PAPER DAYS OF CHRISTMAS - Festive Tree

You can't stop me from drawing ornament shapes. Onions and finials are the best! Of course you need a tree to hang them on. A dirty secret is I'm not a huge fan of decorating the Christmas Tree. Lucky for me, Lindsay would do it every day of the week if she could!

I'm terrible at making real mock-ups, so here's a fake one! Thread the hangloop through a gold bead for added festivities!




Download the printable version!

PAPER DAYS OF CHRISTMAS–Rocket Around the Christmas Tree

Last night I watched several documentaries. I'm recovering (hopefully) from some illness and working on an ornament in front of educational, inspirational things was the best possible idea. The first one was about the rise and fall of Disney animation, the second was about galaxies, and the third was actually the audio commentary for Wall-E. So the viewing was also sort of thematic.



You can download the full version of this ornament here! The colors may look a little weird on the download because it's a CYMK file, but it should print okay!

PAPER DAYS OF CHRISTMAS - Fancy Claus

Happy Monday-after-Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope your weekend was filled with lots of food and lots of naps. And - to our international friends, Happy Regular-old-November-Monday! I also hope your weekend was full of food and naps!

I wanted to kick this project off today by sharing my very first paper ornament: "Fancy Claus!". Everyone's beard has to have a little surprise in it, right? I chose to take this shape and make Santa's head!



Download the fold-able high res file here! In case you need a refresher on how to put these together. All of our ornaments are going to be made to be printed out on an 8.5" x 11", Letter-sized piece of paper. Then, just cut around the edge, and fold on the dotted lines! They don't come with a lot of instructions, but you'll see pretty quickly which pieces to fold in and glue together! Maybe I'll do a little Photo-demo with this one to show you how!

Besides that, I'll be dragging my faux-tree out of the basement this week with hopes of decorating it and singing along to Christmas carols. Good thing there is a radio station that plays all the Christmas Jams this early! (Yes, I know, it's still November!) Happy start to a new fun project! Hope you guys are able to create some ornaments with us!

Daily Pattern: Old Fashioned Snowman-making

Topic: snowman

We don't have snow here, yet. It feels kind of weird to realize this on November 27th, but I know Minneapolis is not necessarily like my birthplace in the U.P. of Michigan, with insane amounts of snow all of the time, always.

PAPER DAYS OF CHRISTMAS - Week 1 : Teardrop Ornament

We're officially within a month of Christmas and we've been gearing up for something really special and fun for the next couple weeks! Starting this week, we're going to give everyone a link to download a super fun, paper-craft ornament! We're hoping that all the crafty people out there find awesome, fun ways of using these! Plus, we're going to be uploading our own designs for you guys to peek at and use!

Here's where the fun comes in! Each week, we'll give you a new, fun, ornament template (up until Christmas) to download and use. If you design an ornament with our template and want to share it with our readers, send it on over and we'll post it for everyone else to see and download (if you are so generous!). If you want to go the extra mile and print yours out and send us a picture, we'll post that, too! Just send your ornament files and pitures to Chris (at) paperbicycle (dot) com before Christmas Day!



CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD OUR TEARDROP ORNAMENT TEMPLATE!
Each ornament can be printed out on a sheet of letter-sized paper!

We'll be running a best-of contest, too, for our very favorite designs! How's that for a holiday bonus!

Watch for our next ornament template next Friday!
Happy Holidays and Happy Designing!

Daily Pattern: Harry Potter

Topic: Owls

By now I think it's fairly clear that I like a lot of things one would classify as "nerdy". Harry Potter is up there on my list of nerdy things I like. It's been awhile since I've read the books now, but I wouldn't mind reading them again.

Daily Pattern: Fall Textures

Topic: Thankful

Thanksgiving is always a good time for me. It's the perfect holiday for me: laid back, lazy and chill. It also takes place during my favorite season. Fall. My memories of Thanksgivings-past are all tinged with the warm colors of the fall leaves. Like a cheesy sepia-toned flashback in real life.

