Halloween Spooky Goodies!

New Halloween goodies available in my Etsy shop! These printables make perfect little wrappers for mini candy-bar chocolates. Just download, print, cut and adhere (tape or glue stick works well... or print on sticker paper!) Using a paper-cutter makes fast work of these little labels, and turns ordinary mini candy bars into festive little treats for your favorite ghouls and goblins.

I had lots of fun designing these little wrappers and plan on designing other Holiday designs for Christmas, New Years, Valentine's and birthdays too. The Shop also includes Facebook banners and other digital goodies. I hope you'll stop by and see what's available!

the Pursuit

I've been busy studying on-line and getting back to my roots with my sketchbook. I'm trying to improve my knowledge and skills in Adobe Illustrator. Fantasy: get into surface design in some way, shape or form. Generate income by selling stock art. Refine my online shops: Etsy, Zazzle, and Cafe Press and Studio6 into successful stores. Possibly pick up some commission work.

Putting the pencil to sketchbook is something I haven't done regularly in a while, but for the last week I've done a lot of doodling and stream of consciousness writing and drawing. I'm already "feeling" a difference in both mind-set and result, which is a great thing! I'd like to consider a personal project that could help me build a portfolio... I currently have a lot of random drawings but I've never put forward a REAL portfolio, and it's something that I need to do.



The goal for me is to continue working my hourly retail job part-time, but supplementing my income via my art/design. The other option for me is to work full-time, and presently the only option(s) for me are retail (with the dreadful ever-changing work-schedule and crappy pay). It's not just a dreamy pursuit anymore: it's an absolute necessity born out of the disastrous past 12 months of my personal life. The next 12 months could be even worse if I don't do something!

My new reality sucks, but it's one that many many people find themselves in. I can no longer depend on someone else to provide my income, the roof over my head, my health benefits, my security. I'm mad at myself for ever depending on someone else in the first place... and I'll never let myself be in that position ever again. I'm determined to figure out a way to provide with the least amount of disruption for my daughter. I'm hoping that I can do it using my talents rather than being forced into a low-paying, soul-sucking, crazy-schedule job (or jobs!)



My photography gigs help some, so I continue to seek out sessions here and there, but on-location shooting is a seasonal thing in my mid-west climate, so supplementing with graphic-design is what I'd like to do. There are a lot of sellers on Etsy and elsewhere who work their asses off in order to be profitable, and it is possible...

So it really truly is now or never. I am under no illusion that it will be easy, but I am determined!

Hand-lettering

Long ago and far away, like in the 1970's when I was in grade-school, I used to love to decorate my school folders and notebooks with all kinds of hand-drawn lettering. Bubble letters were a big thing with all the girls, including myself, but I was also smitten with fancy signatures, calligraphy, and album cover art. The very first album I purchased was Fleetwood Mac: Rumours, and I fell in love with the decorative lettering across the top of the album jacket, with it's beautiful glyphs and serifs.



I wanted to be able to draw letters like that, with swirls and curlicues and lines of various weights and thicknesses. Soon thereafter, albums like the Eagles Greatest Hits were added to my collection and I spent hours studying the albums and practicing my "E"'s and "A"'s and "S"'s in pencil and ball-point pen.

My love of decorative typography has never left me, but I never made the time to practice or play with it once computers made hand-lettering seem like a quaint but obsolete skill. However, with the resurgence and demand for handmade it's not surprising that hand-drawn letters, signs, posters and info graphics have been enjoying a new appreciation in our increasingly homogenous and mass-produced world.

Recently I've stumbled across the amazing work of Sean McCabe (or Seanwes as he is occasionally known) and his work kind of re-ignited my love for decorative hand-drawn typography and composition. I went so far as to enroll in a small on-line course that Sean teaches called "Digitizing Hand Lettering, from Sketch to Vector" over at Skillshare.com. Sean suggests learning and understanding the how's and why's of typography design, but emphasizes that the only way to truly learn is by putting pen to paper and practicing again and again and again. So I did, a simple doodle of my name, and though I could pick it apart bit by bit I am, after-all, shaking of layers of cob-webs, and I have no doubt I'll get better.



My tracking is weak and my line weight has some serious issues, but the process itself was rather meditative and fun. I sketched first in pencil on a lined piece of notebook paper, inked it with a Micron pen, scanned it into photoshop and added the texture and vectorized it in Illustrator.

Yay for hand-lettering! If you'd like to see some lovely examples simply check out Pinterest and search "hand-lettering". I've found several tutorials, step by step photos of processes, and some really cool posters, signs and other graphics that are inspiring and just plain old fun to look at!

1st Day of School!

