New fair vendor readily offering unique cartoons and art commissions

PALMER — Juliana Miller is participating as a vendor at the Alaska State Fair in Palmer for the first time, offering one-of-a-kind cartoon books and custom art commissions for the duration of the 2022 season.

“I’m super excited,” Miller said.

Miller lives in Fairbanks. She said that she’s participated in several community events around the area, and this is her first time branching out to a different community. She said that she’s thankful for the opportunity to be a part of the Alaska State Fair, especially since she’s only been selling her artwork and children’s books for a little over a year.

“It’s kind of surreal. I’m doing it as a huge experiment,” Miller said with a laugh.

Miller’s stand is located within Raven Hall. She can be found among her various custom art pieces, children’s books, and examples of portraits. A majority of her work revolves around original cartoon characters she calls “Blobs.”

These gelatinous creatures are small and round with big, cute eyes. Her booth has a large banner in the background that features a variety of Blobs dressed up as characters from popular culture, featuring everything from “The Legend of Zelda” to “Harry Potter.”

Miller offers custom portraits of customers and turns them into a one-of-a-kind Blob. They can purchase a physical copy or a digital version sent over email.

“If I see someone who’s particularly interested, I ask them if they would like to see themselves as a blob,” Miller said.

Those browning Miller’s booth can choose from a variety of children’s books featuring Blobs. She said that she’s written several of her own books and illustrated books by different authors that all feature her Blob characters. She said her book titled, “The Care and Instruction of Blobs” is an effective way to teach children about self-care.

“I really like to have a message behind what I’m teaching kids,” Miller said.

Miller also offers custom pet portraits that are painted in the traditional style. She’s a lifelong artist that expresses herself through various mediums.

“I’ve been drawing since I could hold a crayon,” Miller said.

Miller said that she’s earned the nickname, “The Blob Lady” thanks to her signature style that she’s been developing all her life. She said that she created her first Blobs in middle school biology while studying the structure of cells.

“I was supposed to be doing science homework and I just put eyeballs on them,” Miller said with a laugh. “People really liked the blobs. This is not really a surprise to people who knew me in childhood.”

Miller said that various forms of media influenced her style as she grew up, including “Winnie the Pooh,” Spongebob Squarepants,” and the “Kirby” video game series.

“Anything cute and squishy and round, I love it,” Miller said. “I really just want to make people smile.”

Miller said that she always thought of herself as an introvert, but this last year of putting herself out there with her original creations and meeting all kinds of different people has shown her how much she actually enjoys being in social settings, as long as she’s wrapped around the safety of her booth.

“It’s been very eye-opening,” Miller said. “The more I meet people, the more I realize they all just want to be loved and see each other.”

For more information, visit blobbify.com.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com