Yeah, so the SteamBook on Etsy has sold. Already. Approximately 3 hours after listing (or possibly sooner--I didn't check until now). So far Etsy is winning over ArtFire, but this is not a scientific test. But now I need to go to the store for more paper . . . I might have just enough for one more book . . .
Aaaaaah!
That is both a scream of "too much to do" and a long sigh of relief.
30 June 2009
SteamBook - The Quartermaster's Accountbook
The Quartermaster's Accountbook is the first in a series of pocket-sized blank notebooks inspired by Neo-Victorian Retrofuturism (aka Steampunk).
With one of our "SteamBook" notebooks and a fountain pen (or any other writing instrument you prefer), you'll always have a place to record your voyages extraordinaires, whether you travel by airship, locomotive or paddle steamer (or by Penny Farthing, though I wouldn't recommend pedaling and writing at the same time).
This 3 1/2 by 2 3/4 inch blank book has about 80 blank natural "parchment" bond paper pages and a suede leather cover made from recycled garments. The leather is lined with japanese kozuke paper for stability and laminated on the front and back with wood veneer. The closure is a lovely rusty old key, carefully sprayed with matte varnish to keep the rust from rubbing off. The binding is cross-structure and sewn with sturdy linen thread.
It's perfectly sized for your pocket and hand made to exacting specifications for durability and stylishness. Why use a cheap store-bought notebook that will fall apart the first time an air kraken attacks, when you can use the same make of notebook scribbled madly in by Mad Doctor Sophia Shallowgrave herself?
Available now at Etsy and ArtFire. More pictures on those sites and on deviantART.
With one of our "SteamBook" notebooks and a fountain pen (or any other writing instrument you prefer), you'll always have a place to record your voyages extraordinaires, whether you travel by airship, locomotive or paddle steamer (or by Penny Farthing, though I wouldn't recommend pedaling and writing at the same time).
This 3 1/2 by 2 3/4 inch blank book has about 80 blank natural "parchment" bond paper pages and a suede leather cover made from recycled garments. The leather is lined with japanese kozuke paper for stability and laminated on the front and back with wood veneer. The closure is a lovely rusty old key, carefully sprayed with matte varnish to keep the rust from rubbing off. The binding is cross-structure and sewn with sturdy linen thread.
It's perfectly sized for your pocket and hand made to exacting specifications for durability and stylishness. Why use a cheap store-bought notebook that will fall apart the first time an air kraken attacks, when you can use the same make of notebook scribbled madly in by Mad Doctor Sophia Shallowgrave herself?
Available now at Etsy and ArtFire. More pictures on those sites and on deviantART.
19 June 2009
Two Seconds of Fame
A couple of weeks ago I was interviewed for an article on the closing of the Dawson Printshop. The article is now up on The Coast's website, or if you're in Halifax you can grab a paper copy (hypothetically until Wednesday next week, but they're free and sometimes disappear quickly). There's even a photo of me (in b&w in the print edition, but colour in the online version).
30 May 2009
The State of the Dawson Printshop
Er, yes, it's been a while since I blogged. I had such good intentions of keeping up with it and all that. My plan, you see, was to start an almost-daily blog post about the goings-on at the Dawson Printshop. But then they shut us down. While I wasn't precisely depressed, I felt I needed to be away for a bit. So I spent some time working at home and with my book arts teacher Joe at his studio. But Thursday I went back to the shop to finish up a few things. And I was back again yesterday. I feel better now.
So the Dawson Printshop has "suspended operations." NSCAD is in debt for various reasons (the new Port Campus is apparently only one of several reasons). NSCAD seems to be really, really in debt, and taking cost-cutting measures all over the place. The Seeds student gallery was scrutinized, but apparently came close enough to breaking even on a regular basis that it was spared. The heat was turned off early (it's *still* freezing in the shop). The Dawson Printshop was given The Eye. Instructors and students and friends from the community rallied and wrote letters to the President of NSCAD. Vince, the co-manager who was still around (Carley having returned to BC at the end of her contract), prepared a projection that showed how we had steadily been increasing the amount of money coming in and would probably continue to do so in the months to come. In a bad economic climate we were getting pretty close to breaking even for the month, and we hadn't even been open a full year. We did our best and we did remarkably well selling an expensive luxury product (because digital reproduction is way cheaper than letterpress). In the end, the Powers That Be at NSCAD decided to "suspend operations."
