Roadside Projects

2011-12-02T18:48:00.001-08:00

I recently had the pleasure of creating these fun holiday paper cuts for the talented Trevor Pearson. Isn't his photography amazing? The shoot was for The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. There are a dozen or so images adorning everything from the menu boards to the website this season. Have a look (and a tasty beverage) if you've got one in town.

2011-11-15T13:12:00.000-08:00

(click to enlarge)

A piece that ended up not being used by the client. Thought I'd share it anyway...

Book Giveaway: PUSH Paper

2011-10-12T14:37:00.000-07:00

I'm so happy to be one of the artists featured in this awesome new book. A gorgeous collection curated by Jaime Zollars of Paper Forest, it showcases the work of artists using paper in all sorts of new and exciting ways. Jen Stark, Saelee Oh, Mia Pearlman, Rob Ryan - 30 artists in all.

After weeks of blog silence (I've been working on several currently confidential illustration projects - some of which I can hopefully share soon), I have a reward for one of you loyal readers. :)

I've got two copies of PUSH Paper to give away. Leave a comment here, on the Roadside Projects Facebook page (or both) and on Friday I'll pick a winner from each.

Good Luck!

Jayme

Shop Update

2011-07-08T16:46:00.000-07:00

Roald Dahl series originals will be available in the shop

Monday, July 11th

9:00 am Pacific

Roald Dahl: Part 13

2011-06-27T11:37:00.000-07:00

The latest issue of LMNOP Magazine, featuring my complete series of Roald Dahl inspired illustrations, is now available online.

Also, I've just updated my Etsy shop with prints of my favorites - in 5x7 and 8x10. I'm framing the originals right now and will be listing them shortly, so stay tuned. (I'll post the exact time they'll be listed beforehand, right here on the blog).

Many thanks to Jenny at LMNOP for inviting me to be a part of the issue. I had so much fun creating this project and couldn't have asked for nicer people to work with.

Roald Dahl: Part 12

2011-06-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

(click to enlarge)

“'Action stations!' James shouted. 'Jump to it! There’s not a moment to lose!' He was captain now, and everyone knew it."

Roald Dahl: Part 11

2011-06-12T11:15:00.000-07:00

My next illustration will be based on James & the Giant Peach. It's the last in my series for LMNOP magazine, but I'm really enjoying creating these and might do a few more. There are so many great Roald Dahl books left. My favorite as a child was The Witches. Do you have a favorite? I would love to hear.

A still from the 1996 Henry Selick film

Roald Dahl: Part 10

2011-06-10T13:35:00.000-07:00

Do you know the BFG? He collects dreams in jars and every night he sneaks around under the cover of darkness, blowing the good dreams in through the bedroom windows of sleeping children.

(click to enlarge)

“Sophie was silent. This extraordinary giant was disturbing her ideas. He seemed to be leading her towards mysteries that were beyond her understanding.”

Roald Dahl: Part 9

2011-05-26T15:54:00.000-07:00

(click to enlarge)

“‘Keep it up, my darlings!’ shouted Mr. Fox. ‘We’ll soon be there! Think what’s waiting for us at the other end! And just think what we’re bringing home with us...’”

Roald Dahl: Part 8

2011-05-25T12:42:00.000-07:00

I see many more anthropomorphic animals in my future... this is too fun.

Roald Dahl: Part 7

2011-05-23T11:28:00.000-07:00

Next in the series:

Here's a great clip with Roald Dahl's widow, Felicity and Wes Anderson talking about his 2009 stop-motion film based on the book:

Illustration by Donald Chaffin

Roald Dahl: Part 6

2011-05-19T15:09:00.000-07:00

(click to enlarge)

"Something crazy is going to happen now, Charlie thought. But he wasn't frightened. He wasn't even nervous. He was just terrifically excited."

Roald Dahl: Part 5

2011-05-18T17:33:00.000-07:00

Roald Dahl: Part 4

2011-05-12T14:28:00.000-07:00

Up next...

Original book illustration by Joseph Schindelman

Papercraft 2

2011-05-11T13:11:00.000-07:00

Need something fancy for your coffee table?

I got my copy in the mail today and it's pretty awesome. A really nice survey of artists working with paper all over the world. I'm so happy to be included again in the new collection - and amongst some of my favorites like Rob Ryan and Elsa Mora. Plus, I found some great new-to-me artists like:

Andrea Dezso

and

Nina Lindgren

and

Nick Georgiou

And while looking up some of the artists in the book, I stumbled upon Mandy Smith. Officially my new hero. Have you ever seen such amazing work with cut paper? Incredible...

The Move, Paper Animation from Mandy Smith.

Roald Dahl: Part 3

2011-05-09T18:06:00.000-07:00

(click to enlarge)

"For sheer cleverness she could run rings around them all."

I'm working with a new photo setup where I construct the piece in a paper theater of sorts, with a greater distance between the pieces than usual. I'm digging this larger depth of field, what do you think?

Roald Dahl: Part 2

2011-05-09T11:06:00.000-07:00

Up first: Matilda.

This series is for LMNOP magazine. My illustrations will run in next month's issue and I'll have prints available in my Etsy shop at that time. However, I'm going to be previewing the final illustrations in advance, here on my blog. So stop by tomorrow to see the completed piece.

Roald Dahl: Part 1

2011-05-06T14:43:00.000-07:00

Working on a series of illustrations - a project I've dreamt about for some time: cut paper scenes from the children's stories of Roald Dahl. I'm re-reading the 5 books for my series right now and they're as good as they were when I was 10.

Same Balloon, Different Adventure

2011-04-19T17:43:00.000-07:00

I got so excited about designing the next Shadow Box Kit that I forgot I promised to show you this!
So, here is one of the many different ways to construct the Balloon Adventure Kit. I used the included bonus templates to change the scenery and the pilot, giving the box a different feel. There really are endless ways to personalize this project... I think it's possible to create a piece that looks good on YOUR walls by simply changing up the color scheme and adding little details using the extra templates I mentioned.

Also, manipulating the paper (i.e. the accordion-folded map he's holding) adds a lot. Any bit of dimension you create gives the box more character, as the light catches it in a really cool way.

New in the Shop: A DIY Project!

