Pencil Pop

Holiday Tour 2011

2012-01-04T10:41:00.009-06:00

Once Thanksgiving hits, Nate and I pack up and go on "tour" for the rest of the year. This year we were in Pennsylvania visiting my mom, then Iowa with Nate's family, and then down to Florida to see my dad and family there. Here are some of my favorite shots from our trips.

In Pennsylvania, we visited St. Peters Village outside of Glenmoore were you can jump across giant bolders, and hangout in a vintage arcade. We also went into Philadelphia (the city of murals) again this year and toured Todd House and The Bishop White house. The historic tours in the city are plentiful and interesting.

In Nate's home town Dubuque, Iowa, we mostly hung out with family, but decided to take a walk down to Bluff Street. You can browse some charming shops and galleries there including, Black Cat Vintage and Unforgivable Records where Nate reminisced over a wall of band posters from his youth.

Down in Florida we visited my grandparents for a day in Hollywood, FL where they've been living for about 60 years in the same house. We spent most of our time in Stuart where we relaxed with drinks, games, and a bonfire. We also ventured out to the the Jupiter Lighthouse, Coral Cove Park on Jupiter Island, and a day trip to St. Augustine.

Happy New Year!

Band of Brothers

2011-12-06T09:58:00.007-06:00

What started out as a little summer fun turned into a full-fledged band of friends called The Himalayan Adventure League. Unfortunately, Aaron Hale, the band's leader and main song writer, received a job offer he couldn't refuse and is moving his family to Texas at the end of December. The poster at the top I designed for our last (but hopefully not our final) show. The photo for the poster was taken during one of my many bike rides this summer. The photo below that was taken by Carlos Lima of Scout Photo for our Kickstarter Page which helped us raise enough money to start recording an album called Cobwebs & Moontalk. Well guys, it's definitely been a fun adventure!

Christmas Wreath Craft 2012

2011-12-06T09:14:00.013-06:00

We were in Pennsylvania visiting my mom this year for Thanksgiving. My mom and I went to a wreath making craft party hosted by a woman from her church, and I decided to do another paper wreath similar to the one I did last year. My lovely mother is holding up her finished wreath in the last picture.

Advent 2011

2011-11-14T09:52:00.002-06:00

The time is upon us once more. Advent is always a special time for the Jacob's Well community, and has been a great opportunity for Nate and I to collaborate on fun design to get the information out about all the fun events planned for the season.

Past Advent posts: 2008, 2008 benefit concert, 2009, 2010 CD

Once upon a time in Memphis

2011-11-07T22:46:00.010-06:00

Once upon a time, a Kansas boy met a Kentucky girl. They fell in love and decided to get married where God brought them together, in Memphis, TN. So Nate and I drove 8 hours southeast for the celebration. (Congrats Chris and Kate!) We did not have much time to sight-see, so we had to pick between Graceland and the National Civil Rights Museum. Not really two things to compare, but Civil Rights won out, and it was an amazing place. I highly recommend it if your in the area. Also, we finally know what that one line in the Mark Cohn/ Bruce Springsteen song means when he says, "Walking in Memphis. Walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale." It's a street! With lots of bars, and I didn't really like it, but lots of other people did. The pictures here a mash of Memphis sights, wedding snapshots, and the Civil Rights Museum (The Lorriane Motel sign, the balcony with the wreath, and the classic cars are photos of where MLK was shot and killed April 4, 1968 in front of room 306.)

The Nutcrackers Comeback

2011-11-07T14:42:00.008-06:00

Yes, we did it again! Pulling out all the stops for Halloween this year after a year off. These are homemade with thiftstore blazers. All the details are hand-sewn and glued together. Check out more pictures and detail shots over at the Olives and Pennies Blog by Jenn, the green nutcracker.

Past costumes: Mariachi Band, American Gladiators, Ice Skaters

Ottawa - OIAF

2011-09-28T20:53:00.003-05:00

OIAF is for Ottawa International Animation Festival which I had the pleasure to attend with my colleague and friend, Matt. It was our first time to Ottawa and we had a great time! The festival was spread out at different locations downtown, which gave us lots of opportunity for site seeing. We spent 4 days watching animation from all over the world. There were many different techniques and applications including commercial, promotional, experimental, stop motion, traditional, abstract, and the list goes on. While I'm reserving most of the festival account for work, I will share some of the images I captured from the trip. We did a lot of walking to get the Bytowne Theater and the Arts Court building, passing the beautiful parliament building daily, but we rented some BIXI bikes to get over to the National Museum where the giant spider was hanging out.

To the Current River and back, Missouri - Part ll

2011-09-05T15:10:00.007-05:00

On the way back from the river, we made a few stops that made the trip extra unique and fun. Along the river we stopped to see the sites, and had a look down Devil's Well, a sink hole that dropped into a cave.

