Happy New Year! We’re excited to kick off our fourth year with this site and want to thank all of you for reading! Before we dig into to 2016, I wanted to share a project from this season.
In November, my RevPub partner was having trouble finding ornaments for his tree. You see, traditional ornaments weren’t going to cut it. He wanted a set of something cool. Think unique, a little geeky, and not ridiculously priced.
So, being the problem solver I am, I decided to paint a set of ornaments for him. I made a list of about 20 of his favorite things and decided what my ability would let me do! I narrowed them down to 10 and ended up with 8. The ornaments are a variety of ceramic, wood, and plastic. I used acrylic paints and mixed a lot of colors. Here are the results:
The Psych Pineapple
One of our favorite shows. Psych’s pineapple is an iconic image to all fans, and I added some quick snowflakes that look like its holiday marketing. This was the one I wanted to keep lol.
Cthulhu
H.P. Lovecraft’s monster Cthulhu from The Call of Cthulhu. James is a big Lovecraft fan, and I was terrified to do this one. There are about 1,000 images of this creature, so I went simple.
Warhammer Ork
Warhammer 40K Ork glyph. James loves his orks dirty, so that’s what I tried for the ork ornament.
James’ Cat Raz
I do not claim to know how to draw portraits, so I used a little shading. This was one of the more difficult ones. Again, I can’t draw, but I was happy with it. You can tell it’s a cat lol.
The X-men Boss
From the X-men arcade game. X-men, welcome to die! James and I actually played this game, and it’s one of my favorite Angry Video Game Nerd play-throughs. Seeing this always makes him laugh!
Ghostbusters
Who you gonna call? One of his favorite movies and the iconic image. I had a lot of people love this one! This was one of the last ones I did because it was going so well, I was afraid to finish it.
Hadouken!
Is this a hadouken?! were the best words I’ve ever heard. From Street Fighter and one of his favorite things to say while playing the game. This was such a pain. The design changed five times, and I almost scrapped it. Overall, I was happy with the final, and he knew what it was. That is all that matters.
Line from Scrooged
Bill Murray says this to his board members after watching the terrible promo. This movie is usually our Christmas movie tradition, and this one line says it all.
This project was a ton of fun and challenged my painting skills to the max. It also led to a few other ideas and possibly future gifts. I had never painted in this detail and want to thank Google images for helping me through it. Here’s to trying new things in 2016: Don’t be afraid; it usually works out!
Even though I’ve been an illustrator essentially my entire life I’ve never been one to receive accolades or awards for my artwork. While friends genuinely seem to like my work, my experiences in college tended to show me that a lot of people enjoy the “art school” look rather than my kind of improvisational home-spun style.
When my RevPub partner suggested I enter the Halloween art contest at a local art supply store I was hesitant. I’ve previously lost two painting competitions and an illustration award so I didn’t have high hopes, but it sounded fun and different. The catch was it could be done in any media, but had to be on black canvas.
After some consideration I thought I’d try my hand at drawing “in the negative” using white chalk on black, filling in the light rather than shadows. Not only did I enjoy it almost as much as pencil, it reinvigorated my creative side as doing something new made the entire creative process seem like an entirely fresh experience.
It had to be “Halloween” based but that could just be anything horror or creepy related. I decided on an interpretation from H.P. Lovecraft’s Rats in the Walls.
The Original Pencil Sketch. I always start with little rough drawings that to give me some idea where I’ll go when it gets real…It started well. My pencil sharpener ate the chalk…
I sketched it in pencil first and wished I hadn’t. It didn’t erase as cleanly as the chalk.I did a shape of a figure back-lit in the door.HP Lovecraft is writing the tale in the background.The rat designs were inspired by the Skaven books I’ve read.
Exciting news! Many of our original designs have new products available on RedBubble, an online community of artists and creators.
With the holidays approaching, these make great gifts. Or if you want to treat yourself, we have lots of great ideas. Here’s a sampling for your viewing pleasure:
Cute pencil skirts in many of our designs! Look at this cute Moogle pencil skirt!
Laptop skins and phone cases too!
Skull slime stationary! Have original designs just in time for getting back to school. Regular slime and Halloween designs are also available!
Our most popular design is now in bags, skirts and more. Great old-school throwback!Cups too! These make great gifts.
You know I’ll order one of these! With winter coming, I’m going to stay warm in style.
Thanks to all of our readers and followers, and if there’s a design up that you want in a specific product, feel free to let us know in the comments below!
Jessica Boehm, yoga teacher and freelance writer, is a dear friend and talented young woman who we’ve had the pleasure of knowing for years. I literally sat and worked behind Jessica, and she has always been a positive – and entertaining – force in my life. Be sure to show some love for this month’s artist, and visit the Hot Yoga House Studio!
