Awesome New Hallmark Products

Yesterday I was browsing our card shop and came across a lot of awesome kids products which are recently released by Hallmark. There are so many great ones, but here I am going to show you two that I especially love.

The first one is the "Monster Mash" card game by Kelly Green (I've introduced Kelly to you guys back in July.) There are 60 cards in a deck, with 20 different monster characters. And look at the packaging! Isn't it the most adorable packaging ever? I like it so much I ended up buying two boxes.

The second one is a children's book titled "The Most Awesome Pet In The World", illustrated by Bob Kolar and written by Molly Wigand. You can personalize this book with your pet's photos at the very end. It's fun, quirky, and full of cute animals even a grown-up will love!



This is all I can show you. To see all the new kids products you have to check out your local Gold Crown store in person. I believe if they don't carry it, you can ask them to order it for you. : )

What I Wore Today + How I Feel Like

Doodled during lunch time. I've also added this one to the "What I Wore Today" Flickr group.

And this is how I feel like right now...

Artwork for The Kyrie Foundation

My friend and crazy talented artist Tuesday Schmidt invited me to do an artwork for The Kyrie Foundation's second annual fundraiser, a silent art/gift auction, and all proceeds go to the research of pediatric brain cancer. Here is my little humble contribution, mixed media on 6" by 6" wood panel (the frame makes it 6.5" by 6.5"). I had fun doing it and I hope it will go to a good home while earning some much needed money for the cause. The event will be on November 12, 2009. Location: 2131 Studio | 2131 Washington Street, Kansas City, MO. For more info or to purchase tickets, click here.

Diary: This Weekend

First, my mom is here visiting me for 40 days... so if I am less productive during this time, that's why. :)



On Friday Robert and I went to the regular monthly "first Friday" treasure hunt, and I got lucky again (last time I got the "Mixies", remember?). I got two awesome framed owly prints by Margaret Layton, titled "Blinky" and "Winky". Look like they are some sort of hand-colored prints, and they are really lovely. I do need to replace one of the glass, re-paint the wood frames, and add mats for both of them. But I only paid $38 for the pair so I am not complaining.



Also I got a little owl container as well. I already had one of this; now I have two!



Because it was the "First Friday" (On the first Friday of each month, Kansas City's Crossroads district's art galleries, studios, and restaurants open their doors to showcase local and national artists, and the area is always packed with people.), after work we went to Mattie Rhodes Art Center for their Dia De Los Muertos exhibition. After that we stayed and listened to a blues band playing on 18th street (pardon my bad camera). It was kind of chilly but the perfect weather for such an activity.



And today I took my mom to Mattie Rhodes Art Center again and showed her around the artsy neighborhood. It was a perfect fall day.

Waiting

I did this little 6" by 8" wood panel painting tonight. Here is the sketch from a week ago; I changed the face a little bit.

Artist: Ingela P Arrhenius and Her Book "142 Actors"

If you look carefully at the studio photo in my previous post, you will find a wonderful little book sitting on the shelf. It's a book titled "142 Actors" by Swedish illustrator Ingela P Arrhenius. I got the book from Ingela in April this year after reading about it on her blog. It's a beautiful book with pages after pages of colorful portraits which Ingela captured from a black/white German talent catalogue back in 1933. On each spread, Ingela arranged to have a male and a female facing each other, and some of them look like they are actually having a conversation. For me personally, this book is not only a feast for the eyes, it's a great book to learn about painting techniques as I've never took real painting lessons at school. It is so inspiring to see how she applied strokes, colors, as well as her own interpretation on all the characters and made each of them so unique.

I've planned to blog about the book earlier, but the timing is actually better now, because Ingela told me that she had set up a PayPal account, which should make it easier for her to take orders from international buyers. If you'd like to get a copy for yourself (highly recommend), please contact Ingela.

(All photos taken by Ingela P Arrhenius)

Ingela P Arrhenius is a freelance illustrator based in Stockholm. In addition to her advertising and magazine commissions, she has illustrated children's books, designed several stamp editions and patterns for products such as children's clothing, fabrics and stationery. Ingela lives just south of Stockholm with her husband, two boys and their puppy.

Celebrating 3x3 with artist Gustavo Aimar

Invitación 3 x3, originally uploaded by Gustavo Aimar.

One of my favorite artist Gustavo Aimar is celebrating the 3rd anniversary of his blog. Gustavo has created a special blog called 3x3, and you are all invited to create a tiny piece of artwork of your own, 3 cm x 3 cm (not inches), if you'd like to participate. He stressed the importance to do the actual artwork on a 3cm by 3cm scale, instead of scanning an existing artwork and scale it down. With that in mind, you can use any materials and there is no limit on the topic. This is not a contest and there's no prize, just simply sharing a creative space. If you'd like to contribute, email Gustavo at aimargus@gmail.com with your 300 dpi / 3 cm x 3 cm JPG file of your artwork with your name, your link and the technique or materials you used to make your art.

My tiny painting for 3x3

Today's Sketch Book Doodles

Doodles during lunch break and a boring meeting...

So excited about tomorrow's Plaza Art Fair, my favorite event every year. Hope the weather is nice.

Yie Yie | 爺爺

On 8" x 8" wood panel

I painted my grandpa tonight; he is the best cook ever! Also I think it might be fun to show you my working area. Today I got an awesome vintage Luxo lamp from work for only $20 (they are getting rid of the old Luxo lamps), such a steal! I am thinking about getting another one before they run out.



Love the lamp! It's sturdy and provides really great natural lighting.

Nai Nai | 奶奶

"Nai Nai" is how I call my grandma in Chinese. I was painting from this photo. I should paint grandpa next. : )

on 8"x 8" wood panel