violinTide/blog
not knowing everything is all that makes it okay, sometimes

All right! We’ve got two new prints for your viewing pleasure! First up is the first lady of DC Comics:

Wonder Woman of the Year

A few people have been asking for a Wonder Woman print, and I’ve been wanting to do one for a while, too. I could never get her quite right in my earlier attempts, but I am very pleased with how it finally turned out. Hopefully you think so, too! Next up, an original creation:

The Righteous Robot Boy

He’s a cool, little robot boy. But he’s still just a boy in a robot suit. Both of these prints are now available in my Etsy shop! Let me know what you think!

As I mentioned before, I was lucky enough to spend some time in San Pedro, Belize a couple weeks ago for my friends’ wedding. It was beautiful there; sunny and warm and breezy. Right now I am in Chicago in the middle of winter. Obviously I am kind of missing Belize right now, but at least I’ve got pictures.

Yes, please.

Best damn ceviche ever.

Nighttime in the town square.

Chicken drop. I think you can figure it out.

Cliche? A little. Pretty? For sure.

I swam with sharks! Fine, nurse sharks.

Sigh. Goodbye, Belize.

So that was my trip to Belize in a few pictures. I am definitely going back there, one of these days. I mean, I could seriously get use to vacationing in the winter. In the words of a classic Madonna song, “I want to be in San Pedro.”

Can you guess what (or who) it is?

Hi everyone! I realize it’s been a while since I last blogged, and most of that can be blamed on the general business of the holidays, as well as a bunch of different things happening at the same time. One of these things was preparations for a trip to Belize, from which the above photo was taken. I was very fortunate enough to spend an all too short time in a very beautiful country celebrating my friends’ wedding, but the experience gave me some perspective about myself and the new year.

To put it bluntly, this little vacation (which I’ll blog more about separately) made me realize and remember that I want to be so much more, and do so much more, both personally and professionally. Who hasn’t had those kinds of thoughts, right? The problem is that sometimes we lose focus on the goals that we want to achieve, or worse, we become lazy and complacent and do not even realize it. Every now and then we need a wake up call saying, “Hey! You need to work harder!”

I know the popular thing to do this time of year is to make resolutions, but so what? Any excuse to try and improve yourself is a good excuse. So this year I want to not forget how much more I want to do and be and see. I want to work harder because hard work is a good thing. I want to stop myself from ever becoming complacent. I want to be better in some small way than I was the day before. Perhaps I’m getting a little sappy right now, but I don’t care. Inspiration will do that to you.

Happy New Year!

“The hand reaches to meet the sensation.
Calligraphy spills from the inkwell.
Open your eyes, sharpen your focus, and exclaim:
There are no separations.”

I finished reading Craig Thompson’s latest book Habibi weeks ago, but I still don’t really know what to say about it. I absolutely loved it, no questions there. The book is just filled with so much beauty to take in: the art, the prose, Thompson’s use of written Arabic as a design and thematic element, the characters, the story. And the themes and situations are certainly heavy and very emotional. It is just a really packed book that demands and deserves multiple read-throughs. Honestly, I felt a little emotionally drained after reading it, but I believe that’s a good thing. I was that invested in the book. When any piece of art can move you, it’s powerful. Habibi is definitely a beautifully powerful love story at it’s core. The visuals are stunning and the emotions are real.

I feel like this post as a bit all over the place, but I really loved this book. Maybe it just moved me more than I realized. I do know that Habibi is another reason why I love the medium. I’d like to think were at a point culturally where we don’t have to defend that comic books can be art/literature just like any other prose novel. But if I happen to meet any naysayers, I’d be happy to point them in the direction of Habibi.

I’ve got two new prints to share, both of which are Nintendo inspired!

I am Yoshi

Zelda and Link Forever

I don’t ever hide my love/preference for Nintendo games, and this is perfectly exemplified in my latest art prints. We’ve got Mario’s best dinosaur pal, Yoshi, albeit in “dude in cosplay” form. We’ve also got Nintendo power couple Link and Zelda in an homage to my favorite Zelda game, The Wind Waker. These were both really fun to make, so I hope you guys like them. They are both now available in my Etsy shop. And if there are any particular Nintendo characters you’d like me to tackle, just let me know. I love this stuff!

The title says it all! Check out my new He-Man print!

He-Man has the Power!

Yes, He-Man is one of my fond childhood memories. As such, he gets the print treatment! I loved the He-Man toys, the cartoon, but the He-Man movie? Not so much. Back then I thought that movie was just weird. Weird weird weird. Anyways, time to cut this post short because my stomach hurts. The new He-Man print is now available in my Etsy shop, just in time for Halloween (what?)! Bye!

Apples to Apples is a very fun game. However, the title of this blog entry is a reference to actual apple picking, which I partook in this past weekend. Observe:

Fall is for apple picking, and it couldn’t have been a nicer day. Sunny, 60s, and the most delicious fuji apples around. And apple cider and apple donuts and apple pie and you get the picture. Honestly, it wouldn’t be a proper autumn without a trip to the apple orchard. So why not head out to your local orchard and indulge in this timeless fall ritual. And then eat apples for a week. And hopefully not get sick of them. Yeah!

In other words, I’ve got some new art to share!

Kitty Meow Meow

Not the Big Bad Wolf

She’s not quite a cat lady, and he’s not quite a werewolf, but they’re both okay with that. Awesome. Both of these prints are now available in my Etsy shop, just in time for Halloween (or something like that)!

In other news, I have started a gaming blog over on MyIGN. This blog’s specific mission is to chronicle my quest to shrink my ever growing video game backlog. I will and must complete my games! Join me over there, will you?

I’ve got two new prints that are firmly rooted in my childhood nostalgia. Check ‘em out!

Turtle Power to the Max

So when I was a kid, I was basically a Ninja Turtle fiend (along with G.I.Joe, Transformers, and He-Man). This print is my version/tribute to the awesome foursome, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Cowabunga, dude! And just for the record, Leonardo was always my favorite (Donatello second). Holler.

Jem is Truly Outrageous

Now, my sister was the true Jem fan in the house, but I would be lying if I said I never watched at least one episode of Jem while getting ready for school in the morning. Whatev. This print was actually a special request, but it is now available to all those crazy Jem fans out there. You guys rock, and so does Jem.

Why not proclaim your Eighties pride with these radical new prints? Both are now available in my Etsy shop, as per usual. Tubular! (I’ll stop with the Eighties lingo now.)