Instead, a couple of cool stamps that arrived from New Zealand:
The real geological formation does look a bit like Patience or Fortitude.
And you know how I love those New Zealand birds, kiwilike or no.
Showing posts with label philately. Show all posts
Showing posts with label philately. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Stylish Lion Rock Stamp
No new comics today, because I was drawing for a secret project instead of doing "Draw Two Panels."
Instead, a couple of cool stamps that arrived from New Zealand:
The real geological formation does look a bit like Patience or Fortitude.
And you know how I love those New Zealand birds, kiwilike or no.
Instead, a couple of cool stamps that arrived from New Zealand:
The real geological formation does look a bit like Patience or Fortitude.
And you know how I love those New Zealand birds, kiwilike or no.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
More Awesome Stamps (incl. Dracula)
I got some very pretty stamps on another Postcrossing postcard from China last week:
But the real crown jewel for this month's postcard philately comes from my friend Tara, who was traveling in Ireland around Bloomsday:
Why aren't there more stamps with Dracula?
But the real crown jewel for this month's postcard philately comes from my friend Tara, who was traveling in Ireland around Bloomsday:
Why aren't there more stamps with Dracula?
Monday, June 18, 2012
Alphabooksbeasts: E is for East Dragon
This week's non-Donjon Alphabooks entry is from a really recent publication: East Dragon, West Dragon, which is written by Robyn Eversole and illustrated by the incomparable Scott C.
As the title might suggest, EDWD is the story of two dragons from different sides of the world (and different folkloric traditions). West Dragon would have been fun to draw, too, but Oh Man did I enjoy putting this guy into my notebook.
I really love that Lunar New Year stamp. I had actually thought of incorporating it into my drawing of East Dragon even before I saw this fun post with cartoons and pasted-down stamps by my former student Caitlin McGurk over at the Billy Ireland Library blog. But of course the article sealed the deal.
Then is was just a question of figuring out how I could get the stamp into the drawing without forcing the real subject to turn his back. (The answer? Bring in some dudes to do the picture-hanging for him.)
I am pretty proud of my imitation of Scott C.'s style there (and I did a sort of clever thing with Photoshop that probably is way below the skill level of most cartoonists, but still felt smart to me). This is what East Dragon looks like in the actual book.
(It was easy for me to scan this page because, for some reason, my baby son has loved to tear pages out of his first copy of EDWD. Don't worry; I have a second one on the shelf for him when he gets over this phase.)
One mark of Scott C.'s awesomeness that I recognized only this week is that he's actually not at all easy to imitate. Getting East Dragon's face just a little bit wrong knocks him completely off-model and unrecognizable. There was a lot of erasing in my pencils this week, and my doodle was way, way off.
If you like Scott C.'s work, and you already have a copy of the fun, adorable East Dragon, West Dragon, let me suggest that you purchase a rare (and fun) item that contains a page of Scott's doodles.
Next week: someone else with horns.
As the title might suggest, EDWD is the story of two dragons from different sides of the world (and different folkloric traditions). West Dragon would have been fun to draw, too, but Oh Man did I enjoy putting this guy into my notebook.
I really love that Lunar New Year stamp. I had actually thought of incorporating it into my drawing of East Dragon even before I saw this fun post with cartoons and pasted-down stamps by my former student Caitlin McGurk over at the Billy Ireland Library blog. But of course the article sealed the deal.
Then is was just a question of figuring out how I could get the stamp into the drawing without forcing the real subject to turn his back. (The answer? Bring in some dudes to do the picture-hanging for him.)
I am pretty proud of my imitation of Scott C.'s style there (and I did a sort of clever thing with Photoshop that probably is way below the skill level of most cartoonists, but still felt smart to me). This is what East Dragon looks like in the actual book.
(It was easy for me to scan this page because, for some reason, my baby son has loved to tear pages out of his first copy of EDWD. Don't worry; I have a second one on the shelf for him when he gets over this phase.)
