The Denton Makers Festival of 2023 Wrap-up

Posted in Art, events, local.

Earlier this year on the last Saturday of April, the 29th, a variety of crafty and creative people took over the Square of Denton TX for the Denton Makers Fest of 2023!

I just so happened to be visiting the UNT CoLab for their Willie Nelson exhibit when I ran into the Maker’s Fest. Had my camera with me so wandering into the festival was opportune! Let’s take a look at what kind of awesome artists we ran into this day! Each artist’s info will be linked within this article so you can support them outside of this event!

A row of booths along a shut down street in Denton, TX.

First up is the fantastic Shannon Ferguson, her booth was phenomenal with the illustrative work, banners and buttons she brought to the fest. This large piece blew me away with its detail work and impressive size. Her style reminds me of historical pen and ink illustrations, much like the Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland illustrations by John Tenniel. Her work stands strong on it’s own though with a unique twist to that traditional older style and technique. Her ink work is fabulous, especially with all the little extra scrawlings building up texture and detail work within her appealing work.

A banner printed featuring two women and multiple hands all over the print doing different activities or gestures. In the top right and left corners are womens' figures with back facing towards us. This is on a linen banner. Shannon Ferguson ShannonFergusonArt.net

You can find out all about Shannon Ferguson’s work at ShannonFergusonArt.net! Who will take home the big beautiful banner? Could it be you? 🙂

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Next up was one I was only able to walk past briefly, but saw amazing RPG themed bath and body supplies on display. Sugar Bee RPG brings the fantasy to the self-care department of bath, body, and candles for setting the right mood for your next TTRPG night!

A woman with reddish brown hair and glasses and white skin sits at a table selling scents, bath scrubs, candles, and lotions. There is a display for Lord of the Rings candle sets in the middle. Sugar Bee RPG SugarBeeRPG.com

You can snag some of their super luscious and luxurious scented goodies from SugarBeeRPG.com.

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The insect and bug vendor blew me away with their work. My only fallback is that I forgot to ask for a card, and it was too busy to snag a photo of any name of the vendor. I searched the list provided from the Denton Maker’s Fest admins but the list was incomplete and didn’t have them on it. If you know who this artist was please contact me! I would love to edit this and shout them out properly. Anyways….

Two black butterflies with green and light blue detailing pinned on a white board displayed in a black frame.

I was enamored with these pinned insect taxidermy pieces, especially the ones with fold up wings that were spread out entirely like this grasshopper. The colours are so breathtaking to behold in person, I can only hope my camera captured but a fraction of the impact these pieces had on me.

A large grasshopper with green and red tones is spread out to show its wingspan, pinned and dead in a case.

The Rajah Birdwing Butterfly made me giddy because I only know this species name from catching them to sell for Bells in Animal Crossing New Horizons! 🙂

Take a look at these phenomenal colours though:

A Rajah Butterfly is a black large butterfly with large span wings with striking lime green markings.

Last but not least some more common butterflies, these were posed very beautifully and finish us out strong with this artist.

A white and black marking butterfly pinned in a case display.
Yellow standard butterflies pinned in a case display.

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Skelton Key Crafts is the next artist that I ran into that weekend. They have such a lovely, warm and welcoming atmosphere to their shop and cozy handmade leather work and crochet critters! The vibes were fun and exciting with them.

Multiple keychains made of leather and a Cthulhu plushie made of leather, a snail plushie made of leather, and small leather prints. Skelton Key Crafts
Many different leather wallets on display.
Leather bags and plushies and voodoo dolls crocheted on display.

Not only was the leatherwork impressive, the collection of crochet critters put a smile on my face.

Lastly, the voodoo doll section was a charming touch to the whole booth! I really loved the educational matter that went with it to inform newbies on what they are, represent, and can do for you metaphysically and emotionally speaking.

Skelteon Key Crafts has all their work available online at their shop, SkeltonKeyCrafts.com ! Visit today or stow the site away for a gift later!