There was talk of finding sponsors for us. There was talk of maybe opening again in a year (and starting all over from nothing as our clients would have moved on to other options, and our word-of-mouth promotion would have stopped spreading). A group of instructors got together and discussed. Even if the shop were never to re-open as a commercial concern, there really, really needs to be a technician in the shop, they concluded. If classes--letterpress, book arts, printmaking and design included--are to keep using the space, the equipment, the type, someone needs to be around to oversee things, to clean up, to help students. At least part time. So said instructors sent a recommendation to the school that this should be so.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed (metaphorically, of course). Vince has gone home to Ontario, but I think he's keeping his fingers crossed too, and so is Carley. So are a lot of people. Obviously I want there to be a technician because I want the job, but it's also because I love the Dawson Printshop. It's one of the main reasons I chose to stay on in Halifax (the other, of course, is a certain cute boy). I'm hoping that someone with the power to actually do something about it will realize the need for a technician and actually decided to hire one. I'm hoping that will be me. But even if it's not, at least the Shop will have someone there.
In the meantime, I'm loitering around, finishing up a few last things, like a couple of greeting card orders from local retailers. And I'll be taking on a few jobs myself. If I have to, I'll pay studio fees to the school. Otherwise, I'll just spend some time putting away (other people's) type, organizing, cleaning the presses and the space, and generally keeping things from descending into the chaos it could so easily become.
The Daswon Printshop is dead. Long live the Dawson Printshop.
So the Dawson Printshop has "suspended operations." NSCAD is in debt for various reasons (the new Port Campus is apparently only one of several reasons). NSCAD seems to be really, really in debt, and taking cost-cutting measures all over the place. The Seeds student gallery was scrutinized, but apparently came close enough to breaking even on a regular basis that it was spared. The heat was turned off early (it's *still* freezing in the shop). The Dawson Printshop was given The Eye. Instructors and students and friends from the community rallied and wrote letters to the President of NSCAD. Vince, the co-manager who was still around (Carley having returned to BC at the end of her contract), prepared a projection that showed how we had steadily been increasing the amount of money coming in and would probably continue to do so in the months to come. In a bad economic climate we were getting pretty close to breaking even for the month, and we hadn't even been open a full year. We did our best and we did remarkably well selling an expensive luxury product (because digital reproduction is way cheaper than letterpress). In the end, the Powers That Be at NSCAD decided to "suspend operations."
There was talk of finding sponsors for us. There was talk of maybe opening again in a year (and starting all over from nothing as our clients would have moved on to other options, and our word-of-mouth promotion would have stopped spreading). A group of instructors got together and discussed. Even if the shop were never to re-open as a commercial concern, there really, really needs to be a technician in the shop, they concluded. If classes--letterpress, book arts, printmaking and design included--are to keep using the space, the equipment, the type, someone needs to be around to oversee things, to clean up, to help students. At least part time. So said instructors sent a recommendation to the school that this should be so.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed (metaphorically, of course). Vince has gone home to Ontario, but I think he's keeping his fingers crossed too, and so is Carley. So are a lot of people. Obviously I want there to be a technician because I want the job, but it's also because I love the Dawson Printshop. It's one of the main reasons I chose to stay on in Halifax (the other, of course, is a certain cute boy). I'm hoping that someone with the power to actually do something about it will realize the need for a technician and actually decided to hire one. I'm hoping that will be me. But even if it's not, at least the Shop will have someone there.
In the meantime, I'm loitering around, finishing up a few last things, like a couple of greeting card orders from local retailers. And I'll be taking on a few jobs myself. If I have to, I'll pay studio fees to the school. Otherwise, I'll just spend some time putting away (other people's) type, organizing, cleaning the presses and the space, and generally keeping things from descending into the chaos it could so easily become.