One mark of Scott C.'s awesomeness that I recognized only this week is that he's actually not at all easy to imitate. Getting East Dragon's face just a little bit wrong knocks him completely off-model and unrecognizable. There was a lot of erasing in my pencils this week, and my doodle was way, way off.
If you like Scott C.'s work, and you already have a copy of the fun, adorable East Dragon, West Dragon, let me suggest that you purchase a rare (and fun) item that contains a page of Scott's doodles.
Next week: someone else with horns.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
DAMN! Now, that is a STAMP!
Somehow the postal rate increase took me by surprise, so I am not ready with enough small-denomination stamps or whatever. I just spent an hour or more trying to order the right stuff on the USPS website (which is a miracle of clumsy web design).
But on the plus side, check out this year's Lunar New Year stamp.
It's enough to make you want to send mail, I tell you.
But on the plus side, check out this year's Lunar New Year stamp.
It's enough to make you want to send mail, I tell you.
Friday, December 30, 2011
The Scuba Santa of Christmas Island
Okay, so for almost two years now I have been participating in a hobby called Postcrossing, which uses the web to arrange one-time, one-way postcard penpals for you, mostly from international and faraway destinations. It's pretty fun.
Sometimes the postcards I get are really awesome, and sometimes they come with awesome stamps on the back. Case in point:
It's Christmastime in Australia, too, even though they're a week into summer. And you have to figure that if your country contained Christmas Island, you'd do a stamp for it at this time of year.
Sometimes the postcards I get are really awesome, and sometimes they come with awesome stamps on the back. Case in point:
It's Christmastime in Australia, too, even though they're a week into summer. And you have to figure that if your country contained Christmas Island, you'd do a stamp for it at this time of year.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Animal Alphabet: T is for Temminck's Tragopan
Okay, here's this week's entry in the Animal Alphabet.
If you've received a postcard from China recently, you might have been wondering about the creature on this odd stamp.
That's a tragopan, with its lappet extended. (The lappet is a sort of bib-shaped wattle that the male tragopan can unfurl for territorial or mating displays. Those odd horns are made of the same tumescent stuff.) There are five species of tragopan, but only one alliterates (and therefore suits this post to a T):
T is for Temminck's Tragopan.
Let me invite you to watch another ARKive video of the Temminck's tragopan's mating display. Like last week's creature, the tragopan can make some pretty astounding transformations of its shape.
I had a hard time figuring out what position to draw this guy in. Originally I had thought to draw it in three stages of behavior, sort of like the Pokemon-style self-portraits I've admired in the past.
But time was a bit too pressing for that plan, since I'm still writing syllabi for classes that start at the end of the month.
If you are a recent parent, I do not recommend watching this video of the "crying baby" call that this tragopan apparently makes. Or, maybe, I dare you to do it.
Next week: Have I really not drawn a primate yet?
If you've received a postcard from China recently, you might have been wondering about the creature on this odd stamp.
That's a tragopan, with its lappet extended. (The lappet is a sort of bib-shaped wattle that the male tragopan can unfurl for territorial or mating displays. Those odd horns are made of the same tumescent stuff.) There are five species of tragopan, but only one alliterates (and therefore suits this post to a T):
T is for Temminck's Tragopan.
Let me invite you to watch another ARKive video of the Temminck's tragopan's mating display. Like last week's creature, the tragopan can make some pretty astounding transformations of its shape.
I had a hard time figuring out what position to draw this guy in. Originally I had thought to draw it in three stages of behavior, sort of like the Pokemon-style self-portraits I've admired in the past.
But time was a bit too pressing for that plan, since I'm still writing syllabi for classes that start at the end of the month.
If you are a recent parent, I do not recommend watching this video of the "crying baby" call that this tragopan apparently makes. Or, maybe, I dare you to do it.
Next week: Have I really not drawn a primate yet?
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