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Our next artist is an incredible witch who’s magic resides in her hat crafting capabilities! Blackkribbon showed us it’s never too early to invest in a great Halloween hat, as witch hats like these can be worn year round. Some featured candy corn designs, while others were striking deep violets and cozy crimsons.

A white woman with dreaded black hair with bangs and sunglasses worn is wearing a white witch hat and is selling crocheted witch hats on display on several jack o lantern containers from Halloween. Blackkribbon BlackkRibbon.com

Start you witch journey with your iconic hat today from Blackkribbon at Blackkribbon.com !

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Another artist I ran into just while walking by was Cause A Scene Art! They had some superb and varied work. 10% of their profits go to a good cause too of the artist’s choice! Changing the world can start with our art!

Multiple paintings on display for sale at a show. Cause A Scene Art @CauseASceneArt (instagram)

Check out what Cause A Scene Art is up to at their Instagram profile @causeasceneart .

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Just when I thought this Maker’s Fest was already booming with creativity, I was shocked to see something so unique as CONCRETE JEWELRY! How cool! Gilded Gravel Jewelry brought plenty of shiny and gritty wares that stood out in originality.

Multiple concrete made accessories, decor, and jewelry lie out on display on a table. Gilded Gravel Jewelry GildedGravel.com
A woman is seen looking at the concrete jewelry and wares. Gilded Gravel Jewelry GildedGravel.com

You can find your own concrete piece of awesome jewelry art at GildedGravel.com !

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This was another artist I failed to get a name from, and the list provided by Maker’s Fest was incomplete and did not feature her on it! If you know of this glass ware artist, please let me know so I can edit this article to feature her properly! Anyways…

This is a great artist that had a really unique approach to glass blowing art. I was really impressed with her work and wish I could have snagged a garden decoration!

An older woman with white skin and grey hair is seen wearing sunglasses displaying her glassware work that ranges from plates to hanging decor to garden decor.

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Bab ‘n’ Bab Depa was the next artist I ran into who had such a superbly cute style for her art! There were notebooks, prints, stickers, and more available with this cool artist. Their style is to die for!

A mini display with tabletop grid walls showing stickers and prints and bags from Bab 'n' Bab Depa They also are selling notebooks and mugs. Bab 'n' Bab Depa BabNBabDepa.com

You can find the next cutest thing at BabNBabDepa.com !

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This next artist was probably one of my absolute favourites of the entire show, Nicole Putze’s work was unique and one of a kind with a special sort of attitude that I love and adore a lot. Our first piece to look at here speaks to this energy exactly:

“I WON’T LIE ABOUT WHO I AM FOR SOMEONE ELSE’S COMFORT.”

An orange canvas featuring a person with orange glasses and orange hair on with white skin. There is yellow scissors and air planes in a pattern over the orange. In the orange background there is lettering impressions saying: I WON'T LIE ABOUT WHO I AM FOR SOMEONE ELSE'S COMFORT Nicole Putze Putze.art @Reputzy

As a trans and queer person living in the South, I really feel this message and live to abide by that kind of mindset to this day, too. So their work echoed within my soul and that’s why Nicole’s work rules!

A canvas painting with stencil prints done over top including a possum with "Bring back the birds, bees and trees please!" text inside its body. It is surrounded by pink automatic rifles and flowers on a navy blue background.

I love work that speaks to a political message, not that we wanted our lives and the environment to be politicized, but they are in the here and now and we must fight doing what’s right to ensure our future is saved.

“Bring back the birds, bees, and trees please!”

A repeating print of pink and blue cans of drink with a horse logo on it. There is a camera stencil painted on here too overlapping. all on white background.

Nicole’s work overall is wonderful and vibrant. I love how rough and energetic the work feels!

You can find Nicole’s work at Instagram with the username @Reputzy !

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The next set of artists are a part of Fancy Berries Co.! They make cute animated style work, with prints and wonderful sticker sets too!

Two people standing at their booth featuring cute anime and cartoon style prints and stickers.

I really adored this series of work done with the crayon medium used to create childlike wonder in each vibrant and happy piece;

Crayon drawn style artwork and stickers on a black tablecover.