Years practicing yoga: 6, Years teaching yoga: 4
RevPub: Other than health benefits, why is yoga important to you?
I could probably write an entire book about why yoga is important to me, but I’ll try to hit the high points! My yoga practice gives me the opportunity to get still – both in my mind and body. Like most people, I’m usually on the move, and sometimes I forget how important it is to just BE. Yoga reminds me that everything I’m seeking has actually been within me all along.
My practice is also important because it connects me to other people – some like me and some very different – and they all teach me so much. Without yoga, I would have never met several of my close friends, and those friends are some of the most real and genuine people I’ve ever come across.
RevPub: What is your favorite pose? What is your most difficult?
My students all know my favorite pose by heart now – it’s supta baddha konasana (also known as reclining bound angle pose or reclining cobbler’s pose). It’s a restorative pose that allows the hips to gently open, and it just feels amazing (especially for anyone with low back issues and/or tight hips).
My most difficult pose … that’s a hard question because it really depends on the day and the practice. In general, I tend to struggle with anything that requires a ton of flexibility because I’m very tight and always have been. So, deep folds and binds can be rough. Even though they’re hard for me, I try not to avoid them because the poses you want to avoid are typically the ones you need the most.
RevPub: What made you want to become certified to teach yoga?
To put it simply, I just wanted to share this fantastic thing I found. I wanted to hold space for students like my teachers held space for me. Misty Parrish, the owner of The Hot Yoga House, was really my main inspiration and continues to inspire me every time I take her classes.
RevPub: How has yoga affected your life?
Again, I could write a book on this question alone! I guess yoga just makes me a better person. It helps me be more in the moment, calmer, more honest with myself and others, less judgmental (again, of myself and others), and more peaceful. That probably sounds cliché, but it’s true.
I think it’s important to clarify that yoga doesn’t necessarily change lives. Instead, yoga helps people become AWARE of their lives, and at that point, they can make changes to better themselves. Another way to think about it is yoga shines a light into dark places.
RevPub: What’s the strangest or funniest thing that’s happened in a class?
This was actually pretty embarrassing – and in case you’re reading this and thinking about coming to one of my classes, let me start this off by saying I learned my lesson, and this has only happened ONCE! So, at the end of class, each teacher passes out cold washcloths while the students are in their final pose (savasana or corpse pose). The washcloths are usually infused with essential oils, which are SUPER strong and should only be used in very small doses. Well, I didn’t know that at the time, and I dumped a ton of oil into the bin of washcloths. As I was passing them out, I felt a bit of a burning sensation on my hands … Turns out I practically burned the flesh off my students because of the high oil concentration! Whoops! We still joke about it and call it the time they got a “free chemical peel.”
When I moved in to my new place last year one of the things I was most excited about was setting up my new game room. With a home-made 6×4 table and a wolrd of board games and 40k to play, I couldn’t wait to put up decor and set up my hobby room. I never thought of naming it until I shared with my RevPub partner my WIP of Commissar Yarrick’s legendary Tank, The Fortress of Arrogance.
I learned of this mighty armored vehicle from Chains of Golgotha and immediately loved the name. I knew when I started my guard army (built almost ENTIRELY from rage quitters and scrap and a couple of boxed sets admittedly) a version of Yarrick’s pulpit would have to be included. Here’s my version:
When I shared this she commented that it would be a good name for my game space, and I started work on a sign that night that mimicked the “official” markings on the tank as it appears in the Apocalypse expansion. Here’s what I’ll print for my door:
Built from some Skull line art, and some simple Illustrator work it captures enough of the original and still makes a good readable sign for the door!
As for the Fortress itself it’s progressed a bit. I was able to get my fantasy armies out of boxes with the addition of the two new inexpensive glass curios, and even added some shelves for the Blood Angels/Flesh Tearers that used to be crammed into the bottom shelf of my IG curio (a couple of chaos engines too big for my storage boxes are up there too.)
As I get things painted (which I’m working on now, my Vostroyan command squad is up first) I’ll share them. As can easily be seen I have a lot to paint, but I like to build and play, so painting always seems to take a back seat!
Lisa Battles is a friend and coworker who I had the pleasure of spotlighting this month! I’ve seen her edible candy mice and frog cupcakes for special occasions and received a glass she painted this past Christmas. She’s one of the most talented and creative people I’ve ever met, and I’m excited to introduce her work to our awesome readers.
Materials used: Wine glasses, water-based acrylic enamel, rubbing alcohol to prep the glass, variety of tiny paint brushes, wine (optional).
Yours truly. My awesome Christmas present last year!
