What To Do Next

I am coming down from the high that was Make Art That Sells E-course and I admit, I am crashing big time. This is probably the hardest I've worked on completing assignments since I was in school. The five weeks were very challenging. And then, as if those 5 weeks weren't enough, I worked for two weeks on The Global Talent Search assignment. Phew! No wonder I'm spent.

I've done zero artwork since posting my GTS assignment. I think I needed a break but I also needed to think about what to do next. Creating art for many of the licensing markets is quite different from how I usually work. I did try to create art traditionally for some of the assignments and it just didn't work. My head starts to think differently. It's exciting and scary and I see a huge list of things I need to learn if I want art licensing to be part of my career. I am transitioning now from "overwhelm mode" to "make a plan" mode. There are many things I need to do. The biggest thing I need to do is to make more art! My collection is on the small side at this point and I need to improve the quality. I believe my wall art pieces are very good. The pieces I made for MATS and GTS are pretty good. There is potential. More practice creating art for licensing will help immensely. I am proud of my final piece for MATS and the piece I turned in for GTS. I can only go up from here.

Here is my collection from MATS. I do see improvement over the 5 weeks.

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

For week 5 I did a collection of monsters for a pencil case. Here are the original monster paintings followed by my submission.

 

 

And finally my submission for the Global Talent Search. We had to create a journal cover. I attempted painting traditionally but it just didn't work. So, I chose my favorite critters and played in photoshop. The winner of GTS gets a two year contract with Lilla Rogers Studio. The top 50 will be announced on August 1st. I am not going to reveal my thoughts on my chances. There are many very talented artisits in this competition. I will say I am very proud of what I created. Five weeks ago I would've never created something this cute and fun! Heck, I even made a professional logo! I rock!

Here are some of the original paintings followed by my submission.

 

 

In the next few days I will be making a list of all the things I want to accomplish. Then, I will break the list down and figure out a schedule. Changes are coming to this house so, I am going to have to get organized!

Stay tuned!

 

A Much Needed Vacation

In the final week of Make Art That Sells the family drove 10 long hours to Uncle Kris' house for a much needed vacation. We hit the pool and went to Knoebels Amusement Park. I did manage to complete my final assignment while away too. (More on MATS in a later post)

Here are some snapshots of our fun.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

The Picture Book Challenge

This was the week I was waiting for in the Make Art That Sells E-course, creating art for the Children's Picture Book market. I have a long history with picture books. A love affair of sorts. When I was 19 I took a creative writing class on writing children's picture books. I totally fell in love with the process even though its probably one of the hardest things to write. The stories tend to be short and they have to appeal to adults and children. Not long after taking this class I began working in bookstores. The children's department was my favorite. I wrote on and off and worked in bookstores for 15 years.

I never dreamed of illustrating a children's book until recently. My artistic style is growing. A lot of people have said "I can see that in a picture book" regarding my art. Then this course came along. Our mini assignment was drawing snails. Snails? Yes, snails. A challenge for sure but if Dreamworks can do it, so I can. (The movie Turbo is coming out this summer).

 

 

 

 

So I had loads of fun creating whimsical snails. And then we got the assignment, "illustrate the cover or a two page spread from Hans Christian Andersen's The Snail and the Rose Tree". Can I just say, what a depressing story. I was totally stumped. No snail giraffe in this tale.

I figured out the grumpy snail.

And I thought I figured out a rose tree.

But I admit, I wasn't in love. Friday came and the kids and I hit the park. I brought my sketchbook and came up with this.

 

When I was creating the rose tree the previous day I kept looking at my art hanging on my wall. I realized I wasn't creating what I normally create; girls, cute animal characters and lots of color. I decided to scrap all the work I had done and start over. Then, later on Friday I got sick from a horrid migraine. I'm talking "do we have to get you to the hospital?" sick. No creating for the rest of the day.

Saturday, I felt a little better but took things slow and started creating. I was able to finish on Sunday and post my work. I need to improve my hand lettering. I would've played more if I had the time (and strength). I'm happy with my colors and characters though. This class is really, really pushing me. I'm surrounded by amazing artists and I am trying my best to learn from them instead of feeling intimidated. I want to stay motivated.

Here is the work as it progressed. I used my acrylic inks, paint and my Neocolor II crayons. All the old faves!

 

 

 

There are two weeks left to Part A of Make Art That Sells. I am really going to miss it when it's over. Part B isn't until October. I'll be spending the months in between painting, drawing and learning Illustrator and Photoshop. Knowing those programs will make me a better artist overall. It's exciting and scary but I know I can do this. I can become the artist I want to be.

 

Creating My Own "How"

The past two weeks I've been knee deep in Lilla Rogers' E-course, Make Art that Sells. It is such an amazing course. I have not experienced anything like it. There are about 500 people taking this course and they are all amazingly talented.

If you don't know who Lilla Rogers is, she is an artist's agent. She finds paying gigs for artists in all types of industries like, home goods, bolt fabric and children's illustration. She has also authored a fantastic book, "I Just Like to Make Things", which is all about how to be a licensed artist. This class is an intense expanded edition of her book.