The Daswon Printshop is dead. Long live the Dawson Printshop.
21 April 2009
06 April 2009
Made It
I hope I'm not getting in the habit of being not-quite-but-almost late with comics updates. Of course, I should have built up a bigger reserve of pages while I had the chance. Anyway. Pages 16 and 17 of The Fabulous Forays of Aeryn Daring are now up. You get to see Aeryn in a dress.
Oh, and there are vote incentives now!
Vote for Aeryn and see one of the earliest sketches I did of her.
Vote for Fey and glimpse one of the denizens of Faery.
(And yes, you can vote for both.)
Oh, and there are vote incentives now!
Vote for Aeryn and see one of the earliest sketches I did of her.
Vote for Fey and glimpse one of the denizens of Faery.
(And yes, you can vote for both.)
04 April 2009
01 April 2009
This is Not an April Fool
Hmm. That title sounds rather more serious than I thought it would. Oh well.
The voting for TopWebComics has reset for a new month. I think last month Fey was in the 500s and Aeryn Daring was in the 700s. That's not too dismal, really, but means they probably didn't find any new readers via TopWebComics. Anyway, the point of this post is to say you can vote again. Also, I didn't point out last time that you can actually vote for as many different comics as you like, once per day. So you could vote for both Fey and Aeryn every day, plus any other comics you like. If that makes any sense.
Anyway, I have to go get ready to make some books. Need breakfast. And tea.
Vote for The Fabulous Forays of Aeryn Daring.
Vote for Fey.
This time, I'll put up some cool incentives (but they're not up yet; I'll post here whent hey are).
The voting for TopWebComics has reset for a new month. I think last month Fey was in the 500s and Aeryn Daring was in the 700s. That's not too dismal, really, but means they probably didn't find any new readers via TopWebComics. Anyway, the point of this post is to say you can vote again. Also, I didn't point out last time that you can actually vote for as many different comics as you like, once per day. So you could vote for both Fey and Aeryn every day, plus any other comics you like. If that makes any sense.
Anyway, I have to go get ready to make some books. Need breakfast. And tea.
Vote for The Fabulous Forays of Aeryn Daring.
Vote for Fey.
This time, I'll put up some cool incentives (but they're not up yet; I'll post here whent hey are).
22 March 2009
03 March 2009
Vote!
I signed up Fey and Aeryn Daring on Top Webcomics. You can vote for them. You can vote for them every day. So, er, if you *like* Fey, click here to vote. And if you like Aeryn Daring, click here to vote. When I'm less sleepy, I'll find something to put up as vote incentives. For now, you'll just have to be happy that it'll make me happy if you vote. Unless you like some other comic better, in which case you should vote for it instead.
28 February 2009
More and More
It's Saturday and I'm being lazy. Again. I haven't slept well all week so I have this nagging too-tired headache and huge bags under my eyes. Aaaah! Zombie girl! Oh, wait, that's just me in the mirror.
Yeah, yeah. Whine. Oh poor me. Actually things are good. I wasn't completely lazy today. I did quick Photoshop work on some comic pages and uploaded them. So now Faerie or Bust is going to update daily until March 20. It seemed a little silly to only update weekly when it's several years old and was a 24-hour comic in the first place.
What else? Aeryn Daring updates tomorrow, assuming I get around to uploading the pages today. That's next on the list. I made a Facebook group for Aeryn Daring, but didn't invite anyone to join as a sort of experiment. It's here. Eventually I'll make one for Fey, too. Assuming this one goes well.
Umm . . . Posted the first three Fey covers on my DeviantArt page. Decided I need to teach myself how to make art using nothing but Photoshop after reading The Phoenix Requiem, a very lovely webcomic. Been reading a lot of webcomics in the last while. Trying to get ideas for promoting my own stuff. Also, there is some really, really fantastic storytelling out there for free. A lot of it I would happily pay for in print form.
Anyway, I think I am now just procrastinating and should get the next Aeryn Daring page ready to go before the boy gets home and distracts me. I'm not so hard to distract, after all. (Not that he does it intentionally. He's very good about leaving me alone when I'm busy.)
