2012 Free Custom Owl Calendar

Alisa Coburn

If you're like me, you're still getting things settled into the new year. That includes getting my new 2012 calendar all set up. And lucky for us, the wonderful people who brought us the free custom owl calendar from last year have a whole new set of gorgeous, fun owl art for this year. Nathan Jurevicius is back, with a piece involving an owl as well as a crow - oooh!

Pick which owl art you want for which month, click a button, and voila - you have your very own custom 2012 owl calendar to print out! As was true last year, there is no shortage of great pieces - so much so that I may have to make two calendars to enjoy.

Head over to My Owl Barn and have fun!

Artists I Love: Justin Hillgrove

"Wild Ride" by Justin Hillgrove

When I first started attending WonderCon, it was for the nerd factor - animation, comic stuff, designer vinyl toys, seeing cosplayers in person. But what quickly became my favorite thing about the con is Artists Alley. This is where I always end up spending the majority of my carefully budgeted money, and I always wish I had more to spend - even if it's just to support these amazing artists.

"Bed Time Stories" by Justin Hillgrove

Last year I ran across a few artists I had never been exposed to, but fell in love with their work immediately. One of those people was Justin Hillgrove. He's based out of Washington, near Seattle, and specializes in monsters and robots. How could I resist that? I had a really hard time picking just one print, but ended up going home with a signed print of "You're the One": a tree monster cuddling a (Tim Burton-esque) toy duckie.

"Separation Anxiety" by Justin Hillgrove

I also got a chance to chat with him, and he was very humble and nice - especially accomodating since I took so long to decide on a print, and I'm sure he was thinking "just pick one already!". He even signed the print for me.

I love how detailed his work is, and how much emotion his pieces have. It may seem light-hearted, but you truly feel sad for the poor little reaper sitting on the gravestone, and your heart swells at the monster so attached to his toy. Each piece pulls you into a specific micro-world, as if you've popped your head through a window into another universe where monsters run freely through the woods with little creature friends gleefully clinging to their back for a joy-ride, or big tree monsters tell bedtime stories to the little ones all falling asleep in a pile. Almost unbearably sweet, and one of those prints you want to have on your wall so you can gaze at it (when you're supposed to be working) and imagine what life must be like in that wondrous world.

"You're the One" by Justin Hillgrove

Definitely check out his work. His prints are very affordable, and he even has iPhone cases and t-shirts. And if you're in the Seattle area, check out his show and festival listings to see his work in person.

Protect Our Internet - Education and a Well-Done Video!

You may have seen this already (it's been all over Twitter, Google, Etsy, and many of the crafting and animation blogs I hit on a regular basis). But if you're not already aware of the dangers of Congress passing the Protect-IP and SOPA bills, please take a few minutes to watch this video and get educated. Many sites are in black-out today to raise awareness, and have links to government petitions - like the main page of Google today.

Plus, I really like the style of the animation - well-done and educational! What more could you ask for?


PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

This is important stuff. If we're not even aware, how can we do anything about it?