brandonbird.com

T-mas is Brandon Bird's annual holiday card tradition, posted each November on brandonbird.com. Rather than a single recurring design, each year brings a new card, sometimes drawn by a guest artist. The posts themselves are brief announcements — usually just a line or two plus the artwork — so the tradition is best understood as a yearly creative drop rather than a shop or subscription.

How the tradition works

The pattern is simple and consistent: a November post announces that year's card. From the site's archive:

• 2022 — "Snow Foolin': This year's T-mas card is here!" (November 21, 2022)
• 2021 — "Painting the Fool: The long T-mas tradition continues, this time with a card by John Larriva inspired by Leyendecker's T-mas covers for the Saturday Evening Post." (October 26, 2021)
• 2023 — "Mr. Tweet: Once again, the T-mas season is upon us!" (November 22, 2023)

Two things stand out. First, the timing drifts — late October in 2021, late November in 2022 and 2023 — so there's no fixed release date to rely on. Second, the 2021 post explicitly calls it "the long T-mas tradition," confirming it predates the years shown in the visible archive.

Guest artists and outside references

T-mas isn't always Bird's own drawing. The 2021 card was made by John Larriva, working from J.C. Leyendecker's holiday covers for the Saturday Evening Post — a deliberate nod to early-20th-century American illustration. That post is the clearest example of how the tradition borrows from art history rather than staying inside Bird's usual pop-culture register.

How T-mas relates to Bird's other holiday work

T-mas is separate from his Valentine's output, which follows its own schedule. In February 2023 he released V-Book, a 24-page downloadable and printable e-book of Valentine cards and activities (15 black-and-white, 9 color) for $8, including the SVU Valentines and a buildable Hannibal. That's a paid product; the T-mas posts, by contrast, are announcements on the blog.

How to find the cards

The cards live in the site's dated archive, which runs from 2013 through 2023 and is browsable by year and month. To see a given year's card:

1. Go to the archive section of brandonbird.com.
2. Pick the relevant year (T-mas posts cluster in October–November).
3. Open the post — the announcement text is short, and the card is the main content.

The archive also includes an "Older" link at the end, suggesting earlier entries exist beyond what's listed.

What the site does not tell you

The visible page evidence doesn't state whether T-mas cards are sold, mailed, or offered as free downloads. The 2023 V-Book post mentions that people sometimes ask him to express-mail Valentine cards, which is why he made a printable alternative — but no equivalent shipping or pricing detail appears for T-mas. If you want a physical card, the archive post is the starting point, not a confirmed order page.

Brandon Bird's Brandon Bird-O-Rama! (brandonbird.com) is the personal art website and blog of artist Brandon Bird. It functions as a running feed of his paintings, illustrations, seasonal cards, calendars, and project announcements, with some items available to download or buy. If you're looking for his artwork, updates on new pieces, or the occasional print-and-download product, this is the site that hosts them.

What you'll find on the site

The site is organized as a reverse-chronological blog, so the newest posts appear first. Content falls into a few recurring categories:

• Artwork posts — individual paintings and illustrations, often with a short note from the artist. Examples from the archive include pieces like "The Pianist," "Wide Pike," and "Deep V(andelay)."
• Seasonal cards — recurring holiday items, including "T-mas" (Christmas) cards and Valentine-related art. The T-mas tradition is described as long-running, with different artists contributing over the years.
• Calendars — most notably the "Frakes" calendars, which the site notes have returned for multiple years.
• Project announcements — news about art featured in other contexts, such as pieces made for Alan Partridge's UK and Ireland stage show, projected behind Steve Coogan.
• Downloadable and purchasable items — for example, a Valentine e-book of cards and activities.

The Valentine e-book example

A concrete illustration of how the site sells something: in a February 2023 post, Bird describes compiling an e-book of Valentine cards and activities you can download and print at home. According to the post, it runs twenty-four pages (15 black-and-white, 9 color) for $8, and includes items like the SVU Valentines plus new additions such as a buildable Hannibal to store "Hanni-tines." More details are linked from that post.

This shows the general pattern: the blog announces a thing, gives a short description and price where applicable, and points to a page with more detail.

