Francis The Packer

Francis has joined the gang over at the Etsy store

"Francis had a rough start in life. Her parents liked the goblin wine a bit too much so she kept being pulled back and forth between her relatives. She is an expert packer because of it, and travels light. She is well regarded for her expertise in sorting out belongings so they all fit into a nutshell ready for travel. She has a business plan for how to start her own packing consultation service that she hopes to launch by 2013. In the meantime, she's really looking for a permanent home to live in."

You can visit Francis and other members of the monster gang 

over at my Etsy shop!

Cheers,

HMB

Lucy the Ferry Dreamer

Meet Lucy, a new mini wizard helper monster over at my Etsy store

"When Lucy is not munching on gummy bears, she often finds herself wondering what it would be like if she was a ferry boat.  Would she be a modern chic one that shuttles city folk to grand country estates, or more of a mass passenger ferry who takes on transport and big tourists groups?   She especially likes to think about the dolphin friends who might make her acquaintance as she is traveling between harbors."

Lucy has taken up residence at the Etsy store while she waits for adoption.

Cheers, 

HMB

Charlie the Cozy

Meet Charlie, a new addition to the family over at Etsy


"Charlie adores cozy things like fuzzy blankets, toasted marshmallows, a crackling fire and the soft underside of a sleeping kitty's belly. When he's not busy telling jokes to his friends, he's very industrious and clever about finding lost coinage around the house."

you can find him here:  Charlie on Etsy

Cheers,
HMB

Goodbye November!

Hello!

I've been making some new monsters that will be showing up in the Etsy store over the next weeks of December.   I recently posted up this cute monster, Harry with his cat George, the real cat is my neighbor's pet.

Here is the tale of Harry and George:

"Harry and his cat George get on quite well. Harry found him at the local Beastiary Mart when his ex-girlfriend Kathy, who was looking for some fresh slugs for her pet crow Pearl, dragged him in there. As some moments go in a relationship, Kathy became very irritable and negative about Harry adopting George. Harry went ahead and did it anyway. Well, I'm sure the "ex" reference sums up how things went after George came home (though Kathy say's its because Pearl's nerves were becoming too frayed).

George enjoys being carried around since he has delicate paw pads that are sensitive to hot and cold. If he's not being carried, he hangs out around Harry's head, which is soft and fuzzy. He's very happy with Harry and the mini-portable heater that Harry puts out in the winter just for him."

you can check out more pictures of Harry and George at the Etsy store

... ==(o)><(o)><(o)==...

I've gone back and taken some new pictures of the older monsters that are still waiting for adoption, and I am playing around with some small stories about who they are and what they like.  Its been fun to imagine and create these little snippets of bio's about the monsters.

I also snuck in a group shot with some of the monsters I have:

and last, but not least.....the goodbye November pumpkin wielding monster:

... ==(o)><(o)><(o)==...

Cheers, 

HMB

Cookie Monster !!!

Everyone loves cookies and this monster is no exception!  I used multiple fibers for the fur of the body, combining some green and blue faux fur with multi-colored wool nubbins mixed in.   I also used some multi-colored feathers on top of the head for a "Wild Things" touch  ^_^

Nom Nom Nom Nom!!

Cheers,

HMB

Love Monster!

The world is made up of many things, one of them is love!!  This little wild thing monster is a big believer and supporter of love  ^_^

New @ the etsy shop:

Cheers,

HMB

trolls ftw!

another troll is joining the crew over at Etsy, this one is a multi-fiber furred one with a firm belief in world peace  ^_^

Cheers,

HMB

New Etsy items!

Hooray its September!

I've got a few new sculptures I have made for the Etsy store, and a few more coming out early next week too!  Its great to have these to share, they are very funny and whimsical little creatures!

here is the troll I made:  http://www.etsy.com/listing/80923967/troll-wild-thing-monster-hand-sculpted

......and here is a fun world peace wild thing:

 http://www.etsy.com/listing/80924569/wild-thing-monster-for-world-peace-by

Almost Fall!?!?!

Hello! I can't believe this year is already headed into fall !! I love it though, that's my favorite time of year so I can't wait.

 I've been making more monsters that are not commission ones, and I will finally have some new ones for sale this upcoming week. They are all nekkid right now sitting on my table, waiting for some epic fur. I'm looking forward to making some holiday-ish ones in the coming weeks too.

 I've also been busy with all the meetup.com events that I go to. I got inspired to make my own group, which has been on my wishlist for almost a year now since I found meetup. I've ninja'd co-organizer roles in other meetup groups which is really wonderful and I appreciate it so much. However, there is something really satisfying in having a creation of your own that you can really nurture and develop.