Oh yeah, we went to see Under the Sea in IMAX 3D. It was fantastic! (Even with Jim Carrey narrating--you hardly noticed it was him.) If you like ocean things, you must must must see this movie.
Yeah, yeah. Whine. Oh poor me. Actually things are good. I wasn't completely lazy today. I did quick Photoshop work on some comic pages and uploaded them. So now Faerie or Bust is going to update daily until March 20. It seemed a little silly to only update weekly when it's several years old and was a 24-hour comic in the first place.
What else? Aeryn Daring updates tomorrow, assuming I get around to uploading the pages today. That's next on the list. I made a Facebook group for Aeryn Daring, but didn't invite anyone to join as a sort of experiment. It's here. Eventually I'll make one for Fey, too. Assuming this one goes well.
Umm . . . Posted the first three Fey covers on my DeviantArt page. Decided I need to teach myself how to make art using nothing but Photoshop after reading The Phoenix Requiem, a very lovely webcomic. Been reading a lot of webcomics in the last while. Trying to get ideas for promoting my own stuff. Also, there is some really, really fantastic storytelling out there for free. A lot of it I would happily pay for in print form.
Anyway, I think I am now just procrastinating and should get the next Aeryn Daring page ready to go before the boy gets home and distracts me. I'm not so hard to distract, after all. (Not that he does it intentionally. He's very good about leaving me alone when I'm busy.)
Oh yeah, we went to see Under the Sea in IMAX 3D. It was fantastic! (Even with Jim Carrey narrating--you hardly noticed it was him.) If you like ocean things, you must must must see this movie.
15 February 2009
More Updates
If anyone is still reading this thing, there are new comics pages this weekend.
Fey updated yesterday, Faerie or Bust (a Fey-related 24-hour comic) updated today, and Aeryn Daring updates tomorrow (another 2-page spread!),
Fey updated yesterday, Faerie or Bust (a Fey-related 24-hour comic) updated today, and Aeryn Daring updates tomorrow (another 2-page spread!),
09 February 2009
Things I Made
I just put a few images of things I've made in the last couple years on my deviantArt page.
I'll be adding more as I get around to photographing and organizing stuff. That should happen pretty quickly now, as I'm gearing up to list things for sale on Etsy. There will be books (blank journals and small-edition artist's books--I'm not quite ready to part with the one-of-a-kinds yet), prints (lithographic, intaglio and relief), photographs (a few actual darkroom-printed, but mostly digital prints from scanned negs, and a few all-digital), and some odds and ends of stuff.
Also, there's a new page of Aeryn Daring up today.
Oh yeah, and I'll be sending out belated holiday present art to a select few folks soon. As soon as I figure out to whom to send what and how to package it for shipping.
I'll be adding more as I get around to photographing and organizing stuff. That should happen pretty quickly now, as I'm gearing up to list things for sale on Etsy. There will be books (blank journals and small-edition artist's books--I'm not quite ready to part with the one-of-a-kinds yet), prints (lithographic, intaglio and relief), photographs (a few actual darkroom-printed, but mostly digital prints from scanned negs, and a few all-digital), and some odds and ends of stuff.
Also, there's a new page of Aeryn Daring up today.
Oh yeah, and I'll be sending out belated holiday present art to a select few folks soon. As soon as I figure out to whom to send what and how to package it for shipping.
08 February 2009
06 February 2009
Some Kind of Milestone
I checked my comics' stats on Webcomics Nation a moment ago, and Fleeing Arcadia (an 8-page Fey short) has hit 500 views. Not only that, but The Fabulous Forays of Aeryn Daring--which only went up on Monday--is at 100 views. Woo hoo!
So yeah, the seven-page Prologue of Aeryn Daring is up now (since Monday). A new page will appear next Monday (which means I had better scan it). Read it! (please . . .)
Also, the main Fey series, which I started posting a few weeks ago, is over 100 views now, while Faerie or Bust, a Fey-related 24-hour comic, hasn't reached 40 yet (but it's only been up a short time).