2011-03-03T11:41:00.000-08:00

I'm so happy to finally be able to share what I've been working on for the past several months:

Cut Paper Shadow Box Kits!

The first in the series, "Balloon Adventure," is now available in the shop.

There's more info here on Etsy, but the basic idea is a kit that has easy-to-follow, fully illustrated instructions that guide you through the project step by step.

Also it's fully customizable, so you can switch up the landscape, clothing, skin tone, hair, etc. to your liking. All of the extra templates and colored paper are included. I'm going to be doing a couple tutorials on how to personalize this box in the coming days - so stay tuned!

Inspired By: Marlies Van Der Wel

2011-02-18T13:08:00.000-08:00

Marlies Van Der Wel

Inspired By: Di Liu

2010-12-18T10:13:00.000-08:00

via Lacoste

2010-12-07T12:16:00.000-08:00

Wow. Time has just slipped away from me this past month or so. Sorry to leave you so long without an update. Here is the main reason for my lack of blogging lately:

Since we bought the house last Spring, we've been remodeling each room one by one, and now it's time to do my studio (pictured above). We were just going to put up sheetrock on the wall with the exposed plumbing... but of course every little repair job has a way of turning into a major project with an almost 100 year old house. While the room was emptied out, we decided we might as well rip down the nasty wood paneling that was covering one of the walls, then chunks of the ceiling started coming down as a result of working on that, and so on and so forth until the place was basically gutted.

Well, the hardest part is done now and we're working on getting it put back together and looking pretty.

I'm eager to get back to making art and blogging regularly, and I don't think I'm the only one who is slightly annoyed that this studio construction is going on longer than planned...

I will admit, hours of potential blogging time may have also been lost to raccoon tug-of-war. How could you say no to this face?

Sadly, I've missed my window for getting any special holiday goods into my Etsy shop again this year - but I'm working on something that I'm really excited about, for the shop a bit later this winter. DIY cut paper shadow boxes! I've wanted to offer some sort of kit for a long time and it's finally getting done. I will keep you updated on the details...

Also, in the shop right now, I have added a new print ("In the Trees") on a beautiful matte paper that I am now using for all of my prints. Check it out here.

2010-10-12T10:39:00.000-07:00

I got myself an end-of-project reward... Sacramento's cutest shelter pup!

Meet Mouse. The 3 month old (30 pound!) retriever/terrier. Her breed is really just a guess - she was picked up wandering the streets alone before she was rescued by the SPCA. But we do know that she's super sweet, and smart, and is going to be the perfect studio sidekick as soon as we finish nursing her back to health. :)

2010-10-08T19:51:00.000-07:00

Sacramento News & Review: BEST OF SACRAMENTO 2010

2010-09-29T10:14:00.000-07:00

2010-09-28T16:16:00.000-07:00

2010-09-20T12:21:00.000-07:00

2010-09-16T17:32:00.000-07:00

2010-09-15T13:57:00.000-07:00

2010-08-22T17:35:00.000-07:00

Tree Top: Conclusion

2010-08-11T11:17:00.000-07:00

Look what I got yesterday! It's a timelapse video made from photographs taken during my work on the Tree Top illustrations. Seeing this now, I can almost forget that I was working on that first illustration for at least a week! It's really fun to see my work from this perspective. Many thanks to Matt Ralston for doing such nice work with the editing/producing.

This concludes my blogging on this project - for now. I'll keep you posted as the other animated commercials are released and available for viewing. Thanks for reading. I especially appreciate all of you who took the time to leave comments - your feedback really helped me keep my energy up on such a long project. I hope you enjoy the video!

2010-08-04T10:06:00.000-07:00

Ballot for upcoming "Best Of" issue. Vote here if you're local.

Update

2010-07-21T12:22:00.000-07:00

Hello blog readers! Sorry for the unexpected lengthy silence. I had to spend the last several weeks moving my studio. We're finally out of our apartment and into the new house. Of course all sorts of urgent projects popped up along the way (adding new electrical, plumbing, cutting out sections of walls and rebuilding them) making the move much longer than planned. I'll spare you the photos - I fear this could too easily turn into a mediocre home renovation blog and we all know the internet doesn't need another one of those!

Anyhow, I'm happy to be back online now. Here's an illustration I forgot to share with you last month. I had the pleasure of working with New Scientist magazine to create this image for an article about volcanic activity - specifically, how it can be triggered by meteorites. You can preview the article here.

I'm currently working on a fun, local project: the cover and several additional illustrations for an upcoming "Best Of" issue for our independent alternative weekly here in Sacramento, the News & Review. Photos of that new work in progress to come...

Tree Top: Part 14

2010-06-09T12:40:00.000-07:00

I made this piece as a gift for Tree Top - in celebration of a great ad campaign and their 50th anniversary!

9" x 9" x 1 3/4"

(click to view larger)

If you follow me on Facebook, you already know about this (as I've been excitedly blabbering about it for the past 48 hours...) but, my work got a very nice mention in THE NEW YORK TIMES the other day!!! And, although it was sort of suggested that I'm expecting (not true!), my mother is very proud nonetheless. :)

Tree Top: Part 13

2010-06-07T12:47:00.000-07:00

The site is up and ready for you to contribute to...

I have to say - the visitors so far have found some truly creative ways to put a scene together (for instance, these gems).

If you click "Learn More" on the site's bottom navigation bar, there are links to my work - the final print ads and animations. I can't take credit for the images on the homepage itself. ;)

Tree Top: Part 12

2010-06-07T10:39:00.000-07:00

The final print ad, "Harvest Good"

You can see my original sketch and photos from the making of the image here.

Tree Top: Part 11

2010-06-02T09:44:00.000-07:00

In less than a week, Tree Top's "Words to Grow By" website will be live with all of the cool interactive features I referenced earlier.

One of the things you'll be able to do there, is make your own custom image by collaging a series of individual cut paper pieces I made just for the site. You'll get to pick from dozens of elements- people, plants, animals, vehicles and plenty of other objects to make your own unique scene.

Here's a preview - some photos of me working on the pieces and a few snapshots of everything all laid out as I was getting ready to photograph the final art:

I have to say - I was pretty stoked, figuring out how to actually weave this picnic basket in record time. I glued the tops of the vertical strips to a piece of scrap paper, to hold it in place while I was working, and then cut it off after the thing was done (it's glued to a solid brown piece of paper on the reverse side). I used the same technique on the lawn chair below...