We also made a stop at the Schwartz scrapyard in Salem, MO. At first we saw it was closed and though disappointed we snapped a few shots through the fence. BUT then Mr. Schwartz himself rides up in a golf cart looking amazing with his original 50's black framed glasses, fedora hat, and gold capped tooth. He very excitedly invited us into his scrap yard promising two things, that it would be the most organized scrap yard we'd ever see, and that we would see things we've never seen before. Both promises were kept! Though Mr. Schwartz dropped out of grade school never to return, he invented his own machines to compact cars, chop wood, and corrugate metal. He was extremely proud of collection of junked classic cars including Model T's, vintage buses, sports cars, and everything in between.

Then, we stopped in Vienna, MO at John Viessman's Americana Antiques. A collection of several small houses/ structures tightly packed on a lot, filled to the brim with stuff. The "Rummage" sign was an understatement, as you literally had to climb and dig your way through dust covered items to uncover the treasures. Nate got a little uneasy as we got to one of the back lot structures that resembled an abandoned hoarder house, filled with everything under the sun. Dolls, pipes, books (oh the books!), pictures, kitchenware, clothes, buttons, records, and more were strewn about in a careless way, and I think the drawers full of dental teeth samples put him over the edge. However we did have a nice chat with John about his obvious skilled sign painting and life long goal of organizing the endless piles of things he has collected over the years. It didn't seem that John liked parting much with his things, bargaining was a struggle, but we left with a few things to add to our own collections. My favorite is this blue soda crate.

To the Current River and back, Missouri - Part I

2011-09-05T14:56:00.000-05:00

Nate and I went on a fantastic Labor day weekend trip with some friends to the Current River in southern Missouri where we leisurely floated down in canoes on a perfect 90 degree sunny day. The river is spring fed, and riddled with caves. Their are historic landmarks along the way including a historic cabin, and the stone walled ruins of Welch Hospital. Easily the most beautiful river I've ever seen! The campsite was perfect and secluded, and right against the river.

Certified Lettering

2011-07-26T09:47:00.007-05:00

Lettering for Jacob's Well's dedication certificates.

Extra! Extra!

2011-07-25T13:37:00.006-05:00

Two pieces of news to share with this post:

First is a flyer we designed for a show at The Newsroom, a bar in midtown Kansas City that is littered with old typewriters and tales of Kansas City Star news reporters who used to hang out there back in the day. The image was lent to us a photographer named syscosteve who has a great photo collection on Flickr. Thanks for collaborating with us Steve!

The second piece of news is that Tarkus Attacks! recently changed their name to Across the Earth. This flyer marks the last poster that the two-piece played under the Tarkus guise. Find out why they decided on the name change here and don't forget to "like" their page!

Jennifer Gennari NYC

2011-07-19T15:16:00.003-05:00

I was so excited when my friend, Jen Gennari, asked me to do these invites for her gallery show this Fall. She has recently graduated from the Florence Academy of Art where she worked very hard at perfecting classic, figurative painting. She was my roomate at Ringling in Sarasota, my neighbor in Kansas City, and now she's my friend with the gallery show in NYC! Congrats on your accomplishments, friend.

A dark, and romantic hand lettered invite fits Jen and her style well. I'm not sure I can make the show, but here's to hoping...

Patee House, St. Joseph, MO

2011-07-18T10:24:00.001-05:00

Nate and I had a spontaneous adventure in St. Joesph, MO. It's about an hour outside of Kansas City, and this is the sort of town I think people picture when they think of the Midwest. Rundown, historic, depressed, desolate. At least that's what it seemed like on a very hot Sunday afternoon, when everything is closed.

Aside from what it looks like, there is some rich American History in St. Joe. as it was the start of the Pony Express and the end of Jesse James. Nate and I specifically visited the Patee House, St. Joseph's only National Historic Landmark.

"Built in 1858 as a luxury hotel, Patee House served as the Pony Express headquarters from 1860 to 1861. It is one block away from the home of infamous outlaw Jesse James, where he was shot and killed by Bob Ford. After his death, the James family stayed and were interviewed in the hotel."

We LOVED this museum. They did a really great job setting up mock rooms and shops from the era, including a general store, dentist office, and barber shop. Every corner you turn has detailed items and information relating to the history of the town. They even have train cars and a carousel (you can ride a wolf, or eagle, if your bored with the traditional horse!) We can't wait to go back, yeah really, and visit a few more museums and some of the many antique and thrift stores we drove by on our way in and out.