1. Where did the idea to paint glasses come from?
About 10 years ago, my sister, Lana, gave me a set of four glasses she bought from a novelty company. Each glass was pre-painted with a woman – a blonde, a brunette, a redhead and a dark brunette. I still have three; I broke the blonde while washing it, unfortunately. I decided to paint a more customized redhead on a glass for one of my favorite redheads, Courtney Hodge Evans, for her birthday one year. She kept it for six or seven years, and then sent me a text around Thanksgiving 2014 that after keeping her glass for so many years, she’d accidentally broken it. I asked her to take a clear photo of it, and I’d paint a replacement for it. I did, and since it was almost Christmas, I thought that would be a fun gift idea for many of my girlfriends for holiday gifts, birthday gifts and hostess gifts. So I ended up painting at least a dozen for friends over the holiday season. People loved them, and I had several friends tell me I should sell them. So I did. I set up an Etsy shop early in 2015. So far, including those holiday gifts and several orders, I have painted about 40 different glasses and have about a dozen in the works right now.
2. What is your favorite glass?
I don’t really have a favorite; I like them all for different reasons. That’s probably because I have mostly painted these for friends, and when I feel like I have captured the personality of someone I love already, that makes me love the little portrait as an extension of that. I have done a few for people I’ve never met, and I feel like I have kind of gotten to know the person (and sometimes their pets!) just from studying their photos so much. Even though they are more time-consuming, I think I like doing sets. Seeing the “interaction” of a mom and siblings, groups of best friends, etc. all lined up is really funny to me, especially after a couple of glasses of wine. I gathered together many of the Christmas gift glasses while I had them all together on my table, and it was almost surreal to see so many people I knew “looking back at me” in one spot. If I HAVE to pick, I think the set of draft glasses depicting my Dad and his former law enforcement partner Bill Rhegness in the early 1980s during a spoof Olan Mills shoot may be my favorite. I did a set for Bill at his request, and then of course, Dad wanted a set, so I replicated them. My Dad has been courageous and determined fighting the effects of treatment for Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), an aggressive and usually fatal type of brain cancer, the past two years, and Bill has been up to visit him several times during this time. Giving the two of them a laugh over those glasses was rewarding.
Lisa’s dad and former law enforcement partner Bill Rhegness.
3. Are there any famous people you want to paint glass for?
Dad and Bill were pretty well-known for their detective shenanigans in North Alabama! HA … I guess anyone with a colorful or unusual look would be fun — Johnny Depp would have a lot of accessories. But seriously, I can’t think of anyone in particular. A friend who was a music idol to me when I was a teenager in the 1990s ordered a glass with his band’s album cover on it, which I thought was cool of him to order. We were both pleased with how it turned out. I probably put in more hours on that one than any because it was more of a graphic thing to replicate than a photo interpretation. I have another order in the hopper from a different band, but don’t know how soon I will get around to doing them. They will be on beer glasses and pretty cute when I finish them.
4. You have lots of art projects, what are a couple of your favorites?
I enjoy painting the most, whether it’s on wine glasses, beer glasses, a canvas, a piece of wood or whatever. I also prefer this kind of untrained, caricature-type painting, where you can take liberties with how true-to-life it has to look. I have always enjoyed painting and drawing as much as I have writing, at as early an age as I could do any of them. The difference is that while I am excellent about studying, knowing and following rules in writing, I have the opposite opinion about having rules in art. That is probably why I have always preferred to keep it as a hobby and didn’t pursue it as a career: When you have to do something to pay your bills, sometimes you find yourself having to follow rules set by others instead of going with your heart. Keeping it just as an outlet gives me one of few things in life that’s still 100 percent enjoyable to me, because it’s something with which I can do whatever I want and however I want to do it. That luxury seems to get rarer as you get older.
These pets are the size of a dime or smaller.
5. Do you have any advice for other creative types?
I used to think it was a compliment when people would say, “You are so creative. I am not at all.” I still believe the first part of that is intended as a compliment, but I make sure to ask them to think a minute about that second part. I believe that everyone is “creative” with art if they make any piece of art just for the sake of creating it or expressing themselves. If your artistic expression comes out as four crooked lines in different colors you chose, to me that’s your artistic expression for the moment. In other words, I just don’t think there’s a way to “do it wrong” if you’re creating for the sake of creating and not trying to pass yourself off as some virtuoso. While I definitely see the value in people studying art to understand design principles and the work of great artists throughout history, I don’t think the more formal approach to art should scare people away expressing themselves artistically. Unfortunately, I think it does. Creating art can be fun, whether you are “great” at it or not. It doesn’t have to be a competition. If you have fun creating art, then you are creative.
If you’d like to contact Lisa for a glass, feel free to visit the shop, or leave a comment below!
Revenant Publications 