These will all look a whole lot better in the context of the website! I'll let you know as soon as everything is up and ready to play with.

Tree Top: Part 10

2010-05-28T08:49:00.000-07:00

The 2nd print ad, "Sample Joy"

If you missed the posts on the making of this piece - here's the link.

Happy weekend to you!

Tree Top: Part 9

2010-05-23T11:21:00.000-07:00

I can't tell you how much I appreciate your kind response to the Cultivate Happy commercial - it truly makes the many hours of work involved in making something like this, well worth it. THANK YOU.

Here is the print ad that matches the animated spot. It's on newsstands now and the full spread will be viewable soon on the awesome website now being built for the campaign. It's going to be an interactive space that I think you'll really enjoy - I'll remind you again as soon as it's live.

Tree Top: Part 8

2010-05-18T10:56:00.000-07:00

So, those of you who follow me on Facebook already know - I couldn't keep the secret long enough to actually compose a blog post...

The first of my Tree Top spots is now available for viewing on YouTube!!! Check it out:

What do you think? I'm so happy with the work of the talented animators who made my art come to life! It's absolutely thrilling to see my cut paper pieces in motion.

Stay tuned - there are many more good things ahead. :)

Tree Top: Part 7

2010-05-12T15:00:00.000-07:00

Thanks for all of your feedback on the series so far! I'm so excited that I'll soon be able to show you the end product of all this work...

Here are a few more in-progress shots from the making of "Harvest Good":

Tree Top: Part 6

2010-05-07T08:55:00.000-07:00

The final piece in the series, "Harvest Good", tells the story of a family-run orchard - that of Tree Top apple growers Bill & Jeanette.

Here Jeanette is watering her garden with her granddaughter while Bill looks on from a small rural house that's been converted into an office.

To build the Jeanette character, I start by sorting through paper - gathering materials and laying them out together to see if they work. After deciding on a palette, I do some basic sketching (just to get the general shape down) and start cutting.

I had a blast making all of the tiny flowers and veggies. I wish my garden looked this nice. If only bringing all of these paper plants to life magically translated into some real life gardening skills!

Poppies, hydrangeas, tulips, sweat peas, sunflowers - I hope I got some of Jeanette's favorites too.

I'll be back shortly with the next installment. Thanks for reading!

Tree Top: Part 5

2010-05-03T09:13:00.000-07:00

Let's pick up where we left off - with Sonia at the picnic.

Because all of the Tree Top employees/grower-owners featured in these illustrations are actually real people - I had to make sure they looked as true-to-life as possible.

After several critiques and revisions, it was determined that little cut paper Sonia finally resembled real life Sonia, and was approved.

Hi Sonia (if you're reading this) - I hope I did you justice!

Trying to stay organized.

A mess really piles up quickly when working with so many different materials. I usually have work spread out on at least 3 tables by the end of the day. Sometimes I miss my tidy paint palette.

Working, working, working on those finicky little juice bottles...

I just keep thinking about how awesome they're going to look spinning around in the animation to keep me motivated.

End of the week sorting of scraps - the tiny ones go in the recycling bin, the larger, back into their color-coded drawers.

I can't wait to show you the final work! But you're going to have to wait just a little bit longer...

Up next as the making-of series continues: print spread/animation #3: "Harvest Good"
See you soon.

Tree Top: Part 4

2010-04-21T16:08:00.000-07:00

Today I want to introduce you to the second illustration in the "Words to Grow By" series: "Sample Joy". This piece is about Sonia, a quality control expert at Tree Top. I learned that every single batch of juice is personally tested before it goes to market - and Sonia is one of the people who makes that happen.

This image shows her conducting a tasting at a picnic - but we also wanted to include a little of the juice processing plant too. It was a tricky combination of scenes to make work together cohesively - here's what I came up with:

The composition may look a little chaotic in my concept sketch, but with color tying things together, and individual elements staggered at different depths, I think it really works well in the cut paper final.

After I put the basic background together, I jumped right into the fun stuff: the stacked apple crates in the foreground. I can see how some might find it a great challenge to their patience, but I love this kind of paper cutting - hours of trimming dozens of small shapes and then carefully building them up to slowly reveal their final form.

1. A cut paper "sketch" 2. The basic background 3. With simple apple shapes 4. Complete with final details

It's starting to come together now, with the hills and sky continuing through the back door of the warehouse. My next post will show the making of the processing plant scene (conveyor belt, etc.) and the merry picnic-goers.

For now I'll leave you with this happy cat. All of these apples are making me hungry - I'm off to hunt for a snack. I'll be back shortly with the next post in this behind the scenes series.

See you then!

Tree Top: Part 3

2010-04-19T13:03:00.001-07:00

Wind!

(for the "Cultivate Happy" animation)

And more of the smiling dog.

Thanks for your feedback on the last couple of posts. I'm going to be answering questions in the comments section now and keeping the posts to mostly pictures. Hope you like them! I'll be back shortly to introduce you to the next spread/animation, so see you soon.

Tree Top: Part 2

2010-04-12T14:07:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much for the kind feedback on my first post. I'm glad you're as excited about this project as I am. Most of the questions I received were about my set-up, so here is a list (linked to resources for finding them yourself, if you're so inclined) of the things that I consider most essential:

My table top easel (homemade), self-healing cutting mat, a few different sizes of scissors, tweezers, X-acto knife, and the number one most inquired about item in the history of this blog - my glue! I also use cotton swabs for getting any adhesive that oozes out of place, as it has a way of doing.

Pictured above, you can also see a black board propped up against my paper storage on the back side of my work table. It's a magnetic board and it has been working out really well for quickly putting up reference photos, images for inspiration, reminder notes, etc.

Some of you asked about the concept for the campaign. I'm working with a whole team of other creatives on this - art directors, graphic designers, animators, project managers and many other people behind the scenes - all led by the talented folks at Cole & Weber United in Seattle (close to where Tree Top is based).

The idea for the series is "Words to Grow By" ("Cultivate Happy" is the 1st of 3) and working with the aforementioned crew, my part is helping develop the slogans visually (with sketches) and executing the illustrations.