Windsor Beer Labels

2011-05-14T10:47:00.013-05:00

One of my favorite Christmas presents last year was a home beer brewing kit that I received from my Dad. He started making his own wine about five years ago, and I have been interested in home brewing ever since.

I knew the beer needed a name and decided on Windsor Beer, paying homage to the street we live on. Like any good beer, the beer needed a label. And since I've always been inspired by the sturdiness of classic beer labels, I wanted a timeless design of my own, complete with handlettering. The label calls out "Brewed in Kansas City's Historic Northeast", another nod to the pride I have for our neighborhood.

Little did I know how much of a passion this would turn out to be. This spring I constructed a pergola in our backyard which will support my own hop plants and give us more shade. I've planted three different varieties: Cascade, Mt. Hood and Willamette, all which have their own taste characteristics to be used in a variety of beer styles. Here's picture of the finished pergola. Hope we can enjoy some Windsor Beer together some day!

Save the Dates

2011-04-29T10:54:00.005-05:00

Here are the save the dates from the wedding invitation below. I drew everything in graphite, but we decided to print them in black thermography. You can see how thermography ink is raised and shiny in the detail shot. Thermography prints with solid shapes but I thought it would fun to see the process. For both the save the dates and the invites, I hand drew the elements and composed them together digitally.

Beth and Tim's wedding invites

2011-04-28T10:39:00.012-05:00

Classy invites for classy people. These were hand lettered and printed with thermography. I will update the post with some photos soon. Also, I know it's a little backwards, but I have the Save the Dates to post as well. Congrats Tim and Beth!

*This post has been updated with photos.

Get Ahead

2011-04-08T17:19:00.006-05:00

I had the chance to do a paper mache workshop at work and make this llama head! It's alot more involved than my previous coyote head, which was my first time really working with paper mache. We used a laser CNC machine to cut the bases, and I used chicken wire as a armature. Several people in my studio (Sarah, Stuart, and Mirna included) also made heads, and were going to mount them in our work area. I will definitely update the post with a photo of the whole lot when that happens.

Overdue!

2011-03-02T15:09:00.005-06:00

We are long overdue for some posts, and no longer have the excuse of the Holidays. We have some projects we'll be posting really soon. For now, I thought I would post some figure drawings from a recent session and talk about my rekindled flame for classic drawing and painting.
I recently read "The Swan Thieves" by Elizabeth Kostova, a fiction novel centered around oil painting. It was filled with detailed descriptions of portraits and landscapes of real and fictional paintings from past (Impressionist Era) and present. After I read it I got all starry eyed over painting again, and rushed to the Nelson Atkins to look at the master paintings. I feel the urge for painting En Plein Air again, which probably also has to do with my recent move at work into an area I'm calling "the cave." As I'm feeling very fickle these days, I don't know if I can promise you'll be seeing any oil paintings on the blog, but who knows. I've been collecting paintings on my "Painting" Pinterest board, and I'm feeling very inspired. The paintings look like an escape! The monthly figure drawing session, surprisingly, is a new event at work . The top four are 2 minutes poses. The bottom is a crop of a longer pose, maybe 10 min.

Christmas Crafts

2010-12-13T09:33:00.010-06:00

A good way to slow down and connect during the Christmas season is too gather some friends and craft! There are tons of tutorials on the internet for handmade wreaths we used 1 and 2 for our inspiration. Now I have a gift to give at the annual gift exchange with my husbands family, where handmade is encouraged.

Pennsylvania

2010-11-29T17:27:00.002-06:00

Nate and I had a great Thanksgiving in Pennsylvania with my family. Besides crafting some ornaments and eating turkey, we made into Philadelphia for a couple of days. It was our first time there and we loved it! These are some of my favorite pictures from the trip, the rest are here.

The Very First Christmas

2010-11-08T13:30:00.002-06:00

Hallmark has created these ingenious recordable books, including The Very First Christmas, illustration by yours truely. It's out right now in Gold Crown stores for Christmas 2010. Here are a few spreads (pre-production) from the inside. Get one before they're gone!

Tip Top Gallery is live!

2010-10-25T13:13:00.001-05:00

The launch of Tip Top Gallery is finally here! The man behind Tip Top, Mark Morton, wanted to bridge the gap between the people who wanted affordable art and the artists that wanted to sell it in his community here in Kansas City. He put together this awesome site that allows you to buy a limited edition archival prints of the artwork of your liking. I feel really fortunate to be a part of this endevor, check out my page!

The CDs are in!

2010-10-19T10:16:00.002-05:00

Song's from Jacob's Well Volume III: Songs for the Advent Conspiracy is here! The second offering of music flowing from the musical worshiping community of Jacob’s Well Church in Kansas City. 100% of the proceeds from this album will go to our Advent Conspiracy Fund, which is helping to bring fresh water, medical and educational aid to Western Kenya and a people called the Pokot. You can listen to the tracks and purchase the CD here. Follow along with Mike Crawford and the Secret Siblings at their blog.

