2018 Sneak Peek: Emerald City Comic Con
More pictures of the 2018 Keepsake Ornament line have surfaced from this week’s Sneak Peek at Emerald City Comic Con, the premier comic book and pop culture convention in the Pacific NW, held in Seattle, WA. In addition to sharing several previously released Sneak Peeks including Batman, Harry Potter, Star Trek, 2001 A Space Odyssey, Black Panther and Star Wars, five new designs have been revealed.
Daryl Rides Again
The Walking Dead
Starscream™
Transformers
Link
The Legend of Zelda
Donkey Kong
3rd in the unofficial arcade game series.
Serenity
Firefly
2018 Sneak Peek: Father Christmas
Father Christmas
15th in the series.
Here is a sneak peek of this year’s Father Christmas Keepsake Ornament.
Featured Artist: Robert Chad
Title:
Hallmark Artist
Started at Hallmark:
March 1987
Started at Keepsakes:
March 1987
Hometown:
Fair Lawn, New Jersey
A
As a Hallmark Artist with over 30 years of experience, Robert’s attention to detail, three-dimensional vision and hands-on craftsmanship make him one of the best in the business. But it’s his lively personality and big imagination that really come through in his ornaments.
Robert’s first claim to Hallmark fame was in bringing Mary’s Angels to life in ornament form. Over time, he expanded his repertoire with ornaments depicting Santa Claus and Warner Bros. characters–just like this year’s Jolly Ol’ Jumper Santa, and the Devil May Hare.
Robert Chad’s drawing style took a turn when three-dimensional art captured his attention. He began sketching with the goal of making his images look like they were coming right off the page. He then tried three-dimensional pieces but never liked how they turned out.
Not one to give up on a challenge, Chad kept trying until he succeeded. Today, he makes rough sketches of Keepsake Ornaments that jump off the page and onto people’s Christmas trees.
Chad began his career at Hallmark with the start of the Mary’s Angels Keepsakes Ornament series. In 1987, Chad was a freelancer. When the Keepsake Studio asked him to bring Mary Hamilton’s designs into a new medium, he was willing to give it a try. It was trial by fire—if Hallmark liked his work, there would be a job waiting for him. Chad became inspired by Mary Hamilton’s angels and her ability to blend colors with interweaving accents and tones. It’s been a beautiful partnership ever since.
At signing events, ornament enthusiasts often share with Chad what makes Mary’s Angels such a meaningful part of their Christmas celebration. “Collectors tell me about the personal connection they have with the series. The angel often symbolizes a family member, sometimes a child, that has passed away. The robe’s color reminds them of something they loved about that special person,” Chad says. “Memories become all the more vivid during the holidays.”
2018 Sneak Peek: March Keepsake Wallpaper
This month’s free desktop or mobile device wallpapers, feature Furry Lil’ Friends by Tammy Haddix. If you’re a fan of Making Memories, you won’t want to miss these two unlikely little buddies, cuddling on a snowflake.
Furry Lil’ Friends
Miniature
Press Release: Hallmark Sets Its Sights on Seattle—With Exclusive Products
Emerald City Comic Con planned as next stop for Hallmark’s pop-culture initiative.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Wednesday, February 28, 2018) — PopMinded by Hallmark will generate its brand of pop-culture excitement next week in Seattle, Wash., with a first-ever appearance at the region’s premier fan event.
PopMinded, which debuted nationally in 2016, is Hallmark’s way of celebrating fandom with gifts and collectibles created and chosen with all fans in mind. PopMinded continues and expands on Hallmark’s decade-long tradition of providing event attendees access to Hallmark’s ever-popular products through its event pop-up store.
Look for PopMinded’s pop-up shop at Emerald City Comic Con, scheduled March 1-4 at Washington State Convention Center in Seattle. For this show, PopMinded will introduce an expanded line of PXL8® collectible enamel pins featuring stylized 8-bit renditions of favorite characters—including one pin that is exclusive to the show.
Black Panther
MARVEL
PXL8® Enamel Pin
$8.00 USA
Exclusive to Emerald City Comic Con
Marvel Comics hero Black Panther is the inspiration for a PXL8 pin available exclusively to Emerald City Comic Con attendees. A trio of two-pack PXL8 pins also will be available at the show: Ant-Man and the Wasp of Marvel Comics, Aquaman and Mera of DC Comics, and Boushh and Han Solo in Carbonite of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.
