Super Snaps ❤

Gather round dear readers because I have something super fun and colourful to share with you all today!

If you follow me on Instagram (and if you don't, then you really ought to) then you might have seen the cute giveaway I'm running with UK based Super Snaps

We've teamed up to give one lucky winner a pair of Candy Doll Club pins and some Girl Gang stickers (designed by yours truly of course) along with an exclusive set of one of a kind magnets and retro prints from Super Snaps, all featuring some of my colourful designs.

Just look at all those treats! Who wouldn't want to win that lot?!

 The magnets and prints feature 10 of my illustrations (the 10th one isn't shown in any of the photos, so I guess only the winner will get to see what it is). I tried to pick a range of colourful designs that I thought would look good, so here's hoping that whoever wins thinks they look good too.

The lovely folks at Super Snaps were also kind enough to send me a set of the magnets and retro prints as well, which is really BRILLIANT because I've never seen any of my work on magnets before, It's all rather exciting. They arrived super quickly and the packaging was simple but still very cute.

Super Snaps give you an easy peasy way to order your own Instagram shots or digital photos printed on magnets and prints, so if you've ever wanted to see your own face on a magnet, or your pet/child/handbag on prints stuck to your wall, then Super Snaps is definitely the place to get em' made. They can also produce stickers, greetings cards + framed prints of your photos or designs as well as magnets and mini prints.

cute and colourful magnets

The quality of the magnets is really nice, they're quite thin but they went onto the fridge door without any problems and they look great. I was actually going to share them with my friends but I think I'll have to keep them all now because they look really fantastic on the fridge and the colours are very vibrant and sharp.

some of the fun magnets YOU could win!

The retro prints Super Snaps sent me were actually a total surprise so I was delighted to receive them. Once again the colour quality is gorgeous and I love the classic polaroid style and size of the prints. As I work primarily digitally I rarely get to see my work actually printed out but these turned out so well, I really like them.

I also think that the retro prints would make great pocket portfolios for illustrators, designers, photographers and artists since they're small enough to carry around and they're such good quality they'd really help to show off your work.

I didn't send any photos for the magnets/prints since I'm an illustrator and the only photos I really have of my designs are product shots, but I'm definitely curious to see how photos would look on these retro prints. I bet they look great and I'm wondering whose birthday I could order some for this year. I'm already considering a set of fun magnets for my sister, so if you're reading this Nikki don't forget to act surprised on your Birthday.

This is a great prize, I'm sure you'll agree, and if you think you'd like to try and get your hands on these cute goodies, all you have to do is click this link for info on how to enter the Giveaway. You can also enter it over here on the Super Snaps IG page. But don't leave it too long because we'll be picking a winner on Friday 27th January.

Please be aware that it's an Instagram only giveaway so leaving a comment here or on facebook or twitter will not count as an entry.
 
If you can't wait until Friday to see if you've won and you just HAVE to get these pins and stickers, then you'll find them here in my SHOP

And if you fancy getting some magnets, retro prints or other goodies printed up with your own photos or designs, you can get them right HERE

and those superstars at Super Snaps have also set up an exclusive discount code for all you Candy Dolls out there! All you need to do is enter code: CDC15 (in caps because it is case sensitive) at the checkout to get 15% off at Super Snaps until April.

They offer fast and free shipping to UK customers + express International delivery for those of you around the world.

And on that note i'll say goodbye because I'm going off to raid the fridge for dinner and admire my new magnets as well.

bye for now!

Now Fight ♥

hello chums, today it's going to be an Illustration post because I FINALLY finished my new 'Babydoll' fanart piece...

for those of you unfamiliar with her, Babydoll is a character from the 2011 movie Sucker Punch.

Now you probably know by now that I'm kind of a big Fangirl and that I often Geek out over all sorts of things (books/TV shows/movies/games/people etc) and that from time to time I like to draw characters from Popular Culture to show my appreciation for the source material. Well that's why I drew Babydoll! Also I really like Emily Browning, the Australian actress who plays Babydoll in the film.

