Out Like a Lamb

The month flew by so fast I think I have jet lag. What, what?

* I've been working on sketches for Fort-Building Time this winter. Written by Megan Wagner Lloyd (the author of Finding Wild), it comes out Fall 2017. It's been a delight working on the sketches (getting to relive childhood fort-building memories has been pretty terrific).

* Eclectic Bambino makes the sweetest clothing for littles, and I was tickled pink to see her using one of my prints on this baby playsuit.

* If you're an Uppercase Magazine reader, keep your eyes peeled! A bookmark with one of my illustrations will be randomly inserted into copies of the next issue. And if you're not a reader, may I suggest picking up a copy, immediately? Uppercase is hands down my favorite creative publication and I can't recommend it highly enough.

* And I knit myself a pair of TARDIS mittens. The pattern is by SpillyJane and I don't care if it's nigh on April, I will wear these until the temperature makes it unbearable to do so.

March-ing Onward

A quick painting of the red barn I drive by almost daily.

And if you're local, be sure to take in the Illuminating Tarbell show in Portsmouth. It's a phenomenal look at the American impressionist painter, Edmund Tarbell. Also included is a selection of work by contemporary artists inspired by Tarbell's legacy. Allons-y!

Winter Necessities

Fleece lined leggings are all that and a bag of chips. Seriously. I got some as a Christmas gift this year and let me tell you, they've made this winter 99.9% more tolerable.

Also, coffee. Always, coffee.

Diary

February so far, in a pictorial nutshell.

My first diary was a Peter Rabbit journal with a lock and key that I kept in first grade. I think I only managed to fill up about 15 pages of the 365 available. Flipping through it a few months ago I was appalled at my, shall we say, "creative spelling." But entries about the Tooth Fairy and staying the night at my grandparents still hold up.

As a teenager, I became a more regimented diarist, detailing each day's events in cramped, school-girl script. When I went away to college, I shifted from keeping a diary to writing daily emails home, a way to combat homesickness. And then there was the first awkward attempt at blogging my senior year, a Microsoft Frontpage document (cringe) that I updated daily and is mercifully no longer available on the internet. I remember vaguely writing about miniature marshmallows in cocoa and CD purchases that I will not now publicly admit.

It seems on a weekly basis that articles about

THE DEATH OF BLOGGING

 pop up -- insert disaster sound effects. And while wonderful alternate forms of communication do rise to the surface, there's something about blogging that still seems comforting.  I guess in a way, it doesn't feel so very different from that Peter Rabbit diary at the end of the day. Except I'm not reviewing episodes of "Jem and the Holograms." 

Or should I?

Just kidding. Sort of. Anyhow, February has included book sketches, a trip to Flight Coffee, watching episodes of Mr. and Mrs. Murder, sewing a baby quilt for a brand new nephew and reading The Thing With Feathers. And snow.

Valentine Printable

 

Here's a free Valentine printable (including three different designs) for all your February 14th based needs. Give them to your classmates, pass one out to your letter carrier or send surreptitiously to your secret crush, your call. These look fun as is, but would look even more swell with glitter I bet. Enjoy!

:: Download Here ::

And want more options? Here's a few other designs from the archives:

2015

2014

And a Valentine's themed desktop wallpaper:

2013

Free for personal, classroom and library use only, please. Abigail Halpin, © 2016

 

29 Days

February, I like you! Only 29 days and it's light past 4:30 means we're rotating ever closer to the days when I don't have to wear five shirts. I finally gave up and went to the greenhouse last week because I couldn't hack January any longer. A half hour of daffodils and hyacinths was just what the doctor ordered.

Anyhow. Some less Wintry things.

* My Etsy shop is closed temporarily. I'd hoped to open after the holidays, but I'm focusing on some deadlines right now. I'll open again once things ease up -- apologies!

* I have a Valentine's Day printable in the works. I'll have that available by next Monday at the latest.

* Le Concert is a lovely film. Equally hilarious and heartfelt, it's well worth a watch.

Blue

Something I painted this afternoon for the 12 Months of Paint challenge (this month's theme was blue.) Most of what I'm doing these days are black and white sketches, so it's nice to switch gears for a bit with color.