Pat’s Holiday Gift Guide

`Holiday Gift Guide, Part 1: Punk Rock Flea Market Edition

I spent this past weekend at the Newark Punk Rock Flea Market in Newark, Delaware.

That’s New-ark. Not to be confused with New-erk, New Jersey. I was vending at my table, slinging my comics and original art on Saturday and doing a little shopping on Sunday.

As the holidays creep up, I figured this was as good a time as any to kick off a Holiday Gift Guide, starting with some of the awesome stuff I picked up there. This isn’t sponsored. This isn’t an algorithm play. It’s just a list of things and people I genuinely think are cool. If your taste overlaps with mine even a little bit, do yourself a favor. Give these folks a follow and buy something from them. SHOP LOCAL!

⸻

Jess Slavik

Poster for the Newark Punk Rock Flea Market

First up is the event poster itself, designed by Wilmington, DE based Jess Slavik, also known as @soreeyesdesign on Instagram.

Her work lives squarely in the wheelhouse of what I consider the “cool” zone. It’s weird. It’s skull-heavy. It’s got bold lines and halftones that fall right into place on a beer can or a gig poster. I know. What a stretch for me to be into that.

If you want to grab prints or other work from Jess, you can find it HERE.

⸻

Ed Abbott

Prints, Mini-Comics, and Custom Wood Cutouts

Next up is a print and mini-comic from Wilmington illustrator Ed Abbott, who goes by @edabbottillustration on Instagram.

Ed makes the kind of work I’m constantly drawn to. Familiar pop culture references mixed with smart concepts and just enough weirdness to keep it interesting. While he works digitally, he also creates custom painted wood cutouts, which are incredibly cool. I’ve got a few hanging at home, and they’re always conversation starters.

You can find Ed’s work HERE.

⸻

Todd Purse

“Personal Folklore” and “Find a Pencil”

Todd Purse (@toddde85 and @create_magic_studios on Instagram) makes drawings of cats, wizards, worms, and other delightful weirdness, and has such a consistent and recognizable style to his work .

You’ve almost certainly seen his stuff if you’re local. His illustrations are all over Brandywine Coffee Roasters and Brew HaHa’s packaging and branding. I picked up both Personal Folklore and Find a Pencil, two new additions to my collection of killer books, comics, and zines.

Todd’s work is available HERE.

⸻

Garbage Mind

100 Phanatics Book

Then there’s 100 Phanatics from Instagram’s @garbage_mind.

This project came from Dave drawing the Philly Phanatic in 100 different iterations over 100 days. It’s playful, obsessive, and exactly the kind of thing that hooks me immediately. He also makes some excellent punk rock inspired Philly sports mashups that feel tailor made for people like me.

I don’t think there’s a dedicated site, but you can find his work on Instagram and at vending events around Delaware and Philly. Keep an eye out. You won’t miss it.

⸻

Gentle Jones

Skateboard with Art by Danny Hellman

Last up is a super rad skateboard (featuring art by Danny Hellman) from Delaware rapper and skateboarder Gentle Jones, who goes by @gentlejones on Instagram.

Gentle Jones also DJ’d the Punk Rock Flea Market on Saturday and had some killer hardcore, punk, and ska selections, which makes him even cooler! The deck rules, and the rest of his merch is just as solid.

You can grab the skateboard and more HERE.

⸻

Final Thoughts

Awesome people making awesome stuff.

And yes, they all happen to be friends of mine.

I’m proud of my friends, and I’m excited that they make cool, weird shit that I dig. This is a very small list highlighting just a few of the folks I saw this past weekend. I’d love to do more of these in the future. I know a lot of people who make cool shit, and EVERYBODY should know about them.

And as always, you can find my work at pat-higgins.com!