mankind magazine debut

Hooray! Mankind Magazine Issue #1 has launched. I designed the cover illustration for this month's issue, and I am so happy to see it in use!

Congratulations, Erin!
Take a peek at the magazine in its entirety here.

holding breath....

something exciting is going to happen today.....
stay tuned!
check in with design for mankind too!

wednesday

a pair of images from my weekend at the Dells. Wisconsin Dells is a very funny little town that is really geared for children. Waterparks, trinkets to beg your parents for, haunted houses, fudge. Fortunately for my father, I am well past begging for things like small fuzzy bunnies (however tempting it was), and we actually stood in line for fudge before deciding we should have a blended tropical drink instead. If you ever go to the Dells, here is a tip - a bar called "the Sand Bar" with a slogan that reads "Get Marooned Here!" does not have blended tropical drinks at all, no matter what you might assume from the clever naming of said bar.

Also, here is a peek at my latest print:

I also printed it on a few Moleskin notebooks to test it out as a new product option. I would love to get some feedback from you guys! i will be adding them to my etsy shop this week.

Lake Delton, WI

not much of a lake anymore.

*peep*

hi!

where the hell is matt?

this video made me really happy. What better way to start your week than a dancing, smiling man inspiring countless strangers to dance with him?

via Almost Fearless.

gone fishin'

I'm off to spend the weekend with family, but I'll be back next week with a new artist feature as well as a new print. Have a great weekend!

i almost want to leave out (con)text and just let you draw your own conclusions

so, i went to the zoo. most people don't know this about me, but i am a little bit afraid of the zoo and have not been to one since i was a kid. part of the reason is the sad animals in their too-small containers, who pace back and forth with the natural longing to be free, to roam and to hunt. and then there's this guy:


okay, he was just yawning here, but doesn't he look ferocious? really, the things that scared me the most were the tiny monkeys* that looked like they would plan an elaborate mutiny and storm the humans en masse. like the film Birds, but with monkeys that have people faces and are seven inches tall.


but then there are the beautiful zebras and peacocks with their amazing colors and patterns and i am glad i get to see them up close.

i have been working on some drawings and other projects for upcoming events, as well as some design work. today, i was having a hard time getting past the zoo mode and into sitting-in-front-of-computer mode. suddenly, i spied this jar of letters:


and spelled out the first thought that came to my mind:



*I am trying to find out what kind of scary little monkeys they were.
EDIT:: ding ding! the answer is: tamarin monkey (tamarind?) if you do a search on flickr, you will see how frightening they are. don't be fooled into thinking they are cute - just wait until you turn your back! YIKES.
thanks to sarah, who remembers minute details from when we were fourteen and also what kind of monkeys scare me. she is the best.

have a great rest of the day...

friday

a lovely peony to brighten up my kitchen. it was given to me as a thank you from a friend whose home is being threatened by the Great Flooding of 2008. For those of you not in the midwest, we have been pummeled by hard rains for the last week, pausing briefly and then coming back just when you thought it could not continue. Fortunately for me, i live at a higher altitude, with the worst of the damage to my home being some tiny rivers in the basement. My friend, however, lives on a river that has risen and is now knocking at her door. We have been filling and stacking sandbags and hoping for the best. The few hours of help I gave is miniscule compared to what she and her neighbors have been doing all week, and I ask that you all send positive thoughts and wishes to her.

what's this growing in my potted plant? a plant that has been indoors its' whole life has now sprouted these amazing mushrooms. Can anyone identify them? are they dangerous? I have been allowing them their course, but now am wondering if i should scoop them out. the plant does not seem to mind the company.

also, AHA! I have finished the illustration i was working on all week and it is a relief. I would love to share it right now, but it is for someone else's project that is set to be released in a couple of weeks. very exciting for everyone involved!

do you or does someone you know need a designer/artist/photographer? i am now accepting new freelance clients...

today i am working from the lovely Anodyne coffee roasters on Brady Street. When I was in high school, this place was called Brewed Awakenings, and my friends and I would come and sprawl on the comfy couches and act like we were grown up. (hi, sarah!)
Today, however, i am all grown up and am here in an effort to focus on the work at hand - which is a very exciting little project that I will be able to share with you soon. The thing is, I have been so zeroed in on it that I can't figure out if what I have done is actually any good, you know? I thought a change in environment might help, so here I am. Stop by and say hi! oh wait - i mean, I am working! no interruptions! have a great tuesday...

cell phones can pop popcorn/ your brain

great. well i may just be getting rid of my cell phone.
watch these videos, and tell me if you are scared!

tiny people

hi guys,
I am on a photo shoot today, as I was yesterday. I can't share the images here, except for this one that I snuck in and which the client will have no use for. Tiny chairs for tiny people.

I'll be back on Monday! have a wonderful weekend....

chris natrop

I was introduced to the work of Chris Natrop yesterday by my lovely cousin Kate (thanks kate!).
I was completely mesmerized by the intricacy of his paper cut compositions and installations - it is truly breathtaking to consider the time and labor involved in each piece.


I really recommend that you visit his site to learn more about his work and to see many more images in greater detail. Beautiful!

Thanks to Chris for permission to post the images!

ideas

jumping in

i hope you all had a very nice weekend. I was able to spend some quality time with family and friends and soak up some sun, and now I plan to jump back into my studio and try to establish some sort of routine that does not meander quite so much as it has in the past couple of weeks. I have about 10 projects hanging out, waiting for me to complete them rather than work on one thing for an hour and abandon it for the other thing. Although that is exactly the way I wanted things to be, it is not the most effective way to get things done! i'm learning, i'm learning....

meanwhile, I would love to hear from the 30 or so people who seem to check in daily to this little website - what have you been up to? what are you working on? what would you like to see more of on this site? ask and ye shall receive, my friends....