Daily Pattern : Girly Snowman

Topic: Snowman

Every year we (at Paper Bicycle) do COUNTLESS numbers of snowmen, snowflakes, and Christmas / Winter themed icons and projects for people. Christmas seems to be our number 1 business, always. I am not surprised. I am totally one of those people that gets super excited about Christmas every single year and collects ornaments and Vintage Christmas cards every chance I get.

This pattern is a special one to me. The VERY FIRST pattern I ever made with a snowman in it was one I did for my very first design job out of college. (It was also one of my very first patterns ever!) I did a super girly, pink snowman pattern. This one is a a throwback to the days of olde! Yeah, pink snowman! You'll forever be in my heart.

Daily Pattern: Watercolor Snowmen

There was the first snowfall of the year this weekend (the day of our party, of course) and for a while there was a nice, crisp, quiet texture covering the whole city.

Now it's getting grimy and slushy, but it was nice while it lasted.

These Snowmen come from that first day's clean refreshing snow...

Daily Pattern : Lingerie

Topic : Underwear

If you're going to bother to wear any underwear at all, you should always try your best to make it cute, comfortable, and clean. This goes for everyone. Who knows why or how you will end up in your underwear, really. But if you are going to be down to your skivvies, you should make sure you're sporting something impressive rather than depressive for whomever is there as a witness.

Daily Pattern: Boxers or Briefs?

Speaking of dance parties - we had an almost serious conversation about what type of underwear is most conducive to strutting your stuff on the dance floor. Despite compelling points from each group, we're a party divided. Some guys prefer the comfort provided by boxer briefs, others roll with classic tightie-whities, and one person in particular, who shall not be named, likes his underwear to float around his legs like a skirt...

Studio : Dance Party

We're super thankful for everyone that came out and partied with us on Saturday! Seems like we've been silent on the airwaves (is that what you call this?) for a day or two, but it's all for good reason! We threw a Dance Party over both of our spaces, with what seems like a million awesome, dancey people!

We got the whole darn thing set up, staffed, and ready to go! Then all we had to do was wait! Thanks to the entirety of MPLS that came out and danced with us!! You guys are the best! Some day we'll edit together the video - but until then - Here are some funny pictures of us getting down!





















And the rest are here!

Daily Pattern: Broken Geometry

Topic: Geo

Have you ever been driving on a long stretch of road and had that terrible realization that you can't remember anything about the last hour? You don't remember what you passed, how fast you were going or if you were even conscious?

Yeah.

Daily Pattern : Who, Me?

Topic : Owl

Today was a crazy day. I feel like I got to soak up all the social interaction I had been missing for the past week... all in one day!
It was pretty awesome - I'm super excited for all of the new projects that are coming down the pike, including an awesome project that I'll be helping a friend with. Super exciting!

Plus, we're gearing up for our cupcake-dance-party on Saturday! I wish all of you guys could come! Wish us luck - we've got lots of cupcakes to make and a bunch of decorations to get together!

Here are some surly owls!

Daily Pattern: Owl Pellets

Topic: Owls

A fond memory from middle school was dissecting owl pellets at camp. Bones, dirt, (kind of) vomit? What more could a young man want? Finding an actual owl pellet in the woods is a special occasion, indeed.

Daily Pattern: Barn Owls

Topic: Owl

When I was a kid I had a fascination with raptors, birds of prey. I remember putting together a binder of pictures I found in magazines as part of a 'research project'. Everyone knew about the great horned owl, and I assumed all owls must look like those. But then I found a picture of a barn owl and its weird ghostly face. I decided they must be the best owl.

Daily Pattern: Wedding Bands

Topic: Rings

Alyssa had the best idea about doing a Beyoncé pattern, and I sort of still just want to finish the Beyoncé illustration I started (that would have been a pattern), but I suppose Beyoncé would approve of some wedding rings, anyway.

