Fiendish Masks

Oy, so sorry for slacking with posts – BUT – I have some exciting little tidbits to share! First of all, seems like Fall has come early this year. I’m bummed, but I did snag a few beach photos while chasing surfers at the beach with Shark Mask. But, if it’s getting colder, time to start thinking about Halloween. On that note… Masks are now sold at Desert Island, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Also, in the past week or so, Matt Donohue of A Tana Studio did a photo shoot with the masks while collaborating with an awesome urban apparel label On the Lam NYC. The combination of dusty urban street atmosphere and models is perfect. Next time, we’ll have to stage a bank heist! The location may have been at an undisclosed alley in Chinatown, but who am I to say? 

And FINALLY, let me just follow up this amazing all-masks update by giving a shout-out to the aspiring rapper – Bas –  from J. Cole‘s Dreamville collective, and member of the Super Mookin’ Fiends. Today, Jay Z’s Life+Times released the fresh music video by Bas – “Mook II” Ft. Hemdi… and it looks SO GOOD (special thanks to Oakshades for being the fiendish director)! Now I know where my masks belong – the super mookin’ rooftops in Queens. Here is the video:

– Tory 
tn@torynova.com
  

Happy Independence Day ‘merica

Wishing everyone a spectacular summer.

Keep your ears to the wind, more glorious news to come very soon about past and future adventures on the Tory Nova train.

– Tory 
tn@torynova.com
  

Cicadas are coming.

Get ready East coast! This year Spring will welcome 1 TRILLION cicadas emerging from underground, to take to the skies.

It’s been 17 years since their last appearance – I remember seeing them for the first time when walking to the tennis courts one afternoon in Brooklyn as a kid. A massive tennis-ball sized black fly was sitting still on the ground, and when my father went to tap it with the net of his racket, the lazy thing rose sluggishly into the air with about the same sound and enthusiasm of a helicopter! #neverforget

Share this meme everyone! And if you have the opportunity, tag me @torynova so I can check it out. =) Feel free to snag the above image and write your own!

– Tory
tn@torynova.com
  

#Sharkfacegang! Macklemore Eat Your Heart Out

You may not know this, but I’m a little bit of a Macklemore & Ryan Lewis fan. Me… and all their angsty teen followers fall into Macklemore’s coined twitter term #sharkfacegang. Before hearing their music (being too busy with Torynova Monster Masks at the time), I had conveniently created the Shark Attack mask, which I now sell in my etsy shop. So when their song, Thrift Shop became an online sensation, I got familiar with the duo and their entourage. Needless to say, the next obvious step was to create this…

Shark Face Mask
Inspired by Macklemore’s #SharkFaceGang

In a perfect world, I would be able to show this awesome mask to Macklemore and get it selling in his merch shop so all the #sharkfacegang fans can wear Shark Face to represent their favorite Seattle rapper. Till that happens, I will be rollin’ out these masks into the Etsy shop, so keep your eyes peeled in the coming weeks! And be sure to get your hands on a copy of The Heist.

! UPDATE ! | Shark Face Mask is now for sale!

– Tory
tn@torynova.com

Tuke the Specialist Turtle

Back in August 2012 I was approached by Chowder Inc. to collaborate on an awesome children’s book project for CCMI, the Central Caribbean Marine Institute in the Cayman Islands. They hoped to teach students across the islands about the importance of marine biologists and how their work is crucial to the survival and upkeep of the diversity in the surrounding waters.

And so, Tuke the Specialist Turtle was born. The book depicts Tuke’s coming of age from puny to self confident, and with the help of some friendly marine biologists he learns of his own importance to maintain the habitat of the reef.

Below you can check out some scenes from the 60+ page book – I don’t want to give away all just yet. Hopefully, come Earth day in April 2013, the book will be published and all will be revealed for the world to see.

– Tory
tn@torynova.com

A Gif for You!

…aaand the world didn’t end on 12/21/12! Isn’t that reason enough to dance? Beliefs and traditions aside, hope you’re enjoying the remnants of this year and this Gangnam Santa gif.

See you in 2013!

– Tory
tn@torynova.com

Lots to be thankful for

I have a lot to be thankful for this year as it has been both impossibly difficult and remarkably fruitful. A large portion of my gratitude goes to the kindness of total strangers, who have transformed my world over the past 9 months, and the rest can be attributed to the strong shoulders of close family and sweet friends onto which I have leaned. Thank you all, my unnamed warriors.

