Need a last minute gift or stocking stuffer? Don’t worry, it’s not too late!

There’s still time to order a 2010 fashion agenda or holiday cards. Tomorrow I will be
making last-minute deliveries around Kingston. If you’d like to order, just call 647.981.3057
or send an email to alex@alexperlin.com.

This 2010 calendar was designed as a sequel to the original Zodiac Fashion Agenda for 2009.
The fashion agendas were a big success at the art shows and sales that I vended at this year.

One of best parts about vending at art shows is that it gives me a chance to meet customers
and get feedback from them directly. Those great ideas inspired the redesign and improve-
ments in the 2010 fashion agenda.

No one likes to look like the rest of the pack and this book was designed with that in mind.
It comes in two cover options so you can choose from Champagne or the Red Polka Dots.

These weekly calendars start in January 2010 and now also feature a full year calendar
at the beginning of the book. There are also blank pages for writing down those important
phone numbers or “To Do” list items. The book is 8.5” x 5.5” and fits nicely in most purses.

The cover has a soft textured finish and like all of my products, the paper is FSC certified.
The book is a limited edition and is only distributed locally.

All of the illustrations are NEW this year. Each fashion illustration shows the styles of the
season and corresponds to its month. Here’s a sneak peak at what you’ll find inside the
2010 Fashion Agenda:

It’s hard to believe that the holidays are finally here! And as everyone prepares to take time
off from work, school or whatever they normally do, it only seemed right to dedicate this blog
post to a guy who is working hard this holiday season. So, this one is for you Santa.

There are so many different types of images of Santa and everyone seems to have
their own idea of what he looks like. Back in September, I used this idea when I started
working on my thesis about keepsakes, greeting cards and memory. I used vintage
holiday cards to make this Santa Memory Game as a bit of an experiment. It’s a take on
the classic Memory game, but here instead of matching Elmos, apples or the alphabet
you match vintage card illustrations of Santa!

The rules are simple: Everyone gets a chance to see the cards turned upright before
the game begins. The decides on a time between 10-30 seconds. (Choose the based
on age and ability.) Then flip the cards and play!

Besides being a fun game for the holidays, it was also fun to see how people’s
visual memories are different from each other. While none of us have seen the Santa
in person, we all have a pretty clear idea of what we think he looked like. I found that
people chose Santa images that looked closest to their own idea of Santa. One student
ended up with a bunch of Coca Cola Santas, while others matched all the pairs with
cartoon-like features.

Happy Hanukkah friends! And what did I get for you, you ask? Illustrations of course!

My immediate family celebrates Christmas, not Hanukkah, but our Jewish ancestors would
be proud to see my Dad cooking up Matzo Ball Soup every December 26th. And who can resist
a little gelt? Yum yum.

One of my best friends, Sarah is celebrates both Hanukkah and her birthday in December. Her birthday
party usually has a Hanukkah theme where we play with dreidels and eat Star of David cookies. This year
it will be a Hanukkah sweater party! Sarah was my inspiration and offered help to develop this illustration.

Here is the sketch and initial steps in painting as well as the finished card.

If you are in Kingston, this card is available from Dwell Boutique or Cybil Scott. Or order online in the website shop.

Enjoy the festivities!

This post is dedicated to anyone who is or ever has studied for an exam,
test or done anything worth procrastinating from.

Today, I’m writing a Research Methods exam. Enough said. Sometimes you just want to get away.
That’s the theme of this flash animation that I created for my web design course.
Click the image to watch the animation:

Let’s distract each other. What are you doing to procrastinate today?

One of my favorite blogs Decor8 sent a link to this great website called Odosketch.

Click this image to watch how this was made
On Odosketch you can create your own drawing, or just watch other people’s drawings being created.
It’s very cool. If you have the time, go check it out!

Now… back to studying.