Giveaway: Shelley Kommer’s Bookplates
31st August, 2009 by Christina - 35 Comments
Lately, friends and family have been borrowing a lot of books from the Stacked library. Every so often someone borrows a book and then takes awhile before getting around to reading it. Eventually they forget who they borrowed it from (i.e., ME!). This got me thinking about the bookplates I had as a kid–unicorns and terrible handwriting as I tried to make my name and address legible on them. Searching on Etsyto reinstate the practice with adult designs, I stumbled upon Shelley Kommer’s absolutely stunning bookplates, which I’ve now ordered as gifts because everyone should have their own set. My personal favorites are Mr. Fancy Fox and the Mermaids.
Shelley is a California artist and her bookplate designs come from vintage children’s book illustrations–how appropriate! She agreed immediately to donate a set for one of our lucky readers to win. Besides the bookplates, Shelley does commission work and has customized prints that match the bookplates available in her Etsy Shop. As a former art student myself, I just had to ask her about her work and as a current book blogger, about her favorite books as well!
How long have you been working as an artist?
Pretty much since I could hold a crayon. I was very into drawing and painting growing up, majored in advertising design in art school, moved into graphic design and illustration, and now I’m loving mixed media collage.What media do you gravitate towards?
I haven’t learned it yet, but encaustic painting is calling my name. I think the milky layers of wax are so incredibly beautiful. I keep trying to find a class to take, but that’s been eluding me.Where does your inspiration come from?
My daydreams, my past, nature, things my little daughter will say, bits of string left on the floor after the laundry is folded.How did the idea to create bookplates come about?
I had made several sets for a friend’s little girl, and they were such a hit with her and her mom and everyone at the party. It made me think, “Hmmm…I think people might buy these.” I opened up my Etsy shop about five months later and had my first sale in the first 24 hours. I was like, “It worked!”My designs come from my personal collection of vintage books from the 1920’s, most of which belonged to my grandparents, some of which I’ve found along the way in thrift shops or antique stores. Creating each design can be a lot of work: the original illustration (which is often torn, scratched, or discolored) is scanned, cleaned up, and sometimes completely redesigned to fit a bookplate format. The end product is what you see in my shop.
What is your favorite childhood book or book to read with your daughter?
My favorite book as a child was a beautifully illustrated version of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. I still have it, it’s crusty with old masking tape that keeps it held together. My favorite book to read with my daughter is Mr. Brown Can Moo, by Dr. Seuss. Hands down.What is your favorite book now?
The Gashlycrumb Tinies by Edward Gorey.
You can see more of Shelley’s work on her website at www.shelleykommers.com. She is also available for commissioned works. Prints and bookplates are available for sale in her Etsy shops at http://oiseaux.etsy.com and http://oiseauxnoir.etsy.com.
WHAT ARE THE DETAILS?
- PRIZE: One set* of Shelley Kommer’s bookplates of your choice (blank or customized)
- TO ENTER: Visit Shelley’s Etsy Shop (link will open in a new window) and pick out your favorite design. Leave a comment on this post letting us know which set you would like should you win.
- CONTEST CLOSES: Friday, September 4th at 11:59 pm EST
- NUMBER OF WINNERS: One
- FINE PRINT: One entry per email address is permitted. The winners will be selected using random.org and announced on Monday, September 7th–think of it as a Labor Day present!
For those of you who’d like to post a link to this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your own blog, Stacked would love the press, but it won’t help your chances of winning. We want all our readers to have an equal opportunity and not everyone uses other social media. Please feel free to let your friends and family know about the contest and you’ll have our undying gratitude at getting the word out.
* Each set includes 24 bookplates