At the start of 2012 I half jokingly claimed this to be my year – the year of the Dragon, and indeed it has been! It came with a thunderous reckoning! But it ain’t over till the fat lady delivers a heart-stopping vocal bravado (which will be me after the holidays *sob* goodbye waistline *sob*). And I have enough fight left to deliver some spectacular new projects in the next few weeks.

Honestly, I’m just glad to have power again. Hurricane Sandy left a total disaster zone and commuter hell. Storm Support is making an effort to give back to storm victims through great design! ALL profits from sales go to benefit various charities around the NYC/NJ area and will directly help those in need. My contribution is a cute lil’ french bulldog Storm Pup – go get him!

Most importantly, I hope that you are enjoying the best damn Thanksgiving meal of your life today (or at least, one worthy to be a close second).

Happy Holidays! Lets not lose our minds over Black Friday deals, mmkay?

– Tory
tn@torynova.com

MASKS ARE IN!

I’M SO EXCITED!

FALL, my favorite season, ART, my favorite activity, and MASKS, my favorite accessory have merged together! *Cackles, thunder & lightning* Ok, ok. So last year I was a little late on the whole Halloween-merch-bandwagon, but this year, oh no! This year, I have illustrated and designed an entire heap of masks for people of all ages and eclectic personalities to wear!

There are several hilarious characters to choose from thus far:

1. Cthulhu (shout-out to H. P. Lovecraft; recently on South Park)
2. Shark Attack (every surfer’s worst nightmare)
3. Eyeball (…pretty effin’ weird…)
4. Frankenstein (zombie apocalypse is upon us!)
5. Skull (morbid with a sense of humor)

The best part about these creepy, toothy, bloody, funny, weirdos? They are super duper comfortable! Say good-bye to that awful rubbery smell-of-death circa whenever rubber silicon masks were first created. These fellas are made of 100% baby soft organic cotton knit! So they’re gentle and stretchy and fit properly over the ol’ noodle, no matter the size of one’s big sexy brain. Also, they are like the best deal ever! Original, one of a kind, limited edition, and will solve all of your pesky costume-getting problems come Halloween. Just between you and me, it would be totally cool to wear them in the winter as ski masks (HINT).

I’m so proud of these creepy head dudes and it makes me thrilled to offer them to you, THE PEOPLE. Keep your eyes peeled for even more masks to surface before Halloween (not to start any rumors, but I’ve got a plethora of ideas floating around). The best place to find out any new intrigue, would be to follow me on instagram or twitter – @torynova. If you’d like to stock these masks in your store or know of a place where they really ought to be available, let me know and I will make it happen. Yes. Just like that.

– Tory
tn@torynova.com

Oh My Glob!

I’ve been battling a sore throat for a week now, which really means that I have been rotting my mind with toons while wallowing in bed. My eye latched onto a pretty pink firecracker cloud that (in another world perhaps) would be my teenage doppleganger. LSP is the bomb. She’s lumpy and she knows you like it. You don’t want to mess with this dame! Physically, she sure breaks the standard for beauty, but that doesn’t blemish her beaming self confidence. So enjoy my little fan tribute to the lumpy space princess that looks lumpin’ fine.

– Tory
tn@torynova.com

Drum roll, please! Cue… #illustration

Today was an interesting day! In an out of the ordinary turn of events, I got to make a little presentation for my coworkers as part of a Share/Inspire session series held in the design department, talking all about my love interest, Torynova Couture. I got to do a little vis-a-vis modeling as well for our show ‘n tell sesh’. Yes, my workplace is hilarious and awesome (yay! Dumbo, Brooklyn).

For those who don’t know, TNC is an apparel collection I created some time ago, featuring illustrated garments based off of classical works of various literary arts. Inspired by such things like Swan Lake, Carmen, and Shakespeare, my prints have been been featured in a variety of locations, while the garments have been selling online and in select boutiques. The ladies and gents I presented to were fabulously patient with me as I fumbled through how the collection came about and other useless details. The photos have turned out looking awesome!

You are also welcome to watch my presentation below, which a coworker so cleverly captured for future sharing purposes! I hope you at least find it mildly entertaining. Also, a special shout out to my lovely model who was unfairly coerced by me to stand and be present throughout, yay camaraderie!

FYI, you can see the actual prints of the artwork on my website: torynova.com

– Tory
tn@torynova.com