This tractor is modeled after Farmer John's actual Ditch Witch. I had to take some creative liberties - as you can clearly see - I have no idea what make up the actual components of a tractor engine. But I'm guessing that you don't either and we can all be OK with mysterious cylinders and tubes. ;-)

Here are all the cut paper pieces laid out and ready to go - almost there! After all the elements are finished, I photograph each one individually (like the tractor shot above) and bring the digital images into Photoshop to piece the entire spread together. You're going to have to wait until the official launch to see the final spread though...

The next "making-of" post will cover the creation of the additional work for the "Cultivate Happy" animation - so stay tuned. Thanks for reading!

Introduction to the Project: Tree Top

2010-04-06T16:11:00.000-07:00

Today I want to share with you the project that I've been involved in for the past month or so. As I mentioned in my last post, I'm in the middle of completing the work right now, but I'll start at the beginning because I want to do a series of posts, covering the making of each piece from start to finish.

---

I had the honor of being asked to illustrate a series of ads for Tree Top. If you, like me, are on the west coast of the United States, you're probably already familiar with the name Tree Top as leading producers of apple juice (and quite possibly have one of their products in your fridge right now) - but you may not be aware of the fact that they're also a grower owned co-op. I didn't know this when I first took on the job, but was excited to find out that I would be working from photos of the actual Tree Top orchards and facilities, as well as creating images of real life people who work there.

So not only is the project for a business I'm happy to work for - it's my largest and most exciting illustration project to date: 3 magazine spreads and, in addition to these pieces for print, they're going to be ANIMATED. I can't wait to see my work in motion! They'll be online for all to view as soon as this campaign launches...

In the meantime, I've kindly been granted permission to share images from behind the scenes of the work in progress for you to preview.

First up: the story of Farmer John (real guy, actually named John). Here is my concept sketch - based on the slogan "Cultivate Happy".

Seriously, any job that requires I make smiling dogs is alright by me.

After I have a good sketch, I use it as a template to begin cutting the paper pieces. Usually I'll just eyeball it and begin cutting, trimming it down until it's just right. Other times (for more complicated shapes) I'll use a lightbox to transfer my sketch to scrap paper first, making a stencil I can trace onto the colored paper for the final artwork. Much of my paper has been collected from various sources over the years and I can't just go to the art store and buy more materials like I would for paint or glue. I try not to waste any by cutting it right the first time.

That table top easel has really saved my neck and back lately. You can see the posture I end up in for 8 hours+ a day. Hunched over with my nose just inches from the work. Sure I could make everything bigger and shrink it down digitally later, but I just like it tiny, what can I say?

Time to clean up for the day.

If you have any questions about my process, or suggestions for this "making-of" series, be sure to let me know in the comment section below. I'll see you in a few with the next installment!

Update

2010-04-01T08:30:00.000-07:00

A whole month without a post! That's awful. I'm sorry guys - March was a whirlwind of activity here at Roadside headquarters. I'm working on a BIG illustration project (1 month in, 2 months to go) that I'm very excited to share with you but am unable to do so just yet! Soon though, I promise.

And another reason for my absence lately:

We just bought a house! After looking for months and months we finally found the perfect place - a 1920's Craftsman Bungalow... and it's a fixer. I'm just showing you the nicest photos :)

Every time I've had a few minutes to spare, I've hopped onto the computer (planning to do a blog post) and been sucked into a vortex of Craftsman restoration sites and design blogs. I swear anyone could lose half a day drooling over Design Sponge's Sneak Peek features alone. And we're moving from a very tiny apartment which means we have no furniture, and of course John insists on personally designing and building everything we need by hand (latest website for inspiration) - so you can imagine the amount of feverish planning going on around here. (When I say this place is a fixer, I mean there aren't even any kitchen cupboards - the previous owners abandoned it mid-remodel.) So if you're wondering where the heck I've been all month - the answer is here, here and here mostly.

But this month I promise to spend less time dreaming about house plans, and more time blogging about my illustration work. So, I'll see you soon!

Snippets from the Studio

2010-03-01T13:16:00.000-08:00

I was recently given a large box of fabulous vintage papers... one of the greatest presents a person can receive (in my opinion). It was like Christmas sorting through all of them, dreaming about their possible uses, and then filing them away into my color/pattern semi-neurotic organizational system.

Ever since I began filing and storing my materials like this (with everything put away in drawers and cabinets, out of the sun), it's been a real pain to pull everything out whenever it's time to start a new piece. I realized I needed a way to check at a glance what I have to work with, without damaging the paper by constantly flipping through it...

Ok, you might think I have way too much time on my hands when you see this next picture (quite the opposite actually, I'm knee deep in illustration commissions right now - more on that later). I made a paper inventory. It's a binder with sample squares of each piece in my collection.

Organizing things makes me happy, what can I say? The plan is that when it's time to pick out my palette for a project, I can open this binder and pick the specific paper I want to use (and then go directly to it in the drawer/cabinet), without mulling over file upon file of paper stashes. I hope it will save me time in the long run.

On an unrelated note, HOW AWESOME ARE THESE SCISSORS? Thanks Martha, these are truly a good thing.

2010-02-22T10:23:00.000-08:00

Just a quick update on the wallets I designed for Poketo: you can now find all 3 designs for sale in my Etsy shop.

Here are a couple of pictures of mine in use to give you an idea of their size - they fold perfectly to fit your pocket.

2010-02-11T15:26:00.000-08:00

My Poketo wallets are now available for purchase! They're part of a limited edition series featuring work by 4 artists who work with cut paper.

wallet #2 - outside/inside

I had the privilege of creating THREE designs - you can find them here, here and here.

(image via Poketo)

I had so much fun making them and am really happy with how they turned out - big thanks to Poketo for the opportunity. To learn more about the series, make sure to check out their blog for artist interviews: up first, Jared Schorr.

2010-02-05T17:02:00.000-08:00

And the winner is...
#22 Matt Barry
(who called my work good "like, grandma's fresh baked chocolate chip cookies good")

Thanks Matt and thanks everyone for your nice comments.
A giveaway always sounds like such a nice thing in the beginning - but then I realize there is only going to be ONE happy person and everyone else is going to be disappointed! Even though the winner was chosen at random, I still feel a little bad... so I've gathered together these feel-good videos for you as a consolation prize. Happy Friday to you!