The artists’ handles are @fancyberriesco and @doodlefee ! You can find a directory for all of their work at linktr.ee/Fancyberriesco ! I highly recommend picking up some adorable work for your living space!

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Another great creator who was at the market is little d sweets!
They are located here in Denton and do lots of hand decorated cookies customized to any occasion with beautiful artistry to the decor!

Shaped cookies packaged individually and information about Little D Sweets on display.
Little D Sweets signage and cookies on display for sale.

These folks are definitely a great go-to for unique gifts with the cookie bouquets!
To support little d sweets, you can follow their Facebook page and connect with them to place an order at facebook.co/TheLittleDSweets

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Moving on in our adventure we came across The Scavenger’s Shoppe! Perfect for any adventurer on the move with trinkets a plenty here! Snag a pendulum and ask it your deepest questions. Find the perfect magickal jewelry, hand carved boxes for tarot cards and more with them!

Two people with white skin and glasses and mid length hair sit at their table with pagan inspired wares that include pendulums, boxes, spell jars, bracelets, and more.

You can find their online shop at etsy.com/shop/TheScavengersShoppe ! It is currently down for now but might come back sooner than later!

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A very unique part of the Makers Fest is Inner Wilderness Art Co.! The creator’s hard work with wire art and fanciful jewelry made a fantastic display that drew me in instantly!

A married couple standing behind their booth with a man in a plaid blue shirt with white skin and glasses and a woman in a red outfit with scarf and long blond braided hair and white skin. The wares include wire copper jewelry and decorative items.

Inner Wilderness also has an Etsy shop where you can support her work and snag something beautiful to wear today!
Check it out at etsy.com/shop/InnerWildernessArtCo !

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Here is one of my favourite artists from the entire Maker’s Fest!! Meet Patrick the creator behind Art of Patrick! They are an awesome artist who has a killer art style!

A white skinned nonbinary man with black hair is wearing all black and is sitting at their table displaying their art.
Art of various subjects including a man wearing a horned helmet, a storm trooper helmet, and a robot hand open and falling apart. Above are sketches of guns, monsters, and skulls. Art of Patrick @ArtOfPatrick

Patrick’s style is filled with so much energy and appeal with his inking style. I love the mildly gritty look to the fine line inking, really breathing life into the style. Patrick’s work would look great on your wall!!

Close up of the gun and skull drawings and sketches in ink.
Close up of the repairs needed broken arm in a different screenprinting setup with blues and cyans.

Patrick was also really kind and saw my trans heart keychain and gave me a “THIS MACHINE K*LLS TERFS” sticker for my car!! I have loved displaying it alongside my other trans stickers on there. Thanks for the good memory I’ll always cherish!! <3

A sticker that reads THIS MACHINE KILLS TERFS and a trans unicorn pegasus sticker beside it

You can find Patrick’s art updates and support him at @ArtOfPatrick on instagram! Def give them a follow today!

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This next creator was very sweet and even gave me a free sample of her Juniper Berry cold pressed soap! It is a wonderful soap, very aromatic, and I highly recommend checking out Salted Sanctuary’s handmade soap and bath goods and getting some for yourself!!

A white woman with short grey blonde hair is wearing a crimson sweatshirt and has soaps and bath goods for sale on diisplay.

There’s even a cute Pride Parade themed soap that the proceeds go towards Pridenton’s organization within their stock. She also sells online!

Rainbow pride peony scented cold process soap.

You can support Salted Sanctuary Soap via her website saltedsanctuarysoap.com or at the brick and mortar shop at 525 N. Elm St.!

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Our next artist feature from the event is Zen Phony Art by Samuel Wiggins! He was a superb and varied artist and toy maker with great energy about him and has a very unique grunge esque style! I love the handmade and chaotic look to his work! He was very cool and even hand drew a business card for me since he ran out!

A table with artwork on display.
Artwork featuring a creature/man sitting on the shoreline of a pollution river.
A demon boy holding something, graffiti style art work.
A man with canary yellow skin much like the Simpsons is on the top, cartoonish style, and below is a head with no eyes and two arms holding it up on a canvas.

