The 4th Not So Wiseman


"The 4th Not So Wiseman" paper sculpture.

In celebration of the holiday I have designed a paper sculpture called "The 4th Not So Wiseman." I've put together an easy to follow PDF template so you can create one yourself. Download the PDF template here.


You can construct him out of regular bond paper.

I asked my friend and writer Kristen Fischer to write a story about "The 4th Not So Wiseman" and she did a great job. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did creating it.


I managed to use one of my patterns in the design too.

The 4th Not So Wiseman
By Kristen Fischer

You've heard of the three wisemen, but never the fourth. See, he didn't do so well as far as a gift-giving went. Instead of gold, frankincense or myrrh, he stopped at the dollar store for coal. Let's just say that a very special baby in a manger was not so impressed.

And as the years went on, no one talked about the Fourth Not So Wiseman's laughable gift. When that baby grew up, he didn't want the world to know coal existed. When burned, coal releases two harmful greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide and methane. Jesus just wasn't down with that.

Now the Fourth Not So Wiseman is making a comeback bigger than Britney Spears. He's a reminder to be kind to the earth, live a green lifestyle...remember that you, too, deserve nothing more than a lump of coal if you don't!

PDF Template Download


A fun do-it-yourself creative exercise.

The sculpture is easy to construct, just follow the simple directions on the PDF template to create your own character. If you'd like to share this PDF with your friends and family feel free to pass along the link or post the link on your own blog.

You can also find a post about the Fourth Not So Wiseman at Ecopreneurist.com which is very cool!

Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas!

Von



What's Your ShopPersona?


Fine Living web site.

A few months back the "Fine Living Channel" hired me to create a cast of shopping characters they could use on their web site and within other marketing venues to promote their holiday campaign called "Shop Persona."


eBlast header.

Here is some of the art used in their newsletter eblast.


"Practical" Female Shopper.

When ever I have to create a large set of art for a given project I naturally have my favorite pieces within the project. And such is the case here. The characters I've chosen to post are the ones I felt were the strongest. The others are OK I guess but they were more heavily art directed and tweaked by the client so I didn't invite them to this blog launch party.


"All-Around" Male Shopper.

Over the course of 22 years working in this industry I've worked in that capacity as a graphic designer, senior designer, art director, and creative director. So when I see my art in it's final context and feel it could have been handled a bit better it kind of bums me out. The art director side of me wants to go in and change it but obviously I can't. (Hence why blogging is so cathartic?)


"Artistic" Female Shopper.

I was a little surprised to see the final size for the web interface usage. It's far smaller then what I had been give in terms of specs. The concept and functionality of the interface is pretty cool though, I just don't care too much for the GUI layout and design.


"Artistic" Male Shopper.

When ever I'm asked to illustrate a computer or other hi-tech devices I always try to work in an Apple product. Yes, I am a diehard MAC addict and proud of it. So this character is toting a MacBook and enjoying some tunes via his iPhone.


"Trendy" Female Shopper.

For some reason this character reminded me of Ginger from "Gilligan's Island." Growing up however I was always attracted to Mary Ann.

Over all it was a fun project to illustrate. The style was a new twist for me but enjoyable. At least no one is too ugly looking to shop.