2010-02-03T11:24:00.000-08:00

"By the Sea"
cut paper in handmade wood frame
5" x 7" x 1"

My work is back from the "Cut & Fold" exhibition at New Brewery Arts. One piece is now listed (on sale!) in my Etsy shop, along with two other cut paper originals (also on sale).

I'm giving the other one away for free. Why not? It's the first day in two weeks that it hasn't rained. The sun is shining through my studio windows and I'm in a good mood.

OK, here's what you need to do:

1. Become a fan of Roadside Projects on Facebook and/or follow me on Twitter. (I promise I won't post about what I ate for breakfast or bombard you with other useless details about my day - I'll only post things that I think you will like. Sound good?)
2. Leave a comment on this post to say hello.
3. That's it. I'll pick a name at random and announce the winner on Friday (around 5pm California time).

*US residents only. Apologies to my international friends - I can't afford to ship this one overseas.*

2010-02-03T11:10:00.000-08:00

If you're going to be in Oakland this Friday and want to check out some art - I have a piece in this show. (It's the Wild Things piece I did for Terrible Yellow Eyes.)

There's a great line-up including Brittney Lee, Jamie Spinello and Lee Hunter.
I hear there will also be free cupcakes. ;)

Terminal 22
2443 Telegraph Avenue
Opening: Friday Feb. 5th, 6-10 pm

2010-01-26T09:47:00.001-08:00

I can't put this book down: The Making of Fantastic Mr. Fox

Tons of great conceptual drawings and photos from behind-the-scenes on the film set. One of my favorite spreads details the making of the landscape: "sculpted by hand and then covered with dyed towels, tea leaves, and cut-up air conditioner filters to create the texture of leaves and grass."

In an interview with Wes Anderson included in the book, when asked why he chose stop-motion animation, he says "the kind of effects where you can see what it is, have always been the most fascinating and mesmerizing and moving to me... that magical effect where you can see how it is accomplished - where at one and the same time you are enchanted by the trick to the effect and by the story itself."

Well put. I know I annoyed everyone around me at the theater by repeatedly calling out everything I recognized ("Look! That smoke is made out of cotton balls!") I really couldn't help myself.

---

In other news - I'm more than a little late in announcing this - but I'm up for an award on Poppytalk (in the 'affordable art' category). Today is the last day to vote and you can do so here. If you get there and decide you'd rather vote for Betsy Walton, Studio Violet, or one of the many other talented nominees, I won't be offended. Many thanks to the fans who nominated me, I'm flattered!

And lastly, you can now find me on twitter.

2010-01-21T10:48:00.000-08:00

If you're interested in learning a little bit more about my process, I had the pleasure of being featured on Working in the 3rd Dimension yesterday - you can read the interview here.

2010-01-20T08:34:00.001-08:00

I've made a few changes to my blog layout and added a bunch of links for you to browse. I had accumulated so many bookmarks of great websites that I knew if I shared them with you one at a time - I'd never get to them all. So, I've put them all in one place along the right sidebar, divided up into sections.

Here's a sample of some of the gems to be found in this 'Directory of Favorites':

From the category Inspiration :: Photos

via Life Magazine photo archive by Google

via Other People's Pictures

via The Library of Congress (Flicker Commons)

Each one of the sites on this list have pages with links of their own, so there's tons of great stuff to be discovered if you check those out too - such as my new favorite: Women & Dogs.

From the category Inspiration :: Stories

Ok, so I'm sure you're already listening to This American Life... but what about The Moth? It's a shorter show but equally entertaining, I assure you. It's people telling stories on stage in front of an audience, without notes. You can subscribe to the podcast free with Itunes and stream even more stories on their website. Here's a clip that happens to contain all of my favorites in one - Mike Birbiglia telling a story for The Moth, broadcast on This American Life (and re-posted on YouTube):

From the category Inspiration :: Art

(no way to possibly include links to everyone so just a short list of random favorites - I will be updating this list regularly I'm sure)

Margaret Kilgallen

Rob Ryan

Camilla Engman

The ParkeHarrisons

And with the last two sections Illustration Resources & Paper Resources it was my intention to list, what I feel are, the best websites for finding additional information - there are so many great sites out there that already have massive link lists so I thought it better to share those than try to compile my own.

Beware, you could easily spend an entire day lost in Agence Eureka's photo sets.

Enjoy! I hope you find something interesting and useful. And please let me know if you have an amazing site you go to for inspiration that you want to share.

(From here on out, I will be adding links to the sidebar, but will mostly be posting about them on the Roadside Project's Facebook page. You're welcome to join me there if you're into that sort of thing.)

2010-01-15T10:54:00.000-08:00

While trying to conquer those more challenging new year's resolutions, I keep reminding myself: there's a 16 year old girl sailing around the world, alone, right now. It really puts things in perspective and I know that what I'm trying to accomplish is totally manageable by comparison. Umm, run 3 days a week... yeah, I think I can do that.

If you need some inspiration, check out Jessica Watson's blog. She's on a mission to become the youngest person to sail nonstop, unassisted around the world. She just rounded Cape Horn on Wednesday.

2010-01-14T11:34:00.000-08:00

Perk #173 of marrying a furniture designer: adjustable table top easel built to spec overnight.

This means I can stand and work whenever I need a break from sitting AND I no longer have to worry about becoming a hunchback. Thanks John!

I just finished organizing my paper collection- a task that's been nagging me for awhile and feels really good to finally have done. Larger pieces are organized by color (divided by solid/pattern) and all of the smaller scraps are in drawers (also by color). Everything protected from the sun and dust.

Well that's one new year's resolution to check off the list...

2010-01-08T17:21:00.001-08:00

This illustration was for a magazine article about Wicca (a Pagan religion). Specifically, how it has been commercialized in recent years. ("Teen Witch Kits" and other such accessories are for sale all over the place, promising girls everything they could possibly want if they just cast the proper spell, but these materials do not acknowledge the original intentions of the Wiccan movement.)

Due to unfortunate circumstances (a curse perhaps ;) ), it won't be making it into the current issue. Bummer.

