Owlstation Store Giveaway!

*Now closed!*

I’ve been wanting to do an Owlstation Giveaway for a while and recently reaching my first 100 sales on the Store felt like the perfect reason! Though it might sound like a small number to some, it means so much to me. I so appreciate your custom, support and encouragement of my work and wanted to take a moment to thank you properly…

Also, giveaways and getting post are fun right?! So one of you will be receiving: an A3 Adventure Kit print, an animated Magic Portal magnet, two cute greetings cards and four post cards. Whoop! This giveaway is open to everyone (as long as I can send it to you via Royal Mail).

To enter: In the comments write and tell me, if you could open a fantasy magic portal to anywhere – where would you go/open it to?

Pals on Instagram or Twitter, if you’re able to pop @Owlstation a visit or like there too, then that’s always appreciated (but not a requirement for entering!). You have until the 31st of March. I’ll pick my favourite answer and announce the winner on the 1st of April (but promise it won’t be an April Fool!). Good luck all!

‘Words To Live By’ Exhibition

I’m very excited to to announce that I’ll be taking in part in the new Drawn Chorus Collective show ‘Words To Live By’! The show will feature the gorgeous work of a host of talented collective members plus our awesome guest artists. From illuminated wordplay to typographical personal mantras and gilded sign writing, the show will celebrate the combining of text and image across a wide range of mediums.

If you’re in London town between the 15th and 21st of November, do come along to the Espacio Gallery on Bethnal Green Road and say hello. There’s going to be a popup shop too, if you’re looking for a few Xmas treats. I’ll have some Owlstation Store goodies there at special show prices (come bag yourself a bargain!).

Aside from my excitement of actually being part of a real, physical, IRL show again…I’m just so looking forward to seeing some art for the first time in forever! The Private View will take place on Thursday 18th 6pm – 9pm, I’ll hope to see you there.

Beautiful ‘Change’ poster artwork by Dionne Kitching and designed by Mike O’Brien.

Castle in the Sky: Animated Greetings Card & Magnet

I had a lot of fun creating my new range of products for the Owlstation Store! I’ve always been captivated by fantasy, folklore and magical worlds, so taking the time to experiment, craft and animate my Castle in the Sky design was a really lovely experience.

This magic portal greetings card will come to life in your hands when viewed through your mobile (okay, so it works by augmented reality, not actual magic, but still!) giving you or your friends a momentary escape into an enchanted world…or if you prefer a bit of daydreaming as you fetch your afternoon snack, this design is also available as a bright, vinyl magnet for your fridge.

Creating this design also gave me a chance to work on my traditional, frame by frame animation skills to create the soaring dragon. Something that is quite new to me but definitely very satisfying after all the hard work is done. So if you’re looking for a present for a fantasy loving pal, a birthday card for your Dungeon Master or simply need a bit more magic in your life, please do drop by the Owlstation Store on Etsy, your support of my small business is always appreciated!

Magic Portals, New in the Owlstation Store!

I’m very excited to announce that my new range of products are now available on the Owlstation Store…and to reveal that they are in fact Magic Portals! Giving you the power to open a door to a distant land and all from the comfort of your own home…

My new selection of animated magnets and greetings cards work with augmented reality, so when viewed through your smartphone, they will come to life in your hands! They feature two designs; an enchanted, fairytale castle and a cosy, forest cabin, perfect for the nature lovers and fantasy fans in your life.

After such a strange and challenging year of lockdowns, I really liked the idea that even if you’re stuck indoors, you’d be able to find a momentary escape into a magical world. Inspired by my love of Ghibli films (hello Laputa!) fantasy epics like Game of Thrones and also exploring in the countryside, I wanted the animations to be soothing. Billowing candy-floss clouds, soaring dragons, cosy fires and secret owls.

I was a bit behind getting the new range ready for Christmas (I think the emotions and weirdness of the year definitely played their part!) so it really means a lot to me to finally be able to share this with you and add these goodies to the Store – my own little secret hideaway and safe space to create the art that I want to make! I hope you enjoy them too!

For my full range of prints and illustrated goods visit the Owlstation Etsy Store.

Massive thanks to @alekadzie for his amazing product photography and filming skills!

Owlstation Store: Cabin Experiments

In between client projects (and trying to soak up us much of the Summer as possible) I’ve started work on the next range of products for the Owlstation Store. There’s still a lot to do, but I wanted to give you a little glimpse of some of the development work that’s been going on. Without giving too much away at this point…I’ve been practicing drawing lots of cabins!

