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Showing posts with label peter capaldi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label peter capaldi. Show all posts

Monday, September 15, 2014

You're Spending Christmas with Who? Yes.

It sounds like a line from an Abbott and Costello sketch (and yes, I know it should be "whom"), but for Whovians everywhere, it makes perfect sense. The annual Christmas special has become a traditional way to wrap up the holiday. A glass of eggnog and the BBC are a delightful pairing.

So are we liking the new guy? After four weeks I, for one, am quite happy with Peter Capaldi's version of the iconic character. The new Doctor is a delightful curmudgeon with a streak of eccentric social oblivion, yet remains true to his core values. His attire is both understated and snappy, and the new TARDIS interior has the flavor of traditional elegance with a streamlined, modern flair.

Happily, none since Six have attempted to repair the chameleon circuit, and we still have the classic blue police box exterior we've all grown to love. It's an image that inspires dreams of adventure and a better world, and one that many of us enjoy looking at in our daily lives.

With that in mind, I'm happy to announce (as promised a few weeks ago) a new Christmas police box design in two variations... with and without snowfall.

Police Box with Christmas Lights & Snow Police Box with Christmas Lights

In making this design, I placed each of the bulb colors on different layers then added a glow around them using Layer Styles. It would not have been possible to make the glow the same colors as the lights had they been on the same layer. It's a subtle embellishment, but one I think contributes to the overall impression of warmth. I also added more glow around the top light and the whole than I did on earlier versions.

Police Box with Christmas Lights Close-up 1; layer styles glow Police Box with Christmas Lights Close-up 2; layer styles glow

"Police Box with Christmas Lights" and "Police Box with Christmas Lights & Snow" are available on wrapping paper, greeting cards and a great variety of other Zazzle products including MORPHING MUGS!...because what's better than a police box that appears and disappears as your beverage changes temperature?

Police Box with Christmas Lights & Snow Wrapping Paper Police Box with Christmas Lights & Snow Charm Police Box with Christmas Lights & Snow Candy Tin
Police Box with Christmas Lights Scarf Police Box with Christmas Lights T-shirt Police Box with Christmas Lights Morphing Mug

Several other versions sporting a holiday wreath  and a non-holiday version are also available. Delight the Whovian on your gift list or bring home a little blue box cheer for yourself.

Thanks for visiting and please come again!


Friday, August 15, 2014

Return of the Time-Traveling Police Box!


"Dostoyevsky Knew Him?" quote with police box design

I admit it. I'm a Whovian. At least I know I'm not alone.

Next week marks the return of "Doctor Who," starring Peter Capaldi as the twelfth incarnation of The Doctor. I'm anxious to see what he will be like. But while we all have our first doctor and our favorite doctors, for me, it's all about that magical blue box... the TARDIS. Vworp...vworp...vworp...

I can't explain the fascination. It's magical, science-y, retro, steam-punk, low-key and fantastical all at the same time. She also seems to have her own personality. One of my favorite episodes is "The Doctor's Wife," where her soul is downloaded into a woman and she converses with the "thief" whom she actually stole. Absolutely delicious!

I've developed a bit of an obsession with police boxes in general, since the very idea of one brings to mind the joy, fear and intensity experienced by the companions in the series. And especially since they no longer exist for practical purposes, the novelty lends them a beauty not noticed when they were common. I'll even get excited when I see a British phone box that's not a blue police box, like these on the grounds of Kentuck Knob, a Frank Lloyd Wright designed home I once toured:


I enjoy drawing them, and have several versions available on Zazzle products, in the Christmas and Fun Stuff Categories (with a new version coming soon!).

But today, I'm sharing a completely new design AND the announcement that nharveyart is now on Redbubble! I've titled this one, "Dostoyevsky Knew Him?" (available with either black or white text on a variety of t-shirt colors and on other products).

"Dostoyevsky Knew Him?" quote with police box design

I came across this quote from Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment:

"Pain and suffering are always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart. The really great men must, I think, have great sadness on earth."

How could I not think of The Doctor after reading that? He's incredibly clever and is all heart (even though he has only two), yet carries the pain of great loss. I imagine a story where he visits 19th century Russia, and in the course of making sacrifices to defeat alien ruffianism, meets the author, thereby planting the seeds that later surface in the novel. Daydreaming is fun. (I'd love read such a fanfic; if someone decides to take that idea and run with it, leave a comment with a link to the result!)

Of course, one could also look at this design and think of the clever and selfless police officer that served his municipality, forsaking time with his family to keep the citizens safe. There is a hero deep within us all, and that blue box has become a symbol of that. In drawing the box, I abandoned straight, rectangular shapes and instead gave it a leaning, hunched look to show those moments when conscience and personal conviction can lead to circumstances that weigh heavily on one's spirit.

I'm slowly stocking my Rebubble store with many of the designs already available at Zazzle. Redbubble offers some unique Print On Demand products, including duvet covers (a great canvas for my Abstract Collection) and Tote Bags on which the design covers the entire bag.

Blue-Violet Swarm Duvet Cover, abstract design with blue, purple, magenta, lavender, veined, dimpled, roundedChrysanthemums Within The Lines, artistically edited photo, like pencil drawing, with warm colors of pink, orange, yellow mums


Thanks for visiting and please come again!