First Day of School... Kindergarten in fact for my girl G and her Bestie, our neighbor M. G was so fired up, excited to officially be a "Big Kid", and I managed to hold it together, although it feels a bit surreal! G & M have different teachers but i'm sure we'll still be together for Field Trips and other activities. I just can't believe this day is officially here!

Facebook Timeline Covers

I've been busy designing Facebook timeline covers. Many are completely designed and rendered 100% by me, and others use a combination of digital elements that I purchased a commercial license to use in my designs. My intent is that these are an affordable way for everyone to pretty up their timeline banner. Below is a small sampling:



I enjoy making these because they are quick, and give me the opportunity to play around with color, layering, and composition without being on a deadline, as I often find myself with my other interests (photo editing, ordering etc.) Next week I have several days off in a row and I'm hoping to use some of that time to jazz around in Illustrator and design more elements of my own. I try not to get discouraged by the large number of digital artists out there. I tell myself there is room enough for everybody!

In the meantime I'm adding new timeline banners to my Etsy Shop daily. I hope you'll stop by! Maybe there is a design you would like for your own timeline!

Oh, that "other thing" I do...

So yeah, there's this other thing I do: photography. Last week I had the pleasure of shooting Katie & Jake's Engagement photos, and although it was cold and dreary (will spring EVER come to Michigan?) we had a fun session with some very nice results.

Sketchbook fun...

Here's the latest stuff from the sketchbook. :)

During the week while doing my usual exploring around the internet I came across an artist by the name of Cindy Ann whose blog is titled Blu Penny. After noticing that she was an emerging artist on the licensing scene I took some time to backtrack through her blog archives to read about the ups and downs of her journey. I noticed that she mentioned a process of creating a Strategic Planner that helped her set a creative course. Cindy Ann included a few photos of what her personal strategic planner looked like, and I was immediately intrigued. She mentioned the Strategic Planner was part of an e-course offered by Lisa Sonora Beam, so immediately I googled Lisa Sonora Beam and discovered that she had a book entitled "The Creative Entrepreneur", a digital guidebook for making business ideas real. Guess what? I own the book. It was sitting on my bookshelf, not 3 feet away.

I like to pretend that I'm resistant to "methods" because on the surface they feel too restrictive and stifling. But without some structure I'll continue to flutter aimlessly, with no measurable gain towards my creative goals, whatever they may be. So, I cracked the book, working my way thru the 1st 2 sections. There a several visual journal prompts, questions to copy into my journal and tangibly write down my immediate uncensored response, picking my brain for clues as to what I really truly want to be and where I want my creativity to lead (from an entrepreneurial standpoint). Some of the prompts were meant to explore our gifts, the "what do you do best, get absorbed in the most, find effortless" etc kind of questions. That simple question helped me start thinking about what I really like to be doing, which will help me determine what I DON'T want to be doing (Do I REALLY want to be a graphic designer? making logos and creating brochures?). Of course there are certain practical considerations (such as earning a living!), but in the ideal situation can I find a way to do my creative thing in a way that I actually ENJOY?!!

The critical voices, both real and imagined will chime: "Get your head out of the clouds... in the Real World people don't usually earn a living by doing things they love... they go out and work their butts off 40+ hours a week in order to put food on the table. That's reality."

I want to tell those stupid voices to shut up. I want to live a life I love. I want to do something that makes me happy, that makes use of my talent and creativity. And I want to make a living doing it.

Anyhoo, I'm hoping this book will be helpful in at least keeping my focus on track. I'm trying to take things in baby-steps, rather than throw myself into things and then blowing them off after the honeymoon phase fades off. I guess this is where the sketchbook-journal comes in: a semi-private safe place to work out my thoughts visually.

Thanks for reading my ramblings. I appreciate your visit and encouragement!

Inspiration, Pinterest, and the Fine Line...

I am a Pinterest addict! I love browsing and being able to "organize" inspirational projects and ideas onto boards and collections and into categories in order to refer back to creative ideas, tutorials, recipes, crafty projects and more. But like many "Pinners" out there Pinterest can be both a blessing and a curse! On the positive side I've been able to learn new techniques in sewing, digital design and photography. I've been inspired by artists, crafters, gardeners, and bloggers. I've saved myself hours of research by finding just the information or teaching tools I've been looking for just by typing in simple key words or phrases. But often, in my enthusiasm I've pinned myself into a funk of sorts: the "omg, that idea's already been done to death! Why would anyone want to see my interpretation and how would they even find it amongst the endless sea of projects/sketches/photographs/ideas etc???! Still I keep pinning away, lucky to attempt 1/10th of the things that make their way to my pinboards. While being inspired why is it that occasionally I can end up feeling so discouraged?