Paper Mache

2010-10-13T09:42:00.000-05:00

I tried my hand at some paper mache and fashioned this coyote/ dog head and then painted it with acrylic. Paper mache is sort of a lost art, you don't see to much of it out there in the main stream, but there is this husband and wife team, Kinya and Kao Hanada, that go by Mumbreeze. They make tons of awesome paper mache sculptures and they also have an an etsy store.

Etsy Store Coming Soon

2010-10-12T15:53:00.004-05:00

Pencil Pop is opening an etsy store. We'll be selling orginal artwork and screen prints. Coming soon!

Pikaland

2010-09-16T11:36:00.001-05:00

We're featured on the Pikaland illustration blog today! Hurray! Thanks, Amy :)

Jenn's Baby Shower

2010-09-13T10:28:00.004-05:00

My best friend since the 3rd grade is having a baby boy! My friend Nicole and I threw a shower for her this weekend. It was a lot of work, but very fun. With a retro story book theme, and lots of good food (Thank you Susan and Jamie) we knew we couldn't go wrong. The upper right picture is Nicole's and my gift to Jenn. She got lots of gifts and love, it was a really good time.

Screen Print Part 2

2010-09-10T09:40:00.001-05:00

Nate and I screen printed this 3 color poster to sell at Tarkus Attacks! upcoming show this Saturday, Sept. 11th at the Kansas City Crossroads Music Fest. They're playing an early show in the Mercy Seat Alley at 7:30pm, taking the place of The Old Black on the schedule.You don't have to pay the full price of the fest to see Tarkus, just $6 at the door. There will be screen printed Tarkus CD's for $10, posters for $8, or get both for $15. The posters are very limited!

Screen Print Part 1

2010-09-09T09:16:00.001-05:00

2 color screen print.

New Paintings

2010-09-08T16:08:00.004-05:00

The show was a sucess! It was fun, hungout with friends, enjoyed the beautiful weather. Here are a few more of my paintings from the show. Email me to inquire about the work. Pictures to come!

Jacobs Well CD Volume lll Teaser

2010-09-03T15:39:00.007-05:00

Well, it's offical! The next CD package for Jacob's Well is finished but all you get for now is this teaser. Let's just say the journey continues beyond the kingdom to an adventure that brings water to those who need.

"I tell you the truth, whatever you did to the least of these, you did to Me..."

In the mean time, if you never got to check out the first one you still can! “Songs from Jacob’s Well” by Mike Crawford and his Secret Siblings is available on iTunes. You can still purchase the worship two-disc CD [with original artwork] for $15 online or at Jacob's Well (by appointment only). You don't want to have a incomplete set do you?!

Sneak Peak

2010-08-31T15:23:00.006-05:00

The Draw What U Dig show is coming up in a few days! Here's a sneak peak of my work...

Draw What You Dig

2010-08-23T13:35:00.002-05:00

In a group show this first Friday Sept, 3rd. Check the flyer for details. I will post the work after the show....Hope to see you there!

Aimee to please

2010-05-21T16:33:00.009-05:00

An invite for Nate's cousin Aimee and fiancee Don, getting married in a wine vineyard in Michigan this summer. Congrats! It unfolds from the middle, the willow branches wrap around to the back.

Snippet and Ink

2010-05-17T10:41:00.007-05:00

The invites I designed for my friends Margaret and Casey's Wedding are featured on Snippet and Ink, a wedding blog, along with shots of their special day. Thanks for the feature!

Tarkus the Great

2010-05-03T14:34:00.019-05:00

Tarkus Attacks! is popping up all over town! Keep your eye out for up and coming shows like these two at A.J.S. Memorial Hall and The Riot Room. Limited silk screened EP's will be for sale at the shows for $8. I've been taking advantage of all these shows to take a crack a few poster designs. I'm definitely up for constructive criticism.

More Babybear Shop

2010-04-14T13:53:00.007-05:00

Get your Babybear Cheeky Baby Butter! "But what's it for?," you ask. "It's for scrumptious babies: for dry skin, baby massages, and chapped cheeks. All you do is scoop out a teensy bit, gently warm in hands until it melts like butter and apply to baby while singing."

I have the pleasure of illustrating these great organic baby products created for sensitive babies and mommas alike! Visit their facebook.

In the Valley of Elah

2010-03-11T16:23:00.031-06:00

Tarkus Attacks! has finally finished recording, mastering and printing our first EP, "In the Valley of Elah." Chris Bohatyritz and I silk screened the packages at INKubator Press during their "Print Stuff" open studio on Monday nights. We're really excited about how they turned out! Each package is a one of kind thanks to the experimental nature of print making and Chris' color mixing skills. Now for sale in both physical and digital form on Bandcamp. Get the whole thing or just one track!

