Ok, this is an episode that you are going to want to WATCH (scroll down.) We don’t just have one guest, but two humans and 3 hilarious live animated cartoons joining us. How cool is that! Meet Jess Phoenix and Tom DesLongchamp, friends of mine here in Seattle, WA who are honestly, two creative heroes of mine and a mega artistic power couple.
Let’s get to know these two cool cats a little more…
Jess Phoenix was born in Massachusetts, to creative parents who didn't bat an eye when she decided to attend art school. After earning her B.F.A in Illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design, she moved to the West Coast to illustrate and design products for the inspirational gift company, Compendium. There she grew in her love of color and pattern design, and was able to design products for companies such as Target, Starbucks, as well as for countless boutiques across the country.
Her personal floral work is about exploring color. Most of the flowers and leaves are imagined, and act as a vehicle for her to create vibrant color relationships. She is constantly looking for new sources of inspiration and ways to create bold and colorfully rich images. Shop her work and explore here world here.
Tom DesLongchamp is an artist/animator/puppeteer, which sounds absurd but is so very cool. He’s devoted to portraiture, but most of the portraits he makes are on Painting with Borb!—one of his livestream characters who paints live portraits in a style similar to Tom’s. In 2018, after years in the ad agency world and doing freelance illustration, art and animation for huge businesses like the Wall Street Journal, Tom began building an experimental live-stream on twitch.tv/tomthinks called Cartoon Mess LIVE! The gist is that it is live cartoon improv. Tom built and controls digital puppets with his keyboard/mouse which you’ll see in live action if you want the podcast video above. I’m a big fan of both his fine art and his wacky world of Cartoon Mess Live, check it out!
Here’s a very cool video where Tom shows you how he creates his gorgeous one of a kind portraits!
(ps, he made me one of my dog a few years ago for my birthday and it’s still one of the most special gifts I’ve ever received in my life. I cry. Thanks buddy.)
And here’s Duck, who visits us in the podcast, chatting with Jack Black and Tim Heidecker!
A Giveaway!
I really want to start treating y’all to some monthly, maybe bi-monthly, perhaps even weekly, treats. When I ran my very first business, designing and selling jewelry on Etsy many years ago, I did a lot of giveaways. It just fills a soft spot in my heart where I get to give and make someone’s day in a sweet way. Gift giving is absolutely one of my love languages and Tom has decided to join in the gift giving this week! Let’s have a giveaway!
Whats you’ll win (A $250 VALUE!!!!)
This cute little shrinky-dink art by Tom DesLongchamp from his cat portrait series!
Two copies of 52 Lists of Togetherness for you and someone you love. Plus 2 rose gold pens with black ink, 2 weekly task management desktop notepads, 2 to do list note pads, 2 planners for wellness and productivity and 2 sets of 52 Lists postcards!
TO ENTER:
If you’re just reading this in your email, click thru to my Substack page and leave a comment on this post and give it a like <3.
I’ll announce the winner in the next email/podcast!
Thank you all so much for reading, for listening, for watching and engaging with me and all the lovely people I’m having on to the podcast. I really hope that you find some reasons to laugh alongside us, that you feel the heart I am putting into all this, and that you feel a little lighter and happier as this drops into your world. Biggest hugs.
Inside the Minds of a Creative Power Couple