Career Accomplishments:

1996

• Secured first major commission as freshman at Missouri Southern State University: football program cover featuring future NFL players James Thrash and Richard Jordan

2000

• First student artist at Missouri Southern State University to receive American Scholastic Press Association's Outstanding Artist Award for John Elway Super Bowl XXXIII MVP illustration

2005

• Created "NFL Greats" project for Grey Flannel Gallery, featuring comprehensive illustration of 47 players and 4 coaches

2008

• Commissioned by Tampa Bay Rays for Carl Crawford portrait, with prints produced for exclusive team event

• Created University of South Florida football program's first decade commemorative collage (7,000 prints produced for season ticket holders)

• Selected to participate in Beijing Summer Olympics International Art Competition

2015

• Selected as one of 20 artists nationwide for prestigious Deacon Jones Foundation NFL Artwork Program

• Three works selected for official NFL licensing through Deacon Jones Foundation:

  • "Above the Divide" (Demaryius Thomas)

  • Super Bowl 50 MVP illustration (Von Miller)

  • "L.A. Express" (Todd Gurley/Rams LA return)

• Commissioned by Razorback Foundation for Darren McFadden portrait, featured at "Red Tie Event" fundraiser

2019

• Featured artist in Beckett Magazine's inaugural Artist Spotlight

• Joined Beckett Sports Art Team in partnership with Pristine Auctions

2020

• Selected for second Beckett Magazine Artist Spotlight feature

2020-Present

• Completed comprehensive NFL Logo Series (32 large-format pieces, 900+ hours)

• Developed and refined innovative transparent player technique through NFL Logo Series

2024

• Launched comprehensive professional brand identity including:

  • New website (alvinfall.com)

  • Custom artist logo design

  • Professional business collateral (business cards, letterhead, digital watermarks)

  • Integrated social media presence

Artist Biography:

Early Foundations

Growing up at the family kitchen table in Colorado, Alvin Fall's artistic journey began under the guidance of his mother, an accomplished artist who introduced him to the enchanting world of watercolors. These early moments of creative discovery ignited a passion that would shape his entire life.

The Making of a Sports Artist

His artistic path emerged at the intersection of two passions: art and football. As both a high school football player and devoted Denver Broncos fan, Fall developed a unique perspective on sports illustration. His connection to football ran especially deep thanks to a monthly NFL Films subscription that became his window into the sport's rich history. He spent countless hours studying those VHS tapes, absorbing legendary stories of teams and players – from Ray Nitschke and Dick Butkus to Joe Namath and Ken Stabler, from The Steel Curtain to The No Name Defense, from The Catch to The Ice Bowl. These films not only fueled his passion for football but provided an intimate understanding of the sport's history and iconic figures – knowledge that would prove invaluable in his artistic career.

The detailed athlete portraits featured in Beckett Monthly, the definitive authority on sports card collecting in the late 1980s and early 1990s, showed him how to unite his two greatest interests. The artwork gracing its covers revealed a path that would allow him to combine his artistic talent with his deep appreciation for football's history.

Technical Evolution

What began in the early 1990s as a simple pencil drawing of New York Giants running back Rodney Hampton evolved rapidly under skilled mentorship. At Southeast High School in Wichita, Kansas, Fall created his first professional-grade illustration - a detailed portrait of Lawrence Taylor. After relocating to Jasper, Missouri, an unprecedented opportunity arose: an Independent Art Study focused specifically on sports art, allowing him to develop his distinctive style and build a focused portfolio.

His technique progressed from graphite pencil drawings in Wichita – including portraits of NFL legends Mike Singletary and Emmitt Smith – to his first venture into color during a summer visit to Colorado, where he created a large-scale Terry Bradshaw illustration in oil pastels. The real breakthrough came in 1994 when he discovered Prismacolor pencils. His subsequent works, beginning with a striking John Elway portrait against a black background, followed by Joe Montana in his Chiefs uniform and Andre Rison as an Atlanta Falcon, achieved a photorealistic quality that earned consistent recognition in high school art competitions.