Ant-Man & The Wasp
MARVEL
PXL8® Enamel Pins
$15.00 USA
Aquaman™ & Mera™
DC
PXL8® Enamel Pins
$15.00 USA
Boushh™ & Han in Carbonite™
Star Wars™: Return of the Jedi™
PXL8® Enamel Pins
$15.00 USA
Leia in Boushh disguise and Han Solo in Carbonite.
The three two-packs listed above also will be available at PopMinded’s pop-up store planned for Comic-Con®, scheduled July 19-22 in San Diego, Calif., and New York Comic Con, scheduled Oct. 4-7 in New York City.
Additional details including prices for each product will be announced at the events.
Look for a complete 2018 convention schedule for PopMinded including details of this year’s event-exclusive products to be announced this spring.
For more information about PopMinded by Hallmark and the products offered, visit PopMinded.com
2018 Reveal: Dream Book Cover (UPDATED)
Here is a peek at the 2018 Keepsake Ornament Dream Book cover. Can you guess what is depicted and what ornaments are shown?
2018 Dream Book Cover
(Top row, left to right) Movie Night, A Sweet Sled, Cozy
Critters, Cocoa Cuddles; (Bottom) Ginger N. Sweethaus.
Movie Night
Snowball and Tuxedo
18th in the series.
A Sweet Sled
Petite Penguins
3rd in the series.
Cozy Critters
2nd in the series.
Cocoa Cuddles
Making Memories
11th in the series.
Ginger N. Sweethaus
Snowtop Lodge
14th in the series.
Toymaker Santa
19th in the series.
NOTE: Pictured on back cover.
UPDATE (03.13.18) – The 2018 Dream Book cover features 5 ornaments. Here is an updated image of the cover with much of the design revealed including two of this year’s ornaments: the 2nd in the Cozy Critter series and Cocoa Cuddles, the 11th in the Making Memories series.
UPDATE (03.26.18) – Check out the full cover for the 2018 Keepsake Dream Book! Who’s getting excited?
2018 Sneak Peek: Brilliant Butterflies
Brilliant Butterflies
2nd in the series.
Here is a sneak peek of the 2nd in the Brilliant Butterflies series by Keepsake Ornament Artist Edythe Kegrize.
2018 Sneak Peek: Holiday Lighthouse
Holiday Lighthouse
7th in the series.
In honor of the final week of the Winter Olympics, here is a sneak peek of the 7th in the Holiday Lighthouse series featuring Santa and his polar bear friend playing a friendly game of hockey in front of a New Brunswick styled lighthouse.
Q&A: Terri Steiger
Keepsake Artist Terri Steiger was asked a few more questions about how she creates and what’s she’s inspired by. Here’s what she had to say!
Nesting Doll Surprise
Member Exclusive
Terri: ”I’ve been drawn to nesting dolls because they are so iconic and remind me of my trip to Moscow. I love how each set tells its own story. – whether it’s funny, famous figures or just beautiful illustrations of a family. I like the idea that inside each doll is another ‘surprise.’ My daughter used to love to play with one set of nesting dolls I brought back from Moscow. It would keep her entertained for a long time. I like the sense of discovery that unfolds as you open each nesting doll. I always wanted to paint my own set of Matryoshka dolls but never got around to do it. This was a great opportunity to create one for Keepsakes.”
Stylin’ Santa
Miniature
Terri: “I figured that Santa probably wouldn’t wear his red suit every day, so I made up what I imagined was in his closet. He probably had pajamas and for vacations, had relaxing clothes, as well. After I sketched a few outfits, I then put together a paper mock up to see if I could figure out how to make the most possible outfits for Santa. I did lots of sketches to make the outfits fit together when turned. Bringing in engineer extraordinaire, Jean Newton, was what made the magic happen. She figured out how to make the torso section and the legs/feet move smoothly so that there would be 9 possible outfits. She had a 3D model made so she could perfect the movement. She’s the genius behind the wardrobe!”
2018 Sneak Peek: Local Club Contest Participation Gift
Frosty Fun Decade
9th in the series.
Hallmark is acknowledging the efforts of all local clubs, who sent in a submission for the 2018 “In-Store Signing Events Contest,” by sending each participating club a 2018 “Frosty Fun Decade” signed by Keepsake Ornament Artist Tammy Haddix.