But all is not lost! The kind folks at the magazine have agreed to let me show it here and I thought it would be a good opportunity to post a few shots of the piece in progress too - maybe giving you a better idea of how I work.

- - - - - - - - -

I always start with a sketch. I like to keep it rough and just try to get the basic idea down... after all it will look so different when rendered in 3d with cut paper.

early concept sketch

As the final illustration needed to be in black and white, I decided to build the original paper piece out of mostly b+w paper (instead of just doing it in Photoshop after the fact) so I could better visualize the final piece as I was working.

tiny pieces waiting to be glued into place

After assembling the cut paper piece, I photograph it and bring it into Photoshop for manipulation. I try to craft the paper image as best I can and keep the digital work to a minimum.

the finished dimensional artwork - ready to be photographed

- - - - - - - - -

2010-01-01T23:59:00.000-08:00

www.roadsideprojects.com

Happy New Year to you! I hope you enjoyed the holidays. I spent the past few weeks catching up on some much-needed relaxing with family and friends... and finishing my website. Hurray! It's finally up and running and I'm looking forward to getting back to my regular posting here. :) Thank you to all who have been following my work for the past year - your encouragement means so much to me. Have a great weekend and let me know what you think of my site if you get a chance to check it out...

2009-12-12T11:53:00.000-08:00

I just created a "work in progress" photo set on Flickr if you're interested in seeing a little of what goes on behind-the-scenes at my home studio.

(click image to go to Flickr)

I think all of these have been previously posted on this blog at sometime or another but I thought it would be nice to have them gathered all in one place.

Also - I finally started a Facebook page and I would be thrilled if you joined me there!

2009-12-10T10:09:00.000-08:00

Sorry the posting has been so slow around here lately! I'm still working on that website I mentioned last month... it's not too far off now. I should definitely have it finished by the end of next week - just a little behind schedule.

I did want to share this with you:

My first editorial illustration! It's for a piece on the "sandwich generation" (adults who are taking care of both their children and their parents) for the annual food issue of Canadian Family Magazine.

2009-11-30T12:16:00.000-08:00

The shop is now stocked with one final batch of Magic Green Bike clocks - just in time for the holidays! Original works are marked down 15%. Please order by December 15th (within the US) for Christmas delivery.

2009-11-14T12:58:00.000-08:00

Wes Anderson has turned Roald Dahl's Fantastic Mr. Fox into an amazing stop motion feature film. Check out the trailer and short feature on the making of it. All of the puppets and sets were made by hand - incredible! You can find some more shorts from behind the scenes here. (In theaters on Thanksgiving)

2009-11-06T10:37:00.000-08:00

The last couple work weeks have consisted of: multiple illustration commissions (none of which I am at liberty to discuss yet) and many hours of website design (I'm hoping to have a main portfolio site up by the end of the month)... which doesn't exactly make for exciting blogging - hence the lack of posts. But, I did want to let you know about an awesome blog Liz Lomax recently created: Working in the 3rd Dimension. So far there are some great interviews and a growing collection of artist links/resources - well worth checking out.

Also, for any fellow music-obsessed illustrators out there - Carrie Brownstein is hosting a contest over at her blog Monitor Mix: build a body out of bands. The assignment is proving to be a fun challenge so far... the idea is to create a character based on band names involving body parts (The Flaming Lips, Talking Heads, The Shins, etc.) I'm sure there will be a ton of entries and I don't know if mine will stand much of a chance at winning, but it is cracking me up every time I look at it! I'm trying to use as many bands as possible and my 'body' is becoming some kind of otherworldly mutant.

2009-10-20T17:25:00.000-07:00

Six originals - Now in the shop

Papercraft

2009-10-19T15:28:00.001-07:00

I'm honored to have my work included in another beautiful book by Gestalten. I just got my copy in the mail yesterday and this book is gorgeous! It's all about art and design with paper - 256 pages of it being used in every way imaginable. The book even comes with a DVD of some great stop-motion paper animations and templates for DIY paper toys.

One of my pieces featured in the 3D illustration section

Here is a small sample of the wide variety of work included in the book...

Imaginative set designs by IJM studio

Large scale installations by Taylor McKimens

A beautiful Fleet Foxes music video by Sean Pecknold
(check out his website for a short film on the making of this)

2009-10-15T08:25:00.000-07:00

When I was working on the pieces for "Cut & Fold", looking up pictures of interesting houses online, I found several great new (to me) artists I wanted to share with you. I'm a sucker for elaborate fantasy cities (one of my favorite things to draw as a kid) and I just love these...

"Mobile Home"
Mattias Adolfsson
Sweden

"The Idle Principality"
Allison Sommers
US

"The Diver"
Matthew Scott
UK

"Big Cat"
Ahmet Ozcan
Turkey

Also - don't forget about tomorrow!

Cut & Fold

2009-10-08T12:56:00.000-07:00

pt. 2
5" x 7" x 1"

This little series is for a show I've been looking forward to for quite a while - it's called "Cut & Fold", an exhibition designed to highlight a diverse range of paper art from all over the world: folded paper, paper cuts, collage, papier mache, origami, paper sculpture, wallpaper and more.

It opens November 7th at New Brewery Arts in Gloucestershire, UK.

Sadly, I'll have to enjoy this show via the internet, but anyone lucky enough to live in the area should definitely take the time to stop by. There will be artist talks and a series of hands-on workshops designed to teach various paper art processes and skills.

My work is just one very small piece of the overall "Cut & Fold" project - the artist lineup is pretty phenomenal. Here are just a few of those involved (these images are not of pieces that will be in the show - I just borrowed them from the artists' online portfolios to give you an idea of their style) ...

Peter Callesen

Elisabeth Lecourt

Beatrice Coron

Ferry Staverman

Adriane Colburn

"Cut & Fold" :: New Brewery Arts :: Nov. 7 - Jan. 3

pt. 1

2009-10-05T13:36:00.000-07:00

5" x 7" x 1"

The lady serenading the forest is about the size of a quarter. I think I need to start working with a monocle...