Now, check out the video below for some behind-the-scenes magic!

Falling in love in New Orleans

2010-03-10T10:03:00.035-06:00

We just returned from an amazing wedding weekend down in New Orleans. Some friends of ours decided to get married there since it's where they met and fell in love. Sam illustrated and designed the invitation back in December, which can see it here. The wedding was beautiful, both the ceremony and reception were held at Elms Mansion on St. Charles Ave built in 1869. The weekend was very well planned and gave us plenty of time to experience all that is New Orleans. In between rehearsal dinners and wedding party pub crawls, we did lost of walking, eating, dancing, exploring, trolley riding and picture taking.

Thanks for a great weekend Casey and Margaret and CONGRATULATIONS!

Cards for Kids

2010-01-15T11:28:00.004-06:00

Hallmark has just put the Kids Collection! There was a big hole in our card lines for the ages of about 8 - 18 and now it's all there. Parents can now find cards specifically for their pre-teens and teens, to encourage them with school work, friends, sports, and more. There are also a ton of great small gifts you can buy and pair with the cards, like journals, water bottles, key chains, jewelry, mobiles, stickers and tons more. The 3 cards and 3 water bottles above are my illustration. YAY! You can find this stuff at any Gold Crown store.

The Drop Shop!

2010-01-15T09:25:00.004-06:00

This week my friend Steven Kray asked me to design a quick web-flyer for "The Drop Shop with Steven Vaughn Kray," an all-funk radio show he's doing from 10pm-12pm on Saturday nights on 89.1FM KMHD out of Portland, OR. He wanted something simple and 70's-ish and this is where we landed. Hope this helps your cause of getting good music on the airwaves again Steven!

How inviting: New Orleans!

2009-12-18T14:25:00.005-06:00

This March Nate and I get to go to New Orleans to a wedding! Fun. I designed the invites, hand lettering every piece of this thing. It was fun to design for someone willing to stray off the traditional path. We're really looking forward to the celebration!

Advent Conspiracy 2009

2009-11-17T19:10:00.019-06:00

Well, the holidays are upon us and once again we are trying to stay in line with the Advent Conspiracy over at Jacob's Well. The goal is to focus on Christ and avoid the pull of consumerism that has taken over Christmas. Nate and I were asked to do some artwork again this year, which is always fun and conceptual. This year we are going with water drops to signify not only the fresh water wells our advent events help fund for the Pekot tribe in Africa, but also the overflow of love that happens when you follow Christ. The theme of "awe and wonder" will also be a part of the sermon messages, and so we decided those would make some pretty great t-shirts. "Wonder" is designed by Amber Goodvin, an amazing lettering artist. So come on down and be a part of some really great reflection, art, and music as you wind down instead of up this Christmas.

Homemade Halloween

2009-11-12T13:45:00.008-06:00

Once again we teamed up with our good friends Jenn and Chris Bohatyritz this Halloween and dressed up as Olympic Figure Skaters: Vivi & Günter from Sweden vs. Claude & Claudia from Russia. For the third year in a row, we raided our local thrift stores and found all the pieces and parts to make our costumes. Sam found a great mother-of-the-bride dress that ended up being essential to her seamstressing. One of our biggest challenges this year was coming up with a solution for our skates. We ended up wrapping our shoes in fabric and fabricating faux blades from silver foil paper mounted cardboard. See photo above of Chris working his blade magic!

Pie Night!

2009-09-29T10:40:00.012-05:00

Part of an invite I designed for a friends party. Did the type myself. I feel proud about that.

Rocky Mountain Tour

2009-08-26T21:12:00.007-05:00

On Friday, August 28, Tarkus Attacks! is heading west to embark on our first mini-tour! We made this flyer to promote the Denver show using a painting collaboration by Jenn and Chris Bohatyritz. The quirky style of the drawing mixed with the bright colors makes it strangely celebratory...well the little cupcake in there also makes it strangely celebratory. So why are we taking the band on the road to celebrate in Denver you ask? Check out our MySpace blog to find out!

Mad Lewis'

2009-08-05T09:45:00.008-05:00

Nate and I had a mini photo shoot so we could enter the Mad Men casting call contest. Its a show set in 1960 about an Ad Agency. You can see more photos from the shoot here. Nate and I took the pictures of each other.

Da Bears

2009-06-24T13:58:00.008-05:00

My sketchbook was littered with bear heads from trying to work out the perfect bear for the Babybear label down below. So while on the plane to see my dad in CA for a surprise Father's Day visit, I went from page to page with my micron and gave them a life of their own :)

Is that kitsch kosher?