I've dived into making an art one, and I am really excited to share and draw with everyone! If you are in the south bay area, check it out and maybe come to one of the events!!

It's called South Bay Art: Drawing, Doodlers and more! http://www.meetup.com/South-Bay-Art-Drawing-Doodlers-and-more/   In this meetup we will just gather to draw and I will have themes for us and fun topics to theory craft about.  I am especially looking forward to the Halloween greeting card and holiday zine ones.  :-)

Good stuff all around!!!   Stay tuned, more coming this week....

Cheers,
HMB

Time Fly's !!

Hard to believe that the month is almost over, it seems like the pace is really picking up towards the end of summer now.

I was featured in another treasury, I just love the colors and whimsy of this one so much I had to share.  What fun!

Hope everyone's summer has been great as we head forward into August !!



Cheers,
HMB

July !!!

Happy July !!!  The monsters and I have been busy, though its hard to see it in the Etsy shop!  I've been busy with some private commissions and preparing enough stock for some shows that are happening locally ^_^

The monsters though, they are abundant on Etsy, I love it when I am honored with being included in a treasury someone has made, and here is another one I was featured in I wanted to share:



Hope everyone's summer is going rawr-tiffic!!

Cheers
HMB

RAW-R Monsters!

Just sharing a work in progress, this little beastie is up to something mischievous, I just know it!!  All the other creatures are looking on in curiosity, waiting to see what this guy is going to be doing.

Cheers, 

HMB

whimsy and fun

Hello!!

I've been included in a super cute and whimsical treasury over at Etsy.com, that I wanted to share with everyone!  Love all these creations:

Cheers,

HMB

cute and fun!

Hello !!

I hope that everyone is doing well with all this very crazy spring weather!  So much about this year's season is odd to me - its challenging to go from sunny days to cloudy days to sunny....I truly look forward to more significant summer time sky's  !!

I've got a few big art and life projects underway right now that have kept me from blogging as much as I would like to!  After launching the Etsy store and starting to show my creations around, I have received several commissions which are very fun and exciting.  I'll share some pictures soon, when they are a little more progressed than they are now.

I also have been doing a lot of research lately to start planning attendance at some art shows.  I feel very blessed to follow the path of so many wonderful artists who have taken the time to experience art shows and share their invaluable perspective.

In the meantime, for all the folks who haven't really made anything with Polymer clay but love cute creations, here is a tutorial I found on youtube for a super super cute owl you can make.   I hope you enjoy it!




Cheers,
HMB

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my Mom's birthday!!!  Without her love and support, her humor and wisdom my life would not be as wonderful as it is!  She is an inspiration with her creativity and a rock of solid smarts.  I love her, and I am so so so happy to celebrate her birthday with her!  

Also, my good friend Emmy's birthday is today too!  She is a wonderful artist at EA who is the mastermind behind the My Sims designs - among many other amazing contributions to The Sims label.

Happy Birthdayzilla's !!!!

the zilla

Ah....the creative process!!!  Sometimes it seems like I am on this crazy roller coaster that goes up and down and all around with ideas and energy and action!  Other times I feel like I am sitting on a very still lake, my normally vibrant gypsy boat and bright jewel colored sail waiting for that windy action.

I do quite love what Elizabeth Gilbert said about the creative process/muse in her lecture, that if you can just show up every day and say "I'm here, I'm ready" then at the very least you will have done your job. What happens after you show up, every day is so different but the act of showing up despite how you personally feel is enough sometimes to get going.

I think as an artist, its a common struggle to have the best ideas and intentions but sometimes struggle with execution.  I have a personal theory that is why a lot of gifted artists never achieve a level of viable commercial success, because the output required and quantity cannot always match the muse of creativity that will show up for the artist.

I have a drawing that I made a few months ago that I'm still trying to figure out how to best take images of to sell it, photography with art can be tricky.  The scan I made didn't really represent the colors as best as I had hoped so I'm struggling with how to best showcase this.  I have a new scanner, but something with the calibration and picking up color pencil work that is light isn't really giving me the quality I was hoping for.   In any case, I thought I would show off the pictures I have taken here, just to share.  This is an ACEO size, 2.5 inches x 3 inches on bristol board archival paper with prisma color pencils:

scanned in version, that I'm not so thrilled with:

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with camera:

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playing around with the image in a border, I don't think this is an ideal way to present the art, but it does show an accurate view of the actual size:

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In other news, the Avant Garden Veggilution art auction went really well.  They had it a few weeks ago and I'm happy to say that my drawing "Nature's Friend" did sell at the event (yay!) but the sweet little Veggie Monster I made did not.  Though, to be fair, when I saw how they displayed it and the fact that it had no signage at all, nor an auction sheet for people to buy it, I knew it was probably going to come home to me.  I was surprised about that, but I think it took a huge effort to get this event into reality so I understand how it could happen.

