Back in 2007, I worked on some mock-up package designs to help pitch an idea to the Disney Parks. I did have to use photos found online, but since I do not remember where I got them, I cannot credit anyone.

Imagine putting together your very own HO scale plastic model of the Mad Tea Party attraction or Sleeping Beauty Castle, complete with surrounding foliage. Sounds pretty sweet, huh? Granted, not everyone enjoys or even has the patience to assemble and paint a plastic model. But, boy, wouldn’t it be neat to start building your own Disneyland or Magic Kingdom right at home? And, that’s only one version of the model kits.

While working on the San Salvador paper model for the Maritime Museum of San Diego, the issue of child safety came up, specifically the use of craft knives (i.e. X-acto). Mulling this around in my head, I remembered that there are new craft knives with ceramic blades. These are supposed to be safer than traditional metal blades. So, I picked up the Slice Precision Cutter from Amazon.com for just under $4 (not including shipping). Scotch makes one, too, but there is hardly a tip on it.

I have been given the task of designing a simpler paper model of Rodriguez Cabrillo’s San Salvador, the first European ship to discover San Diego, California, and the West Coast of the United States.

Roman Detyna’s version, pictured here, is very beautiful and nicely detailed. But, it is aimed at more experienced model builders. The Maritime Museum of San Diego wants to reach a broader audience, aiming for 4th-graders and everyone new to paper models.

Both models will be available for free from the museum’s website. My simple version is expected to be completed by mid/late May, and will also be available for download from Nava Designs. If you’re interested in following my model progress, I may post some images on my Twitter feed since the museum has given me free range to post almost whatever I like.

Oh, what big changes! Where do I start? How ’bout the obvious . . .

Wednesdays are now Sketch Wednesdays! Every week, I’ll tweet a new sketch from my archives.

What good is art if you can’t share it? For the first time ever, I am releasing select works of art (paintings, drawings, etc.) to the general public. More pieces will be released in the coming months.

It may seem like I’ve been pushing the store a lot lately . . . and that would be true. I’ve been working on a lot of exciting things, and I just can’t wait to share them. The new bookplate debut is just the tip of the iceberg. Other designs are coming, and there are some mystery items that will coordinate with those designs.

There are also new social buttons on Nava Designs, which I’ve been upgrading as well. I’ve included the most obvious buttons, but if there are others that you think I should include, contact me.

. . . 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!