How To Quit Your Day Job

I just read this fantastic article on Etsy "Quit Your Day Job" segment. It really hits right at the perfect moment. Jody and Karl's story exposes what many freelancers are feeling but never seem to talk about, making us all feel alone in a not-so-instant success situation. More than that, it also shows the upside and how years of work pay off. For all us aspiring to freelance, this is a refreshing read.

Don't miss the opportunity to read the article for yourself here. Have a fantabulous weekand!

Tumblr Followings

Hi!
Just write in the comments your blog url so that I can still look at your blog even though Frolic Hunter is not on Tumblr anymore. Also, are you guys on Blogger? They're building a pretty decent community. If so, post that url to!

Thank you !

Mail Art for Featuring Magazine

I'm just about to send out my mail-art submission for the dutch magazine Featuring.  Lately I've been feeling like suddenly dropping my things and leaving.  That's why I decided to go for a wanderlust theme.

Flip-Flop Socks Hand Knitted Winter Rescue

Mama You The Best, Best I Ever Had, Best I Ever Had... for knitting me flip-flop socks after seeing me force flip-flops on over my plain socks all last winter. The pattern is free here.

My apologies for the product placement and non-clean flip-flops. I own up to these facts but hope it does not distract too much!

Keep cosy! We've almost made it through the deep freeze week of the year :)

One Sketchbook Down, A Million To Go

I finally finished that sketchbook I've been using on and off. It's pretty much falling apart as I write this. Took a few scans. The doodles range from pre-illustration&design to very recently.

I feel the need to explain the one on the left. It sounds pretty heartless, but it wasn't actually directed at anyone haha. 

Stay tuned for some candid metro rider sketches.

DIY Valentines Cookie Cutters

Hello! Whether we're happy about it or not, it's Valentine's day again soon! There's that never ending debate about the meaning of this particular celebration nowadays. Some love it, some find it a total hassle, some say they don't need it to let their significant other know that they are loved and others feel like it's just a fun little extra to the relationship.

Regardless, I love Valentine's Day because of all the freakin chocolate and cookies and sweets. This is why I bring you heart-shaped cookie cutters! This has been done many times before, but just in case you didn't know about pop can cookie cutters, I'm telling you now!

You will need:
• Clean Pop can
• Box Cutters
• Cutting board
• Clear Tape

Start off with an ordinary pop can.

Firstly cut along the bottom of the can, then work your way up cutting up the can in approximately 1" strips. It helps to first insert the point of the box cutter to start your cut. Or else, I found that doing the next step (cutting the can vertically) right away and using scissors worked well for this part. Finally, cut each strip vertically to get something like in this picture.

Tape the two ends of one strip exactly where they meet (ie. not overlapping) to create the tip of the heart. Lightly push in the now circle-shaped strip down the middle to create the round tops. Gently press onto the sides to bend them inwards.

It's as simple as that but it's effective. I'll show you some cookies soon! Stay tuned to get the recipe for delectable, melt-in-your-mouth Valentine's Day treats.
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Photo Journal: Canadian Blizzard

Now this is more like it! Good ole January back on track? Maybe. The short-lived blizzard made staying inside watching movies and eating Celebration cookies even more fantastic than it already is.
Yesterday, thanks to Ariel who's been initiating me to the wondrous film world, we had a movie night with none other than Chungking Express, Modern Times and Låt Den Rätte Komma In. Let's not forget this morning's treat: The Darjeeling Limited (I'll take any occasion to be drawn deeper into Wes Anderson's appealingly cohesive style).

Art Exchange Paintings

I'll be perfectly honest right now: I'm nervous about starting to put art up for art exchange. When I create things that are not for school or not for lying around various areas of the house. It's exactly like carving a small piece out of myself and putting it out in the mighty Unprotected Zone (I just invented that term), vulnerable to criticism, judgement, praise and any other feeling a fellow human may have.  I kind of like the feeling though. It may seem like nothing, but it's a small step towards feeling more confident about the things I make.

Here goes. I went all fine-artsy on your asses today. Maybe tomorrow'll be different. Still working on style coherence! These three paintings are all made on transparent acetates and are approximately 22 x 15 cm.

This is the other side of the previous image. There is no right side.

Art Swap Exchange

My scanner's been living life on the edge lately, yoloing away until that one time I pick it up and throw it on the ground.

...

Neh I wouldn't. But still. I'll try again so that I may upload some doodles and some art for my up-and-coming Art Exchange page where anyone else who has some art up on the Internet can decided to swap with me.

Photo Journal: Snowy Field Equals Joy.

There's an odd feeling inside of my mind after a common restless night. A wicked sensation of old and of new and of everything that remains the same. I long for change but I fear its approach when I know this period is closing up. 

Accidental Mail Art

I often use used mail envelopes or the back of old term papers to draw on, especially for scans. For some reason odd reason, the scanner kept jamming, giving me these interesting patterns. Lovely accident! I quite like these. The second one is a successful scan, but it's the pattern inside the confidential mail envelopes. I ADORE those. Seriously. I've covered notepads and sketch books with those.

Photo Journal: As I Lay Waiting.. For The Bus

I refuse to let the crummy bus schedule rule my life. However, this means that missing the bus is part of my weekly routine. Through this rebellion I must accept the fact that I will often wait lengthy chunks of time for the next bus to arrive. Last night, it was a 52 minute wait to be exact.

Being the opportunist I am, I decided to practice using the camera I just got courtesy of mom, pops, uncles and aunts (I love the teamwork to get this poor artist here going).

Digital Painting: The Day I Could Fly

This here is an illustration for the Digital Painting class of Fall 2012 in Illustration and Design. The project was called The Day I Could Fly and its purpose was to have us create an illustration for a magazine article about retirement and financial freedom.

Foggy Forest Digital Painting

Fantasy game concept for Digital Painting class (Fall 2012 Illustration and Design)

Hohner Special 20 Marker Ads

I present to you here 4 ads I had to design for my marker rendering class during my most recent semester (semester 3) of Illustration and Design.

Product

Product + Environment

Product + People

Billboard Format

Ben Howard's Hair

This is Ben Howard's hair the way I see it in my feelings, just to kickstart my mission to doodle more.