Cheers!

HMB

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Changes

I've been meaning to get back to this blog layout and change it up a bit, and I finally did!  I loved that grassy version with the cute dandelion but I found it to be too generic to keep permanently.  This new layout is also very simple and plain, but I think it gives more room for my art to stand out.

I'm exploring some more personal graphics to add in, but that's going to take some time to decide and design so I'm going to wait.   There are some really great tutorials out there, I enjoy learning new things and trying out new styles.

My little monsters and I are in a creative show and tell these days.  I've been sharing with more and more friends what I'm doing so they are getting in quite a lot of travel time!!  I am on the hunt for the perfect monster carrier, so I don't have to fret so much about them getting hurt amongst all the adventuring.

In the meantime, I want to share this fun little birthdayzilla monster that I made for a favorite customer of mine as a thank you gift, I think he is ready to party - don't you?   I look forward to making some more of these guys for my Etsy store very soon!

Cheers,

HMB

the sun is out this week....

Hello!!

I've been thinking a lot lately how much I talk about the weather, but as a creative person whose moods are influenced by the weather I think its less random a topic.  I thrive on days that are bursting with sun, it motivates me and pushes me into action.  When its overcast out, I tend to be more pessimistic and indrawn for some reason.  Unless its a proper Autumn, when those days are so lovely after the dry and long heat of summer.

This little wild thing I recently made reminds me of a nice cozy cup of hot chocolate.  I think if he was made of chocolate for real, he'd be awfully yummy ^_^  I'm really happy how he turned out....

=:(o):=

=:(o):=

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=:(o):=

Cheers,

HMB

On a train....

Hello!

I had a lot of fun yesterday taking a train to San Francisco, its always nice to get out of a routine of driving everywhere.  I had little memories pop up of trips I've taken to England and using the trains there, and of when I used to live up in the north bay city area.

The whole experience was so much fun, I think I'm going to do it again soon!  I've been having this little thought about taking a trip in the back of my mind and its been an slightly irritating thought making me a tiny bit antsy. The train trip yesterday soothed that for me unexpectedly and really reminded me of how much fun it is to be on an adventure!

In monster wild things news.....I got a new friend !!!  He arrived in the mail the other day, and I adore him. here he is peeking over my laptop saying hello....(great artist on Etsy made this)

So much fun!!   I also listed a new troll who has a fondness for world peace:

>=:(o):=<

>=:(o):=<

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I'm pretty happy with the way he turned out.  I liked mixing the (faux) fur for his coat and his little troll peace sign cracks me up all the time.  I'm going to be working on some new wild things that are pointing in directions soon - which is always helpful for folks who have a funny scene they want to set up.

Cheers,

HMB

Sneak Peeks

Funny how I go from a week of taking some time off, to a week of complete busyness and lots of fun new creations made!!  I also got a lot of new ideas for some fun things, that I'm quite excited about, I can't wait until I finish making them and get the pictures up.

I found some new photo spots to utilize near my flat, that are very magical and monster whimsical.  I re-did some of the photo's I had of existing monsters waiting for adoption. I definitely believe in going back to older pieces and freshening the view people have on them with new pictures....besides I've grown in my understanding of light and how to use my camera too.  I found some good articles about picture taking on the Etsy Success blog, things about how to correctly choose the white balance depending on where you are taking your pictures.  I am definitely in the noob zone when it comes to taking pictures!!

I've listed a new bunny and a new little monster wild thing for sale at Etsy, here is what they are:

::+::(o)::+::(o)::+::(o)::+::(o)::+::(o)::+::(o)::+::

::+::(o)::+::(o)::+::(o)::+::(o)::+::(o)::+::(o)::+::

and for a sneak peek, here is a new monster I'm going to list this week, a new Gooberzilla monster stack, and a look at the other bunnyzilla's that I made that will also be listed very soon on Etsy::

::+::(o)::+::(o)::+::(o)::+::(o)::+::(o)::+::(o)::+::

::+::(o)::+::(o)::+::(o)::+::(o)::+::(o)::+::(o)::+::

::+::(o)::+::(o)::+::(o)::+::(o)::+::(o)::+::(o)::+::

YAY for creativity !!!!!!

Cheers,

HMB