University Years & Early Professional Growth

At Missouri Southern State University, Fall balanced dual passions while developing under Professor Jim Bray, a distinguished watercolor artist and former graphic designer. Bray's expertise in figure drawing, pre-digital graphic art, typography, and masterful command of watercolor techniques proved instrumental in expanding Fall's artistic horizons. Under his stern but nurturing guidance, Fall refined his control of watercolor, mastered composition principles, and developed precision in figure drawing and typography using traditional tools.

As a freshman, he secured his first significant sports commission - creating the 1996 Missouri Southern football program cover featuring future NFL players James Thrash and Richard Jordan. This early success, combined with successfully walking on to the football team, provided unique perspectives that would inform his artistic work.

This period culminated in becoming the first MSSU student to receive the American Scholastic Press Association's Outstanding Artist Award for his John Elway Super Bowl XXXIII MVP illustration. Created in 2000, this piece showcased his evolving abilities, combining detailed colored pencil work with digital effects in Photoshop to capture the atmosphere of a night game with stadium lighting.

Professional Development and Technical Innovation

Establishing himself in Sarasota, Florida in 2003, Fall began experimenting with combining media in new ways. From 2002 through 2006, he refined a technique of layering colored pencil work over watercolor backgrounds, inspired by artist Claudia Nice's methods of combining watercolor and ink. Though her focus was landscapes and wildlife, her approach sparked innovation in his sports art. After creating two underwater scenes to master her techniques, he discovered that applying Prismacolor pencils over dried watercolor backgrounds opened exciting new possibilities for creating large-scale, vibrant compositions while maintaining precise detail in portraiture.

The NFL Greats Project

A defining moment came in 2005 with his "NFL Greats" illustration for Grey Flannel Gallery in Sarasota. This ambitious project featured a carefully curated "Dream Team" of 47 players and 4 coaches from different eras. For this piece, he experimented with using oil pastels for the background with colored pencil in the foreground. While successful, the time-intensive process of creating the background with pastels led him to explore more efficient methods for large-scale backgrounds.

Watercolor Innovation in 2006

2006 marked a significant period of technical breakthrough with a series of six 16" x 20" portraits showcasing athletes across multiple sports. These pieces featured an innovative watercolor technique first explored in his 2003 underwater studies. The process involved saturating the paper with water, then applying concentrated watercolor pigment in specific areas, allowing the colors to blend naturally. While the paint remained wet, he used an eyedropper to apply rubbing alcohol, which pushed the wet paint away, creating distinctive organic patterns. This technique produced striking effects that created a soft, atmospheric quality using team colors - similar to a photographer capturing a blurred stadium crowd, but rendered in abstract watercolor forms.

Major Projects of 2008

Building on the organic qualities of his 2006 watercolor backgrounds, Fall began incorporating more structured, team-specific elements using acrylic paint. Three significant commissions showcased this evolution:

A milestone 22" x 30" piece for the Tampa Bay Rays featuring Carl Crawford marked his first extensive use of acrylics for backgrounds. The timing coincided with a transformative year for the Rays franchise as they unveiled a new logo and uniform, then proceeded to win their first division title and reach the World Series. Meeting Crawford at batting practice, where he signed the artwork, added personal significance to the piece. The Rays further validated the work by producing prints for distribution at an exclusive team event.

A commemorative collage for the University of South Florida Bulls athletic department, celebrating their football program's first decade. Using acrylic paint allowed for a more structured composition featuring 14 standout players and founding head coach Jim Leavitt. The university's decision to produce 7,000 prints for season ticket holders demonstrated their confidence in the artwork.

A significant honor came with an invitation to participate in the Beijing Summer Olympics International Art Competition, placing his work alongside artists from around the world. For this piece, he employed a glazing technique learned from Professor Jim Bray, using multiple watercolor washes to create a sophisticated checkered pattern that incorporated the Olympic ring colors. The composition merged the iconic rings with dynamic figures of athletes in motion, featuring a female weightlifter in the central black ring - a deliberate choice to celebrate women's empowerment and athletic achievement while highlighting the diversity of Olympic sports. The integration of human figures with the iconic Olympic symbols in this piece would later become instrumental in developing his signature style, particularly evident in his NFL Logo Series work.