2009-09-30T10:04:00.000-07:00

new work in progress

Giveaway Winners

2009-09-29T06:34:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who took the time to enter the print giveaway! I used random.org to pick 5 entries and they were:

Artfulife
Delphine
Honey Mommy
Irit
Ruthie

*Please email me with your mailing addresses at:
roadsideprojects[at]gmail.com

It was great to see that many of us have favorite children's authors in common - Dr. Seuss, Shel Silverstein and of course Mr. Sendak. Where the Sidewalk Ends and Light in the Attic were two of my favorites as a kid. And just this morning I was reading Dr. Seuss while babysitting my niece - I agree with you guys that his work still holds up after all this time. I was also glad to see that there was at least one Harriet the Spy fan out there. I was obsessed with this book as a young reader and put great effort into crafting my own homemade belt to hold my spy accessories (flashlight, notebook, etc.) a la Harriet...

Thanks again for all of your recommendations and kind comments. I'll be back soon with images of my treehouse piece in progress.

Wild Things Giveaway

2009-09-25T10:09:00.000-07:00

A bunch of people have written to me asking if I plan to make prints of the Where the Wild Things Are piece I made for the Terrible Yellow Eyes show... I can't sell prints of this piece [copyright law (Maurice Sendak owns these characters) - original works are ok to sell as 'fan art' but profiting off reproductions is not allowed] So, I'm giving some away for free. ;)

To win a signed 5" x 7" print of "Ruler of the Wild Things" :

Leave a comment (I'm particularly interested in hearing about your favorite children's books) before midnight on Monday (California time). I will pick FIVE winners at random and announce their names on Tuesday.

2009-09-23T11:43:00.000-07:00

I'm working on another small series of pieces for an upcoming show (more details on that later) and I've chosen the theme of "unconventional homes". The first piece involves a treehouse and I have to admit I've been stalling on getting into the actual WORK because I can't pull myself away from the computer. To help justify my endless hours of treehouse image searches/treehouse fantasies (always wanted one, never had one) - I've compiled a small collection of favorites to share...

Two fancy backyard examples
by Michael Ince & Pete Nelson

A clever little house suspended by cables
Belzig, Germany

97 feet tall with 10 floors - a church
Crossville, Tennessee
(more photos here)

I couldn't find any information on these... nice staircases, looks dangerous though.

Good as lookout towers, I imagine.

A home built after Hurricane Katrina
by Dawn Dedeaux in Alabama

Another great spiral staircase, this one sturdier. I like how they built around the branches.
Rambouillet Forest, France

The Chapel Oak: the oldest known tree in France

Allouville-Bellefosse

I think treehouses are best a little bit crooked.
(again, no info to be found)

One of many beautiful designs by Baumraum treehouse builders
Osnabruck, Germany

The Yellow Treehouse Restaurant - sponsored by The Yellow Pages?!
Auckland, New Zealand

One in a series of "Free Spirit Spheres" in the rainforest
Vancouver Island, Canada

Just a reminder...

2009-09-14T18:30:00.000-07:00

Terrible Yellow Eyes opens this Saturday!

Shop Update

2009-09-08T14:28:00.000-07:00

If you've been following my blog for a while you may recognize these images - I posted a preview some time ago.

Now it's finally time to reveal the project they were designed for... Poketo wallets! They'll be out this winter - hopefully in time for the holidays.

In the meantime, the original art pieces are now listed in my Etsy shop and looking for good homes.

Secret Concert, Aerial Adventurers and Sparrow Squad

2009-09-01T10:03:00.000-07:00

Good morning friends! I just wanted to stop by to let you know about a new project I've been working on: a collaboration with Portland-based retailer Fawn & Forest. September's Forest Finds includes a new line of beautiful eco-friendly bamboo plywood panels - featuring prints by seven independent artists/designers - and I'm so happy to be among them. You will now be able to find some Roadside favorites at a larger size (6x9) and purchase this image for the first time ever...
Plan Gone Awry - Plywerk Panel

...only if you want to, of course. No pressure. ;)
View the entire Roadside Projects Fawn & Forest collection, here.

Cats Prefer Sonic Youth on Vinyl...

2009-08-25T10:42:00.001-07:00

Phew. Made it. Part 6 is done and they're all on the way to the gallery in time for next week's opening. I had so much fun making these and I'm thrilled that they are going to be available for viewing in person. There are so many details that are hard to see on a computer monitor. It's really such a different experience seeing art in real life... I hope all of you in the Portsmouth area will stop by. There's going to be tons of good stuff to see - like sculpture by Double Parlour and papercuts by the incredible Elsa Mora.

Opens Friday, September 4th and runs through the 28th.
Check Three Graces online for gallery hours.

The Best Album Ever
paper and ink in handmade paper frame
5" x 7" x 1"

(click to view bigger)

Maude on a Mission

2009-08-24T12:20:00.000-07:00

2009-08-20T20:00:00.000-07:00

Do you remember the awesome blog I mentioned awhile back featuring art inspired by Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are? Wellllll, Cory Godbey (the creator of Terrible Yellow Eyes) has teamed up with Nucleus in Los Angeles to curate a physical gallery show featuring 50 artists from the online collection and I just found out that I'm in! It's coming up soon (Sept. 19). You definitely don't want to miss this if you're in and around LA...

Visit the TYE show site for more details and the complete list of contributing artists.

And many thanks to Cory for all his hard work!

Outlaws in the Attic

2009-08-20T11:46:00.000-07:00

Another piece for the Teeny Tiny Art Show next month...

- - -

2009-08-12T16:05:00.000-07:00

As wonderful as it would be to find your mailbox overflowing with dozens of hand-written letters, I think it would be equally magical to stumble unexpectedly upon this gigantic stuffed pink bunny while hiking in the Italian Alps.

"...and then, behind a hill, as if knitted by giant grandmothers, lies this vast rabbit, to make you feel as small as a daisy..."

by Gelintin art collective

view from an airplane

preliminary artist's rendering

bunny being built over a span of 5 years

2009-08-11T12:26:00.000-07:00

- - -

Pt. 3
5" x 7" x 1"

2009-07-30T13:53:00.000-07:00

pt. 2
(click on images to view bigger)

2009-07-28T12:10:00.000-07:00

Here's a great little clip of Maurice Sendak talking about the making of the Where the Wild Things Are film coming out this Fall.