Daily Pattern : Ring Tails

Topic : Ring

One of my favorite animals at the zoo is the ring-tailed lemur!
They look like a cross between a monkey and a cat, and are super funny!
I love them and their funny little hands! This was an easy choice for the "ring" topic.

Today was crazy! I had a meeting in Arkansas today so I got up, got on a plane, had a meeting, got back on a plane, and then made this pattern!
It was really nice to sit down and do this after a long day!

Daily Pattern: Linked Rings

Rings, rings all linked together! In a chain.

Flavour'd Milk

Topic: Ring

Rings are round with holes in them. So are fruit loops. I don't actually like fruit loops very much, I've always been a trix man myself.

Daily Pattern: Lacey Paisley

Topic: paisley

I've never made a paisley pattern before! Yesterday I got the rundown on how to make one from Lindsay and Chris. The "paisley formula" made me think it would be kind of fun to do by hand, so I drew and repeated this one on grid paper and then brought it into the computer for color. I like it when I can confidently say "you learn something new every day".

Daily Pattern : Foliage is sort of a paisley

Like Jesse said in his post, paisley originated from some kind of stylized floral/foliage shape. So, I went super foliage on this one. Here are a bunch of paisley shaped leaves for you. You guys know how much I like drawing leaves!
I tried out one of the new ways to make patterns on this one.

Speaking of patterns. Today was a little bittersweet. It was my final patterns class at MCAD. My students were so awesome and inspirational. We went through everyone's 10 weeks of patterns and everyone had such awesome, beautiful designs. There's something to be said for keeping great company with creative, inspiring people! Tomorrow I'm off to help do a pitch in the dirty south for one of our clients! :D Wish me luck & safe travels!

Daily Pattern: Bad Paisley

Topic: Paisley

You probably should have guessed I'd do a non-traditional paisley. You probably should have guessed it would involved little monsters. You probably should have guessed I'd spend too much time on this pattern.

If you guessed all those things, you win the game!



Actually, I probably could have spend way more time on this pattern given the opportunity. Ah... such is Daily Pattern.

Octo-Paisley!!

Topic: Paisley

According to Wikipedia a paisley pattern is supposed to be a "droplet-shaped vegetable motif". Last time I checked octopus are not a vegetable. So strictly speaking, I guess this is maybe not paisley at all. But that's OK. None of my haiku's ever dealt with nature. And my limericks are never dirty.



Edit: If anyone is counting, the 8th tentacles are hiding...

Daily Pattern: Flats

Topic: shoes

I wouldn't mind owning so many flats. Flats and 2 pair of boots. You can wear them with most things.

Daily Pattern: Snow Shoes

Topic: Shoes

So I kind of blew it when I made a shoe pattern the day before the topic was actually "shoes" but that's ok. I'm don't exactly have the time to plan ahead...

I didn't want to make another pattern about fly dunks, so here's one about cute snow shoes instead!

Daily Pattern : Pile of Flowers

Topic : Fresh

A woman told me once (and I forget who it is, but I loved hearing it)
that when her future husband proposed to her, that she accepted on one condition, that he surprise her with fresh flowers every week. I thought that was very romantic, and such a sweet idea. Here's my fresh flowers pattern!
I could use a flower or two!

Daily Pattern: Fresh Kicks

Topic: Fresh

To some of my former co-workers, I was known as the tall guy with the shoes. I have a lot of shoes, and they're all pretty flashy.

I normally dress in pretty drab colors but I always have a pop of color: usually my shoes. While pink and purple are my go-to colors, I've probably got pretty much anything you can imagine.

If don't feel like you can rock some candy colored shoes just yet, why don't you just start with the laces and work your way up?