How to use the site

1. Start at the homepage — the most recent posts load first, so you immediately see the latest artwork or announcement.
2. Scroll or page back — older entries are reachable through the archive. The sidebar lists posts by year and month, from 2013 through 2023, so you can jump to a specific period.
3. Follow links within posts — when an item is for sale or download (like the Valentine e-book), the post links to a detail page.
4. Check the archive for recurring items — if you're after a specific annual product such as a T-mas card or a Frakes calendar, the year/month archive is the fastest way to find that year's version.

What to expect and what not to

• It's a personal artist site, not a storefront with a catalog. Products appear as blog posts when they're released, rather than in a permanent shop grid.
• Pricing is only shown where the post states it. The Valentine e-book is listed at $8 in its announcement; other items may or may not include a price in the post text.
• Availability changes over time. Seasonal items like cards and calendars are tied to specific years, and the archive shows they don't all recur on a fixed schedule.
• The site is in English and is written in the artist's own voice, with brief, informal post notes.

If your goal is to browse Brandon Bird's art or catch a specific seasonal release, the homepage plus the year/month archive covers it. If your goal is to buy or download something specific, look for the post announcing that item and follow its detail link.

Brandon Bird's site (brandonbird.com) is a personal art blog and storefront where you can buy physical and digital work directly from the artist. The clearest documented purchase is a downloadable Valentine e-book of cards and activities for $8, announced in a February 2023 post. Other items — T-mas (Christmas) cards, Frakes calendars, and a book — are announced in dated blog posts, but the site excerpt does not show a single unified shop page, prices for physical goods, or payment methods beyond the e-book's listed price. If you want the e-book, you can act immediately; for physical items, you'll need to check the individual post or linked page for current availability.

What you can buy, based on the site's own posts

The e-book is the only item with a stated price in the available material. Don't assume the other items are free or that prices match — the site excerpt doesn't say.

How to get the Valentine e-book

1. Go to brandonbird.com and find the February 2, 2023 post titled "V-Book."
2. Read the post — it describes the contents (24 pages, 15 b&w, 9 color) and states the price as $8.
3. Follow the "More details here!" link in that post to reach the purchase or download page.
4. Expect a digital file you download and print at home. The post frames it as a solution for last-minute Valentine requests, so it's a print-it-yourself product, not a shipped physical set.

Verification: After purchase, you should receive a downloadable file. The post specifies the page count and color breakdown, so you can confirm you got the right product.

Common snag: The post is from February 2023. Seasonal items like this may be updated, re-listed, or retired in later years — check the most recent Valentine-season post if the original link no longer works.

How to buy physical cards and calendars

The site announces these through dated blog posts rather than a fixed catalog:

• T-mas cards: Look for the November or December post each year (e.g., "Mr. Tweet," November 22, 2023; "Snow Foolin'," November 21, 2022). The post typically links to where you can order.
• Frakes calendars: Announced in July 2021 for 2022 and again in September 2022. Search the archive for "Frakes" to find the latest announcement.
• The book: Use the "Get the book!" link in the site's navigation/sidebar.

Because these are announced per-season, the reliable method is to open the newest relevant post and follow its link, rather than expecting a permanent product page.

What the site does not tell you

The available page evidence does not include:

• A checkout page, cart, or list of accepted payment methods
• Shipping costs, regions, or delivery times
• Whether physical items are currently in stock
• Prices for anything except the $8 e-book

So treat any assumption about free shipping, worldwide delivery, or current availability as unverified. Check the linked page at the point of purchase for those terms.

Practical approach

• Want the e-book now: Go to the Feb 2, 2023 "V-Book" post and follow its link — this is the most concrete, priced item on the site.
• Want a card or calendar: Open the most recent post in that category (T-mas posts cluster in November/December; Frakes calendar posts in July/September) and follow its order link.
• Want the book: Use the "Get the book!" link in the site navigation.
• Want original art: The posts show finished pieces but don't describe a purchase process — you'd need to look for contact or gallery information the excerpt doesn't include.

If a link is dead or a season has passed, the archive (browsable by year and month) is the fastest way to find the latest version of that item's announcement.

Brandon Bird's Valentine e-book is a 24-page downloadable and printable collection of Valentine cards and activities, priced at $8. According to the artist's own announcement on brandonbird.com, it contains 15 black-and-white pages and 9 color pages, and it was created specifically so people can print cards at home instead of requesting last-minute express-mail shipments.

