November Newsletter: Zine Fest Houston, Dallas, Bog Beauties Calendars, and more!
Fall Climate Dispatch
Sarah here.
It doesn’t exactly feel like a normal fall, but at least we are now sub-90s heat here in Houston. If you take a walk early-morning enough you might get to experience temps in the mid to high 60s.
We try to get out and go walking as much as possible.
Anyone who knows me, knows I will never shut up about my love for Brazos Bend State Park. This is one of our favorite walking/ hiking/ camping places. It’s about 40 mins southwest-ish of Houston. You can see the wetland that was before the heavy development of this area. The birds, reptiles, bugs, and alligators that live in the park are a huge source of joy, fear, and inspiration for me. The drought that had us in a death grip from 2022-2023 (?) really dried this place down to a whimpering shell of its former glory. However, with the past couple weeks-worth of heavy rain she’s looking quite healthy again. Truly, actually filled me with a sense of relief this past Sunday to the water levels back up. And what’s more than that, we saw many alligators on this trip--at least four clearly spotted near the trail--but guaranteed there were more stealthy ones just out of sight.
2025 BOG BEAUTIES Calendar Pre-Order
This year, on a total and complete last minute whim, we are making our first ever Mystic Multiples wall calendar! It’s called Bog Beauties.
So I was on the bus last month, on my regular morning commute, and it occurred to me that soon, we’d be exiting the year of the dragon, so immediately I wanted to know what the Chinese Zodiac animal would be for 2025. Looked it up: The Snake. So excited. Love a reptile. Definitely a little scared of snakes, but they are so magical, so much enthralling snake lore and mythos out there. Immediately I decide I need to make a calendar with snakes, but also I have a second special interest at the moment--carnivorous plants from North America--so, obviously, combine the two loves. Why not?
Here are some quick photos of the drawings in progress and a little mock-up:
We will be bringing this calendar to Zine Fest Houston on Saturday, Nov, 16th, 2024. For now, it is still in production, but you can purchase through the pre-order link above. SOLD OUT!
It’s our first calendar, maybe our last calendar, so we don’t want to over-produce, thinking we will just do a small run of about 50 of these. We should have this at Zine Fest Houston and likely the next day at Dallas Zine Fest. Probably at a handful of other holiday events we do near year’s end.
2024 Zine Fest Houston
I’ve been a volunteer organizer with ZFH off and on again for ten years now. I almost can’t believe that. I love serving my community in this way and helping to provide a platform for all the raw, rip-roaring, creative energy that’s out there in the zine world. By law, I am here to insist that you come out and enjoy this year’s fest. It will be very special. There’s gonna be a Dystopian/ Utopian art installation bunker, a seed exchange with our friends from the Houston landscape architecture firm, Dept. , and even a silly little fashion parade. JOIN US!
ZINE FEST HOUSTON
NOV. 16th, 12-6PM
@ The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art
Jetpens.com Review of Pens
While I was trying to get situated to ink the drawings for the 2025 Calendar I discovered that every last Pentel Pocket Brush Pen I owned was dried out and clogged beyond repair. Really annoying, but to be fair, I have been off my drawing game and the pens have sat idle for a while now. James encouraged me to look on jetpens.com.--no this is not a sponsored newsletter--and while I was re-up-ing on the Pentel I decided to try a couple other pens, and a marker, and a new eraser, and god help me, a cute notebook I probably did not need. Then when I got everything in the mail, I was delighted and I told myself I was gonna review these pens in some way.
I don’t make a lot of videos because I hate hearing my own voice, but here we are: my best attempt and I think it does play like a seven minute long rambling voicemail message. Oh well, this one’s for the drawing/ illustrating/ comic-ing nerds out there who love an art supply haul.
If you’re interested in any of these items links are here:
1 x Pilot Shunpitsu Pocket Brush Pen - Soft - Black
1 x Pentel Pocket Brush Pen XGFKP-A - Black Ink
1 x Pentel Pocket Brush Pen Refill Cartridges - Black
1 x Kuretake ZIG Fudebiyori Brush Pen - Olive Green
1 x Hwarang Design Art Soft Eraser
1 x Writech Dual Color Multi Pen - 0.5 mm - Olive & Black
1 x Kleid Original Notebook - A5 - 2 mm Graph - Olive Drab - Cream Paper
Quick Shrimp Charm Update
I’ve put together about half the total shrimps I’m trying to make. Perhaps shooting for 50 of these one-of-a-kind, handmade, very bespoke little dudes. They’ve been bisque fired--first firing--and now they have been glaze fired. I will be checking in tomorrow to pick up the completed shrimps. Fingers crossed they turn out well. This was my first go around with the very tall bead rack jig you must fire these on. I think we may do one final newsletter for this year and I will include a shop link there when it all comes together.
Stay Tuned!
Thank you for your support always,
Mystic Multiples
Sarah & James