2009-06-24T10:33:00.021-05:00

The recipes for our last two Tarkus Attacks! flyers have been one part red meat, two parts kitsch. We're not sure why, it just sort of happened. Perhaps it's because one of summer's key ingredients is backyard barbecues. Maybe it was our new patio that inspired us. Whatever the reason, each one works in it's own kitschy way.

Picture perfect weekend!

2009-05-13T13:16:00.010-05:00

This was a whirlwind weekend so get ready for some major picture viewing! Nate and I headed to Dubuque to see our new nephew and it turns out he was waiting for us! We hungout all day Friday (May 8th) and he was born that night at 10:29 pm. You can see pictures from our drive and hanging out (pre-hospital) in Dubuque here. You can find pictures from Mercy Hospital and the night Thomas Russel Higgins was born here. The next day we headed out to Chicago to celebrate our one year wedding anniversary. We stayed at the Sofitel Hotel of Michigan Ave. You can see pictures from our Chicago trip here. Enjoy!

1st Anniversary!

2009-05-13T09:21:00.003-05:00

Nate and I celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary, May 10th. I made this card for Nate on the car ride to Dubuque, Iowa, where we were present in the hospital for the birth of our nephew, Tomas Russel Higgins. We then drove up to Chicago and spent a fun filled couple of days celebrating. What an amazing weekend! Stay tuned for pictures...

what are you looking at?

2009-04-30T13:01:00.005-05:00

Diana at Babybearshop asked me to illustrate a pregnant story book bear with her baby, and this is what I came up with. Some of my peers thought it could be a giant fine art piece for the sheer strangeness of a pregnant bear wearing clothes and looking at you in a way that says "What are you looking at?" as if this would be a perfectly normal sight to see on any given day. It will be a replacement illustration on the label of the Mama Belly Oil, for avoiding stretch marks during pregnancy and after.

Tang

2009-04-28T09:40:00.003-05:00

Been awhile since we posted. I can't stop drawing these shapes!

delicious bookmarks

2009-03-29T16:28:00.009-05:00

I decided to add a little accessory to our blog. It's a web feed from a site called Del.icio.us that allows me to save my bookmarks to a public server so I can access them from any computer, anytime.

I love researching on the web, and I wanted to share what I'm looking at to get inspired. The feed updates on the left side of the blog every time I add a new bookmark. I think it's a fun tool, so enjoy and get your own Del.icio.us set of bookmarks.

Babies and Chocolate...need I say more?

2009-03-23T12:47:00.009-05:00

Nate's sister Abbey and brother-n-law, Aaron, are having a baby boy this May. We were in Iowa this weekend where I helped host her shower with my Mom-in-law, Ruth. It was in a winery, the space was great, and the shower went very well. For the occasion, I designed these chocolate bar wrappers and re-wrapped three kinds of chocolate by Gillham and Grand, Hallmark's own chocolate brand.

The Utimate Battle

2009-03-13T12:41:00.029-05:00

Due to the positive feedback we received from our Tarkus Attacks! poster, we decided to submit the artwork as a t-shirt design to Threadless. So what is the ultimate battle; tarantula vs. scorpion or designer vs. threadless??
You can see the results of our entry here. Though the results were less than satisfactory (tough crowd), it was fun.
You won this time Threadless....

Doodles gone wild

2009-03-10T15:03:00.009-05:00

It is what it is. Bottom one is a detail.

Versus

2009-03-06T16:30:00.006-06:00

Tarkus Attacks again! Nate and I went back on forth on this design quite a bit, and settled on simple type and bright color. BUT We collaborated and I love that! While in New Orleans, Nate got inspired by a taxidermy shadow box in an antique store with this exact scene happening inside. I'm proud to say that Nate drew the insects himself. It reminds me of gummy worms, or cheap plastic toys you buy in attempts to scare someone. In case you can't see it on screen (it reads fine on the printout ) the show is at the Record Bar.

Art for Africa

2009-03-06T09:25:00.009-06:00

My best friends, the Bohatyritz's, along with a group of others, are holding a silent art auction in efforts to join the All Nations ministry this May, posted in Cape Town, South Africa. It's being help tomorrow night, March 7th, at the Boiler Room Church at 3829 Main Street, KCMO. I did these three gouache paintings last night to contribute. They are all African birds, the middle one is about 4"x 6", the other two are 8"x 12."

2009-02-20T18:20:00.004-06:00

This was done for the back cover of the Avant Ministries publication, which they are in the process of redesigning, along with the website. They gave me this quote and some demensions, and this is what I came up with.