The movie Sucker Punch often gets a really bad rep, it's looked down upon as nothing more than a video-game style fantasy movie for teenage boys. It was pretty much universally panned by critics which is ironic because I would bet money that had the film been gender-swapped, with an all male leading cast instead, it would have done much better at the box office! Just think, they keep churning out films like the Expendables series (who cares?! I DON'T) but heaven forbid someone release a female action movie.

 Anyway i'm getting into RANT territory here. Because if you watch it, and I mean really pay attention, look past the skimpy costumes (which DO make sense within the storyline I promise) and flashy gamer style graphics and what you have is a FEMALE led film about a group of young women working together to fight corruption and oppression.

It's one of those 'guilty pleasure' films for me but in truth it shouldn't be a 'guilty' one at all. I mean it has dragons in it for crying out loud! And pretty girls fighting and generally kicking ass all while looking GORGEOUS. It's completely unbelievable of course but who cares; the leading lady is a tiny girl wearing a sailor outfit. She has tiny cute plastic charms hanging off her gun while she shoots the living crap out of various baddies. How can you not love this film?!

Right anyway, enough about the film. If you've seen it and you liked it... GREAT! If you watched it and hated it, then 'oh well, never mind'. And if you've yet to see it, try not to take it too seriously and just enjoy the visuals! It also has a pretty killer soundtrack, with some brilliant mash-ups and remixes.

Back to the drawing now. I meant to have her finished in time for Halloween but I was so busy with other projects that I only managed to finalize the design a few nights ago. As always she's my take on the character, so she looks like a Candy Doll and she has tattoos.

I was going to add some ombre colour to her hair but I settled for keeping it simple in the end. By that point i'd added so much detail to the outfit and weapons that I figured it didn't really matter what colour her hair was! In the movie her gun and sword both have intricately engraved designs on them, featuring cute characters and flowers. I recreated the design for the gun but the sword was even more complicated so I skipped it. I'm SORRY!

The tattoos are simple but reflective of the film's storyline. The quote 'If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything.' is one of my favourite lines from the film. The swallow represents her inability to escape from the confines of the asylum, the knuckle duster is there because she's such a badass, and the bunny because it's a symbol in the movie, painted onto one of the girls' weapons.

You can see the texture in the clothing better here. I don't always add loads of texture or detail, sometimes I just keep simple gradients or flat colours but I added in some texture for the skirt and top for this one along with some contrasting stitching which took FOREVER to do.

Am I boring you yet? Anyway, the design is all finished now. I uploaded it to the usual spots online including my Society6 and RedBubble stores.

Personally I quite like the design on the tank tops, they look like the sort of thing a Girl Gang might wear to go out and cause havoc. 

So yep, a new illustration, hop y'all liked it and if you didn't, I don't particularly care! ^_^

* * *

in other news, there are only FOUR days left to enter my mega Instagram Giveaway...



I'm giving away a literal HEAP of cute stuff + extra goodies have been added to the bundle. To enter you must be following me on Instagram + follow the rules HERE

and on that note i'll say au revoir for now, hope to see you here again soon.

bye

Giveaway Time ♥

hello dearhearts! Back again so soon! Must be a special occasion... and as you might have guessed from the title, i'm currently holding a little giveaway.

It's been quite a while since I last did one but I thought it was about time I gave away some cute goodies again. So to celebrate finally reaching 1000+ followers on Instagram, i'm doing a super cute Girl Gang themed giveaway!

This time however, the giveaway is being held exclusively on Instagram, and to tempt you to enter, here's a list of everything i'm giving away to ONE lucky winner...

a lucky troll necklace in YOUR choice of colour

a Girl Gang patch + Candy Doll Club rosette

a sheet of 12 girl gang stickers

a Custom glitter brooch with any words or phrase of your choosing

a Candy Doll vinyl sticker + official membership card

a  hand screen-printed felt  candy doll patch

a Candy Doll Club postcard

a set of 4 circle stickers

+ a cupcake badge, candy doll club badge, mini stickers AND a super special BONUS surprise that i'll be revealing next week! oh and some sweeties.

