Natasha Muhl

Natasha Muhl

Natasha Muhl

Natasha Muhl

Natasha Muhl

Natasha Muhl

Happy Halloween everyone!

While a lot of people are dressing up a ghouls or a celebrity this time of the year, for me the day is extra significant because it’s my father’s birthday too. He’s away for work so there’s no celebrations this year, and I miss him tons. So to cheer myself up, I’ve been perusing some artworks at Etsy and found Natasha Muhl, an artist based in Australia.

[quote] I’ll often re-use motifs and imagery as familiar signatures in my pieces. Beasts & nature, female sovereigns, birds, gems and meat often show up in my illustration; wasted and deformed, bleeding, or sometimes reduced to bones. ~ Natasha Muhl [/quote]

Her pencil works are wonderful, and these birds in her Etsy shop look cute instead of scary (I want to give them a home!) There’s more where that came from – you can take a look at her portfolio to see more of her illustrative range.

p/s: I’m so glad to be back – yesterday you might have noticed that we we’re down for quite some time, due to hurricane Sandy that knocked our servers out for a good 5 hours. We’re lucky though, as many other big websites were down for much longer.

I’m also extending Carla’s giveaway for another two days, and my apologies as the last couple of comments didn’t make the website migration that was carried out on Monday. If you were one of the last commenters, please do check to see if yours is still there!

Microcosm Publishing

DIY Screenprinting & Home Sweet Homegrown | Microcosm publishing

Microcosm is a small publisher based in Portland, where zines are du jour and their belief is as refreshing as publishers go. They specialize in DIY (Do-It-Yourself) goods that teach self-empowerment and their website offers up a slice of what they do – from giving out transparent and accessible financial records (their minimum wage is USD$9, capped at $13) and a sliding-scale pricing for all their wares (yes, it’s true!). I’ve requested a couple of books for review, and for those who are very much into DIY (and not just crafts, mind you), I think you might just feel as though you’ve hit gold.

[quote] You determine what you can afford to pay for the items that we publish ~ Microcosm [/quote]

Home Sweet Homegrown | Microcosm publishingHomesweet Homegrown: How to Grow, Make, And Store Food, No Matter Where You Live by Robyn Jasco shows you how easy it is to sustain yourself with a garden. And if you don’t have one, create one instead with the space you have. The topics run from the basics: how to cultivate your seeds, irrigating your garden with an old hose, recipes for those delicious freshly picked greens and even the topic of fermentation; with lots of information in between that’s neatly organized between chapters.

DIY Screenprinting | Microcosm publishing

DIY Screenprinting Handbook by John Isaacson is an instructional book on screenprinting in a quirky comic book format. Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of the concept – between these pages (and the strips) there are lots of information that’s delivered with a wittiness that makes it all that much easier to digest. There’s also interviews with other screenprinting artists in between that offers a break in the comic book sequence. The dissemination of textbook information into a storyline – with Isaacson playing the lead role – makes for a lively read out of mere instructions.

See more books over at Microcosm Publishing!

Have a lovely weekend folks!

Sponsor giveaway: Carla Sonheim

Carla Sonheim's giveaway!

If your Tuesday is looking a little drab, you’ve come to the right place. Oh yes, that’s right.

Courtesy of artist Carla Sonheim, you’ll be vying with lady luck to win not just one or two items, but three things, my friends. All three things to arrive via mail that will instantly perk up your week no matter where you are in the world (yes, it’s open to all!)

In conjunction with the launch of Carla’s latest book: Drawing and Painting Imaginary Animals: A Mixed-Media Workshop, she’s giving away the book (retailed at USD$24.99) plus two limited edition prints worth USD$25 each; to ONE lucky reader.

All you’ve got to do is just leave your comments on this post – share with us the name (and quirks) of your imaginary friend/creature/animal when you were young. If you didn’t have one (I didn’t because I didn’t realize we could!) feel free to make something up – you know, sort of like the imaginary friend you never had!

Giveaway ends next week after Tuesday 30th October 2012!

*UPDATE:* The winner of this giveaway is Yvonne – and we’ve sent out an email to notify her! Thanks so much for commenting everyone!

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