Oh yeah, and if you want to be notified when any of my comics update, you can sign up for the email notification list.
So yeah, the seven-page Prologue of Aeryn Daring is up now (since Monday). A new page will appear next Monday (which means I had better scan it). Read it! (please . . .)
Also, the main Fey series, which I started posting a few weeks ago, is over 100 views now, while Faerie or Bust, a Fey-related 24-hour comic, hasn't reached 40 yet (but it's only been up a short time).
Oh yeah, and if you want to be notified when any of my comics update, you can sign up for the email notification list.
01 February 2009
Comic Book Madness
Well, so far I've managed to spend most of the weekend fiddling around with comics, doing a bit of scanning, some organizing of my Webcomics Nation site, and lots of button, banner and logo making.
Also, as you may have guessed from the "a bit of scanning" comment above, I now have a working scanner. Futureshop had that scanner I've been wanting marked down--about $100 less than the original price, which makes it almost $200 less than the new price. And I had a FS gift card (thanks, Dad!). So I splurged. And now I can get to work on some photo projects as well as comics (and explain that weird grocery list I posted way back when). It's very exciting. I haven't actually scanned any photos yet, but I'll start soon. I need to have an application for the grad show in by mid-February, so I need to get at least that one image finished by then (that is to say, scanned and cleaned up and looking fabulous).
What I have been doing with the scanner is making some images for my new comic series, which will debut on Webcomics Nation tomorrow!! My aim is to do weekly updates, but I don't have a big store of completed pages like I do for Fey, so I don't know how long I can keep that up. The drawings are smaller than Fey drawings, though, and I seem to be able to do a two-page spread in about the same time as it would take me to do a single page of Fey, so there may be hope for the weekly schedule.
So yeah, look for it tomorrow.
(Typefaces in both logos are from the fabulous Scriptorium. (Except the text that says "Fey"--that's all me.) Yes, I even paid for them.)
Also, as you may have guessed from the "a bit of scanning" comment above, I now have a working scanner. Futureshop had that scanner I've been wanting marked down--about $100 less than the original price, which makes it almost $200 less than the new price. And I had a FS gift card (thanks, Dad!). So I splurged. And now I can get to work on some photo projects as well as comics (and explain that weird grocery list I posted way back when). It's very exciting. I haven't actually scanned any photos yet, but I'll start soon. I need to have an application for the grad show in by mid-February, so I need to get at least that one image finished by then (that is to say, scanned and cleaned up and looking fabulous).
What I have been doing with the scanner is making some images for my new comic series, which will debut on Webcomics Nation tomorrow!! My aim is to do weekly updates, but I don't have a big store of completed pages like I do for Fey, so I don't know how long I can keep that up. The drawings are smaller than Fey drawings, though, and I seem to be able to do a two-page spread in about the same time as it would take me to do a single page of Fey, so there may be hope for the weekly schedule.
So yeah, look for it tomorrow.
(Typefaces in both logos are from the fabulous Scriptorium. (Except the text that says "Fey"--that's all me.) Yes, I even paid for them.)
31 January 2009
17 January 2009
Fey!
I'm finally getting around to posting comics online again, but I need a new scanner. My old one works just fine, but in an attempt to get the plug-in working with CS4, I discovered that I'm not sure it was ever working on this machine at all, and the drivers won't install. Not even the newest ones downloaded direct from Canon. Sigh.
So in the meantime, I'm moving Fey over to Webcomicsnation. You'll find all my stuff at http://www.webcomicsnation.com/feynico/ eventually. If you were hoping for new pages, sorry. For now I'm going to be reposting old pages once a week. When I get to the end of them, I'll hopefully have lots of new pages and a new scanner. I will finish this series eventually. I'm also working on a completely new series called The Fabulous Forays of Aeryn Daring. I'm very excited about it. But again, nothing until a new scanner.
