Tag Archives: pandagrams

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Presenting Pindas!

As promised in my previous preview post, I am pleased to present Pandagram Pindas! Even more petite than the original card set, these are pin-back buttons featuring all 11 of the current Pandagram antics. (7 are pictured here.)

They are simple pin-back buttons, like any old “I Voted” or “Save the Whales” buttons. Pindas are 1.75″ in diameter. That’s the size kit I bought from American Button Machines; they have other sizes, but I thought 1.75″ was best for these. Any smaller would be too close to the sticker size, and too much bigger would get them close to the card size.

From the time I participated my first anime artist’s alley (back at Kawa Kon 2015), I noticed that many artists and vendors sold pins. At the time, I was not particularly interested in pin-making, but I did take note that more people were more apt to purchase small items than a big poster or art print, and buttons were a hot item in that category. (The next time around, I made sure to have a small item: Pandagram stickers in 2 designs.)

Then, a year ago November, I attended Anime Iwai in Florida and met a gal who happened to have a pin-making machine right at her booth! I asked her about it, and she showed me how to make a button. It’s quite simple once you have the right equipment. Perhaps next time I’ll post a tutorial on how to make buttons.

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January Jaunt

Greetings, my dear regulars, and happy new year!

As 2015 rolls into fashion, I find my customary holiday hiatus from the web blog much extended. As my Romanian French teacher from high school used to say, “believe you me,” it is not from a lack of things to mention nor from a wish to avoid such charming people as yourselves. Rather, ’tis thanks to that familiar nag called a deadline. Not the kind that creeps up on you, stealing into your chambers and suddenly rattling your bedpost, but rather the ominous kind that looms in the distance, that billows as you realize just how much more you didn’t know you have to do.

But I, like the sunshine on a spring day, am not worried about those clouds. Everything is moving forward in preparation for Kawa-Kon. Yesterday, in fact, I did a test print for the Pandagrams card template. A few tweaks there, then it’s formatting the set & off to the printer–tally ho! Completing Cartage will require a much greater push, but it’s definitely doable.

Now that I have taken and relished the opportunity to wax mildly poetic, I must crack my own whip, return from this little jaunt, and get to work! Until next time, whenever that may be!

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Pandas on Parade

Within a few weeks and without road bumps, expect to find the first pack of Pandagrams printed for purchase!

These black and white ink paintings feature panda pals engaged in potentially punny and otherwise adorable antics. Each set contains cards featuring 6 different illustrations. The première pack includes Pandaikon, Frying Panda, Baby Butterfly, and 3 more. Further details, such as the number of cards per pack, the inclusion of envelopes, and the possibility of purchasing single original illustrations to be determined.

PandaW-btrf01

Panda Preview: Baby Butterfly (left), Pandaikon

To promote this panda-demic species, I will venture into the jungles and bamboo groves of digital marketing and social media further than ever before. Special thanks to a friend for suggesting some potential venues for these monochromatic mammals. Once things are underway, I will add links here for easy access should you wish to send them to others.

There will be at least 2 more packs of Pandagrams. Try guessing the other titles and offer suggestions below! (Yes, leaving comments can be fun!)

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Pand-update

I think we’re due for an update.

In a prior post, I mentioned my panda project but little more than that. Let’s change that. Pandagrams is a series of small ink images featuring–that’s right–pandas in various situations, many of which involve puns (beyond “panda-monium”).

Here’s a sneak peek (test sketches) for Pandaikon. Both hearken somewhat to Japanese sumi-e (ink painting). Daikon is a large, white Japanese radish.

pandag-1a pandag-1b

This past week, I wrote and revised a short story for submission to a youth fiction contest. From start to finish, the events, characters, and scenes came to me very quickly. Sometimes we must write to discover the next thing, but I must say it was quite nice to know exactly where I was going the whole time.

I’m also plugging away on illustration commissions. I’m aiming to have the paintings for Do You Have a Pebble in Your Pocket? (the goat book) finished by the end of the month. As for my latest commission, The Littlest Sheep, I’ve completed several thumbnail sketches of the story spreads and will soon correspond with the author about them.