posted 04-23-2019 01:12 PM               

Let me be clear, I own all of it. My success and failure is my responsibility.

I'm posting today to share some news.

1. I have been working more closely with A-B Emblem in an effort to insure my commemorative patches out live me. You'll be seeing more of my work on their website over the coming year. So save this link.

2. Jorge and I are working on a set of Mercury and Gemini "Spirit" patches to complete the set we began with Apollo and Skylab. These will be available as early as next year.

3. Just opened my Redbubble store. Looking to offer my work in a whole new way. I very much look forward to your feedback as this is new to me. More designs to be added soon. Please save this link.

4. For the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11 I have created with Jorge's help the most ambitious commemorative I've ever attempted. It will honor not only the challenge from President Kennedy it will illustrate the steps necessary to land Eagle on the Moon and return the crew "safely to Earth." I expect to make a formal announcement very soon.

5. With that announcement in mind, last year I suffered a computer crash and lost my New Patch Alert list. If you would like to ensure you receive this announcement please email me your contact information.

6. I very much appreciate all of the private messages you've sent about Lynn. Her pancreatitis has gotten worse and she may need to take an extended leave from work. There still is no cure but we continue to seek treatment that might mitigate her symptoms.

posted 05-05-2019 08:33 AM               

National Astronaut Day Apollo Commemorative Patch

Four years ago the uniphi space agency founded a celebration of American space heroes called National Astronaut Day. My friends Annie Balliro and Michelle Lucas head up uniphi.

With this year being the Apollo 11 anniversary we wanted to honor that history. I am very proud to announce the National Astronaut Day Apollo 50th Commemorative Patch.

I digitally painted a profile portrait of President Kennedy looking towards the future. The full Moon shining above the U.S. flag.

In the center is the Apollo/Saturn V what JFK described in 1962:

"But if I were to say, my fellow citizens, that we shall send to the moon, 240,000 miles away from the control station in Houston, a giant rocket more than 300 feet tall, the length of this football field, made of new metal alloys, some of which have not yet been invented, capable of standing heat and stresses several times more than have ever been experienced, fitted together with a precision better than the finest watch, carrying all the equipment needed for propulsion, guidance, control, communications, food and survival, on an untried mission, to an unknown celestial body, and then return it safely to earth, re-entering the atmosphere at speeds of over 25,000 miles per hour, causing heat about half that of the temperature of the sun — almost as hot as it is here today — and do all this, and do it right, and do it first before this decade is out — then we must be bold."

On the right we see an Apollo astronaut facing the flag on the lunar surface and back towards JFK as if to say "mission accomplished Mr. President." The Earth shines above. I'll let the viewer decide if the astronaut is Armstrong or Aldrin.

National Astronaut Day (like Cosmonautics Day in Russia) celebrates the launch of our first person in space. Alan Shepard was launched on May 5, 1961. The first landing occurred on July 20, 1969. These dates frame the patch. The National Astronaut Day motto: "We Believe in Astronauts" completes the design.

I'll be accepting orders for this patch from May 5 through May 25, 2019 then placing my master order. The cost will be $12 each which includes First Class domestic mail. For international orders the cost is $15 each.

I plan to have patches in your hands before July 16-24, 2019.

This will be one time order as per my agreement with the uniphi space agency. Which is why I am announcing this project almost two weeks before the order period opens. To place your order you can contact me via my website.

I accept personal checks, credit cards or PayPal. But if you choose one of the latter two options add 4% to your order total to cover fees. There's a chance I will have some of these at Spacefest X but I wouldn't wait until then to purchase them.

I am particularly proud of how this patch came out. Portraits are especially difficult to embroider. I am proud to support the effort to increase awareness of National Astronaut Day.

The Russians are justifiably proud of Yuri Gagarin and their accomplishments in space. We should be too.

posted 05-07-2019 10:11 PM               

See the circular patch in the center? It’s 4.5 inches in diameter. When assembled the montage would be approximately 24 inches in diameter. The individual patches would have printed backgrounds where necessary with embroidery on top.

