New year, New business cards

With the new year approaching I thought it would be a good time to create new promo business cards. Here's a teaser. I'll probably order them just after the first of the year.

Photoshop mock up above.

Above is the front.

Above is the back.

Bear

Just an exercise in Photoshop painting. I was playing around with lighting, color depth, and layering. I really wasn't concerned about the final outcome, and I wouldn't consider this finished (the paw is barely touched). I may finish it later. Or, I may not. You're just going to have to wait to find out. I know, I know, you may be saying to yourself, "But Josh, does that mean I have to keep checking back to your blog to see if and when you finish it?!" No. Just subscribe to my blog through RSS, or by filling out the email form on the right, and you will be notified whenever I post. Isn't that great? No more trying to remember to check my blog. How freeing is that? If you don't know what RSS is just Google "What is RSS" and you will be enlightened.

Blessing in disguise?

I drew this quick sketch the other day while watching the news and hearing about all the hardships people across the country are facing this Christmas season. For many people it's going to be a hard one. People are forced to scale back their holiday buying and gift giving. The ironic thing is, for me, the economic collapse is really causing me to focus more on why I celebrate this holiday. It's not about buying, or getting the best, most expensive gifts. I remember hearing my grandma tell me how joyful it was to receive an orange in her stocking on Christmas morning, and I hear the same types of stories from my wife's grandpa. Just something to think about.

If you want to know why I celebrate this season just ask (or watch "A Charlie Brown Christmas". It's on tomorrow night at 8pm!! Yay!!)

Christmas Carolers unite

It is a well-known fact that the Abominable Snowman's mortal enemy is the Christmas Caroler. This bitter feud goes back for hundreds of years. But this year is different. At last, these two powerful groups have united despite their differences—perhaps only for the season. Let's enjoy it while it's here.

UPDATE: I've decided to include this in this week's "Illustration Friday". The topic this week is "Similar". Despite their centuries-old feud these two groups have deep similarities. They both have a strong love for Christmas, egg nog, "The Office", and both are passionately disturbed by the increased commercialism of the holidays. Perhaps these issues are why they have finally moved past their silly differences.

carolers by ClelandIllustration
Make a notecard At www.Zazzle.com

Illustration Friday "Opinion"

It's been a while since my last post so I thought I'd throw up a sketch of Bigfoot from my sketchbook and submit it to this week's "Illustration Friday" topic "Opinion". I've been watching shows recently talking about monster topics like "Bigfoot" or "aliens" or "abominable snowman" and my opinion of these have gone back and forth. But, you know what, it really doesn't matter what my opinion is… either Bigfoot is real or he isn't, and my opinion doesn't change that. But I know what is real, this drawing. It's real.

Happy Thanksgiving everybody. I'm thankful for pencils which allow me to make drawings like these. And I'm thankful for erasers so I can fix my mistakes. And I'm thankful for my scanner and Photoshop so I get my drawing onto the computer. And I'm thankful for Blogger and the internet which allows me to share my beautiful drawings with the whole world!

And I'm thankful for those who don't take my comments about Bigfoot seriously.

New Online Store

Hello, again. I've been trying out different methods of creating an online store, and I have another one here. I've created a store at Zazzle.com. I think it has a much better interface than CafePress, and there are much better customizable options for products and store appearance. Plus, there's no upfront costs on my part, which is a big plus.

Below is a preview of Christmas cards that I've created for you to buy. You know you want to. You can access this awesome store here.


buy unique gifts at Zazzle

Hot Chocolate Mouse

Here's your typical Christmas illustration depicting a mouse stirring yummy hot chocolate with a candy cane. Mmmmm. I think my last several posts have something to do with food.

You can buy this illustration as a card at my new CafePress shop here.

Update: I am submitting this illustration to this week's Illustration Friday. The theme is "Pretend". I think it's pretty obvious that we're all pretending that a mouse would actually take the time to stir and savor hot chocolate. I think he would just dive right in (after devouring the candy cane).



Below is a detail.