Light Grey Art Lab + Daily Pattern!

We have some exciting news this week!



First off I'd like to say we're doing great with our Light Grey Art Lab Kickstarter Project, and appreciate everyone who's contributed thus far, but we've still got a long way to go, and we need a big boost!

So we're going to have a series of limited, exclusive prizes to get some new people to contribute ASAP!

I'm pleased to announce our very special 'Daily Pattern' reward tier! For the next week, anyone who donates $40* dollars or more to our Light Grey Art Lab Kickstarter Project will get to choose a Daily Pattern topic and have a Daily Pattern made just for them!

All of us at Paper Bicycle and Light Grey Art Lab really want to hit our goal of $10,000 (remember, if we don't hit the goal, we get nothing!!), so we wanted to do something super special to get you to contribute! In addition to your own, personalized pattern, you get a special 'thank you' shout-out when it's posted on the blog! And you get a high-res file to use as you'd like!**

Print it out and frame it! Use it to make wedding invites! Print out fabric and make a quilt! Make it a background on your blog or twitter page! Print out wrapping paper to wrap presents for your mom! It's totally up to you!

This is a very limited offer, both in quantity and time! We're only doing 50 custom patterns and when they're gone, they're gone! Starting as of right this second, you have until Sunday, April 2nd to reserve your pattern!

Please hurry over to our Kickstarter page and contribute now!

Then you can have your own special Daily Pattern to impress your friends with!

*If you'd like to donate more than $40 and still receive the custom Daily Pattern, please email chris(at)paperbicycle.com to arrange it. We'd be more than happy to oblige!

**These Daily Patterns are for non-commercial use only. Once the Kickstarter campaign wraps up, we will contact you about what pattern topic you'd like. We will begin making the patterns at the close of our Kickstarter campaign, doing at least one per day, so please be patient until we get to yours.

***Please note this is a Limited Time Offer to entice new contributors. This reward does not apply to previous contributors.

Light Grey Art Lab Grand Opening!

The Light Grey Art Lab grand opening was a huge success! We posted a bunch of photos from the event on the Light Grey Art Lab blog! Check them out here!

Portland Explosion

Chris and I went to Portland this past Saturday through Tuesday. It was an amazing trip to visit an amazing friend. Meg Hunt was our awesome host while we were there - taking us to eat all the great food and introducing us to some of the gems of the city.

I wish I had taken more pictures when we were actually in the city, but hey, I was having too much fun.

It was an awesome trip filled with adventure and food! The first night we got there was slow - as I had jumped on the plane right after having taught a licensing class at MCAD that same morning. Sunday was fantastic. Chris and I headed to Ecola National Park. We drove for an hour and a half and ended up finding an amazing view and some serene places. Here are some of the pictures we took while we were there!













Here are the rest of the pictures!

When we got back, we met up with Meg and had coffee at a cute spot near her neighborhood, and prepared for the next day.

Monday was amazing! I had come out to Portland on a mission - to guest speak in Meg's PNCA illustration class. Her students were awesome and really wonderful to work with and we made a series of patterns in a big friendly group, ate doughnuts that Meg brought for us, and laughed together at all the ridiculous things that were going on. It was a blast!

We were lucky enough to meet up with Roxy, one of our great friends who recently moved to Portland for an amazing internship at a local comic studio, and spent the rest of the night relaxing, eating, and having a grand old time at one of Meg's favorite restaurants & then with her friend Patrick at a coffee house.

In the morning, we met one last time for biscuits and gravy, walked around and said our sad goodbyes. It was too darn short. Until next time, Portland. Next time.

Work. Back to normal.

"Work" by Lindsay Nohl - part of the People & Patterns show at Light Grey Art Lab's Grand Opening

What a sigh of relief.
Today was my first day back in the office after a couple days out in beautiful, grey, Portland. (I'll tell you ALLLLL about it tomorrow).

Man, it was a strange day. After nearly six weeks of non-stop working, we finally had a day of relaxation. Alyssa and Francesca had a moment earlier this week to soak it up, but Chris and I finally are feeling it, too. Despite having the normal Paper Bicycle things to do at the office, we're definitely feeling a lot more at ease.

Now that our sister company, Light Grey Art Lab, is up and running, we're breathing a nice sigh of relief. The studio looks awesome - the space is great, the classes are running, and we're doing it! Two businesses at once! Both in full force!

There's something to be said about working hard. I know it might seem absolutely crazy at times (for those of you guys that know us) how much we work, but wow, when you actually get down to it and work your butt off, it's a great feeling to see something happen. I live for it. I love seeing things happen - not just for myself, but for everyone else. I love it.

Keep working hard, you guys. Anyone that is out there trying to get things done, you're doing it right! It's worth it.

Now we (and by we, I mean, I) just have to learn how to take a break every now and again!

Light Grey Art Lab Kickstarter!

It's an exciting time at our new venture, Light Grey Art Lab! Our first Grand Opening is this week, and we're working super hard make everything perfect!

As awesome as this first event is, this is only the beginning for Light Grey Art Lab! We've got a million things planned,and we've still got a long way to go, which is why we need your help!

We just launched a Kickstarter Project which will allow you to help us make Light Grey Art Lab shine as brightly as we know it can!

We've already put a lot of time, money and love into making Light Grey Art Lab the best we possibly can, and it's looking great so far. The money you give to the Kickstarter will help cover some of the cost of the full remodel we're doing, but more importantly it will ensure we get the equipment and tools we need to help you learn, create and fully take advantage of the classes we are offering!

In addition to making Light Grey Art Lab bigger and better, you'll get all sorts of cool stuff in return! Prizes range from sweet tote bags, mugs and sketchbooks to amazing limited-edition screenprints, free classes (in-studio or online!) and even super exclusive private parties!

Over the next few weeks on the blog, we'll be featuring all the cool prizes here on our blog, so stay tuned!

Make sure to visit our Kickstarter page to read more about the project, the prizes, and all that is planned!

Light up my life!

We've been working on the new studio space! Check out these swanky lights! Check our more pics on the Light Grey Art Lab blog!

Ceilings. Yuk.

Putting new ceiling tiles up is hard work but someone's gotta do it... I guess. See which awesome friend (besides Francesca, Lindsay and myself) helped out on the Light Grey Art Lab blog!

Patterns + People: Sneak Peak #2

Here are some patterns and some people for you to enjoy. We're doing a super secret (not really) project for our Patterns + People show that opens in a few weeks. The patterns on this fabric might seem familiar if you'e been following the Daily Pattern Project on the Paper Bicycle blog. Come to the show opening on March 16th to check out our awesome project, and a whole bunch of other amazing artwork. Who knows, you might even be able to take some of these patterns home with you!

Patterns + People: Sneak Peak!

Here at Paper Bicycle we're all pulling work triple-time - getting client work done, prepping the studio for our grand opening March 16th, and doing awesome artwork for Patterns + People! We hope to see all of your smiling faces in our brand new gallery in a few weeks, but in case you just can't wait here's a sneak peak of the sweet stuff we're working on!



Can you guess which piece belongs to who?

Studio Progress: Lighting

Renovations are nearing completion here at the Paper Bicycle / Light Grey Art Lab studio. Floors are in, walls are painted, and furniture is all moved in! Here are a few shots of the amazing new lighting fixtures that were just installed. These fixtures will be beautiful statement pieces alongside the functional gallery track lighting!











Come check out the lighting and the new studio yourself at our opening March 16! See the post below for more info. We're so excited to officially open our doors!!