MODELS: I used living models from two sources: The research tanks at the Orange County Marine Institute at Dana Point Harbor in California as well as numerous dives (SCUBA) off Monarch and Crescent Bay in Laguna Beach to target the Hypsypops rubicundus garibaldi damsel who is my "Orange Aggressor" and Pisaster giganteus, the giant sea star or giant spined star, both of whom are locals.
CASUALWEAR, SPORTSWEAR, & ATHLETIC WEAR: Pulled from fully rendered poster art I sold to my associates in Kobe, Japan, circa 1993, this highly territorial male Garibaldi--the California State Fish--was "Lifted" to made it onto light and clingy cotton dresses whose background colors ranged from dark greens and blues to eerie navy blues and blue violets and the ever forever blacks. He also found himself with his starfish intruder on ball caps, hoodies, sweat shirts and men's "T"s.
What blew consumer minds is the living details I inked in on my angry fish and hapless Echinoderm (Starfish). I was patiently waiting for an "Aquaman" movie since 1977 that would not hit the theatres until the summer of 2017. So my brother California Native in "Inmate Orange"--"Disney Orange"--found himself in clothing and sportswear racks all around the Pacific Rim.
The creation of Argonaut's Pacific Rim Line was triggered by and fueled by my bitterness as to how the Corporate Offices for "Crazy Shirts" turned every one of my pseudo-photorealistic Quill point inks and Pentel pen renders with my occasional Sharpie down. They turned me down cold. Time after time.
My detective job while having no wife and kids to feed gave me the money to launch my own line. My post-United States Marine Corps contacts in the California Army National Guard fetched me connections and contacts as did my connections and contacts through the LAPD. "Spooky Bill" earned the money while "Artist Bill" invested it.