Hello!

If you have arrived here you most likely are a new owner of a "Penciled In" drawing...our collaborative series for Art-o-mat®.

UPDATE: Late Summer 2012 This edition of Penciled In is a collaboration with William Hessian. William and Took met through Art-o-mat and enjoyed each other's art. William conducts Miniature Art Hunts across the US and Took knew she wanted to bring William and the Miniature Art Hunt to her hometown of Northville, MI. In 2012 Northville celebrated its 2nd Annual Miniature Art Hunt and William and Took decided to collaborate on 100 Penciled In portraits.
William started out with Took's basic characters that were transferred to the blocks and then added color and his own unique touches, giving them a whole new personality. You can find out all about William HERE and HERE -- he is one dazzlingly brilliant guy!
PLEASE -- leave us a comment, name your character, tell us how you got it...just look for your character's number on the back of the block, then find it in the Blog Archive on the right side of the blog...scroll down. We'd love to hear from YOU!

UPDATE: Summer 2011 This batch of Penciled In is a sort of "All-Stars" edition. Juana and I made 100 blocks with an assortment of 17 of our favorite Penciled In characters, as well as 3 *new* "Youngsters" -- a young cat, a young dog and a young rabbit. Each character has 5 variations. We hope you like them! PLEASE -- leave us a comment, name your character, tell us how you got it...just look for your character's number on the back of the block, then find it in the Blog Archive on the right side of the blog...scroll down. We'd love to hear from YOU!

UPDATE: 2010 "The Youngsters" is the all-new set of Penciled In characters. They will all be getting names and comments from us. If yours doesn't have a name yet, please check back periodically -- or tell us what YOU think it ought to be. Oh, and please disregard the instruction insert in your box...just look for character's number in the list in the Blog Archive on the right side of the blog.

We would LOVE to know how your teensy portrait came to you -- leave us a comment. Did you get it from a machine yourself? Was it a gift? Did we trade with you at the swap meet in Minneapolis? What machine was it in? Was this your first arto-experience?

Oh...and give the guitar on the right side of the blog a try, too!

Cap & Leo -- about us

Cap: aka Took Gallagher (a triple Capricorn)

Took is an arto-host and artist. She is living happily ever afterly in Northville, MI with her 4 cats.
Took is very easily entertained and enjoys a semi-wide variety of activities such as: cutting magazine pictures for collages, doodling new characters, playing Magic: the Gathering with Juana, drinking waaaaaay too much coffee. She also loves cotton candy and finding ways to turn her tongue blue.


Visit Took's other blog.

Leo: aka Juana Moore (a Leo)

Juana is a lifetime painter, collagist, and maker of stuff. She loves hanging out with Doug and the cats, playing with dolls, watching movies, customizing and painting toys.

Visit
Juana's website.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

WOW -- 100-block "All-Star" Edition for Summer 2011

Cap: Juana and I (Cap & Leo) made a 100-block set (instead of the usual 50) of Penciled In for Summer 2011. I am just finishing up putting the twisted wire hangers on the backs and I will get to work on the labels for the boxes this weekend. I should be able to ship the completed artpacks to Artists in Cellophane by the beginning of next week for distribution to Art-o-mat machines across the country.

This edition is a sort of "All-Star" compilation of 17 of our favorite characters plus 3 all-new drawings in the "Youngsters" line...so 20 characters, with 5 variations of each one. I want to thank Juana for another totally amazing edition -- the color/personality of each one of these characters is SO wonderful! I am so blown away.


We hope you enjoy the Summer 2011 series and we invite you to leave comments for us...especially if you are the new owner of one of these guys. Tell us what machine it came from, was it your first Arto-experience, give your new character a name, tell us its story...just say "hi".


The new kids are:


a young cat (five variations available)

















a young dog (five variations available in this edition)


















a young rabbit (five color/personality variations)

Summer 2011 -- #1

Summer 2011 -- #2

Summer 2011 -- #3

Summer 2011 -- #4

Summer 2011 -- #5

Summer 2011 -- #6

Summer 2011 -- #7

Summer 2011 -- #8

Summer 2011 -- #9

Summer 2011 -- #10

Summer 2011 -- #11

Summer 2011 -- #12

Summer 2011 -- #13

Summer 2011 -- #14


Cap: Today (12/1/11) I got a lovely email note from the new owner of this Young Giraffe.

Thank YOU, David. Thanks for taking the time to write to me. I really like the name Artemus for this guy! Thanks for your purchase and for supporting the Art-o-Mat project!

Best wishes to you and your wife and new baby!

"Tried to add a comment to the blog, but didn't work, so emailing you directly.
I purchased your art at the Art-O-Mat at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville, TN this morning. As my wife and I are expecting our first child, we are in a bit of a naming frenzy now. A name I love, but would never pass muster with the Mrs, is Artemus, which is what I have named this colorful Giraffe.
Thanks for your art and contribution to the Art-O-Mat!
David"


Summer 2011 -- #15

Summer 2011 -- #16

Summer 2011 -- #17

Summer 2011 -- #18

Summer 2011 -- #19

Summer 2011 -- #20

Summer 2011 -- #21

Summer 2011 -- #22

Summer 2011 -- #23

Summer 2011 -- #24

Summer 2011 -- #25

Summer 2011 -- #26

Summer 2011 -- #27

Summer 2011 -- #28

Summer 2011 -- #29

Summer 2011 -- #30

Summer 2011 -- #31

Summer 2011 -- #32

Summer 2011 -- #33

Summer 2011 -- #34

Summer 2011 -- #35

Summer 2011 -- #36

Summer 2011 -- #37


Tonight (Monday, August 27, 2012) I received a swell note from the new owner of this cat.  


" Hello!  I just wanted to let you know where #37 ended up.  Its new home is in Oklahoma City, OK.  We went to Vegas last October and visited the Art-o-mat machine at the Cosmopolitan Hotel.  My husband told me about it and I thought he was crazy at first but then loved it !!  I will visit that machine again when we go back to Vegas this October.  Great work!  Jana Cathers "

Thanks, Jana!  I really appreciate that you took the time to contact me via email  AND  I am very happy to hear that you are happy with your tiny portrait.    


This guy has really done some traveling -- he started out in Michigan, was sent to Winston-Salem, NC...was shipped on to Las Vegas, NV and is now in his new home in Oklahoma City, OK!    Took 

Summer 2011 -- #38

Summer 2011 -- #39

Summer 2011 -- #40

Summer 2011 -- #41

Summer 2011 -- #42

Summer 2011 -- #43

Summer 2011 -- #44

Summer 2011 -- #45

Summer 2011 -- #46

Summer 2011 -- #47