So for a chance to win ALL of this neat stuff... here's what you have to do.

first of all, get yourself over to Instagram and FOLLOW me @jade_boylan

then RE-POST the Giveaway pic and TAG it with #candydollclubtreats

then you can also TAG a friend for an extra entry! if you want to

The giveaway closes on Nov 15th at midnight GMT.

it's open worldwide but giveaway-only Instagram accounts will not be counted. This is for people that actually LIKE and WANT my stuff, not sneaky chancers!

You can enter as many times as you like and i'll pick a winner using random.org on the 16th

altogether there are over £20 worth of goodies up for grabs, and everything is SUPER CUTE AND LOVELY!

so you know what to do, go visit my Instagram page and enter the giveaway!

and that's all for tonight, i'm off to watch the Fireworks in Ramsey

cheerio!

Random Stuff + Giveaway Entries

hello chums, just a little post featuring a few random bits and bobs from the past few weeks!

i started back at College today, this year is my final year at college, hopefully by June next year i'll have passed my BA degree in Fine Art!

anyway, most recently of all, i've been working on a 100% frivolous and fun project, an Adventure Time/Ghostbusters Fan Art piece. i'm a huge HUGE fan of the brilliant CN animation Adventure Time and of course, i adore all things Ghostbusters, so it seemed like a good idea to combine the two!

this was the fandom colliding result...

if you don't really understand who's who or what's going on, i strongly recommend you rush forthwith without delay and watch some Adventure Time and Ghostbusters!

anyway, this design is currently up for votes on OtherTees + it's also available on prints, tees, cards and iPhone cases etc via my Society6 Shop

so what else? well, while i was away in Cork, i accidentally got chatting to one of my current literary idols on Twitter. over the summer, i've devoured some amazing books by Ben Aaronovitch and after a random tweet to him, he asked if i'd be willing to have a go at a fanart or two of some of his characters, for his website!

after i'd calmed down and stopped squealing like a fangirl, i managed to have a go at a 'Molly' fanart

scary stuff! this won't make much sense either so here's a brief description of 'Molly' from Ben's brilliant book 'Rivers Of London' (available to buy here)

"I looked over and saw a woman gliding towards us across the polished marble. She was slender and dressed like an Edwardian maid, complete with a starched white bib apron over a full black skirt and white cotton blouse. Her face didn’t fit her outfit, being too long and sharp-boned with black, almond-shaped eyes. Despite her mob cap she wore her hair loose, a black curtain that fell to her waist. She instantly gave me the creeps, and not just because I’ve seen too many Japanese horror films.
‘This is Molly,’ said Nightingale. ‘She does for us.’
‘Does what?’
‘Whatever needs doing,’ said Nightingale.
Molly lowered her eyes and did an awkward little dip that might have been a curtsey or a bow. When Toby growled again Molly snarled back, showing disturbingly sharp teeth."

makes more sense now i hope! even if i did use a bit of artistic licence and make a few adjustments!

moving on, while i was away in Limerick, i also did a little illo for Amelia's Magazine blog based on the very gorgeous 'Kiss Me' dress by Coco Fennell

you can read the full blog post + see the other lovely illustrations HERE

so what else?! well, while i was in Dublin i managed to get my hands on this gorrrrgeous Totoro plush! i'm a massive Studio Ghibli fan and My Neighbour Totoro is one of my fave animated movies so i couldn't resist this little guy!

and continuing with the fangirl geekery, check out the awesome stickers that arrived for me from Florida the other day! Mini Avengers!!! illustrated by the very brilliant Dean Grayson

and since i am such a huge geeky fangirl and i have such a fondness for avengers stuff, in particular for a certain villain named Loki, check out what else arrived today!!!

a super amazing 'Loki Charms' tee by tee designer extraordinaire Bamboota

and a fabulously wonderful diddy Lego Loki!!!

yaaay for all the Loki times!

ok i'll stop now...

