Celebrating Castle's 100th Episode

So I did a dirty thing...I entered a poster contest. No prize, not certain of who holds the rights. I'm sure some NO-SPEC'ers out there will frown upon me. But you know what? I really don't care. One of my favorite shows, Castle, just celebrated their 100th episode. I was there from the beginning, when we weren't sure if there was even going to be a second season, much less a fifth! I've enjoyed every minute of the wit and mystery. So when I heard about the #Castle100 poster contest, I jumped right in. Not for fame or money, but because it was fun. It was my way of contributing and showing a TV that I care so much about how much I really care. I don't even care if I win the contest, I'm proud of the finished piece. So to me, my time and skills spent were well worth the effort.

HOW or knowHOW, there's a Nap for That!

For those designers fortunate enough to be attending this year's HOW Design Live event in San Francisco, there is a Nap for That! As a veteran HOW conference attendee, I can assure the noobs, that I'm not kidding. And to prove it I designed a custom Nap for That tee just for this year's conference. It's available at my Zazzle shop.

For those designers who can't make the big event in San Francisco, there's always knowHOW in Atltanta hosted by my friend Karma. It's a very informal gathering of HOWies, but just as inspiring and she even manages to wrangle up some swag, such as this know HOW Nap for That tee. Show Karma you're just as proud of knowHOW as HOW and pick up one of these fine tees at my Zazzle shop.

New Work: kyrie eleison

As I was working on my Agent Danger! piece for a gallery's call for entries, I got hit with the flu. As I was recovering and working feverishly (almost literally!) to complete that image, I reached a point where I was getting frustrated with AD. I took a break and for whatever reason, I began to think of this image I had I done a long time ago in my sketchbook of a woman standing with a sword with smoke behind her.

I actually stopped working on Agent Danger! and begin to flesh out this image instead. It came together very quickly (I finished it all one Friday night) and actually inspired to complete Agent Danger! the next day. Not bad getting two images done as I was recovering from my illness.

As for the title, I still didn't have a name for this image. I began to just look at the image and reflect on what it meant to me. I also had iTunes playing in the background and while I was thinking about the name, "kyrie eleison" started playing. "Kyrie Eleison" means "Lord, have mercy" and somehow seemed truly appropriate for someone who is contemplating taking up a sword, presumably to go out and dispense justice with it, albeit reluctantly, since it would mean taking lives.

Below is the original image from my sketchbook of what I originally titled "Woman & Smoke".