Return and Refinement

After a strategic pause to pursue additional professional training (2010-2013), Fall returned to full-time art with an innovative approach to incorporating team identity into backgrounds. His comeback pieces featuring Denver Broncos legends demonstrated this new technique - using watercolor to create scenes of the Colorado skyline with Broncos logos integrated into the snow-covered mountains. This method of using flat washes with watercolor and incorporating team logos into background landscapes became the foundation for his current artistic style.

The Deacon Jones Foundation Recognition and Licensed Collection

In 2015, selection for the prestigious Deacon Jones Foundation NFL Artwork Program marked a career milestone. The foundation chose three of Fall's works for official NFL licensing: "Above the Divide" featuring Demaryius Thomas, his Super Bowl 50 MVP illustration of Von Miller, and "L.A. Express," celebrating Todd Gurley and the Rams' return to Los Angeles. Each piece showcased his evolved technique of combining detailed portraiture with integrated team imagery.

Growing Recognition in College Athletics

The momentum from the Deacon Jones Foundation honor led to significant recognition in collegiate sports. The Razorback Foundation commissioned a portrait of Arkansas legend Darren McFadden, which was featured at their prestigious "Red Tie Event" fundraiser. The project gained special significance when McFadden not only signed the artwork but sent a personal handwritten note praising the piece, validating Fall's ability to capture both athletic prowess and personal character.

Professional Evolution and Industry Recognition

From 2015 through 2019, while progressing on his NFL Logo Series, Fall maintained an active schedule of local commissions. A particularly meaningful recognition came in 2019 when Beckett Magazine invited him to participate in their inaugural "Artist Spotlight" issue. This opportunity carried special resonance, as Beckett Monthly had played such a pivotal role in his early artistic inspiration. The positive response led to a second feature in their 2020 Artist Spotlight issue and valuable connections within the sports art community.

The NFL Logo Series and Technical Innovation

The NFL Logo Series represents Fall's most ambitious undertaking, comprising over 900 hours of work across 32 large-format pieces. During this project, he developed his signature transparent player technique - initially conceived to show the fluid nature of football through ghosted images of players at the line of scrimmage. This innovative method evolved into a powerful storytelling tool, allowing him to create depth, suggest motion, and add historical context within a single composition.

The series demanded a perfect balance between precise detail and creative innovation. Each piece required careful integration of team colors, iconic logos, and player representations while maintaining visual harmony. This project not only refined his technical skills but established a distinctive style that bridges traditional sports illustration with contemporary artistic innovation.

Contemporary Work and Technical Refinement

His current work represents a synthesis of techniques developed throughout his career. While sports art remains his cornerstone, he has expanded into commissioned pet portraits, human portraits, wildlife, and nature scenes, applying his detail-oriented approach to new subjects. To enhance his capabilities, he maintains ongoing education through online figure drawing and watercolor classes.

A key focus of his current development is mastering the balance between efficiency and detail in watercolor work. His goal is to achieve the same level of realism that characterizes his colored pencil pieces but with the fluid speed of watercolor. This involves:

-Refining his flat wash technique for creating clean, precise backgrounds

-Developing methods for integrating detailed elements within fluid watercolor compositions

-Experimenting with new ways to incorporate team imagery into organic landscapes

-Advancing his transparent figure technique for different subjects and contexts

Professional Brand Development

Parallel to his artistic evolution, Fall has invested in developing a cohesive professional identity. This includes creating a new website (alvinfall.com) and designing a distinctive personal logo for use across various platforms - from business cards to digital watermarks. These elements work together to create a professional presence that matches the caliber of his artistic work.

Looking Forward

While continuing to refine his signature techniques, Fall is actively exploring new artistic territories. Each new piece builds upon his established methods while pushing technical boundaries. His goal remains consistent: to create artwork that captures not just the physical likeness of subjects but their energy and essence, whether that's the dynamic power of professional athletes or the gentle spirit of a beloved pet.

The journey that began at his mother's kitchen table in Colorado continues to evolve, driven by the same passion for artistic excellence and technical precision that has defined his career. Through ongoing experimentation and refinement, he continues to develop new ways to bring subjects to life while maintaining the meticulous attention to detail that has become his hallmark.