oh but before i go, i want to remind you all about The Goodbye Summer Giveaway currently going on!

you've only got 4 more days left to enter to try and be in with a chance of winning the bundle of cute prizes from Ireland (see full post HERE HERE HERE) 

it's really super easy to enter, all you need to do is supply your email (so i can contact you if you win, otherwise i won't bother you, promise!) and fill in some options on the Giveaway Form below. it's THAT easy!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

and until next time, that's all folks... xX

Last Chance Giveaway

 

hello dearhearts, unless you've been living under a rock for the past week or so, you might be aware that i'm currently running a little Giveaway on here to celebrate the blogs 3rd Blogiversary

as you can see there's a whole heap of lovely goodies up for grabs and all you have to do to be in with a chance of winning some of them is... 

leave a little comment here on the blog 

LIKE a giveaway post on Facebook 

RETWEET a giveaway post on Twitter 

or REBLOG a giveaway post on Tumblr

or... you can do all of the above and get yourself even more chances of winning!

however, the Giveaway is due to close tonight at Midnight (UK time) so you only have a few more hours left to get your entries in!!!

i'll be drawing the winners tomorrow morning and i am happy to post the prizes anywhere in the world so it really is open to everyone!

so no excuses... get those entries in because this year i'll be picking not 1 but 3 winners!

* * *

there is some other news bt i'll save it for another day

so until then, that's all folks...

◕‿◕ ★ xX

★ Blog Birthday Giveaway ★

hello there dear readers, big massive apologies for my total absence over the past couple of weeks, needless to say i have been swamped with college and commission work and just haven't been able to find the time to post any blogs!

anyway, more important things are afoot, this month marks the 3rd birthday/anniversary of my blog and that can mean only one thing...

TIME FOR A GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!

last years Birthday Giveaway was a HUGE success and i had a great bundle of prizes to giveaway

well this year i have some even lovelier stuff! 

feast your eyes on all the super duper goodies...

so what do we have?! well...

there's a cute little Poodle necklace from fab local shop Funny Love (this will be the 3rd Poodle necklace i'll be giving away, seems to have become a bit of a tradition for me to give them away on the blog!) 

a very pretty owl patterned passport cover from Paperchase, a pack of funky jelly stickers from Accessorize and a sheet of nautical sailor themed stickers from local shop Sweet Ginger

a stack of 'Jade' merch including some postcards, lots of stickers and some badges

and last but not least, this truly scrumptious and rather adorable Cupcake luggage tag from Fluff

isn't that all gorrrrgeous! one lucky winner will get there hands on all of it!

however...

as if that wasn't groovy enough, since it's the Blogs 3rd Birthday, two runners up will win a set of fabulously glittery 'razzle dazzle' decoupage stickers + some postcards, stickers and a badge!

* * *

HOW TO ENTER

first of all, you have precisely 10 days to enter since the Blogs Birthday is the 22nd of February, all entries must be in by midnight (UK time) on the 22nd

simple as ever, ALL you have to do is follow the blog (if you aren't doing so already) then scroll down and leave a comment on this blog post (saying hello or sharing an opinion on any of the prizes, that sort of thing)

for extra entries you can also...

retweet this on Twitter - ★ @jadeboylan ★ Blog Birthday Giveaway ★ RT for the chance to win some lovely goodies! ★ - http://bit.ly/zfTfS5

you can also 'Like' one of the giveaway posts on the Facebook fan page (and maybe even share it if you feel so inclined) - Jade's Facebook Page

i'll be setting up a post for it on Tumblr as well so if you use tumblr and don't follow me on there already, be sure to give me a follow and look out for a post to reblog (last years winner won via Tumblr... just saying!) - Jade's Tumblr

if you're feeling particularly lovely you can also mention the giveaway on your own blog, if you do that be sure to link me to it so i can count it as an entry

* * *

so what are you waiting for, 10 days to enter and yes... i will be mentioning the giveaway every day leading up to the 22nd so you can't say i won't be reminding you :)

go on then, comment, retweet, like, reblog, share, go, go, GO!!!