The scanner I have my eye on in the Epson Perfection v700 Photo (or the v750-M Pro, except it costs significantly more). Yes, it's very pricey (and I just noticed the price is $100 more than it was when I looked a few weeks ago--I thought the prices on tech were supposed to go down, not up), and it can't even scan anything bigger than 8 1/2 x 11, but it *can* scan negatives all the way up to 8 x 10. I have a crapload of medium format and 4 x 5 negs I want to scan and work with digitally, at least to put them on deviantArt and create a digital portfolio. So. I'll be looking for ways of making a bit of extra cash so I can buy this thing, starting with finally getting some stuff up for sale on Etsy. You'll find me at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6315023, but there's nothing there yet. First, I have to organize and photograph and acquire a postal scale to figure out how much it will cost to mail things.
Anyway, more soon.
So in the meantime, I'm moving Fey over to Webcomicsnation. You'll find all my stuff at http://www.webcomicsnation.com/feynico/ eventually. If you were hoping for new pages, sorry. For now I'm going to be reposting old pages once a week. When I get to the end of them, I'll hopefully have lots of new pages and a new scanner. I will finish this series eventually. I'm also working on a completely new series called The Fabulous Forays of Aeryn Daring. I'm very excited about it. But again, nothing until a new scanner.
The scanner I have my eye on in the Epson Perfection v700 Photo (or the v750-M Pro, except it costs significantly more). Yes, it's very pricey (and I just noticed the price is $100 more than it was when I looked a few weeks ago--I thought the prices on tech were supposed to go down, not up), and it can't even scan anything bigger than 8 1/2 x 11, but it *can* scan negatives all the way up to 8 x 10. I have a crapload of medium format and 4 x 5 negs I want to scan and work with digitally, at least to put them on deviantArt and create a digital portfolio. So. I'll be looking for ways of making a bit of extra cash so I can buy this thing, starting with finally getting some stuff up for sale on Etsy. You'll find me at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6315023, but there's nothing there yet. First, I have to organize and photograph and acquire a postal scale to figure out how much it will cost to mail things.
Anyway, more soon.
02 December 2008
Read This
So I have absolutely no time for anything other than Finishing Final Projects and Work, but I had to post this link:
Why defend freedom of icky speech?
In it, Neil Gaiman says, "Because if you don't stand up for the stuff you don't like, when they come for the stuff you do like, you've already lost."
Please, if you care about freedom of speech at all, read this. (And at the top of my list to do as soon as I have five minutes not earmarked for school or work or basic survival is now: find out exactly what Canada's freedom of speech laws look like. I already know we don't have the same rights to parody as they do in the US, but that's really about all I do know.)
Why defend freedom of icky speech?
In it, Neil Gaiman says, "Because if you don't stand up for the stuff you don't like, when they come for the stuff you do like, you've already lost."
Please, if you care about freedom of speech at all, read this. (And at the top of my list to do as soon as I have five minutes not earmarked for school or work or basic survival is now: find out exactly what Canada's freedom of speech laws look like. I already know we don't have the same rights to parody as they do in the US, but that's really about all I do know.)
24 November 2008
Weirdest Grocery Order Ever
Before anyone asks, yes, I am still alive, just monumentally busy with final projects. It's my last semester, so everything comes down to this. In a few weeks, I'll be done and back to regular blogging, emailing, and posting of comics (ooh, and I have a new comic I'll be unveiling).
In the meantime, here's what I just brought home from the grocery store:
I promise I'll post again and explain it all. Except the toilet paper. I think you can figure that one out yourselves.
In the meantime, here's what I just brought home from the grocery store:
- President's Choice "Green" toilet paper
- pickled sweet onions
- tangy dill mini pickles
- canned bean sprouts
- canned giant escargot
- spicy pepper and herb olive oil (with a big giant pepper in the bottle)
- sundried tomatoes in olive oil
- canned sour cherries
- canned asparagus tips
- canned peach halves
- small decorative glass jar
- frozen mussels in shell
- frozen raw shrimp (unpeeled)
- frozen chicken giblets and hearts
- frozen smoked kippers
- frozen whole squid
- fresh mackerel fillets
- fresh beef kidney
I promise I'll post again and explain it all. Except the toilet paper. I think you can figure that one out yourselves.
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