Collage

A collage done for the prompt, "Transformation." The butterflies are made out of maps, magazines, and postage stamps, and are attached with silk thread. And glue. The base is foamcore covered with silk and brown paper (sewn and painted).

This piece was sold at my show, and is now in a private collection.

I wish this beer existed.

"The veldt of Africa and the Protestant work ethic bring you AARDVARK ALE: Boer beers that never bore."

If you are truly curious, I will post the copy I wrote for each of the three varieties: Old Aardvark IPA, Laager Down Lager, and Flying Dutchman Doppelbock.

Designing this beer carrier and three labels for a hypothetical brewing company was my final project for Advanced Graphic Design. I finished the project almost three weeks ahead of schedule, just so I could put it in my show.

The labels are a combination of hand-illustration, edited and colored in Illustrator; the pattern and color palette are based off traditional South African and Dutch Afrikaans designs.

Ship on Wave

This is still one of my best papercuts, even though it's about two years old. I used printer paper and razor blades--it was originally mounted on a re-purposed grocery bag (with Elmer's glue, ick, I don't know what I was thinking), and I had to kind of shave it off the old paper so I could remount it on archival materials.

Framing this was a bear; I found the frame at a junk shop, but it was just joined wood--no way to lay in the glass, mat, and image. We had to use the joined wood as a base and construct a gutter in the back.

Despite various Complications and Drama, I actually own this one (it wasn't for sale at the show).

Storybook Art

This is an illustration for the Russian folktale, "Vasilissa the Beautiful;" here, she is escaping from Baba Yaga's house.

I'm really pleased with how this turned out; it was the most detailed illustration from my art show. It's now in a private collection, but I'm thinking about doing a set of similar folktale drawings--Sedna from Inuit folklore, for one.

Skeletor!

A papercut study of the tendons of a hand. This took approximately forever and 10 exacto blades to cut. It's mounted on pins in a shadowbox.

Or just awkward, period.

Promotional "poster" for Lambda Iota Tau (the national literature honorary on campus) and the end-of-the-year white elephant. The only rule was that the book had to be awful.

This was actually the wrapping paper for my book, which was horrifying (in the spirit of the occasion):

"Sixteen year old Gemma is kidnapped from Bangkok airport and taken to the Australian Outback. Ty, her captor, is young, fit, and completely gorgeous. This new life in the wilderness has been years in the planning. He loves only her, wants only her. Under the hot glare of the Australian sun, cut off from the world outside, can the force of his love make Gemma love him back?"

Say it with me now: Roofies don't equal romance.

Lovely creatures

Another gift! This narwhale is searching for adventures, it needs a horizon to chase. (Inspired by a similar drawing, though I am sorry to say I cannot remember where I saw it.)