* * *

i really am sorry for having abandoned the blog for a bit, i promise to try harder this week, i even have a Creative Café post for you all, so keep a look out for that.

until next time, that's all folks... ◕‿◕ ★  xX

Bicycles and a (mini) Giveaway ★

hey folks, i've been at home all day (poorly) so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to work on my entry for the 'Ohh Deer' comp 'Stuck on Repeat'

i actually had this design in mind when i first drew my bicycles a week or two ago but today i finally got chance to finish it! i wanted to use the bicycles but make it sort of colourful as well

the comp closes in a few days but i couldn't wait until the 1st of Feb to submit it so i did it early. you can see it on the Ohh Deer site at the moment in the gallery along with looooooads of other entries. 

+ you can see it here and give it a 'Like' if you want to! - Jade's design

i can't wait to see all the entries submitted on the 1st but there are some really awesome designs in there already

* * *

so last Friday i was having a smashing day! i was all settled in at my College desk + having a generally nice sort of time editing stuff while chatting to my Classmates Jennie and Jenna (we all sit together to try and confuse the teachers since all our names begin with 'J')

unfortunately i got a call in the afternoon giving me some bad news and i had to leave college to rush to the hospital to see a family member, this is why i ended up NOT running a blog post that night or any of the subsequent nights following.

so basically, last week my desk-mate Jennie turned 21 so i brought her Birthday present in on the Friday

i got her a sparkly pen + notebook + a pack of Plasticine because let's face it, you're NEVER too old to play with Plasticine! check out the adorable pink elephant Jennie made...

 * * *

so in other news, over the past week or so my follower count on Twitter has been yo-yoing back and forth near to the 1000 mark and as a sort of thank you/incentive to my followers i've decided to do a little impromptu giveaway EXCLUSIVE to Twitter

here's what's up for grabs...

basically we have here a truly darling little hot air balloon charm + a cute necklace with a tiny gift charm + a sweet gingham bow & a gorgeous interwoven bracelet peppered with little charms (my favourite is the koi carp one!) all from 'Accessorize'

ALL of these goodies could be yours and ALL you have to do is 'follow' me on Twitter!

so if you're on Twitter already or you think it's about time you joined, head on over and give me a follow NOW - @jadeboylan

as soon as i reach 1000 followers i'll be drawing a lucky winner out of about 200 or so followers so you know... get following!

* * *

i think that's it for now, i've a few pieces to work on this weekend for college, commissions + various other things so i'm sure i'll be posting caps of some of them next week!

so until then, that's all folks... ◕‿◕ ★  xX

Mini Merch Giveaway ★ LAST CHANCE!!!

golly gosh! hardly any entries so far for the mini giveaway!!! ★ 

there's only ONE full day left to enter now to win a cute pocket mirror, 2 badges + a postcard featuring my illustrations! ♥ 

i'll post this out to anywhere so if you fancy getting some free merch then enter regardless of whereabouts in the world you are! ★ 

LIKE this post on facebook HERE 

RETWEET on Twitter HERE

or leave a comment on THIS HERE post that you are reading (or this one HERE ) to enter...

 Giveaway closes at midnight (UK time) tomorrow, Saturday 22nd October

so come on! what are you waiting for...

get those entires in!!!

if you don't want the merch for yourself you can maybe try to win it for a friend or family member

go on... you know you want it!

here are SOME of the things YOU could win...

(check out the original blog post to see the full range - Blog)

of course if you don't want to wait and see if you win... you can always just treat yourself to some badges or mirrors right now! - Jade's Etsy Shop

* * *

in case you can't tell, i've not much else to blog about today! been a busy few days at college getting everything sorted before half-term + finishing reports and what not!

i had a business meeting at college today as well, the client had flown in from the UK so it was lovely to finally meet face to face

soooo sleepy now though! ready for a nice relaxing few days of half-term before i head off to Coventry to see my family next week

phew!

have a lovely weekend wherever you are + whatever you're up to

and until next time, that's all folks... ◕‿◕ ★ xX