Christmas in July--A Partridge in a Pear Tree

I'm working on a new series of Christmas designs in keeping with my current shop theme of menagerie.  I've decided to limit the series to the first four days of the Twelve Days of Christmas--the partridge, the turtle doves, the French hens, and the calling birds. These will be printed as luxe cards on metallic stocks with gold envelopes and liners.  I'm pretty excited about how they will look in the end...Christmas is definitely the time for luxurious things. Here's the first day.  Because he's the root of all of the gifts, I've nestled him within a pear tree and a pear and holly mirrored border.   Enjoy!

"The First Day of Christmas" Pencil Copyright 2011 Jessica Boehman

Hedgehogs in a Briar

"Two Hedgehogs (For Jackie and Sam)" Pencil 2011 Copyright Jessica Boehman

This is a design that I originally made for my former college roommate's thank you card for her wedding.  I modified it to be its own design.   I've been playing in my head with this idea for a while and I was glad to realize it for a friend.  I've been working with mirroring and knotwork since college, when I worked on my senior concentration.  The combination of hedgehogs and wildflowers is a motif common in Finland, where she now lives, but I modified it to have personal meaning as well.  I used roses, fiddlehead ferns and blackberries, all of which appeared in my own wedding bouquet.  I quite fancy this one. 

Bang a Drum

"Penguin with Drum" Pencil Copyright 2011 Jessica Boehman

Finally, the last in the Delacorte Clock series. I'm glad they're over, especially as we might be moving away from the vicinity of the clock itself. They are so handsome as a set.  The penguin house at the Central Park Children's Zoo is awesome. You can push your nose against the glass and watch as a penguin comes face-to-face with you.  They are buoyant and happy as they bob in the water or shoot by under the surface.  Up above, they hop and preen and push their wings back in the funniest way that makes it look like they are Italian and are ready for a fight.

"The Delacorte Animals" Pencil Copyright 2010-2011 Jessica Boehman

Rosin Up Your Bow

"Hippo with Violin" Pencil Copyright 2011 Jessica Boehman

Finally another installment in the Dancing Animal series inspired by NYC's Delacorte Clock (still my favorite place in this town and what I'll miss most when we move out of the neighborhood).


The Hippo was a bit daunting to me, but actually, I love the way he turned out.  I started real work on this one on the Staten Island Ferry and it is my first finished drawing since ending the semester grading. It feels good to be back after such a long delay.  It's hard not to think of the Fantasia Hippos dancing in tutus. Maybe this guy plays the music for them...One more to go: the Penguin with Drum.  Happy Summer Break!

Flip It

"The Bird"  Pencil Copyright 2011 Jessica Boehman

Inspired by New York City.

Spring at the Clock

The Delacorte Clock in Springtime

Ai Weiwei's Zodiac Heads

I'm lucky enough to live just a few blocks away from a free outdoor public exposition of Ai Weiwei's Zodiac Heads, a series of massive bronze casts of the twelve heads corresponding to the twelve Chinese lunar years.  Especially due to the recent political scandal and arrest of the artist in China, having these at such a close distance feels like a real treat.  The level of realism varies wildly...the rabbit and monkey are almost cartoonish, while the tiger and rooster have a lot of textural detail.  Stealing the show, as he normally does, is the dragon.  He's dynamic and beautiful and full of life.  There's also something to be said for its gory connotations...after all, these are heads on spikes.  It's worth seeing if you get to NYC or Central Park...it's by Pultizer Fountain (59th and 5th, between Central Park South and the Plaza Hotel).