A cluster of flowers for Natasha!




Here's a great saying courtesy of Nina P. Loved making this one!

Well, I'm back at work! The day after the holidays. Yes, I know there's still a holiday left to celebrate, but for now, It feels good to be cranking away and getting back on track. I had the most wonderful holiday with my family. Between playing board games and eating a very non-traditional meal, it was really a fun experience. It's been quiet at the studio- I imagine that most people are still sitting around in their food comas and catching up on movies / trying out new presents and enjoying the company of family, friends and pets.

I spent the greater half of Christmas Day coding the Great Personality game. (Yeah! I've got this thing DOWN!) And I have to admit that I'm pretty darn proud of myself. It's become easy to add interesting and exciting things -- like animated frames (Non-stop rain was a big one!) and some really fun twists!
Hopefully I'll code up a little teaser so you guys can see what I'm up to.

Happy Holidays, everyone. May your new year be filled with adventure!

Happy Holidays!

I am almost at the end of my commissions for this year! This is one of the last ones and I'm really happy with it. I've had the pleasure of drawing tea plants a couple of times for clients in the last year and this was a nice treat!

Speaking of treats, today was an incredible day. I was really lucky to have spent it in the company of all of my great friends. My friend Ryan just moved back to town and has been spending his afternoons with us at Paper Bicycle. He was able to join us for our end of the year Paper Bicycle / Light Grey holiday party. We were also blessed with Jesse Riggle and Ian Gorton as well, and Francesca, Jenny, Chris and I shared presents and great times with everyone around a tiny silver tinsel tree. I'm quite a sentimental person -- so there were a couple cards, and a couple presents today that made me tear up (with happiness!). I am really happy to say that this year has shaped up to be something incredible. I feel like I've been really lucky to have spent it with great friends, doing so many fun things.

I am planning to finish it off with a bang as my parents and siblings come into town. Happy Holidays to everyone out there! Thanks for watching my blog and saying hello throughout this year. I appreciate every one of you guys. May your holidays be amazing. Hugs to all of you!

Quick Update on Commissions & Oliver!

One of the commissions I've been doing for the kind people that have donated to Oliver's treatment

So this past week has been really tough, but amidst the craziness and all of the anxiety, we had a great day so far today.
Last Sunday we took Oliver into the emergency vet because he had stopped eating and was very weak. One of his medicines gave him a stomach ulcer and was making this whole ordeal much more complicated. Side effects are so confusing. One medicine heals, but causes something else that needs another medicine to counteract. I don't understand it all -- I am not sure if anyone really does!

Today, though, I'm hopeful! We went into our regular family vet, talked with them for a while about how Oliver is doing. He had a tube to help get him some food while he was sick and they were able to take it out today. He almost instantly perked up, ate some food on his own, and explored the office (we brought him to Paper Bicycle for a little bit as we were on our way home) after it was out. It was such a relief. Seriously. I have been on pins and needles for a week hoping he'd do well!

Now I am just hoping for a speedy recovery and that his appetite gets better, and he can go back to cuddling and roaming the house with his normal chipper attitude. It's always a scary thing when your loved ones are sick - especially from complications of one of the things that are supposed to help heal them.

I wanted to write a quick post to thank everyone that has been super sweet to me during all of this!
As you can imagine - running Paper Bicycle, Light Grey Art Lab, teaching and trying to keep my regular life together on top of all this is a juggling act, and people have been so wonderful and understanding.

I am hoping that the craziness is over for now, and that we can go back to "normal". Cross your fingers for us!
We are still fighting the battle, but for today, things are looking up!

I hope to post more of the commissions I've been doing, too - thanks to everyone and their never-ending patience!
I am finally getting around to tackling some of the later ones! Thanks again!

Everyone go hug their loved ones! :) Hug them all for me!

Daily Pattern: Pipes And Things

Topic: Freebie Friday

A little bit ago my fellow artist friend Roxy Polk requested a pattern themed around her comic, Transpose Operator. I wanted to make something that had some potential as a blog or website background, so drew inspiration from the intricate backgrounds in her comic panels.