Ottawa Mini Maker Faire 2012

Finally taking a few minutes to post about the fabulous weekend Jacob and I enjoyed at the latest Ottawa Mini Maker Faire. We were lucky enough to have had the opportunity exhibit our masks and met loads of amazing people in the process. Where to begin... We spent the couple of weeks prior to Maker Faire frantically making our signature miniature masquerade masks in order to showcase as many designs as possible. We have been making masks ever since that minotaur mask I've posted about a couple of years back (for Jacob's Halloween costume) and brought our full-sized masks as well. Here are a few of the newest masks we managed to finish on time (we had several other designs already completed, namely the ones featured on our Etsy store). As usual, we had a great time thinking of a bunch of small creatures and decking them up carnival-style:

Of course, things got too hectic for either of us to remember to take pictures of our own table (have a few taken by friends floating around that I might get a hold of eventually... fantastic blogger I am). Anywho, the event was a success, attracting hundreds of visitors and featuring a colourful and eclectic mix of traditional art, cutting-edge technology and science mingling together in various ways.

The crowd was simply amazing: Visitors and exhibitors shared a playful curiosity and enthusiasm that gave the environment the vibe of a bunch of children in a fabulous candy store (there were actual children in the mix as well, as the entire effort was very family-friendly). We got to meet lots of great creative souls despite the fact that it was difficult to pull away from one's table due to the steady flow of visitors (which is a pretty good thing all things considered!). One of them was fellow mask-maker Ian Langohr whose giant, clever masks were a neat complement to our tiny masks. As Jacob and I verified, his masks were as cushy and comfy as they were funny:

We unfortunately didn't get to cover every single exhibitor (or even to see everything on display) but the list is still available on Ottawa Mini Maker Faire's site and is absolutely worth perusing (many great projects and websites to enjoy). Really looking forward to next year's Faire (definitely being discussed and hopefully even bigger!). Awesome way to spend a weekend!

Magnificent Frigatebird

Here's a new finished illustration. A Magnificent Frigatebird in flight. The male inflates a bright red pouch to court the female. I thought it looked a bit like a big red heart in some angles, which was a bit like the bird carrying a Valentine around to his belle ;)

It is available as a print on my Etsy store... as many other illustrations of mine. I ought to advertise about it a bit more about it :P

World Animals Part 2 (Decisions!!)

I'm really trying to get this out ASAP. So after a bit of procrastinating, I'm working out some kinks in the final book organization and layout...

My initial idea put the emphasis on the world map and geographical areas, but I'm now wanting to showcase the animals more prominently. It's tricky in terms of space. The bigger the animals, the less space I have for text. So I'm thinking of downsizing a bit and featuring a maximum of 3 animals per region/continent (instead of 4). Problem is, that means leaving some cute beasties aside and, well, it makes me a bit :(

Some changes are easier to justify:



I initially had the Arctic Fox in North America, but found out it was better suited for Iceland (being its only native mammal). I had intended to replace it with the Bison (seen here not coloured yet) but I will drop it altogether for the 3-animals limit. I like the Racoon and Beaver designs best.

The Hummingbird will be changed to a Cedar Waxwing, which is more exclusive to N-America (I have yet to finish it). I will have to find another use for him!



The Caribbeans page doesn't look so crowded (partly because the land-mass isn't taking much space) but I want to try keeping the layout consistent. I love the Green Woodepecker, but I think I prefer making the other guys bigger (besides, there is another woodpecker in the Korea area... that makes it okay. ...right? I'll put you to good use somewhere, Woody; I SWEAR!!):



I justify my downsizing with Europe (BTW the texts here are still bogus filler text, obviously). With all the countries, it leaves the four animals just competing with the text for space. The Salamander is staying for sure because I want to include reptiles/non-furry-feathery animals. The Ibex is truly endemic. So the Pine Marten is probably going to get the pink slip... as if I don't feel like a jerk enough already...





I get a bit too personal with my art, sometimes...

Alright! Five regions left to finish!