I was so tempted to never post again, just so those gorgeos Ojos de Dios photos could stay there forever. Sigh.
However, I was forced to move on because of exciting news-- Yes, I've joined the rest of society and finally made a Facebook fan page for my illustration work.
So come be my fan, and say hello!
I've been working on a couple of new pieces for Ripple and have been pawing through images for pattern inspiration. I stumbled across these gorgeous Ojos de Dios by artist Jay Mohler on LAMA Blog.
Pretty amazing, right? You can buy them online, in various sizes, here.
Fittingly, they look a bit like fireworks. Hope everyone had a wonderful Fourth of July weekend!
Hello Meetup friends! I'm back.
June was a busy month for me. I got my PikaPackage goodies made and sent out, and I started the Flourish business class. I'm currently working on getting my online shop, Other Such Things, up and running. It will be filled with prints of my work and crafty goodies (like that sneak peek above of a mobile!) I'm pretty excited about it. I'm planning on the opening coinciding with the release of the PikaPackages, which should be pretty soon.
Anyways, here are my goals for this month. Yes, a lot of them are repeat-ers, so please bear with me fellow goal makers.
Have you guys seen these?--Adorable butter cookies, ahem "biscuits", from the British Artisan Biscuits, designed by Irving & Co.
G picked up a box of the Tortoise & Hare at Whole Foods the other night, and I can't stop gushing over the packaging. This line, called Two by Two, comes complete with a story or poem on the back of the box.
And the cookies match the illustrations. Aagh!
Anyone know who did these darling illustrations?
I first spotted Ripple on illustrator Peggy Fussell's blog a couple days ago, and since then have spotted it all over the place. Started by Kelly Light, its a collection of original art pieces for sale and all the proceeds go to help animal victims of the gulf oil spill.
The two Non-Profits that are benefitting are The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies and The International Bird Rescue Research Center.
Basically the deal is, you donate $10 to one of those organizations, and then email Kelly your receipt and what art piece you'd like to buy. More info here.
If you're an artist and would like to donate, email ripplesketches@verizon.net for more info.
I'm working on re-opening my online shop, Other Such Things, was doing some design updating and then I felt like giving everything a new look. So ta-da-- a new header! Goodby seaweed-ish plant...
Happy Summer everybody!
Today.
Smooch.
I'm in love with all the movie trailer remixes going around lately. I think they're hilarious. And brilliant. I spotted this one on Cup of Jo (yes, I'm in love with that blog,) and it reminded me of the other ones I'd spotted.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMWpxTK7q2s&feature=player_embedded]
What I didn't realize was how many were actually out there. Silence of the Lambs, Pretty Woman, Sleepless in Seattle, Willy Wonka, and on and on... Ok, some are definitely way better than others.
The happy version of The Shining is my favorite.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Os6raCCmAFk&feature=player_embedded]
"One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time." --Andre Gide
From artist Kelly Rae's essay on fear and "expanding personal horizons".
I mentioned a while ago that I was working on a site theme for the wonderful Aeolidia.com. I'm happy to announce that my under-water circus theme (featuring Ms. Aeolidia, the sea slug, herself) is up!
Visit Aeolidia and select my theme from the pull-down tab, on the upper left, or click here to check it out! At some point it will be the default theme--I'll let you know when that happens.
And in case you were wondering, Aeolidia is a great design company:
“We specialize in making standout shop websites for crafters and other small businesses, but we do about a billion other things, as well. Just ask us!”
I cannot recommend them highly enough!
And it feels good.
For a while I've been playing with the idea of making Matryoshka dolls with my illustrations. The other day I spotted these custom ones by Irina Troitskaya:
They are blowing my mind.
I love them.
Irina is a freelance illustrator who does work for all kinds of clients. You can see more of her work here.
Man, can I just say I'm looking at this list and feel exhausted? Ergh. Frustrating, as a lot of it was supposed to be done in April. What is it with these warmer months? Everything seems to move slower...Geez.
And a couple new ones to add:
9. Brainstorm for the PikaPackage project. I've spent some time on this and coming up with ideas has been super fun.
10. Participate in my high school's alumni art show. Aw..Its tonight!
But in fun news, I'm posting my goal wrap-up early because G and I are off on a proper, just-us, vacation! See you in June...
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/11712103]
Happy Birthday, brother. My almost twin, just ten years off. I love you.
I have no idea what the rules are, but doesn't this card game from Pintameeldia look amazing?
It features 8 artists and all proceeds go to Doctors Without Borders.
I saw the documentary Babies (with my soon-to-be In-Laws!!) on Mother's Day. It was really wonderful.
I guess partly, as expected. I mean gorgeous footage of babies, doing ridiculous baby things...It could have gone on for hours and I think everyone in the theater would have been riveted.
But how great is it that a documentary with little, to no, (discernible) dialogue was packed opening day at a mall in eastern Connecticut? The whole thing made me happy.
Because I decided May wasn't busy enough, I just signed up for two exciting projects: Pikaland's PikaPackage Project and the Flourish business e-course. I'm really looking forward to working on both.
You may have noticed my little etsy shop languishing over the months. I haven't figured out how to juggle pursuing illustration through more traditional means, while selling prints and other items directly to customers. I'm an illustrator, not a shop owner. But I'm hoping after Flourish I'll be both.
The PikaPackage will tie in nicely to that-- get the creative gears moving, as well as a promo for my work and shop.
And to help me juggle everything, I've signed up for the free trial of the task management program, Things. Does anyone use it now? I've only had it for a day, but I think its love.
Check out Made by Joel for wonderful diy craft projects for kids.
Dollhouses, mobiles, animation... seriously, this dad is awesome!