Secret Garden

2009-02-18T21:04:00.008-06:00

This January, Nate and I went down to Hollywood, FL, the town I spent my childhood in, for my Aunt Carolyn's Wedding. We stayed with my grandparents who have lived in the same house forever. My Grandfather has built a little paradise in his backyard, a photographers gold mine, with more knickknacks and kitsch than you can imagine. The garden is complete with hand painted signs, gnomes, and hand- built stands for many a bonsai plant. You can see more pictures here.

Hooked On Phonics

2009-02-16T11:04:00.004-06:00

Once again, Christmas was very different for us this year. We tried to make as many gifts as possible or give the kind that give back. I made my friend Chris Bohatyritz this website to help him promote his paintings. And just in case you don't know how to pronounce his name, I've included a little phonic translation on the home page.

"Hey, Jesus is just all right with prog."

2008-12-15T12:42:00.006-06:00

The day has finally arrived...The Pitch Weekly has published a review about Tarkus Attacks! And its actually positive and really quite funny. (: Except for that Michael Cera comment of course :) Wizards and skeleton warriors...they finally get us.

ART in Miami

2008-12-08T15:02:00.010-06:00

I just had an amazing weekend seeing endless rows of art at the 2008 Miami Basel Art Fair. Linnea Spransy and I tagged along with Jenn Bohatyritz and the Byron Cohen Gallery. I looked at art for three days straight and my feet were killing me but it was well worth it. Some of the pictures came out better than others, but there 585 pictures to browse through from Scope, Basel, Nada, Pierogi Gallery, and a small monster show at the Art Center.

Thanksgiving In Colorado

2008-12-02T14:07:00.008-06:00

Through some long winded circumstances, Nate and I drove, and met my family in Edwards, Colorado. There we stayed with a very hospitable woman, Janie, and her family who live in a beautiful home. Janie has a love for wigs and karaoke which we all indulged in. We had a great time, played games, played in the snow, chilled in the hot tub with a view of the mountains, you know, the usual stuff. We built this sweet snowman outside their picture window. See more pictures here.

Going Live

2008-11-20T10:53:00.012-06:00

Mike Crawford and his Secret Siblings are having a cd release show for their Songs From Jacob's Wel l album Saturday, December 6, 2008 at Jacob's Well and is part of the Advent Conspiracy. We whipped up this poster to get the word out so please forward along! All proceeds from the show will benefit the Pokot people of Western Kenya in the digging of fresh water wells.

ride the wave...

2008-11-18T09:36:00.018-06:00

My design for the Advent Conspiracy t-shirt for Jacob's Well. (see post below for details) This is 1 of 4 shirt designs by 4 different artists, representing the ideas to worship fully, spend less, give more, and love all (above) this Christmas. The t-shirts will be gifts representing donations given by the community of Jacob's Well towards building fresh water wells in Africa.

Advent Conspiracy

2008-11-13T13:40:00.007-06:00

Poster for the advent season at Jacob's Well Church in Kansas City, MO. This will be our second year doing the Advent Conspiracy, avoiding over consumption at Christmas, and bringing families together over the true meaning of Christmas.

True Patriots

2008-11-03T10:56:00.013-06:00

We had another amazing Halloween, dressed in homemade costumes, as the American Gladiators circa 1989. Let me introduce Ice, Taser, Turbo, and Viper. We were truly patriotic as we chanted "U-S-A" and slapped each other high fives. It felt kind of nice pumping fists with Michael Phelps as we recognized our relationship as fellow americans. It was an honor posing with Optimus Prime as we celebrated our national colors. Over all good choice in costume as there are only days until the election. Tensions are high, but people are recognizing their duty to make a choice as citizens of this country. See more photos here.

Wedding Pictures

2008-10-30T16:47:00.006-05:00

Nate and I finally have our wedding pictures up on Flickr. We picked about 100 of our faves.

Florida girl at heart

2008-10-28T15:27:00.017-05:00

I made this for my Nate when I was away at a workshop in Sarasota, FL (my old stomping grounds). I collected the seaweed off the beach and photographed it. Beautiful colors.

Even the Darkness Will Not Be Dark to You

2008-10-21T13:35:00.013-05:00

Well, the Jacob's Well worship CD is finally done and for sale here. For those who don't attend Jacob's Well Church but are dying for some good worship music, this will surpass your expectations! Thanks to Mike Crawford for being patient and giving us the opportunity to work on this project!

Soapy business

2008-09-24T12:24:00.008-05:00

Diana of Babybearshop sent me a photo of the soap she's having made for her all natural baby and mom product line. I designed the little bird and you can see the line work in the last post. The little bird is still in the clay form in the first pic and finished in the second. Look for the soap in the next issue of Vogue Bambini.

