how much do I love this?

SO MUCH!! While wandering in my local Staples I stumbled upon this wonderful new product- Duck Tape sheets!! I’m a fan of the hot pink and leopard print. Must fight…the urge…to hoard.

Hey Cavey! Easter contest submission

I was perusing my usual blog haunts when I came across an Easter contest for Hey Cavey! Hosted by Toy Break (October Toys) the winner receives an Easter Cavey!! Winner is selected at random so my fingers are crossed, hoping my little Easter themed quick drawing is chosen. I’m always intrigued by stylistically simple characters because I believe simple is harder to pull off than complex and Holly, aka A Little Stranger & creator Cavey, does this so well. I’m a fan – her personal and professional portfolios are to drool over… In my last post I highlighted her as a current inspiration to my own plushy endeavors.

Send those positive vibes my way and I just might let you hug Cavey when I win! 🙂

UPDATE: I did not win BUT I was featured on Hey Cavey’s blog!! So it was better than winning. ^_^

UPDATE TO THAT UPDATE: Hey Cavey creator A Little Stranger contacted me to let me know my illustration will be up on display during Cavey’s birthday party! Pretty exciting… bummed I can’t attend. (again shaking fists I can’t be in the UK)

setting up shop

This past weekend I went on a road trip to my local TAP Plastic store and got all stocked up on materials for casting. This is completely new to me but I’m going to be a pro in a matter of days. HA! Well I’ve at least watched enough YouTube videos to feel confident enough to give it a go. My mind is constantly churning with different characters I’d like to interpret into different mediums. My plans for my first casting will be some notions for a little plush character I’ve designed. Sewing plush is not unfamiliar to me, I’ve created quite a few pieces both personally and professionally. I’ve chosen to make a latex mold, with a plaster of paris mother mold. Based on the guidance of the TAP employee, I’ll be using a fast curing polyurethane for the finished pieces. Last night I tried my first round of sculpting for the casting but got quickly discouraged… I blame a week long headache. It’s been hard for me as of late to get motivated due to this headache. HOWEVER I will persevere… I plan to create my first mold this weekend!! Exciting stuff!

Photo: VonFrau – she’s super talented… I stole it… don’t tell…

This is a siamese bear I created for my Lynn (aka VonFrau) from a pattern I created.

Some peoples that inspire me to create as of late:
Felt Mistress
A Little Stranger 

professional pat on the back

A week ago I was contacted by one of our graphic design clients with exciting news. The Dieline blog reached out to Woodinville Whiskey Co. to feature their “Age Your Own™ whiskey kit”. I’ve have had the pleasure to work with Brett and Orlin from the inception of their Northwest based brand. To be featured on The Dieline was the equivalent to a professional pat on the back and was totally unexpected yet much appreciated. I keep going back to the feature, eager to read responses to the overall design – the good, bad and ugly (hopefully not too ugly).

in progress : “flower fro” sculpt

The name is in progress as well. Naming is my least favorite task when I create characters or sculptures, UGH! When creating my first Spoonflower fabric I played with organic shapes – that I tend on doodling while I’m on the phone – being inspired by spring and the theme of “sprouting”. I purchased a couple of swatches and when they came I was so inspired by them I decided to bring to life one of my sketches in the medium of polymer clay. This whole sculpting and painting process has been an experiment, I don’t know my head from a hole in the ground but I’m having fun learning. Halfway through I had to alter my original plan due to the weight of the clay. My colors of the moment are coral and teal, I just can’t get enough of the combination so I went with it and created a gradient color scheme for (insert name here). I’m finalizing that last details and should have the final sculpture up on my “characters” page by the end of the week.

Sneak peak shot.

artist process : BUFF MONSTER

I am always inspired by other artist’s processes and workspaces. Recently Daily Dujour (click the link to see more photos) featured BUFF MONSTER where they visited his studio, giving insight to his artistic methods and sneak peeks behind his first solo London show : ‘The Reign of Pink’ which opens on April 29th at Stolenspace. When approaching his craft he is quite meticulous, thinking steps ahead of each layer he expertly paints or screen prints. It was his use of masking that was interesting. This is a stark contrast to how I approach my paintings. I do not work layer by layer with the painting as a whole. I finish sections, working the canvas landscape from front to back. I’m tempted to experiment with Buff Monster’s method of masking, seeing if it would help or hinder my current way of creating. Regardless, I’m a huge fan and it was exciting to peer behind the curtain to see the “deconstruction of the artist’s visual language”.

What else I admire about Buff Monster is his ability to take his style into various mediums and collaborations seamlessly. A must have for my collection is his Ice Cream Inflatable. A couple years (I can’t believe how long ago it’s been!) ago I traveled to Japan with my bestie VonFrau and fell in love with the oversized ice cream displays / lights that were everywhere we turned. I threatened to steal one but VF reminded me that it would be difficult to get into the overhead compartment of the plane when we headed back. Sad pants.

This is one of the many times that I wished I lived in London. Between Buff Monster’s first show and the opening of Johnny Cupcakes on Carnaby street I’m just a bit bummed about my current location!

one bitter rose

I love, love, LOVE character design. Coming up with little back stories and fleshing out their design. That’s what I spent most of today doing and it was sublime; sketching, scanning and fleshing him out on the computer. I have had this little character in mind for some time… Here’s a sneak peak!!

It’s a work in progress but I’m loving his bottom lip petal pout and his uni-brow. While I’m excited about getting him just right I’m also pretty anxious to get started on the choir of Daisies. Still working on his story I’m pretty happy with the progress so far.

introductions please…

Well, hey there! I’m pretty stoked (… do we still say that? stoked?…) to get this blog up and running. With my constant stream of half baked ideas and my laundry list of to-dos, I’m excited to have a place to dump it all and share my various creative endeavorers.