In honour of the arrival of summer and my etsy shop reaching 598 sales, I'm offering a 20% discount from now until Sunday. Just use the coupon code SUNSHINE when you check out, and help me reach 600 sales!
Thank you, and have a lovely weekend :)
Thursday, 24 May 2012
Sunshine!
It's been a glorious summery week here, which is enjoyable even though I'm only getting the sun through the studio window while I work flat out.
In honour of the arrival of summer and my etsy shop reaching 598 sales, I'm offering a 20% discount from now until Sunday. Just use the coupon code SUNSHINE when you check out, and help me reach 600 sales!
Thank you, and have a lovely weekend :)
In honour of the arrival of summer and my etsy shop reaching 598 sales, I'm offering a 20% discount from now until Sunday. Just use the coupon code SUNSHINE when you check out, and help me reach 600 sales!
Thank you, and have a lovely weekend :)
Thursday, 17 May 2012
Come On A Journey....
The book, which we haven't titled yet, is a collection of five charming stories for children of all ages written by a very dear friend of mine, Tim Malnick. I have had my eye on the stories to illustrate since he first let me read them, about seven years ago, so I was thrilled when we found the perfect publisher and the project got the go ahead!
If all goes to plan, the 100ish page book will be published by Vala in autumn next year. We (that is Vala, Tim, and myself) will be approaching the project in a rather unusual and exciting manner: offering the opportunity to watch every part of the process of bringing the book to life, and perhaps support the project by sponsoring the illustrations.
If you want to find out a little bit more about Vala and our book, please visit their website where you can register interest in being part of this very exciting project.
Tuesday, 15 May 2012
Grandad's Green Bean
I am very, very happy to present a new issue of the Green Bean!
This is a very special issue, dedicated to my dear Grandad who passed away earlier this year at the ripe old age of 95. He left us with so much to celebrate, and so many happy memories: more than enough to fill a Green Bean and then some.
I've loved every moment of creating the zine, taking the time to remember how lucky I am to have had him in my life, and for so long (not many people have active and healthy Grandparents well into their late twenties). He inspired my love of nature, and his particular passion was for birds.
The other part of his life that the zine touches on, but doesn't cover in huge detail is his ability to make people laugh: sometimes on purpose, often without meaning to. In fact, there are a whole plethora of Funny Grandad Stories that I've been collecting. I'm saving them for a graphic novel one day....
In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this little paper celebration of my amazing Grandad's life.
This is a very special issue, dedicated to my dear Grandad who passed away earlier this year at the ripe old age of 95. He left us with so much to celebrate, and so many happy memories: more than enough to fill a Green Bean and then some.
I've loved every moment of creating the zine, taking the time to remember how lucky I am to have had him in my life, and for so long (not many people have active and healthy Grandparents well into their late twenties). He inspired my love of nature, and his particular passion was for birds.
The other part of his life that the zine touches on, but doesn't cover in huge detail is his ability to make people laugh: sometimes on purpose, often without meaning to. In fact, there are a whole plethora of Funny Grandad Stories that I've been collecting. I'm saving them for a graphic novel one day....
Wednesday, 2 May 2012
Green Bean Love
Sometimes I get a bit disheartened about the Green Bean. I wonder if I have time for it any more, if anybody really cares about the minutiae of my daily life that I draw....If, even though I enjoy doing it, I should be prioritising other work.
And then, almost when I decide that's it, I'm going to have to leave it behind, something turns up either in the post or in my email, that changes my mind. And I thought it was high time I shared some of the fab things that Green Bean readers do - knowingly or unknowingly - to remind me why I love making my little zine.
MK sent me this picture of the recipe from Volume 3, Issue 1, beautifully coloured. Does anyone else use the Green Bean as a colouring book?
Rodi sent me this photo of her Green Bean badge making a new friend.
Jo and Tabitha sent me this photo of their cuddly Butternut Squashie, made from the pattern in Volume 1, Issue 6, and said they were inspired to make more fruit and veg too!
And finally, after reading Volume 3, Issue 1, Julia realised I have no time for crafting these days, and she sent me these bunny egg cosies for Easter. I can't bear to hide them until next year, so I've kept them decorating my studio.
So thank you MK, Rodi, Jo, Tabitha, Julia.....and all my readers and subscribers. The Green bean truly is a labour of love, and hearing that my readers enjoy it and don't mind the long time between issues is what makes it all worthwhile.
Volume 3, Issue 2 is coming soon!
And then, almost when I decide that's it, I'm going to have to leave it behind, something turns up either in the post or in my email, that changes my mind. And I thought it was high time I shared some of the fab things that Green Bean readers do - knowingly or unknowingly - to remind me why I love making my little zine.