Purchasing all 16 patches would cost between $150 and $200 retail. My question is this...

posted 07-02-2019 12:53 PM               

Apollo Montage Patch and Prints

When JFK challenged the United States to "land a man on the moon and return him safely to Earth" it was a bold ambitious program. The 50th anniversary of the success called for a bold, ambitious commemorative.

Well today it exists.

Jorge Cartes R and I have designed the first of two Apollo Montage Commemorative patches. It will be offered exclusively by A-B Emblem. I have received the first prototype in hand and it is a very impressive presentation piece!

All 16 patches are created by combining printed images and embroidery and are mounted on lunar gray twill material 18 inches in diameter. The center round patch is 4 inches in diameter.

A-B Emblem is contacting the Kennedy Space Center and Johnson Space Center about offering these to their guests. The KSCVC has already expressed interest and I have connected their retail manager to my rep at A-B.

I am announcing it here so that you might contact A-B to inquire about availability and reserve yours. I won't mislead you, this will be expensive but not necessarily prohibitive.

There are many beautiful Apollo Anniversary items being offered this year competing for your attention. I hope you'll agree that this is worthy of consideration.

The Apollo Montage patch has a price and a product number: D#411513. It will retail from A-B Emblem for $150. Authorized dealers like Skyforce Space Patches will be able to purchase it wholesale for resale.

Presentation

The montage patch needed a presentation backdrop so I created (with Jorge's help) a 24 inch wide by 36 inch high poster that depicts an olive branch and boot print on the lunar surface. The poster art will include a full size image of the patch and is printed on high quality heavy paper.

The cost will be $50 each which includes shipping domestic via USPS Priority Mail in a tube. International shipping will be additional. I am accepting reservations for the poster between today and July 20, 2019, before having them printed. You can reserve yours by contacting me via my website.

Once I place my order with the printer on July 21st that's it. They will be signed and numbered by me.

Print

A smaller 20x16 print of the Apollo Montage patch and background art will be available to purchase at Spacefest. Reserve yours now by contacting me via my website. The cost will be $20 each.

Unlike the 24x36 inch poster, this will be available as long as there is a demand.

posted 08-08-2019 02:24 AM               

• 411513 A-B E Made In China 07/19 40

At the same time AB Emblem also listed Tim Gagnon's Artemis 5" commemorative patch for $10 each. It has the SKU patch design number 412611 A-B Emblem Made In China 08/19 01 date code that has been reported by Joe F. of Skyforce so far.

posted 08-08-2019 09:43 AM               

On the eve of Spacefest, I'm proud to unveil my newest commemorative, "MAX-Q."

Rebecca Hann Griffin suggested that since Spacefest was bringing the original band back together, I should create a special patch. I gifted the band with a patch each and will have them for sale beginning Friday morning at my booth.

posted 05-26-2020 04:19 PM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by KSCartist:
...6th patch in my "Celebrating 50 Years of America in Space" commemorative series.

---

posted 07-30-2020 06:55 PM               

This most ambitious mission to date deserves to be commemorated and I designed two patches to celebrate this accomplishment.

Mars 2020 Perseverance Commemorative

A 4.5 inch in diameter patch this design illustrates the journey from Earth to Mars as well as the mission on Mars. The Perseverance Rover is the most capable rover ever sent to another planet.

The symbols used in the year 2020 are the Greek symbols for Earth and Mars respectively.

The tagline, "The Search Continues..." is the succinct description of the Perseverance Mission.

#CountdownToMars Virtual NASA Social Commemorative

This 4.5 inch wide by 5.5 inch high patch is inspired by the Social badge design. You'll notice the illustration of the journey from Earth to Mars mirrors the Perseverance patch. As this social was created to follow launch preparations, I have illustrated the launch of the Atlas V 541 vehicle in the center. The symbol from the Mars 2020 patch is used in the word Mars at the top and the Greek symbol for Mars replaces the "O" in "Social." Finally this patch includes the date of launch, 30 JULY 2020.