What's Inside the E-Book

The announcement describes the contents in two categories:

• Classic cards — including the "SVU Valentines" (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit–themed valentines), which the artist notes have been part of his Valentine art output for years.
• New additions — including "a Hannibal you can build to store your Hanni-tines," described as a silly new item alongside the classics.

The page breakdown is 24 pages total: 15 black-and-white and 9 color. The mix suggests some pieces are meant for easy at-home printing in black and white, while others are designed to be printed in color.

Format and How It Works

The e-book is a digital file you download and print yourself. That is the core design decision behind it: rather than mailing physical cards, the buyer handles printing locally. The artist's stated motivation was the recurring problem of "frantic last-minute requests to express-mail a set of cards to someone," so the e-book is positioned as a same-day or near-same-day option.

Practical implications of that format:

• You need a printer (or a print shop) to turn the file into physical cards.
• Color pages will only look as intended if you print in color.
• There is no shipping step, so timing depends entirely on when you download and print.

Price and Where to Get It

The e-book is listed at $8 in the announcement. The post directs readers to a "More details here!" link for the full description and purchase. The available page evidence does not specify the payment platform, file format, or download delivery method, so those details would need to be confirmed on the linked product page itself.

Who It's For

This is a reasonable fit if you:

• Want Valentine cards with a specific pop-culture humor angle (SVU, Hannibal) rather than generic designs.
• Need something on short notice and are able to print at home or at a local print shop.
• Prefer a one-time $8 purchase over buying individual physical cards.

It's a weaker fit if you want pre-printed, ready-to-mail cards, or if you don't have easy access to a printer.

The Frakes calendars are an annual project on Brandon Bird's website built around Star Trek: The Next Generation actor Jonathan Frakes. Each year Bird releases a new calendar featuring Frakes, and the site's news feed has announced new editions at least twice: a 2022 edition ("Frakes calendars are back for 2022!") and a later return announced simply as "He's back! Get ready for another year filled with Frakes!" If you want to see or buy one, the calendars are announced through the site's blog-style news posts, which link to the current offering.

What the project is

Brandon Bird-O-Rama! is the artist's personal site, organized as a running feed of posts about new art, cards, calendars, and other projects. The Frakes calendars sit alongside recurring items like the annual T-mas (Christmas) card and Valentine-related art, so they function as one of the site's regular yearly releases rather than a one-off product.

The subject is consistent: Jonathan Frakes, best known for playing Commander William Riker on Star Trek: The Next Generation. The humor of the project comes from treating a single actor as an inexhaustible annual theme.

How releases have worked

From the site's own announcements:

• 2022 edition — posted July 5, 2021, under the heading "Fact! Frakes calendars are back for 2022!" The phrasing "back" indicates this was not the first year.
• A later edition — posted September 30, 2022, under "He's back! Get ready for another year filled with Frakes!" The post does not name the year in the excerpt, but the timing suggests the next annual cycle.

The pattern to expect: a new Frakes calendar is announced roughly once a year, usually in the second half of the year, in a short news post.

How to find or buy a calendar

1. Go to brandonbird.com and open the news feed on the main page.
2. Look for posts mentioning Frakes — the announcements are short and use his name or a clear reference to him.
3. Open the post; it links to the current calendar offering.
4. If the current year's calendar isn't visible, check the archive by year (the site lists posts by month and year going back to at least 2013) to see how past editions were announced and whether ordering details are included.

Note that the site excerpt does not state prices, shipping terms, or whether calendars are in stock year-round. Those details appear only in the individual posts, so check the linked page for the edition you want rather than assuming availability.

What else is on the site

If you're browsing for the calendars, the same feed covers related items:

• T-mas cards — an annual Christmas card tradition, including a 2021 card by John Larriva inspired by J.C. Leyendecker's Saturday Evening Post covers.
• Valentine art — including a downloadable e-book of cards and activities (24 pages, 15 black-and-white and 9 color) priced at $8, which includes the "SVU Valentines" and a buildable Hannibal card holder.
• Other art posts — paintings and pieces tied to stage shows and other projects.

The Frakes calendars are best understood as one recurring thread in this larger stream of yearly releases, so the news feed is the reliable place to catch each new edition when it's announced.