Indianapolis Pattern: Racing, Tenderloins, and Sammy Terry
Indianapolis doesn't shout about itself. It just quietly accumulates things: a 500-mile race that's been running since 1911, the world's largest children's museum, a Victorian-era market that refuses to modernize, and a local TV horror host who scared an entire generation of kids every Saturday night.
I've lived here long enough that these things don't feel like landmarks—they feel like the furniture of daily life.
So I drew them all and made a pattern.
Drawing Cities as Stories
Cities are layered personalities — part history, part folklore, part everyday detail you only notice when you pause. Illustrating them isn’t just about drawing buildings; it’s about capturing the feeling of belonging somewhere.
When I draw a city, I’m less interested in perfect accuracy and more in capturing tone — how memory clings to place. Each illustration turns into a story about place, told through rhythm, line, and color.
What's Actually In Here
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway gate (those iconic pylons). Lucas Oil Stadium. The Soldiers and Sailors Monument. The L.S. Ayres clock (still keeping time on Washington Street even though the store closed decades ago). City Market's clock tower. The Indiana State Fairgrounds entry arch. The Ruins at Holliday Park. The Cathedral Church of St. James. The Indiana State House. The Madame Walker Theatre sign. Fountain Square's neon sign.
Also: The Indiana flag. The state outline with the torch. An ear of corn (we're still in the Midwest). A peony (the state flower). A cardinal (the state bird). A tulip tree branch. The LOVE sculpture. A pork tenderloin the size of a dinner plate. A slice of sugar cream pie. Sammy Terry on a vintage TV (if you know, you know). The Slippery Noodle Inn sign (Indiana's oldest bar, allegedly). A woolly mammoth (because we found fossils here).
Why Indianapolis Works as a Pattern
Indianapolis is the kind of city that doesn't demand your attention but rewards it if you pay close enough.
It's got legitimate architectural landmarks (the Monument, the State House, the Cathedral). It's got quirky local history (Sammy Terry, the L.S. Ayres clock, the Slippery Noodle). It's got food that makes no apologies for itself (tenderloins, sugar cream pie). And it's got the Motor Speedway, which is both a serious sporting venue and a month-long party every May.
You can't capture that in one illustration. But you can capture it in a pattern where the Monument and a tenderloin and Sammy Terry all coexist without anyone questioning the arrangement.
What You Can Do With It
This works for anything that needs Indianapolis personality without generic Midwest vibes. Local gift shops, hospitality projects, tourism marketing, packaging, textiles, anything aimed at people who either live here or finally figured out that Indy is more interesting than they thought.
The full pattern works for wallpaper, fabric, large-scale graphics. Individual elements work standalone. The whole thing scales without losing detail.
It's designed for products and spaces that want Indianapolis energy—unpretentious, genuine, quietly proud of itself, and perfectly happy to put a racing pennant next to a slice of pie.
Part of a Bigger Thing
I'm working through a series of place-based patterns for destinations with strong visual identities. Indianapolis just happens to be home, which means I've had about 20 years to notice what makes it itself.
Still in production. More patterns coming soon.