I am placing the main bulk order on July 31 and do not expect to receive the patches until Labor Day. This will NOT be a limited edition and I will work with the retailers to ensure they receive them as soon as possible. Please understand, these are embroidered patches not printed ones so manufacture takes time.

The only authorized retailers are:

• The Space Store
  
• Skyforce Space Patches
  
• USAFSpace on eBay

posted 08-25-2020 07:22 PM               

The should have them in hand by the weekend.

posted 12-07-2020 04:55 PM               

I knew that with the formation of the U.S. Space Force last year I would eventually need to create another patch. Well, last month, I learned that Crew 1 Commander Col. Mike Hopkins transferred from the USAF to the USSF and will be the first USSF astronaut to fly when he takes the oath of that service. So I accelerated my work to complete this design and also updated the other service patches.

Announcing the U.S. Space Force Astronauts patch. The initial order is in production and I expect delivery before Christmas.

The only authorized retailers are:

• The Space Store
  
• Skyforce Space Patches
  
• USAFSpace on eBay

posted 01-17-2021 10:51 AM               

I am working on gathering all my work for my book and to also update my website. Please email me a photo of the embroidered patch,
the date (month and year) I designed it and the description (if available).

Include the organization you represented at the time we collaborated.

posted 01-21-2021 08:03 PM               

Artemis - Apollo

NASA named its effort to return to the Moon (and eventually onto Mars) Artemis. In Greek mythology, Artemis is the sister of Apollo, goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, the Moon, and chastity.

In 1972, artist Robert McCall based his painting of the Apollo 17 patch on the Apollo Belvedere statue in the Vatican. Apollo 17 was the first launch I witnessed in person and was where I learned that artists could design mission patches so it was very personal to me.

On the patch, the Apollo Belvedere statue is paired with the "Diana of Versailles," a Roman copy of a Greek sculpture by Leochares now in the Louvre. In Roman mythology, Artemis is called Diana.

I (along with assistance from Dr. Jorge Cartes) designed this as a tribute to the past as well as a commemorative to the future.

Artemis, next to the Moon looks towards Apollo and Mars. Apollo looks at Artemis and back at the Moon. The viewer can imagine he is giving his sister advice on lessons learned.

I knew that A-B Emblem with their experience embroidering the Apollo 17 patch would do this design justice and they did.

The Artemis Team

On Dec. 9, 2020 NASA announced the Artemis Team: 18 astronauts who will be begin training for Artemis missions to the Moon, including the next man and first woman to walk on the Moon.

I knew a larger patch including those names was warranted.

posted 01-30-2021 06:24 PM               

This is a limited edition event patch celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the Mercury 13 testing at the Lovelace Clinic in New Mexico. From the museum:

Mercury 13 Commemorative Patch
$13.60 plus $1.17 sales tax, shipping included
Sales end on Feb 27, 2021

To order, see this Eventbrite page, click on "Tickets" and select Mercury 13 Commemorative Patch from the add ons.

Images of a Mercury-era and a Space Shuttle-era women astronauts, joined by the astrological symbol for Mercury within a 13-sided polygon.

The shape of New Mexico pays homage to the Lovelace Clinic in Albuquerque where testing was performed in 1960-1961.

Sharp eyed space enthusiasts will recognize the images are inspired by the LOOK Magazine cover of Betty Skelton (who was not a Mercury 13 member) and astronaut Eileen Collins. When Collins piloted the STS-63 mission in 1995, she invited the surviving members of the Mercury 13 to the launch.

posted 01-31-2021 02:21 AM               

Thank you for the notice of this event, Tim. I would not have known about it.

I look forward to attending and receiving your wonderfully designed patch. I have been researching the history of women in space and the contribution of female engineers in the space program, including the Mercury 13.