The same thing happens to me when I get out of the house to do some "field research". I'll visit the local card or scrapbooking store with the intent of mentally noting trends in design, subject matter, color and pattern. With all of these visuals swirling around in my brain suddenly I'm blank rather than inspired. The Inner Critic rears her ugly head and whispers "what could YOU possible have to offer?"

So far the only way I can think of to counter this problem is:

#1: Try to limit my screen time.
#2: Spend more time with the sketchbook.
#3: Refer back to my last post and begin with an attitude of No Pressure. I have to remember that not everything that comes on the page has to be a finished product or masterpiece, or even sellable.

I do not know WHY I get so caught up in this "It has to sell!" mentality, and it frustrates me. Until I'm ready to commit to creating a collection of some sort it isn't necessary or productive. Maybe instead I'll try to adopt the reason why I started drawing again back in 2005: simple fun challenges like Illustration Friday or journaling. Because right now I still feel so awkward and rusty, overthinking things and wasting time looking at what everyone else is putting out there, instead of putting my own self out there. I'm shallow but practical that way: I want to create things that people like, and ultimately that companies will license and buy. Taking baby-steps by stepping away from the screen and picking up the pen is probably the best place for me to start.

No Pressure

Everyday I've been playing around with something a little different than the day before. I'm trying to fight the urge to create with purpose, and rather to create just to play. I'm proud of the fact that I've been messing around in my sketchbook a little each day, drawing and inking, stamping with hand-carved linoleum, and soon: watercolor. It's a never-ending quest to express those little creative whispers without feeling the pull to make something marketable... at least for now.

I'm trying to stop a little outside of my old "style" of doodling and drawing characters too. Ever feel like you've been drawing in the same fashion forever? My character's have always had the same googly eyes, the same flat features that I've been scrawling out for the past 300 years, and although I love them I want them to evolve. So sometimes while surfing I'll find other artists I like and study and literally COPY an image, just to feel what it's like to have a different sort of line flowing from my pencil or pen. It's sort of akin to trying on someone else's clothes: sometimes it feels uncomfortable and occasionally I'll find something that feels just right, and then I can meld and interpret it into my own drawings in the hope of making new discoveries and allowing for new outcomes. Sounds pretty fancy for someone who simply likes to draw, but it's true, at least for me.

Anyhoo, this morning I carved this little flower stamp. It's interesting to see the result once the carving is complete... it's not ever entirely what I expect (which is part of the fun). I'll definitely be experimenting with stamp carving, practicing my precision and maybe trying to be a little more intricate. Again I'll fight that urge of perfection and simply play for the pleasure of making my mark(s) on paper.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope it's springlike and sunny where you are (still waiting here in Michigan!)

I wanna be licensed...

Since I've been a kid I've wanted to have my art licensed, even though I didn't know exactly what that meant at the time. Even after completing 4 years in college and earning my degree I had never heard the term! All I knew was that I wanted to see my art "out there", but I was completely clueless on what it would take to make that happen.

Fast forward 100 or so years to the present day. I've been spending a lot of time researching art licensing: what companies look for, how to build a collection, developing a style, the bajillion different types of potential products etc. I've also been taking a few online classes to improve my technical skills in programs such as Adobe Illustrator. Lastly, I've re-started keeping a sketchbook, something I haven't done regularly in a couple years. Right now it's pure garbage: Lame doodles and random notes. But it's a new beginning, and sometimes that's the hardest part: just beginning.

Impatient Impulsive Me just wants to be able to whip out some great work, be discovered and start cashing the checks. But obviously that's not how the world works, so I'm trying to busy myself by collecting bits and pieces of inspiration (and archiving them on Pinterest), continuing to try to loosen up my rusty drawing skills, and trying to make steady progress into the mind-set of a creative designer and illustrator instead of spinning my wheels with a lot of wishful dreaming.

Birdyville

November through March in southeast Michigan is grey. And cold. And blahhhhhhhh. But this week we've had almost 3 full days of sunshine and blue skies, and even though the temps have barely broken the 50° mark everybody is out cleaning their yards and garden beds and rolling out the barbecue grills.

I live right next to about 200 acres of woods. The birds have been going nuts: staking out territory, courting the lady birds, and singing their blessed little hearts out. The cardinals and robins in particular have been especially vocal, so I drew up this handsome fella in Adobe Illustrator and added some final touches in Photoshop.

I'm totally self taught in both of these programs. I'd say I have some pretty decent Photoshop skills, but Illustrator is still quite new to me, and though I'm having a lot of fun with it I probably could use a little more formal type training, so I take some online classes on lynda.com and elsewhere. In the future I'll share a couple of my training resources in case there is anyone out there like me that would like to learn more about the tools and features.

In the meantime I wish you a happy and joyful Easter!

Thanks for stopping by!

Hoppy Easter!

Have a very Happy and Joyful Easter!