Visit Zen Phony’s artist website at zenphonyart.com to hire him for some cool work, look at comics, toys, paintings, or follow @ZenPhony on Instagram for art updates today!

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Revolt Streetwear was an impressive and striking brand of attire, skateboards, and art! I absolutely was drawn to this creator’s booth due to the heavy use of hot pink and lime green together. Such an appealing combo!!

A person is sitting outside their tent with their wares, Revolt Streetwear uses lime and pink heavily in their skater inspired clothing and boards.

This jacket was killer and so fun. I love the lime green! I would love to customize something like this!

A lime green lettermans jacket with REVOLT in hot pink on the back.

If you’d like to take part in wearing Revolt Streetwear’s work check out RevoltStreetwear.com!

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Last but not least is an incredible artist who self-taught themselves printmaking when they were 15, it’s Scout Ryman!! Scout’s work is incredible! They make incredible handmade prints and have a series of various cool zines too!

A person with white skin and short brown hair is displaying their artwork and zines on a blue tabletop.

You can support their work at scoutryman.square.site and snag some zines, prints, and more today!! I know I’m eying a particular chicken print to get my Mom for her birthday this year!!

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That was all the artists I had the joy of meeting and greeting that Saturday.

Before I left I was able to sneak a peek at this awesome shirt, I wasn’t able to get one, but I really appreciated the design for the Denton Maker’s Fest 2023 (which corresponded with the Thin Line Fest week too) and wanted to share it below:

Denton Maker's Fest T shirt design is a large D made out of multiple cute style buildings notably in Denton, trucks, people, businesses, tattoo parlors, guitars, instruments bikes, pizza, etc. Says at bottom: DENTON MAKERS X THIN LINE [FEST for both] 2023

And that wraps it up for the Denton Maker’s Fest 2023! Thank you to everyone I was able to talk to and support! Please support the cool artists that I listed, and check the list on the Texas Artisan website to see a list of artists, although incomplete, has more that were not featured in my article here! Lastly, support the Denton Makers Fest 2024 by attending next year’s come April again!!

A look at the courthouse on the square with the vendors still working, looking at the booths from afar across the street.

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Now before I let you all go I have some BONUS PICS!!!

The first thing I happened upon that is part of our bonus round of photos is the ELDRITCH BLAST mobile! It had a cool water and ocean themed cutaway design in the back and the medieval font with “Eldritch Blast” on the front which matches the lime green the front half of the jeep was! For those not in the know eldritch blast is a basic spell used by warlocks in Dungeons and Dragons. So I loved this little nerdy touch to a perfectly green vehicle!

A lime green Jeep with ELDRITCH BLAST emblazoned on the front end of it.

The next bonus pic is one of the best people I saw at the entire Maker’s Fest with the COOLEST YU-GI-OH HOMEMADE JACKET!!!! CHECK IT OUT!!!!

A person with a wolfcut mullet has white skin and is wearing sunglasses, they are wearing a Yu-gi-oh custom designed denim jacket filled with patches.

I was blown away by the uniqueness of this jacket and the text in heiroglyphics on the back, the extra patches that made perfect sense with the show’s themes, and oh my gosh I just loved this person. Shout out to this local badass! I wish I had gotten their instagram @ or something but it was just when we were walking by so it was quick! Enjoy the pic tho!!

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Now that’s it ! Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for my next creative adventure soon!!

-O

Published by Ovaettr

Orion Fern is the two-time award-winning artist of 'The Fox Who Became A Girl' written by Chloe Bear, supported by The Greater Denton Arts Council and The Comics Advocacy Group. Illustrator, Motion Graphic Designer, Writer and Zinester. He is focused on making zines that start necessary conversations that will change the world for the better and teach empathy for marginalized identities and experiences, especially from his own transgender, queer, and pagan lens. He teaches how to make your own zines at the Denton Maker Center and volunteers with them, the Denton Water Project, and The Community Hunger Initiative. He loves you and wants you to stay with us, because tomorrow needs you.

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