MK sent me this picture of the recipe from Volume 3, Issue 1, beautifully coloured. Does anyone else use the Green Bean as a colouring book?
Rodi sent me this photo of her Green Bean badge making a new friend.
Jo and Tabitha sent me this photo of their cuddly Butternut Squashie, made from the pattern in Volume 1, Issue 6, and said they were inspired to make more fruit and veg too!
And finally, after reading Volume 3, Issue 1, Julia realised I have no time for crafting these days, and she sent me these bunny egg cosies for Easter. I can't bear to hide them until next year, so I've kept them decorating my studio.
So thank you MK, Rodi, Jo, Tabitha, Julia.....and all my readers and subscribers. The Green bean truly is a labour of love, and hearing that my readers enjoy it and don't mind the long time between issues is what makes it all worthwhile.
Volume 3, Issue 2 is coming soon!
Thursday, 26 April 2012
And the World's Worst Blogger Award goes to......
.......me.
20th March, are you serious? I knew it had been a while, but I didn't realise I'd abandoned my blog for that long. Crumbs.
The hardest thing about this is that I am producing so much work, drawing harder and faster than I ever have in my life. Lighter Than My Shadow is growing at a steady rate of 12 pages per week, and I can't share any of them. Sorry about that.
I think anyone who still reads this blog will have realised long before I did that it can't be the blog it was any more. I'm full of good intentions to try and post once a week....I can manage that surely? Apparently not. And I'm afraid I'm not going to make any promises that it will get better. In fact, it might even get worse.
But if you're still reading, thank you! I will still post whatever I can, whenever I can. There are exciting things happening: a new Green Bean and an announcement on the all-ages book I'm working on will be coming up soon. Plus, of course, as soon as I can show peeks of Lighter Than My Shadow, I will.
In the meantime, here's a little comic I drew for the last Green Bean about what my life looks like these days:
20th March, are you serious? I knew it had been a while, but I didn't realise I'd abandoned my blog for that long. Crumbs.
The hardest thing about this is that I am producing so much work, drawing harder and faster than I ever have in my life. Lighter Than My Shadow is growing at a steady rate of 12 pages per week, and I can't share any of them. Sorry about that.
I think anyone who still reads this blog will have realised long before I did that it can't be the blog it was any more. I'm full of good intentions to try and post once a week....I can manage that surely? Apparently not. And I'm afraid I'm not going to make any promises that it will get better. In fact, it might even get worse.
But if you're still reading, thank you! I will still post whatever I can, whenever I can. There are exciting things happening: a new Green Bean and an announcement on the all-ages book I'm working on will be coming up soon. Plus, of course, as soon as I can show peeks of Lighter Than My Shadow, I will.
In the meantime, here's a little comic I drew for the last Green Bean about what my life looks like these days:
Tuesday, 20 March 2012
The Green Bean Volume 3 Issue 1 is here!
It's been very long time coming, but I'm happy to say that at last the third volume of my zine, The Green Bean, has begun. You can find the new issue here in my Etsy shop.
Volume 3 Issue 1 is all about settling into my new routine of working full time on my graphic novel. It features notes and observational drawings about my working process, the state of my studio and what I wear when I'm working from home. There are comic-themed book reviews and even a short comic about a typical day.
There are also many of the usual features: recipes, a craft project and other annotated drawings of the things I hoard and carry around!
I'm sorry it's been such a long wait, but I hope to be back on track and bring you the following issue very soon.
Monday, 5 March 2012
The Golden Moth Illumination Deck
It's not often that I post about other artists' work here (ok, it's not often that I post at all these days), but I'm making an exception for my talented and dear friend Aijung Kim.
I've been a fan of Aijung's work since I discovered it via this interview on Pikaland: she is an artist and printmaker, creator of beautiful limited edition prints and zines. I'm lucky enough to have several of her pieces decorating my studio, many of her charming and whimsical zines, and to have collaborated with her on a conversation comic in the Green Bean, Volume 1 Issue 8.
Aijung's current project combines everything I love about her work, and in fact the very words she uses to describe the work herself: images, storytelling, games, and an element of mystery. The Golden Moth Illumination deck will be a set of 68 cards, not unlike tarot cards, that can be used to bring insight and awareness to a situation. Aijung offers card readings, to which she brings not the vagueness and mysticism of a tarot reading, but her skill and wisdom as an artist: a creator and interpreter of images.
I am so excited to have a deck of these cards for myself, so I was thrilled when I hear Aijung was launching a Kickstarter project to raise the funds to have them made. The cards will be printed in blue and gold on 100% recycled paper, in an edition of 250 signed and numbered.
You can read more about the cards, and if you like make a pledge to fund the project (in return for a whole array of lovely goodies) on her Kickstarter project page.
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