Baseline BTS: Dirk Nowitzki

Baseline BTS brings you behind the curtain to see what went into the supporting illustrations for The Baseline Review. Editor and Creative Director JP Boneyard shares his insight into the process. Next up is Dirk Nowitzki from Nick Angstadt's story The Maverick, illustrated by Arturo Torres. 

The Concept
Dirk's eccentric workouts and efficient scoring are hallmarks of his trailblazing career. We thought “What if we lean into that German engineering vibe?” We could make this composition feel like a draftsman's blueprint to assemble the perfect Dirk! This eventually evolved into what we see now. This final supporting illustration refers to the line in the story about how Dirk's “cold-blooded efficiency evokes the Terminator”. 

Full disclosure: we understand that although they share a rich, connected, and complicated history, Germany and Austria are two different countries. So while there's overlap in terms of Dirk the scoring machine—and the fictional T-800—this is not a 1-to-1 comparison of Dirk the German and Arnold the Austrian. So yeah, we took a little from column A. and a little from column B. and met in the middle.

Arturo loves Dirk and can probably draw this fadeaway silhouette with his eyes closed. He nailed Dirk's expression and character in this one. It's also super fun to see his interpretation of the prompt “we'll see half of Dirk in his skin and half of the machinery underneath”. The hoses, bubbling fluids, hinges, and rivets are so well done!

Supporting Illustration from our Story The Maverick

The Inspiration
We were halfway there with Dirk the cyborg. It didn't feel like too much of a reach to think of him with Terminator-like efficiency. The typography and gridded background are a parody of sorts of the T-800 UI. For the 40 and up crew: do you remember how cool—and futuristic—that first-person view of the Terminator was in the 80s!?

T-800 First Person view of the UI from The Terminator (StudioCanal)

Color Palette
We went for the timeless Mavs colors. Arturo had a great idea to add some sparkle flecks to the silver ink. The screenprint has a little extra shine compared to the digital print that will be in the full book. That's a nice way to lean into the uniqueness—and handmade nature—of the screenprinted stories. Great idea, Arturo! 

Shine on, you crazy big man (Print Detail)

The Cover
Arturo wanted to show Dirk with a big, charming smile. That feels like a great representation of the man. The guy was competitive AF. A legend and an innovator. By all accounts he's also just a kind person off the court. Joy is a part of his character just as much as the grit and fire that we'd see in-game. I also love that Dirk's eyes are Mavs blue. It feels akin to the purple blood in the supporting illustration for our Kobe story. Dirk is the Maverick. It's in his DNA. We're stoked on the work Arturo did on this one! It's really hard not to see that cover and smile right back at Dirk. 

Cover from our story The Maverick

TL;DR
Dirk is a scoring machine, a master of efficiency. We leaned into the “German engineering” vibe with some Terminator energy as well. The silver sparkle ink in the screenprint was a great call by Arturo and he captured Dirk's energy so well on the cover. It's hard not to smile back at that charming representation of the greatest Maverick of all time. 

Bring it In
This has been another installment of Baseline BTS with Editor and Creative Director JP Boneyard. Thank you for taking the time to learn more about the player, the supporting illustrations, and the creative energy that went into this work. We appreciate you!