Novel Lamps (there's a pun there)

Gods, Graves and Scholars

I want one! These are quite literally reading lights!  Designed by artist Philip Hansen of Typewriter Boneyard, these book lamps fuse my love for antique gadgets and repurposing old books. 

They are super pricey, though, so I'm going to talk to Cam about making my own out of my favorite books...

The Last Love

Velvet Teal

Reading Light

Subtle Division

Pocket Posh

I purchased my mom two pocket posh puzzle books for her birthday: one sudoku and one Shakespeare Trivia.  

These books are travel size and beautifully bound.

Plus they include the word "posh" in their title.   

Lovely.

Jim LePage & the "Word"

I discovered designer Jim LePage today and was so inspired by his project that I had to post immediately.

Jim struggled with regularly reading his bible, and "studying" it, and decided to brainstorm other ways to read the word by making it an activity that he enjoyed. 

Thus the "Word" project was born. 

Here's what he has to say:

"Basically, Word is a series where I create original designs for each book of the Bible. Before each design, I spend time researching the book, finding out the themes, historical context, weirdest stories, etc. I also scan through parts of the book looking for a passage or story that could translate into a cool design. Each design isn’t meant to completely represent the book, rather it is merely based on a passage from the book."

As an artist, I truly identified with Jim's desire to utilize his talents to glorify the Lord.  

Enjoy some of these images and be sure to check out his blog, which he adds images to regularly.

Father's Day Donald

My whole family is filled with Disney freaks, but our ring leader is surely my dad.  And of all the Disney characters, Donald is his very favorite.  So I decided to utilize some new techniques I read about in How to Paint Colour & Light in Watercolor by Jean Haines, and paint my dad's most beloved duck.

I decided to do this post while waiting for layers to dry, he still needs several more passes and potentially some ink before I'll be satisfied.

Concept Art

Concept art for movies has always been dear to me.  When I was little, my first "when I grow up I want to be" was an animator, or "cartoonist" as it was written on my preschool diploma.  I have not lost my love for pictorial story telling.  As I have grown, my parents have learned to purchase our dvds with the extra "Making Of" and "Bonus Features" discs, and my friends know to sit patiently through the illustrated end credits of movies, just so I can see all those different door illustrations in Monsters, Inc. or the different methods of painting Wall-e and the new earth.  If you want to get me a spectacular gift, pick up any of the "The Art of" books released by Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks, etc.  

Here is a little buffet of concept art for you. 

Sketch for Tangled by Claire Keane

These two are both art from Coraline by Chris Appelhans.

I couldn't find an artist for this image, it is included in The Art of Up.

Stitches

This is a great book that, if you happen to have an afternoon to kill, you can read right in the bookstore.  A graphic novel written and illustrated by David Small, Stitches is written from the perspective of a boy growing up without the love of his parents--and due to a surgery to his throat--without a voice.  Seeking refuge in his art, the young protagonist eventually runs away at sixteen and is able to find happiness.  Very simply constructed, Stitches offers a window into a boy's small, sad world and captures frame by frame his liberation from it.  

Julius the Baby of the World

Here is my dramatic reading of Julius the Baby of the World (abridged) by Kevin Henkes that I performed as my talent in the Miss Brenau competition.  Reading aloud has always been very dear to my family, and a talent I was happy to share with my friends during the competition.

Edward Gorey

My Dad commented that a lot of my doodling reminded him of the animation played at the intro of the old PBS Mystery Series.  I looked it up and fell in love with the dark whimsy of Edward Gorey.  Illustrator and short story writer, Gorey had the ability to make the macabre merry.  I'm planning on using my Barnes&Noble Giftcard to purchase his Gashlycrumb Tinies, and other short works.  If you'd like a sweet and sinister giggle, I recommend looking into Edward Gorey.  Here's a video of his Epipleptic Bicycle (I'm not sure whether or not he made up the word "epipleptic.")

Children's Books

Tonight my Mom showed me a new children’s book she had read to the kids she substitute taught: Snowmen at Christmas written and illustrated by husband and wife team Caralyn and Mark Buehner.  My mother and I have always had a heart for children’s literature and especially enjoy the illustrations.  Hidden in each picture of the snowmen are a cat, a rabbit, a mouse, a santa face and a tyrannosaurs rex.  This prompted me to grab some of my favorite books growing up and read them aloud with my roommate, Amber.  The three of us poured over the pages and took it in turns to point out the silly details and jokes slipped into the illustrations.  Two of the books I grabbed were written and illustrated by the same author, though I had never known.  Peggy Rathman wrote two of my favorites: Goodnight Gorilla, my “first book” and Ten Minutes Till Bedtime, a story I fell in love with when I was much older.  Peggy loves the tiny details, and tonight we found another treasure she had hidden for us: a scene from Goodnight Gorilla made a cameo in Ten Minutes Till Bedtime.  If you have children or simply want a beautiful book to giggle over, I heartily recommend checking out Peggy Rathman.

I don’t want to spoil all the surprises in Goodnight Gorilla, but I will say pay attention to the balloon.  

Either Way My Pants Still Fit

“There was a boy named Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it.”

----The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis

What a way to begin a book. Round of applause for C.S. Lewis.

I can hardly remember what it felt like to be discouraged. I have 6 weeks left to go—of compulsory schooling, that is. I’ve been tinkering with this page bit by bit (I’m trying to peg my essence while simultaneously making it appealing and marketable) so I hope ode de Rachel hasn’t proven too stinky in its early stages. We’ll get there.

My past week has held 3 field trips, tie-dye, picky penguins, soccer, and the simple perfection that is white cotton. Details? Yes, I suppose they would help to clarify.

Tuesday—I Cantori (the advanced mixed choral ensemble) visited Piedmont to practice Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb for the first time with our new organist

Thursday—I Cantori performed Rejoice in the Lamb, scored straight Superiors, melted faces, and I had Zaxby’s and O’Charley’s all in the same day (still recovering)

Friday—Chem II went to the Georgia Aquarium clad in coordinating done-it-ourselves tie-dye. Oh, and the picky penguins? Those bad birds would try nibblies of each fish the nice trainer handed them and would then promptly spit them out.

Later that evening—I went to my boyfriend Cam’s soccer game with our two besties: Amber and Andrew and learned all about fowls and how there are only certain kinds of pushing aloud. We came back to my house and watched Rat Race while Cam and Andrew worked their way through one free coupon’s worth of Outback’s Blooming Onion and Pumpernickle bread. (I refrained, was still recovering from Zaxby’s, O’Charley’s and the Varsity we had to eat for lunch earlier that day).

Saturday—Slept in until 10:30 and then went to the Brenau Spirit Day with Amber, my bff and future roomie, and toured dorms. I managed to tuck away a little bit of BBQ in the dining hall and Pakistani later that evening when we went over to friends for dinner.

I will probably never need to eat again.

Oh, wait, I already have. Because today after church I went to the mall and picked out my exquisite white cotton graduation dress and had a kid’s meal at Little Tokyo.

And a Great American Cookie.

I suppose I’ve walked, sung, and cheered off all those extra calories.

Either way my pants still fit.