I said above that I've never experienced an e-course like this one. I am finding each week to be a big challenge of my artistic abilities, in a good way. I had the most difficulty in week one. We had to make a piece for the bolt fabric market. Now, I thought I could handle it since I just finished a course on creating surface patterns. Well, I struggled. This class is filled with very talented artists, some of whom are already licensed. I fell into the comparison trap. I created a piece that was ok.

It actually works as a coordinating piece but not as the main piece. Ironically, a few hours later I thought of this. I wish I had thought of it sooner. Oh well.

The second week was all about making plates. Fun or fancy plates that are hip and can be used everyday, not just on Thanksgiving. I think I did better on this assignment. See, this class is not about showing you how to do something like all the other courses I've taken. Lilla did not film one of her artists painting a plate design and then sent us off to do it. She just shows some examples of what is trending and then gives us the assignment. I'm a visual learner so that's the tough thing for me. I have to figure out the "how" on my own. This is actually a good thing. I think that's how you become a true artist. You are creating your own "how".

 

With the plate project I worked really hard on creating lots of layers and details. I usually don't think when I paint. I go with the flow. I need to work on finding a balance between creating thoughtfully and creating from flow. I know finding that balance will make me a better artist in the end.

This week is about illustrating children's books and part 1 of our assignment is snails? Yep, snails. I am enjoying being challenged. Snails were never on my drawing radar, until now.

 

 

Learning New Things and Growing My Career

I just finished Module 1 of Rachel Taylor's The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design. I had never considered surface pattern as a career option. The computer aspect scared me. This particular module doesn't require using the computer, though you can if you want to. It's primarily about creating designs and coming up with concepts. All the exercises can be done with paint and paper if you want.

This course was an eye opener for me. Everything you create. Every mark you make can be used in your surface pattern art. To me that takes so much pressure off. Just having the idea that everything has potential is o freeing creatively. I did give the software a try. (My accomplishments on the computer are sprinkled through this post) The industry uses Illustrator and Photoshop and Adobe offers a 30 day free trial of the software. Module 1 included bonus exercises for the software and I actually managed to follow the directions to create things! The entire module is PDF based. No video lessons. I'm a video learner so off to Lynda.com to watch videos on the software to get a better grip on things.

I enjoyed the class. There was so much information and I found it helpful. My only criticisms would be a lack of video instruction. There doesn't seem to be video instruction all in one place for surface pattern design using Illustrator and Photoshop. I'm still looking around though and I've found some things that look helpful. Even though I don't tend to use software when I create, I can see so much potential now having some experience with it. There was also a very limited chapter on character work. Characters are one of my favorite things to create, more so than florals, which Rachael Taylor is brilliant at. I think if the course included an interview with someone who is successful with characters in the surface pattern world.

I haven't decided if I will be taking the next two Modules in the class. Right now I'm taking Lilla Rogers' e-course, Make Art That Sells. This course goes over ten markets that want artists' work. I'm very excited for this course. It started today and it was filled with eye candy and oodles of info. I see changes in my career this summer. I'm going to continue learning Photoshop and Illustrator. I'm going to get that Etsy shop opened. I'm going to be building my portfolio.

Thanks for stopping by!

 

 

 

I Can't Art Without......

Stabilo CarbOthello Pastel Pencils

I love these pencils!

When I sketch in my sketchbook the paper is too thin for watercolors. It buckles when I use them and I hate buckling. I've tried adding color with colored pencils and they're ok, I just don't like how they blend. But these pastel pencils are the perfect solution! I color in my sketch. I use a blending stump to blend the colors and shade. Then I spray my page with hairspray to set the pastel and prevent smearing.

Here are some sketches that I wanted to add color too in my sketchbook.

Playing with them in my sketchbook made me comfortable enough to try out pastel board. I used the pastel pencils, pan pastels and colored pencils for this. I love how he came out!

If you love blending colors, these pencils are a great choice, even on smooth drawing paper. I got a small set at Michaels Craft Store (with a coupon) and you can find the larger set online.

Thanks for stopping by!

Evolution of a Fox

I thought I'd share with you today how my foxes came about. It actually started with Ed Emberley.

He has a wonderful series of drawing books for children. I think I have them all. Every subject is broken down into shapes. He shows you step by step how to put those shapes together and you get your picture. My children and I have been working through his animal book and they are having a great time. So, during a sketching session I drew a triangle fox.

Later I Googled "foxes" and looked through the images online. I sketched and traced (using my iPad like a lightbox. It has a Zagg Shield on it so I won't scratch the screen) from real photos to get a feel for the fox.

And then I played around with different ways to make him whimsical.

When I put one into a piece of artwork I can play around with his look depending on the medium I am using.

 

 

I pretty much do the same process with all my animals. I think about their basic shape. I look at real pictures of them and then I play around with making them cute and whimsical.

If you think you "can't draw" I highly recommend going to the art section in the children's department in your local library and get Ed Emberley's books. They are simple and fun and great for all ages. Once you see that things are made up of shapes you will be able to look at something in real life and break it down into shapes. My cat Oscar is a fat pear with ears for example. (don't tell him I said that).

Be brave. Give drawing a go!

Here is a video interview of Ed Emberley as well!