Feather N Stitch stationery

I have some really neat news!  Blend licensed my Feather N Stitch collection to use for a stationery and bag line.  It was pretty surreal to go and take pics of it at the recent AmericasMart here in Atlanta.  The collection will be traveling to the National Stationery show in New York and some other conventions to shop to buyers.  I can't wait to see it out in stores.  I am using swear words of happiness in my head right now;)  This, the the fabric collection and wanting to show at Surtex are the series of events that prompted me to quit my job last March.  The non-compete clauses can be tough to work with if you have a full time gig in the same industry as your personal work.  I knew I wanted freelance in the long run, and these events sort of made the decision easier. Luckily I had just enough work to do it.

As you can tell I am all over the place with what I like to do with my art.  Creepy illustrations and friendly stationery all in one brain, haha.  Whatever tickles your fancy, right?  You don't have to be cornered into one area, as long as it feels like one person created it!  Anyway, thank you to Anna Griffin and the others that worked on this line.  I am pretty excited.  I loved the vintage elements in the display, right up my alley.  

Full display:

Journal close up:

I dig this little heart diecut that shows the pages inside:

Sticky note pads:

travelin' man

This is a commission that I just finished up for a guy named Dan.  Dan is a traveling man.  He is a TV show producer that Scott and I met about six months ago.  He asked me to make a piece about him and his life for his office.  Part of Dan's personality is that he moves a lot, sort of a wanderlust, and he seems to be making a circle around the country hitting up all the big cities.  His next stop is either Miami or Austin.  It's a neat  lifestyle because his TV shows flies him out to the location and his home base is more of a pit stop for relaxing and meeting new people when he's not on set.  The show he's producing next is Hardcore Pawn, haha, I am a sucker for those kind of shows.  Anyway, I am grateful to have met the nomadic Dan, and my art will go with him to each new destination.  This piece is about 4 feet wide and will be a giclee print framed in weathered wood, I'll get him to send me the finish later so I can share.  Pretty epic.  There are little hidden icons based on parts of his personality.  Dan and Scott also compete each week for a Golden Tee championship trophy at the bar next to our place.  It seems to be what they live for.  I love Atlanta and it's array of people.  We are a fast growing film city, so we meet a lot of those types.  Most of my friends are video and photo folk.  It's an awesome mix to have.



Some zooms:

new fuzzy work

A few new pieces that I am hoping kick off a new narrative series for me.  For kids(chicken nuggets) and such.  I need to build my younger selection.  You would think that after 3 years of working on kids apparel I'd have that covered by now!  Haha.  I prefer more sophisticated or subdued color when it comes to kid's stuff.  Hopefully they don't get bored.  I hear babies like black and white visually.  I need to tap into that realm.

The tree animal pieces are from my sketchbook when I went to Costa Rica for my honeymoon with Scott.  It was so awesome to see those animals in real life!  And the steam punk fox is for a group promo project for Red Fox Literary. Hope you dig.  More to come soon!

White-Faced or Capuchin Monkey: Lives in packs, smart, uses tools, not completely vegetarian, cute.


Three Toed Sloth: Only poops once a week in a hole and buries it(modest young fellow), green tint is from algae in it's hair, has slow metabolism, not laziness(yeah right), cute.


Steampunk Fox: Um, likes to follow underground trend of a surreal universe consisting of cowboys and the future mashed together.  Likes to watch Firefly over and over again with his friend Mouseface, pulls out broken pocket watch periodically to pick up women.

Brodieeee(book cover for Penguin UK)

I wanted to start the new year with good news.  I got the okay to show this pre-production.  I was so stoked to get an email from Penguin UK.  I love the Essentials collection they put out, which had some of my favorite illustrators featured, and they contacted me to do a cover for the next batch!  Nuts I say, nuts.  So after a couple months of working with the awesome Lee Motley, I present to you the cover for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark, a classic novel revamp.  It was a dream job for me.  Do whatever I think is best to fit the story well, using my fashion inspired work, and hand letter the type.  Miss Jean Brodie is awesome, she was a revolution.  The writing was witty and fun.  The movie made based on this book is great too!  Maggie Smith was exceptional;)  Here is the Wikipedia entry that tells what the story is about if you are interested.

Final image(I will share with you the final with the logo and added text when it is printed):

Sketches and some of the reference I pulled(we went with the first sketch but with a more slender dress):

A good way to start the year.  Hope you enjoy!