Inspired in part by the awesome book Cabin Porn which features gorgeous, enchanting cabins from all over the world. But also by the idea of escaping somewhere secret, cosy and a little bit magical. My initial scribbled ideas, rough sketches and early thumbnails have started to come together and the new products are taking shape. I’ll be excited to share more soon, but for now here are a few more of those cabin experiments.

Christmas Owl Post, tips for making sure it arrives in time!

Despite my good intentions, most years my Christmas shopping always turns into a bit of last minute rush to get those last few presents sorted before the big day. And often my plan to order something unique and special from an Etsy shop is foiled, when I realise I’ve left it far too late for the order to be processed and delivered…

This year however, I’m going to try and get it right! And as I’ve recently had to do a fair bit of research into postal cut off dates for my own Owlstation Store, I thought it might be handy to share a couple of things I’ve learned with you…

Firstly, if your sending cards or ordering presents and want them to arrive in time for Xmas – it’s worth checking your local postal service website for details of their latest recommended postage dates. I’m in the UK and use Royal Mail who have some handy info here. If you’re sending or ordering packages internationally, make sure you find the latest postage dates for the country your sending to or ordering from.

Secondly, If you’re ordering a gift from an online store, be sure to check their ‘processing time’. That is how long they say it will take them to prepare and package up your order. For example for a handcrafted item, the seller may need 2, 3, 5 or even more days to create or customise your gift. You’ll need to mentally add this time (sometimes the site does it for you!) to the given delivery dates to get a clear idea of how long your gift will take to arrive…and make sure it’s before Christmas!

Thirdly, remember that the festive period is a very busy one for sending and receiving post and it can take much longer to arrive than it does for the rest of the year…

But at the end of the day, it’s only Christmas!

If you miss postal deadlines and end up scrambling around in Flying Tiger on the 24th of December it doesn’t really matter (and I may well see you there!). It can be a stressful, tiring time of year and keeping calm and looking after yourself is more important than a big pile of presents. Good luck and happy hunting!

If you’d like to order a present or card from the Owlstation Store and need help with any Xmas queries, feel free to pop me a message. For the UK I advise ordering before the 10th of December. For International orders, please do get in touch as Xmas delivery recommendations vary from country to country.

 

 

 

 

 

Glasgow Botanic Gardens

After an exciting but tiring month of client work and opening the Owlstation Etsy Store, it was brilliant to get away for a few days holiday to Glasgow. I’d never been before and loved exploring the city and recharging with plenty of decadent treats (hello gourmet donuts!) I was especially taken with the botanic gardens, so many beautiful exotic plants and exquisite natural patterns and colours.

The Owlstation Store is OPEN!

The Owlstation Store is now…OPEN!!! You can now find a curated selection of my illustrated Prints and Cards at www.etsy.com/uk/shop/OwlstationStore with more to come soon!

It’s been a long old journey getting everything set up and ready, so I’m super chuffed to be able to share this with you all! I just want to say a big thank you to my friends and family that have helped and supported me this year in this adventure. Your advice, time and hugs made all the difference, you are excellent human beans 🦉! Extra special thanks to the talented @alekadzie for his epic photography skills!

Countdown to Launch on 10th of October!

I am indeed counting down the days to the 10th of October when I’ll be launching the Owlstation Store on Etsy! It feels really good to be at this point and to finally have a home where I can share my products and illustrations with you all, such as my ‘Save Progress?’ greetings card.

Having grown up with retro PlayStation games like Final Fantasy 7 and Tomb Raider 3, I got used to saving my game’s progress by seeking out ethereal Save Crystals…I thought it would be fun to make a card that lets you and your friends save your life progress whenever you need to! Be sure to pop back in 8 days time when I’ll be sharing my store link, hooray! 😀

Owlstation Store Update

I’m getting ever so close to opening the Owlstation Store…in fact, I’m pleased to announce that I have set a date! As of the 10th of October you’ll be able to visit my Etsy shop! To begin with, I’ll be selling a curated collection of illustrated prints and greetings cards, inspired by my love of retro PlayStation games and fantasy adventures (sneak peak above!). Moving forwards, i’m excited to grow my store and create new collections in between my freelance design projects. So…pop the 10th of October in your diary and please do check back here for more updates through September!