Baby Bear

2008-09-03T13:39:00.003-05:00

I've been doing some work for my friend Diana and her line of organic baby and baby-momma products called BabyBearShop. You can order off her website or off Babies R Us. I did this illustration of a bird incorporated with her logo for a bar of soap.

Empowered Goes Pro...Bono

2008-08-20T09:45:00.004-05:00

It's pretty cool seeing your work come to life, even if it's months after it's original conception. I did this logo for a friend who works for the American Red Cross Tampa Bay Chapter a while ago and recently just received kudos when she sent me a link to a website that stemmed from it. Thanks for the link Janie! I'm glad everyone is happy with it :)

Not Michael Jackson's

2008-08-15T13:46:00.005-05:00

This is an invitation to Chris Bohatyritz's collaborative show, Off The Wall which was up at Arts Incubator here is Kansas City. We chose to simply crop one of his painting with the letterforms and use a raised text solution to replicate Chris' concept of suspending his paintings from the ceiling and so they were literally off the wall.

Flyer Attack!

2008-08-13T14:46:00.003-05:00

Ok, so with four shows to play within one week, flyer designs and band rehearsals have been very abundant! These are a couple of flyers I threw together for my other band, Tarkus Attacks! This last one on 08/15 at The Record Bar will wrap up the crazy four show extravaganza!

Guess Who

2008-08-11T17:10:00.001-05:00

Poster for our show coming up this Tuesday at the Record Bar. Nate did a fabulous job with this mysterious design giving us just enough dimple chin to place the face.

Knock it off

2008-08-11T17:00:00.000-05:00

We got a shout out from our pastor, Tim Keel, about an upcoming release of Mike Crawford and the Jacob's Well musicians first album that Nate and I are designing. I'm illustrating the heck out of this CD, original pencil pop stamp of approval. Here's a preview...

Gigs are Good

2008-08-11T16:52:00.001-05:00

This is a flyer we did for our band Travoltron. We had our first official gig at The Brick last month and it went great! Oh and BTW, we have another gig coming up on Friday, August 24th at the The River Market Brewing Company. Come out and shake it!

Hot Shots

2008-08-11T16:28:00.002-05:00

Check out our photos from our Italian honeymoon. Don't worry, there aren't many kissing photos. There are enough pictures of Venice, Florence, and Cinque Terre to picture yourself in Italy on your next vacation.

Skillz

2008-08-11T15:58:00.000-05:00

A last minute poster should be bright and bold, screaming,"Look at me. don't miss the show it's in less than a week!" I think Nate and I accomplished the task this time, with his layout skillz and my color skillz + my bowstaff skillz.

Venus de Milo

2008-06-16T14:22:00.001-05:00

I was doing these sort of Shag inspired girls. This is one.

Little Sisters

2008-01-30T16:30:00.000-06:00

I did these 3 illustrations for my little sisters for Christmas.

BFF

2007-07-31T13:16:00.000-05:00

I love to customize gifts with design. This is the front of a note I put inside a bridal shower gift for my best friend. The back has the note but somethings are just personal so you don't get to read it.

Hands Off

2007-07-27T10:50:00.002-05:00

Normally, we would have photographed this CD for Hands Down Eugene in its produced form, but since we didn't have control over the production it turned out not so good. ANYwho - you live and learn...learn to live with low budget productions and not handling the printing yourself.

The music is great though, sort a concept CD with a George Harrison sound, definitely worth checking out.

Mixed Music, YES?

2007-07-27T10:21:00.001-05:00

My favorite thing about making a mix for someone is making the artwork for it. The title is in Polish and it says "mixed music" or something like that. I have no idea if it's even how you would say that in Polish, I used an online translater. Well it looks cool anyway.

Day Dreamer

2007-07-27T10:08:00.000-05:00

I did this JUST FOR FUN, imagine that.

Spa stores need nice designs too...

2007-07-27T09:33:00.000-05:00

Pencil Pop created this for a husband/wife team that opened their own spa store. Mrs. Endless Summer approached us with the previous owner's business card, which I won't put to shame on this blog, and said she wanted something "hip." SO we gave her something we thought was hip, but still got the point across that this is indeed a spa store.

Awesome Color, awesome color

2007-07-27T09:12:00.001-05:00

PP designed this for Jack who runs Aestheticized Presents. Basically they promote shows in Tampa and ask artists to contribute with show posters.

Citizens of Design

2007-07-27T09:08:00.000-05:00

This poster was for Citizens of Borracho, the band Nate and I used to be in. Now we're reformed as Travoltron. Simple but bold little design. We ended up making some stickers out of this design as well. The band was short lived---not even a year before our lead singer/guitar player went away to Tulane.