. . . it’s another. January has been very interesting.

I started off working on a package designs for a client who will be pitching an oh-so-cool toy to Disney soon. What started out as a series of 2-D box-fronts quickly turned into full-blown CG renders (at no request of the client, mind you). And, that led to to teaching myself how to texture objects in Blender. To escalate matters, there were no good high-res images of the existing toy that I could use on the packaging art, so I took it upon myself to both design and render that in 3-D, too! It took two solid weeks of work with no days off to get everything learned and rendered. In the end, it was worth the effort and newly-gained knowledge.

Next, I shifted my focus to working on Nava Designs. There’s a new Etsy store, and a Twitter feed. In the coming weeks (hopefully), I will be adding some unique items to the store. It’s been exhausting, but the items are fun, and the artwork is way cool!

So, that’s why I haven’t been around last month.

Time is flying by again, so we’re long-overdue for something new. I feel so guilty, I’m giving each and every one of you unlimited FREE cheese pizzas! Visit Tektonten to claim them.

Thanks to lloydcooper26′s video, you can get an idea of just how big the Disneyland Paris Sleeping Beauty Castle paper model really is. I had forgotten that it was that big.

The base a wonderful addition, and there are lots of close-up shots of the model in the last third of the video. You can also find a video of the model’s construction here.

I don’t typically get into politics, but the current SOPA/PIPA issue is worth a mention. Don’t know what all of the hub-bub is about? Watch this . . .

I bring this up because it can greatly affect the Internet, and we are on the Internet. SOPA/PIPA gives way too much power (with the potential of misuse) to censor sites for trivial infractions, and all without due process!

Yes, Disney is well aware of the Disney Experience, and so far, they’ve placed little restrictions on us. In fact, we’ve been honored to get official approval on many of the paper models, along with re-distribution on Disney websites. Of course, we’re not pirating music, video, or software; we certainly would never condone those actions. We’re far more focused on original interpretations and derivatives from users all over the Internet.

A few years ago, you may remember (if you’re a dedicated follower) that I signed a contract with Disney, specifically with the international division of the former Walt Disney Internet Group (now the Disney Interactive Media Group). One of the details gave the company the right to publish certain paper models that I have designed. I cannot go into contract details, but it appears that the models are finally popping up on Disney websites, specifically the Disney Insider. Many thanks to Caleb for finding this and bringing it to my attention.

Merry Christmas! It’s time for a holiday edition of the Art Corner. In this installment, we have a look at three Flash animations that greeted guests.

Merry Christmas! I hope you enjoy the holiday. I know I’m looking forward to it (it’s still early for me). While we were down last week, I took some time to whip up a couple of holiday gifts for you.

As a kid, part of what made Christmas special was staying up past my bedtime (a rarity due to a strict curfew) to watch the animated holiday specials: Rudolph, Frosty, Charlie Brown, etcetera. But, my favorite was always “Mickey’s Christmas Carol.” It just wasn’t quite Christmas until I saw Mickey in that top hat and scarf. That one simple image announced the arrival of Christmas with as much pomp and circumstance of a Disneyland Christmas parade . . . at least, in my heart and mind. So, enjoy this heart-warming wallpaper.

The other day, after I got my hair cut, I noticed a small image in the distance out of the corner of my eye. It was a lucky catch. I swore that I saw a solid, white silhouette of Jiminy Cricket above the name “Perris.” I tried to get a good look from where I was, but I couldn’t quite focus on it enough to be absolutely certain. The odd part was that the sign is at our town’s (Perris) new bus/Metrolink station (the Metrolink part is still not complete). I knew that Ward Kimball had donated his train collection to the Orange Empire Railway Museum (yup, that’s in Perris, too!) years ago, but I didn’t think that there were any other connections to him.

I was wrapping presents last night when I suddenly ran out of gift tags. Out of necessity, I spent several hours designing some Disney-themed gift tags, featuring artwork from the Desktop Wallpapers. I also used my Craft ROBO to cut them out. Then, I thought that this would be a perfect Craft ROBO project for all to enjoy.

Working a little magic, I prepared the necessary files so that those of you with a Craft ROBO* and Adobe® Illustrator® can print out your own gift tags. Sadly, this project has a limited target audience due to its requirements. But, you can also get these for FREE with a donation, so all is not lost.

–UPDATE–

There is now an extra file included for cutting out the gift tags by hand. Simply print, then cut along the solid lines.

*Silhouette machines may work, too! They are manufactured by the same company (Graphtec), and are the same machines; they’ve simply been re-branded. They should also use the same software.

Did you miss Prep & Landing: Naughty Vs. Nice? Did you catch it, but need/want to see it again? Watch it right here!

And, be on the look-out for two songs by Plain White T’s (“Nuttin’ for Christmas“) and Grace Potter (“Naughty Naughty Children“). You can download both online from Amazon.com.