And - totally unrelated - a shot of pt. 2 in progress for anyone who cares to hazard a guess at what scene may be unfolding here...

2009-07-24T19:20:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much for your nice comments on my surprised little bathing man... I don't think it gets much better than a marriage proposal, as far as compliments go. ;) Pt. 2 is not ready for sharing yet, but I wanted stop by and let you know about my new favorite blog: Terrible Yellow Eyes. It features work inspired by Where the Wild Things Are by contributing artists from all over the world. I'm thrilled to have my piece featured this week alongside that of so many talented Maurice Sendak fans.

Ruler of the Wild Things
paper and ink in handmade frame
5" x 7" x 1"

2009-07-23T11:49:00.000-07:00

Well, here it is. No title yet so we'll just call it pt. 1 for now. The 6 part series I'm making for the show is all about everyday objects becoming magical. I was thinking about C.S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and the idea of an armoire becoming a portal to another world. I love dreaming up wildly fanciful scenarios that could possibly occur during the normal, boring things that we do everyday.

One of my favorite things about making this piece was constantly giggling to myself like a crazy person at how ridiculous this particular event is... but wouldn't it be fun to unexpectedly find an ocean inside your bottle of bubble bath?

Now onto pt. 2...

2009-07-20T13:01:00.000-07:00

pt. 1 in progress

2009-07-16T14:04:00.000-07:00

I was asked by Kim Ferreira, owner of Three Graces gallery in Portsmouth, NH to participate in the 5th Teeny Tiny Art Show this coming September and I've happily agreed! I will be contributing 6 pieces for the event and I wanted to try something new...

I'm constructing all of the frames entirely out of paper - I like the idea of the frame being as delicate as the paper sculpture inside and making it more a part of the overall piece. I tried out many different types of paper and frame designs and finally settled on these (made with heavy weight, cold press watercolor paper). Using a white frame is also new for me and I'm excited to see how it influences my work. These shots are from a few days ago - all of the images are now sketched out and the papercutting has begun, so I'll be back with more "work in progress" photos very soon!

2009-07-09T10:11:00.000-07:00

Etsy is having a competition called A Handmade Moment. They are calling on artists to create short videos to help promote our favorite online marketplace... and giving away some large cash prizes. Submissions are being accepted through August 31st. More details here.

Two of my favorites, so far, are from Crankbunny (make sure to check out her awesome Etsy shop too) and Hine.

You can help your favorite win by spreading the word and voting.

2009-07-06T11:24:00.000-07:00

Just stopping by to let you know that I've framed "The Magic Green Bike" original artwork and it's now available in the shop if you're interested...

The Magic Green Bike
9″ x 9″ x 1 3/4″

Play All Day

2009-07-01T11:27:00.000-07:00

The "Flight by Kite" illustration I created last Autumn for Small Magazine has been featured in a wonderful book called Play All Day, Design for Children by Berlin-based publisher Gestalten Books.

I'm so pleased to have my work included... and alongside that of so many talented artists I admire! Elisabeth Dunker, Ann Wood, Sandra Monat - just to name a few.

You can read more about the book, and purchase a copy, here.

2009-06-15T09:11:00.000-07:00

I just got word that Carson Ellis has a new website (as well as a shop and blog) officially up and running as of today. The site features a catalog of all the books she's illustrated and a portfolio showcasing album art created for The Decemberists over the years. It's so nice to be able to enjoy all of her work, now conveniently located in one place! I was also pleased to find several pieces I had never seen before, such as this gorgeous 2006 commission:

Walk by Carson Ellis

2009-06-10T14:06:00.000-07:00

In addition to the personal project I mentioned in the last post, I'm working on designing another wall clock for my shop. Here's a little peek at the work in progress...

The Wednesday morning desk mess

Before I began the piece I had to gather up some photos of horses to look at and sketch to get the basic form down, and got massively sidetracked, lost in the LIFE magazine photo archives. I don't remember how I first found out about this, but if you add "source:life" to your Google image search, it will search among millions of photographs from 1750 - 1970 taken for LIFE magazine. Here are just a few of the many gems I stumbled upon...

Horse Diver, Atlantic City, 1953

2009-06-06T11:04:00.000-07:00

Spent the past week working on a personal project I'm very excited about. I can't really tell you much about it right now unfortunately - you'll have to wait until the end of the month to see pictures of the completed work. But what I can say, is that it involves some very special old paper I've been holding onto for years... finally I have the perfect excuse to use some of it. Ok, I better stop talking before I ruin the surprise. ;)

In case you were wondering where these came from and what the stamped numbers are all about - they're mostly endpapers from antique books and magazines.

2009-05-31T11:01:00.001-07:00

I just discovered the art of Ann Wood last week via Design Sponge. They did one of their "Sneak Peak" home/studio tours of her space in Brooklyn. I'm in love with her paper mache ships.

The Odin

Check out her blog and Flickr for more gorgeous work and glimpses behind the scenes at her process.

2009-05-27T12:26:00.001-07:00

My latest art supply obsession is decorative tape. I recently ordered some made from Japanese washi paper and it's the greatest stuff. You can re-stick it over and over again, it doesn't leave any adhesive goop behind when you peel it off and it takes pen really well so you can use it for labeling boxes and whatnot. The possibilities are endless. Here's one little project I used it for yesterday...

There's tons of awesome tape to be found on the internet these days. At the top of my wish list:

More washi paper making tape from NothingElegant.

Faux bois at TapeSwell.

"And I Walked" & "Charm Bracelet" by Rob Ryan. Genius, as always.

"Alpine-Themed Packing Tape #2 (Wind)" designed by the multitalented Phil Elverum.

More Japanese goodness at RetroNaNa - flying, polka dots, rooftops? I think this one was made especially for me.

Clocks Restocked - Now in Navy Blue

2009-05-26T16:14:00.000-07:00

I've just listed more clocks in the shop - now in a lovely shade of navy blue that matches the bicycling girl's dress. (You may notice that the clock in the listing photos looks dark- almost black- but trust me, it's blue. The translucent nature of the clock frame makes it appear more/less blue depending on the color of the wall and the amount of light in the room.)

Off to the Post Office
(This is how I stand, with the boxes in front of my face, so I don't have to see all the people glaring at me for holding up the line.)