Judith Peterson describes her background as coming from education and library science. But along the way she’s found an interesting hobby: Carving original 3D puzzles out of wood. Lucky for us, most of her designs are animals: Current, prehistoric, or mythical. The puzzles range in complexity from 3 pieces to 57 pieces (!). She and her husband have even written books on how to create wooden puzzles using scroll saws. We found them vending at Midwest FurFest, but you can check out FanTaminals’ web site to see the latest designs.
Furry Art
Midwest Wyvern
Among the many amazing artist we met at Midwest FurFest was Lindsey Burcar — who is actually from that part of the continent herself. “Lindsey Burcar is a self-taught freelance illustrator working from her home in Milwaukee, WI. Inspired by all things fantasy and nature, beast and creature, her travels and exploration of the natural world are a pivotal part of her life and art.” If you visit her official web site you can find links to her Inprnt shop, featuring some very high-quality prints of her art — as well as her Etsy shop, where you’ll find not only prints but pins, stickers, and other artistic goodies she has for sale.
Dressing Up from Head to Toe
Fresh back from Midwest FurFest, and oh, we have so much to tell you about! Things like Chaos Costumes — created by Blair Ondrla. She specializes in the manufacture of cloven-hooved footwear (learn what it’s really like to be digitigrade!) and head-wear like horns and antlers. And more! They have much on sale at their on-line store, and even more at their Etsy shop. Their web site even includes a selection of videos showing their products in use.
Furries and Fungus
Recently we made a trip to this year’s Lightbox animation industry trade-show in Pasadena, California. We met a lot of very cool and talented artists, including Shawn E. Russell. Here’s how her web site describes her: “Shawn is a wildlife and imaginative realism artist specializing in creating detailed depictions of animals melded with plants and fungi in symbiotic relationships… Shawn has worked with independent board game creators, food & beverage packaging, & private art collectors. She offers her personal work for sale online and at art fairs, comic/anime conventions across the US where she enjoys connecting with fans, collectors, and clients in person.” As you can see, the artist works a lot in highly detailed black-and-white. If you happen to find yourself in Terre Haute, Indiana, make sure to visit their personal gallery called Seek.
Beauty in Complexity
Another art crew we met at WonderCon goes by the name of Star Salts — interesting, hmm? Jackie (artist!) and Ian (manager!) specialize in densely complex tapestries featuring pokemon, anime creatures, and other popular cartoon subjects. Then those designs become part of their line of Hawaiian-style shirts, lanyards, pillow cases, and even (how timely!) face-masks. They’ve also branched out into enamel pins and such. Visit their web site to see the latest.
What, We Worry?
We met Janie Stapleton at WonderCon this year. On her web site, she describes her art like this: “I find inspiration in nature and people watching, and I like my work to strike an awkward balance of gallows humor and bright colors. My work explores emotional intelligence, neurodivergence, and interpersonal connection through lighthearted drawings and comics.” And so she’s created various funny-animal-themed online comics like Animal Logic and The Adventures of Anxiety & Mouse. More recently, she’s run some successful Kickstarter campaigns to release her comics in paperback book form. See if they can help you relax.
Street Smart Art
At Los Angeles Comic Con we came across Street Rebirth and its enterprising creator, who goes by Smurf. Here’s what their web site says: “Blending contemporary trends with old school vibes, we specialize in producing nostalgic pixel art, eye-catching collages & art prints, cartoon caricatures and a signature line of apparel, bringing together a lineup of products for the next generation of conscientious consumers.” Their specialty is colorful vinyl stickers featuring lots (and we mean lots) of different well-known cartoon and pop-culture characters re-imagined from a contemporary street-smart perspective. Many of their designs are available as pins, t-shirts, and other nick-knacks too.
Your Pet and You
Happy New Year! And here’s some more cool stuff we found last year at the Los Angeles Comic Con. Cloris is an artist from Southern California who’s been making the convention scene for just a few years now. She specializes in custom pet portraits, but lately she’s branched out into creating knick-knacks (key chains, stickers, and more) based on all (and we mean all!) of the various dog and cat breeds out there, as well as lots of birds. Her web site (cloriscreates) explains it all, and includes a link to her Etsy store too.
Corgi Stuff for Christmas?
Cats get a lotta love around here, so how about something for the dog friends out there? Specifically those cute little canines known as corgis — Welsh pembroke, and otherwise. At L.A. Comic Con we came across Tworgis.com, an on-line store that specializes in cool stuff with dog designs — mostly, but not entirely, corgis. They’ve got some poodles in there too, and even, yes, some cats! “From bags to drink holders, we have all the cutest Corgi accessories you could ever need. Whether you’re obsessed—just like we are—or are in need of gifts for Corgi lovers, we’ve got you covered. At Tworgis, we carry adorable, fashionable, and functional products that will last you for years. These durable and high-quality accessories take dog-themed gifts to the next level.” Woof!