St. Peter's Keys

Here's another illustration I did for the church bulletin at Grace Lutheran. This week's reading was Matthew 16:13-20, and the part I mostly focused on for inspiration was verse 19 Jesus saying to Peter :

"I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven,
and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

I had a lot of fun coming up with the design for the keys and wanted to make sure they incorporated triangles in someway since 3 is such an important number. The words in the ribbon are the ancient Greek root words for loose and bind like in the verse. Hope you all enjoy! and Peace be with you!

Woah, That's Alotta Blood!

An illustration inspired by the story of Lizzie Borden and the gals over at the Stuff You Missed in History Class podcast I've been listening to a lot lately. Check 'em out they are awesome! I went a little crazy with the blood but if you've seen photos of the late Mr. & Mrs. Borden then you know this is not really an exaggeration. And here is a poem, which I recently learned was a falsehood thanks to the aforementioned podcast but is entertaining none the less.

Lizzie Borden took an axe

And gave her mother forty whacks.

When she saw what she had done

She gave her father forty-one.

FIRE DANCE!

Firedance! from April Babcock on Vimeo.

A little animation I put together as a congratulations for my boys Mitch and Brent from Troop 89 They are now officially Eagle Scouts! The firedance has become a Troop 89 tradition since the great Montana Hiking Excursion and the Fun Car's maiden expedition. And, whadda ya know, it has even been known to start a few fires! Music courtesy of The Ohio Players. FIAH!!!!!

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light!

Lately my church back home in Washington has been encouraging members of the congregation to make illustrations for the covers of our church bulletins. So far I guess they have all been precious, hilarious, stick figure drawings by all of the kids. That's gonna be hard to follow but here's what I came up with. It's for one of the readings this Sunday, Matthew 11. 25-30. I focused mostly on this part:

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and the burden is light."

My biblical illustration debut also coincides with my good friend Sierra's sermonizing debut, wish I could have been there to hear it! <3
Hope you enjoy!

AMISH POLKA FACE!

Here are two embroidery pieces inspired by the musical stylings of "Weird" Al Yankovic. I have just submitted them for consideration to be included in an Al coffee table book. Here's hoping I get published!!! They are hand-stitched with embroidery floss on black flannel. Hope you all enjoy, and Please let me know if you have any suggestions for future embroiderings!

Wise Words

An illustration I did a while ago based on a quote from my favorite president of all time, the illustrious bad-ass, Theodore Roosevelt.

"If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn't sit for a month."
-T.R.

I find this to be the case for most of my troubles. How about you? should we all follow Teddy's advice and take responsibility for our actions even though it might result in a sore posterior? I would say yes indeed!

Professor Maurice Copperbottom’s

Some concept art for a themed restaurant I did a while back.

The grand entrance!Fully automated ordering experience!Enjoy food from a tube in the dining atrium!

Here is some ridiculous back story if you care to indulge!

Professor Maurice Copperbottom is the son of an accomplished British inventor, Edwin Copperbottom, and his wife, a renowned French chef, Marie-Renee. Born from a union of two rival heritages Maurice has always been preoccupied with combining his father’s love of science with his mother’s flair for the edible. In a quest to meld the logic of technology with the passion of the culinary world, Maurice created his greatest invention yet, the Gastronomic Automated Salmagondis Apparatus or GASA. The GASA takes everyday foods and makes them extraordinary, jumbling mismatched ingredients until something deliciously unexpected is created. Maurice was thrilled with his machine’s unconventional dishes, such as spaghetti ice cream, meatloaf cake, and candied sushi. Unfortunately, while Edwin and Marie-Renee were proud of Maurice, few others found his invention a success. The British Society of Inventors felt Maurice was wasting his mechanical talents on a glorified oven, while the Traditional French Cuisine Fellowship felt that his machine debased the fine art of cookery.

And so, finding himself surrounded with opposition, Maurice made his way to America, hoping to find opportunity in a country known for its love of novelty food items and shiny contraptions. He set up shop and was an immediate success. So much so, that the GASA had to be expanded into a three-story café to accommodate all of the guests. Maurice is overjoyed at the reception his creation has gained from customers. Now he wants to continue experimenting with new unusual combinations and is always looking for suggestions from his valued patrons, so please let him know what you think.