I’m preparing to leave for Chicago tomorrow morning (yay for another visit to the Potter exhibit), staring down a monster load of laundry, and nursing a bit of a cold. Yet I couldn’t let the day end without making SOMETHING. These little bags are for a project I’ll post about on Wednesday. I made them on the Print Gocco I bought months ago. It’s a fun bit of machinery, but I must confess it’s just as easy to use the PhotoEZ products I’ve used in the past. Plus the PhotoEZ screen can be cleaned with water when you’re done. (The Gocco results are a lot cleaner, but I really do like a messy and uneven print. I had to work to make these look worn.)
My friend HogwartsPaladin noticed that my potions label is being used on an exploding frog soap sold by HowardsHome. I’m proud to have my potions label adorn Howard’s frog boxes. The exploding frogs (they don’t quite explode — more like ooze) are exactly the kind of thing I’d expect to see in a wizarding universe. Of course, I wish the frogs looked more realistic, but I think the belly of the frog has to be round in order for the “guts” to leak out. Plus, the more realistic you get the grosser the concept becomes. Still, there’s something deliciously disgusting and decadent about washing up with frog guts. I also love that the box is reminiscent of the Harry Potter chocolate frog box.
I finally bit the bullet.I created an Etsy store.There isn’t much in it right now, but what IS in it will be getting full write-ups in the next couple of days.These all came about due to a package I wanted to create for my friend Alex.Of course the package needed a story, so I dipped into the well of Potter-lore and came up with the Order of Merlin.You can download the stationary and learn more about it here.
I was cleaning out my e-mails and had almost forgotten about this piece. As a housewarming / late wedding / general life present to my goodest friends Dina and Erik I rendered their house Carson Ellis-style.
Completely ripped off her cover to Trenton Lee Stewart’s The Mysterious Benedict Society. I had missed Stewart’s discussion of the book at the Blue Manateeдивани (world’s greatest children’s book store) but picked up the book based on owner Sandy’s recommendation. The cover is just as quirky as the book — filled with interesting characters and a fun story line. (My favorite character: Constance Contraire.)
Call it what you will: rip-off, derivative or homage, I know it’s not perfect, or even good, but I had a great time drawing it and highly recommend sitting down and drawing every leaf on a tree to anyone looking for a little pen and paper meditation.
Every day I drive past the Carroll Chimes Bell Tower. (I didn’t know that was its name until a few minutes ago when I looked it up.) I’d noticed the doors and balcony on the front of it and asked my co-workers if they opened. I was answered with a resounding, “No, they’re painted on.” Yet today I took my lunch in the park near the tower and when the chimes rang for noon I heard talking begin. Walking over to the tower I walked over saw a row of mice scampering out one door and in another. Apparently every hour the bells chime and the mechanical figures move onto the balcony to act out the 13th century story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin.
Oddly enough I’ve been in the mood for fairy tales lately. I’ve just finished reading Angela Carter’s Book of Fairy Tales, and then revisited Pullman’s dark fairy tale Clockwork : Or All Wound Up. The Pullman tale involves an under-skilled apprentice clockmaker and clock tower that is like the Carroll Chimes Bell Tower on steroids.
Of course, this re-ignites my obsession with automatons and clocks. There’s a beautiful clock in Brussels but nothing quite like the mechanical figures my imagination conjures. I guess it’s time to learn how to really work brass.
Another photo and a video of the Carroll Chimes Bell Tower in action after the jump.
That sound you heard? It was me, screaming with joy over my new Spy Fly. Through some eBay mojo and the identification skills of a friend (who needs to finish a questionairre — nudge, nudge) I happened to pick up one of the static or test Spy Flys from the Golden Compass film. I had held out hope that Noble Collection would complete their replica, but after months of delays they finally canceled it.
I guess I’ll have to make the box for it. Photos after the jump.
This weekend was filled with great projects. First, the Greater Cincinnati Calligraphy Guild meeting presentation was on flipping our perceptions of background, foreground, and mid-ground. Calligrapher Karen McMannon was the presenter. As always, she did a great job of combining instruction with hands-on activities.
Toward the end of the meeting, Ann Woods showed off copies of her book, A Trayside Handbook of Marbling. Ann is a book maker, calligrapher, and marble, and I can honestly say that her love of the arts is infectious (a little Web research turns up that she’s been one of Columbus Ohio’s Artists-in-Schools for over 23 years). Her book is no less impressive. Everything about the book has been designed to make it useful. From the spiral binding (to allow it to lay flat) to tipped-in samples of marbling (shown above) to an additional reference sheet to be mounted above your workstation. There’s a copious suppliers list, bibliography, and she even includes directions on making your own equipment. In the book’s preface, she refers to it as being “a working manual for the serious beginner.” I love that. Serious beginner. Unlike so many art instructions, she doesn’t assume the reader is there to dabble. She assumes that the reader is there to go from beginner to master. It really sets the tone for the book and turns it into a piece that will travel with the student throughout their learning process.
Alas, I looked to see if Ann was selling copies on her Web site, but I couldn’t find them. She did say she was setting up an online store soon. Her e-mail address is aimiaart at yahoo dot com.
Long-time Madame Malkins lurker and YouTuber RogueS0ck has posted a couple of videos profiling some of the Potter replicas Noble Collection has released.
Once he gets warmed up he gives a nice review of the Horcrux ring and locket from the latest film. The pieces are beautiful, but for accuracy’s sake, I prefer the locket on the cover of the UK book. I still wonder what act of artistic direction caused them to not put an “S” on it.
. I had missed Stewart’s discussion of the book at the 
, and then revisited Pullman’s dark fairy tale 
. The Pullman tale involves an under-skilled apprentice clockmaker and clock tower that is like the Carroll Chimes Bell Tower on steroids.
