Plan ahead for Holidays & Special Events

It's been an interesting year so far, with a wonderful selection of guests that have left a mark of inspiration here at the Almost A Fairy Godmother blog. I wanted to take a moment to remind you all about them, as well as give you a heads up concerning the holidays.

Butterfly Print from Tina T. Ames

Personalized handmade gifts can be seen as welcome surprises at the holidays. They're often tailored to the tastes of someone you care about, and help to add a more thoughtful perspective to the task of gift giving. Yes I just called gift giving a task. It can be hard work to find the perfect gift. But personalized art can make a unique impression on someone.

So that's why I'm reminding you about our wonderful spotlight artists. I'm sure any of them would be delighted to be chosen as the person to help you create a piece that will bring a smile to the face of your loved one. But you have to remember that making something by hand can take time, and shipping around the holidays can be a bit hectic which is not the artists fault. So please make sure to get your requests in early so there's no disappointment.

Animals in Clothes by Koalarazorclock

If you're thinking about a toon like piece you can check out art by Seph Jocuno or Silly Panda's Art Blog. Either artist has a great handle on anime type art styles, and can provide you with a unique artwork that can bring a smile to your face. They've both got instagrams that are active if you're uncertain about what to expect. You can find more direction from the artist spotlights. Seph Jocuno Artist Spotlight or Silly Panda's Artblog Artist Spotlight.

Maybe you'd like to have a picture turned into a watercolor? Koalarazorclock offers this service, and her work is lovely. She also does adorable art portraits of animals in clothes. Check out the artist spotlight on Koalarazorclock to see more as well as get some ideas. Or perhaps you'd like to add some unique photography to someone's collection? Check out pieces available by Mahikol Torres.

Jewelry is always popular, and there's no reason not to check out the pieces created by Hada Pixie Designs again. These unique pieces of jewelry can add a unique edge to an outfit, without necessarily going over the top.  The Artist Spotlight on Hada Pixie Designs can offer more direction. There are also the unique hair pieces created by Wanou Et Moi. These pieces can add a unique flare or twist to someone's daily hair routine. Check out the the artist spotlight on Wanou Et Moi for more information. Pieces by these artists are great for the individual as they're each a handmade piece of art.

Vampyre Rosary by Hada Pixie Designs

Or maybe you want something a little different. An oracle deck can be inspiring as well as beautiful to look through. Or perhaps you'd like an inspirational artwork to add to someone's graduation gift. Tina T. Ames has some amazing pieces that can be used for just that. Check out the artist spotlight for more information on her artwork. Artist Spotlight Tina T. Ames.

Perhaps you're interested in something more practical? You can look into some handmade soaps. They come in  a variety of scents from Cark Farm NH. You can check out their available products and read more about them in their spotlight.

Please remember to give them enough time to create the pieces that you're interested in, because artists do have daily lives, and some work a full time job on top of trying to keep up with their artistic talents. But by sending in your requests early, you can ensure that there's enough time to have your unique creation completed before the holidays. Yes I know that I sound like I'm repetitive, but time is very important for creation and shipping.

Plan accordingly, and here's hoping your holiday planning is magical. (Personally I'm about halfway done with my shopping XD)

Artist Spotlight : Seph Jocuno

 When it comes to art there's all kinds of things to see and explore.  And with this being the new year and all (finally!) It's time to look at some fresh new faces, and expand our horizons. Which means we're going to explore art work and get excited about the unique pieces each artist offers.

Today we're going to be looking at art done by Joseph Norwood, who offers his work to the world through Seph Junco. You can find more of his work on instagram here at @sephjocuno3 or on his tumbler page The Art of Seph. The image to the left here is a self portrait of the artist. Cute isn't it? And he's a real sweetheart when it comes to contacting and discussing his work and other possibilities.

Below you're going to find a variety of pieces completed from the artist that you can find either on the instagram page or the tumbler account. He's also got some amazing hand painted shirts. If you're interested in contacting him for a commissioned character or other piece, am sure he'd love to hear from you at sephjocuno3@gmail.com. He's willing to help with logos, graphic design, portraits and illustrations. Pretty well rounded right?

Anyway! Let's start looking at some of Seph Jocuno's art! I picked 4 pieces, and to be honest it was difficult to narrow it down. But i'm pleased with the images contained in each piece, the colors are vibrant. The images are fun, and not to mention fresh. I'm a sucker for rounded edges, and these are wonderful for that. Especially after all that political stuff that flooded 2016.

The first picture is a knockout! Let's be honest here. There's not really a ton of curvy girls out there easily found. At least, not always drawn as appealing characters. The example to the right is appealing for a number of reasons.

One being her legs and hair. I love how rounded her legs are, and they're not dramatically elongated like you can see in a number of toon style art. The shading is also fun giving the illusion, in my opinion, that she's possibly floating on water. Her hair though! I LOVE her hair and facial expression. It's not something I see often, and as someone with a lot of hair when I let it loose, this appeals to me.

The image to the left intrigues me because of all the detail in the dragon instead of in the person who is possibly going to attempt to slay the dragon. I like the way it's balanced also.

I was a little surprised when I realized that it is a PNG so it has a clear background, leaving the figures almost like stickers here in the blog space. Definitely a unique idea.

It even seems to illustrate the answer Seph provided when asked what inspires his artwork. His response was :

Well the most inspiring thing to me as an artist is the ability to create something from almost nothing. I have the free will to make totally new worlds, people, creatures, and scenarios that I can just get taken away by.

Lola is freaking amazing! Seph also has a dragon type character named Moe that's available for viewing on tumbler, but I was advised she might be a bit lacking in clothing for me to keep my family/worksafe rating.

Lola is a type of furry in my eyes, and she made me smile because she's not done up having HUGE assets, which with bovine characters I've frequently seen.

To further endear her to you, I'm going to quote directly from the artists tumbler page :

Lolajane Belle is a very mild mannered girl-cow. She loves to have nice chats on the porch and make new friends. She has a spot on her chest that is shaped like a heart that she unconsciously rubs whenever she gets nervous.

Seph Jocuno is also working on a graphic novel that he's titled Unloved. If you're interested in taking a peek at some of the pages that he's currently has the first 4 pages available for viewing, they're available on his tumbler page. This is the first page of it: Page 0. It's intriguing and hopefully he'll continue the story.

Well I suppose that's all for now. Remember to check out more art by Seph Junco on instagram(@sephjocuno3) or tumbler(The Art of Seph), and also feel free to contact them about custom work. (Seriously! I love his anthropomorphics!)