Daily Pattern: Painted Pigs

Topic: farm

I read a tiny bit about farms and sustainability and things like that. They're fairly popular topics these days. One of the things I thought was both interesting (and kind of cool) is how animals and plants can give and take from each other in good amounts. Some regulation, plus regulation of how much regulation is happening, makes for a pretty nice setup.

Daily Pattern: Fresh Cilantro

There's nothing better than fresh, delicious herbs. In fact, I have a whole bunch of fresh cilantro in my fridge just dying to add some flavor to my my meals (or maybe just actually dying). This pattern is dedicated the fresh little plant that make's Chipotle's cilantro lime rice oh-so-delicious.

Daily Pattern : All the pretty eggs

Topic : Farm

On one of our trips to New York for the Surtex show, we stumbled upon the farmers market in Union Square. I remember seeing one of the booths there with some absolutely stunning blue and brown eggs. I had never seen such gorgeous eggs! They were all shades of colors, soft colors -- many of them were just light teal, or sky blue with a couple tiny speckles! I haven't seen eggs that wonderful since!

Daily Pattern: Chicken Scratch

Woo! Trying to get on board for the last stretch of patterns. Here's my farm pattern - inspired by the farm I used to visit as a kid. It was actually a Christmas tree farm in West Virginia, but there was totally a chicken coop, and goats. I always thought those chickens were kind of scary, but these guys are a bit more peaceful enjoying an afternoon snack.

Daily Pattern : Big Eyes

Topic: Babies

I can't resist those big eyes of yours!
In fact, I can't resist anything with big eyes - except for aliens. I hate them. I hate the idea of aliens from outer space more than anything in the world. Why? I am not sure - maybe it's too many scary movies about aliens?

Pretty much everything is cute with big eyes! So here are some big-eyed baby bunnies!

Daily Pattern: Ducklings

Topic: babies

Add this to the list of awesome things about Minneapolis: there are lakes in the city. On those lakes there are ducks (during the warmer months), and sometimes those ducks have babies. I suppose any place with a pond in it has some ducks.

Daily Pattern: Alphabet for Babies

Topic: Babies

I didn't want to do some really strange or creepy pattern for babies, so I decided to play it straight on this one. Baby patterns are usually so simple it's almost painful for me, so I picked a limited unisex color palette and made a very simple baby pattern. An ABC's Baby pattern!

Daily Pattern: Private Eye

Topic: eyes

I watched another Hercule Poirot mystery while I was working on this one. It started out as a completely different subject (somebody mentioned "potatoes" and I thought that would be great), but I sort of fell into the influence of the murder mystery again.

Daily Pattern: Autumn Fun

Topic: Halloween

Mike Meulstee contributed an excellent Philadelphia-inspired pattern to our September Pattern Contest. He got inspired by the changing seasons and came up with this fun, fall-themed pattern!



Thanks for sharing, Mike!

Daily Pattern: Somebody's Watching Me

Topic: Eyes

I've always been one to stay up way too late. As far back as I can remember, I've been giving up sleep for more virtuous pursuits; art, video games, movies, girls, friends, more video games, etc.

Which is how I always end up walking my dogs at around 2 am each morning. I'm pretty used to it by now but on particularly cold and dark nights, I can't help but feel like someone is following me, watching from the bushes...



What do they want? My iPod? My dog-poop bags? My soul? Only they know for sure...

Daily Pattern : Eye See You

Topic: Eyes

I don't know why but lately I've been having weird, restless sleep. Maybe it's because I've been staying up late looking at 9gag.com. Maybe it's because I found all of the recent gross pictures of Courtney Stodden and her weird old husband in their Halloween costumes (sorry guys, you'll have to google them... I didn't feel quite right about a link right there). Whatever it is, I've felt SUPER tired lately.

So, it serves me right for staying up and "winding down" with a little internet in bed. Not like I don't spend enough time on the computer, am I right?
Here's a bunch of eyes keeping their gaze on you while you go about your daily business. (Most of these are sleepy, just like mine).