Decorated Moleskine Journals Added to the Shop!

I just thought I do a quick post to let you all know that I've added some new moleskine journals to my Gumball Grenade shop today! Each of these is decorated with an image transfer of one of my illustrations and then hand painted details are added! Signed and sealed! I was a little worried I wouldn't get a chance to share them because it's been snowing all morning long! Finally, there was a break in the gloomy weather which allowed me just enough time to get them photographed and listed.

I've been missing in action!

Although I've posted very scarcely in the last week, I've been working on lots! First, I've been getting ready for a couple of local shows here in good old Utah! I've made quite a few pins and booklets/journals with some new techniques that I'm very pleased with. Second, I've been working on a commissioned piece that I have absolutely fallen in love with. It's going to be soooo hard to part with! It's one of my first paintings with a hot air balloon and I've wanted to incorporate them for soooo long. Second, it has a narwhal spouting hearts! So here are some in progress pics of this 11 x 14 inch painting. However, the banner is not finished! I'm waiting to hear back from my collector as to what should be inscribed here. These things take careful consideration you know! Well here's a pic of the piece that I'm so in love with at the moment!

Shop Update Today! All Three Paper Boat Illustrations!

"Paper Boat Wishes"

"Seaworthy"

"The Everlasting Land"

All three paper boat illustrations have just been added to my Gumball Grenade shop today! I've been wanting to do limited editions for quite some time so I'm quite happy to have a complete set of three to share!

To Sail With a Whale Published in Somerset Digital Studio!

It's here! I've been anxiously awaiting the arrival of Somerset Digital Studio's Spring '09 issue and I just checked on their website and you can see a page shot of my To Sail With a Whale illustration! Yippee! You can peek at it and order your own copy right here: http://www.stampington.com/html/som_dig_vol2.html

Also here's a snapshot of the cover! Thanks so much Somerset!

The Everlasting Land

Where do you suppose it is?

This limited edition print, "The Everlasting Land" will be made available in my Gumball Grenade shop tomorrow! Also, don't forget to enter the giveaway!

A Seaworthy Giveaway!

I'm very excited! Today marks the launch of a round of giveaways that I'll be doing! I aim to have more of these giveaways and will set them up to coincide with the holiday of the month. So with today being St. Patrick's Day it seems to be appropriate to celebrate!

Today I'm giving away a signed and numbered print of my latest illustration in my Paper Boat series called, "Seaworthy." Beautiful to think that such a delicately constructed thing like a paper boat can be seaworthy enough to brave troubled waters. In this piece I imagined the paper boats being inscribed with important things and then set off to brave the sea. Although the boats are made of only one tiny, little sheet of paper, they will still arrive to their final destination. I haven't even added this print to the shop yet! The next Gumball Grenade shop update is Thursday so the entire series will be available then!

Details: To win this limited edition "Seaworthy" art print simply visit my Gumball Grenade shop then return to this post and leave a comment regarding something in my shop! Simple! Winner will be selected with Random.org and entries close on March 31st! Take care!

Paper Boat Series

"We'll need wood and we will need stones for a brand new house,

To leave, leave, forever leave, the everlasting land.

We'll cross the sea and we will brave storms in a paper boat.

To leave, leave, forever leave the everlasting land." - Lyrics and song by Cocoon

I'm completely loving the song Paper Boat by Cocoon. So relaxing and dreamy, just a perfect for a little Sunday. I spent my afternoon thinking about love, spirituality, and paper boats of all things! And of course sketching! Out came a new series of illustrations called the Paper Boat Series. Here's a little preview and be sure to take a listen to this sweet little song! So charming to hear the French accent and to hear the lead singer coaching the crowd on roaring like a dinosaur! Seems universal to me!

Are You Awake? One of those perfect little questions.

Night Visitor acrylic on 5 x 7 inch wooden plaque

Are You Awake acrylic on 5 x 7 inch wooden plaque

I've had these two little sketches in my sketchbook for awhile now and couldn't resist painting them out. Remember when you were little and just couldn't fall asleep. You wanted someone to be awake with you. Everything felt just a little too quiet when everyone was asleep but you. So you'd turn to your little friend, knowing they were asleep, yet still you'd timidly ask, "Are you awake?" And with that singular question you knew you'd have someone to share your thoughts with. These should both be available in my Gumball Grenade shop later this evening!

Sneeches

I'd be remiss if I didn't post about Dr. Seuss today! So I figured I would share which of his tales is one of my favorites. Would you have guessed it was "The Sneetches" A tale of consumption and discrimination and in the end the sneetches realize what is important

"I’m quite happy to say.That the Sneeches got really quite smart on that day.The day they decided that Sneetches are Sneetches. And no kind of Sneetch is the best on the beaches. That day, all the Sneetches forgot about stars and whether They had one, or not, upon thars."