A year ago, to the day, Jim and I said goodbye to my familiar, Bumbledore. He was the best cat and most amazing familiar anyone could have ever asked for. You can learn more about him — including his backstory and our relationship — in the posts I shared about him.
I still miss him terribly and have several different tributes to him. However, this new pen from Stanford Pen Studio (SPS) is definitely the most impressive, and tied for most important.
The Backstory
The day we said goodbye, I came home and just stared at the first Bumbledore tribute pen I commissioned from SPS back in 2022. It’s an impressive piece of art, and one of two pens I always have inked. The longer I stared at it, the more an idea took shape. I wanted another tribute to His Meowjesty. So, I reached out to SPS and asked if they were open to a complex commission. I put in a request for their first multi-artist pen featuring “pawtraits” of Bumbledore in each artist’s style.
After canvassing their various artists, I was pleasantly surprised that all ten of the artists who are actively working with them were willing to contribute. In a poetic coincidence, the only artist unable to contribute was Marian Binder who had painted my original Bumbledore pen.
I provided a folder of photos of Bumbledore as reference, and left the artists to their work. Understandably, it was a long wait, as the cap and body each got passed along to five different artists, but it was so totally worth it.
I don’t have the words — I don’t know that words exist — to appropriately convey how much it means to me that so many people came together to make this pen happen. It’s such an amazing tribute, and I will cherish it for the rest of my life.
Now, allow me to show off this pen as it — and Bumbledore — deserves. But please excuse me for allowing the art to mostly speak for itself in this post; it’s proving a difficult one to write.
360° views
There are so many details on this pen that I briefly considered skipping the 360° view and jumping straight into the detail shots, but it deserves to be appreciated in its fully glory.
The Pawtraits
As I mentioned above, there are ten different “pawtraits” of my sweet Bumbledore, 5 on the cap and 5 on the barrel. I want to share each one, as well as the photo that I believe each is painted from. I’m going to work top to bottom.
Lisa Strachan
Bumbledore was a fan of donut, or nose-to-toes, sleeping. Because he was almost always congested, he snored softly almost every time he napped.
Lana le Roux
Bumbledore loved his robes of state. I didn’t call him “His Meowjesty” for nothing.
Kseniia Nel
Bumbledore was so expressive. Look at how smug he was. We never doubted he loved having us as his family.
Carla Nel
Once he got over his fear of people, Bumbledore LOVED attention. And he loved to cuddle.
Val Myburgh
Look at those perfect little feeties!!
Zelna le Roux
Bumbledore adored “game time” — when I sit on the sofa downstairs and play video games — because he got to lie on my lap.
Renee Gerstner
In his early days with us, Bumbledore could be incredibly shy. But once he grew comfortable with us, his personality blossomed.
Brandon Lodewyk
His Meowjesty knew his best angles, and was careful to ensure I caught them.
Yulia Glas
While Bumbledore wasn’t as food-motivated as some of our other cats, he would still pay close attention if a treat was presented.
Hanna Farmer
Hanna’s portrait is too abstract for me to guess at her inspiration photo. That said, the idea for the pen — portraits in bubbles — was hers, and I think it worked perfectly.
The Details
Of course, an SPS pen isn’t complete without the extra details, because the artists always go the extra mile.
I love the little fish on the cap and barrel, and the bubbles scattered throughout. The background of the pen is also layered blues, purples, and white that evoke clouds.
The crown “seal” is a fabulous addition. His Meowjesty would approve whole-heartedly.
You always have to check both finials on an SPS pen. The little silhouette was an unexpected delight.
Final Thoughts
Somehow, without any input from me — other than providing a bazillion photos — the artists managed to capture several stages of Bumbledore’s life with us and multiple facets of his personality. Thank you, so very much, to everyone who had a hand in making it a reality.
Thanks for reading to the end, I hope you enjoyed my tribute to this tribute. Make sure to subscribe to my blog or follow me on Instagram so you don’t miss any posts. I generally post at least once a week.
