth into that someday soon. I can already see a weather-beaten warrior with a long axe emerging from a Viking ship. He’s also thought about an XXL Colt with a gunslinging motif.

Next Stop Texas

Since the spring, Hopwood has been working full-time on his graphic design business in Myrtle Beach, S.C. He says most of it involves disc design, but he also works on the occasional logo. He’s currently working on a logo for motorcycle /cigar enthusiast club.
By next spring, though, he’s packing up and heading for Texas. His brother is moving to Dallas and Hopwood wants to be close to his nephews that are two and four years old.
With his computer-based line of work, Hopwood believes the relocation won’t be too much of an adjustment.
“I could live on the moon as long as there is internet,” joked Hopwood, who is setting his sights on Waco, Texas which is not far from Dallas or Austin, both with ample disc golf. He’s also looking forward to the food in Texas and being close to his Dallas Cowboys.  

Future projects

Look for Hopwood to continue banging out captivating artwork. Along with seeing his work on discs, you may also see Hopwood on YouTube someday soon. He wants to produce a disc artist show where artists discuss illustrations and share what they’re working on.
For more info on Hopwood go to his disc art facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/BHdgdesigns/