Sketches

Yesterday was the holiday craft show "Christmas in the Barn" in a nearby suburb. I've been in the same spot all 3 years I've participated, which is diagonal from the door, so people can see my booth right off. New for me this year was magnets & color note cards featuring print outs of my artwork. Those, along with original small matted paintings were a big hit, making it the most profitable show I've had in a couple years. The weather was cold, but clear and a good crowd turned out that was serious about shopping. A few friends & repeat customers turned up and a number of people were full of compliments for my work. I felt decent & was in a great mood, so had an enjoyable time. My sister came at the end to help me load the car & even carried stuff up to my apartment. It was an excellent end to an artistically busy year.

Current Mood: cheerful

reduced ambitions
Came to the realization over the weekend that I didn't really have enough time to learn how to use the stencil burner & practice making cards before Dec. 5th, so I'm going to wait till later in the winter when I have plenty of time to experiment. I know it's not going to go smoothly & there will be glitches along the way and I will have more patience to deal with it all if there's no deadline looming. Hopefully I can get some made before Naturefest in April, but that still gives me oodles of time.
So I'm going to concentrate on making cards using printouts of my artwork & attaching them to colored cardstock. I found a variety of packets with an array of colors, so I bought a few packs to have plenty to choose from, depending on what painting I'll be using. Then I'll sell them in pairs for $4, which is still cheaper than most stores and even other crafters.
I've got the magnet kits and some more mats for the smalls, which are coming along slowly. Having trouble finding ink for my particular printer, the few places that stock it are tremendously expensive. I'm just going to have to bite the bullet, though it seems ridiculously expensive for something so common. Ah well, nothing to be done.
So things are chugging along as Christmas in the Barn gets closer....

Current Mood: busy

countdown
With the squirrel done, I'm putting all of my energy into preparing for Christmas in the barn which is Dec. 5th. I need to restock my magnets, plus do some notecards. There's lots of ideas for the silhouette stencil notecards, but i need to get the burner to do them and I need printer ink to do the other types of cards. Don't know if I can get both kinds done, but I definitely need to have one of them.
I got out the half finished batch of smalls-5x7 paintings that i sell just matted- and will try to complete some of them. I have 14 now and would love to have 20, which is a nice round number, but any new ones will be welcome. Quite a few have finished backgrounds, just need to add the animal, so I'll focus on them. One or two have partly done animals, which is even more helpful. I'm not going to make myself crazy trying to get a certain number done, but will work steadily.
There's nothing to frame or any table decorations to buy this time around, it's just these small projects. It's a bit over a month, which gives me the illusion of lots of time, but really isn't. lol

Current Mood: determined

an easy sale
Finished the squirrel drawing on Thursday morning & after taking a photo of it, posted it on an email list devoted to squirrels. Within 10 minutes, a person had committed to buying it. A couple others regretted not getting there first. I was startled at the interest shown, especially since I thought the picture had some flaws. I expected people to say it was cute,- the face came out well- but had no idea I could've sold it 4 times over. Obviously I need to do more squirrel pictures.
The buyer, a lady in Maryland, has 2 other paintings of mine, including a large commissioned painting. They are all of squirrels in different seasons. Now that she will have this autumn one, the only season missing is summer. Maybe I need to work on somethign that will fit the bill?
All in all, it was one of the swiftest sales I've ever made. I'm hoping to get it to her by Thanksgiving, but that depends on how long it takes to frame it & find a box to ship it in. I'll try my best.

Current Mood: happy

barking
Sunday night/Monday morning the people upstairs ran their vacuum cleaner for most of the night, preventing me from getting much sleep. After hours of that roaring over my head, I decided to do something constructive & went into my drawing table & started the bark on the squirrel painting. It's a mixed media piece with ink, acrylic wash & topped off with graphite pencil. I outlined the bark texture with black ink, then echoed the brown from the leaf shading & green marker for a mossy effect. I got more done yesterday than I had all last week. Of course, part of last week was taken up for getting things ready for my sister's birthday this week, but I also felt sort of disorganized, artwise.
Now it's time to do the squirrel's fur, which will be a mix of black, grey and brown. I need to research just where the brown stops on the paws & nose & hope that it comes out even a bit as cute as the real animal.

Current Mood: groggy

bubble bursts
I signed up for Red Bubble earlier this week. It's a site that works much like Cafe Press, where people can buy one's art on mugs or t-shirts. I doubt the public realizes how little the artists actually get, as the objects are already overproced & can only be marked up so far. So artists get anywhere from 60 cents to a couple dollars.
It was all for naught, because any picture I uploaded was too small to be used on objects, which was extremely frustrating. Thwe size works fine for any other website I've used them on, but not this one. I'm hoping that I can I can enlarge some of the pictures in my photo editing program.
The squirrel picture I've been working on won't get done in time to enter into EBSQ's Rodent show this month. There was a lot of problems with the prelim, getting the squirrel's arms in the correct position as it peeks around the maple tree. It was mid-month before I was able to transfer it to Bristol board. The fall maple leaves came out great, but I'm feeling intimidated by the bark on the trunk, hopefully I can get it going this weekend.
EBSQ does have a show in Dec. called "Better Late Than Never" for all those entries not finished in time, so I'll probably put it in that when the time comes.

Current Mood: discontent

reptile show
Last weekend(Aug. 21-23) was the Cold-Blooded Creations Show in Daytona Beach Florida & I was able to send some entries, despite a mix-up that almost caused me not to be able to. The man in charge didn't have my addy on the first few emails back in the spring, so I didn't know that delivery was earlier than usual. By the time I'd started receiving the emails, they no longer had that info in them, so I thought it was the same as it always was & actually found out too late. He was kind enough to allow me to send my work to the venue, instead of his home, so they did arrive in time for the show.
After all that, it would've been nice to have more new work, but the ducks took up the time I was intending to spend on new herp pictures. I did get a scratchboard done of a Jackson's chameleon's head, part of my ongoing series of Lizard profiles. I had another started of a Galapogos marine iguana, but wasn't able to finish it in time. I'll save it for next year, along with I hope, a few other new works.
The exhibit was held in the main area this year, instead of in a separate room, but sales were slow due to the economy. However, it was still a chance to get my work out there & be counted among some other world class artists, which for me, is the best part.

Current Mood: grateful

Done!
The ducks are done!!!!!!
I finsished them yesterday & while it may need some tweaking, it is to all intents finally finished after 6 months.
There's a box in the clsoet that I think is big enough to ship it in, but I'll have to get it out to be sure. I'll varnish the painting within the next few days & after a week or two when that's dry, I'll send it off.
I'm really, really happy that this picture is done. Yaaaaaaayyyyy!

Current Mood: happy

in the homestretch
The ducks themselves are done. The drake came out better than expected, though the head is still a bit dark. I know if I try to lighten it, I'll mess up, so I'm leaving it be. Now I'm adding the "incidentals": the frog, dragonfly & butterflies. Plus, some random plants on the shore, so it isn't just plain mud.
Butterflies have complicated patterns on their wings, no matter the species, so that will take some time. I'm also a little worried about the dragonfly wings, which are transparent, but still must show up on the painting. It's amazing that they have bodies of electric blue & green. I'd like to have the leopard frog with one of its legs dangling down to the next branch, but am unsure if it will look right to have that pose. It would be different from the stereotypical position frogs are usually portrayed in.
I've been working on this painting since early Feb. & am tired of it, so I'd like to get all this small stuff wrapped up so that it's done, hopefully within the next week. But I don't want to rush & slop it together here at the end, when the rest has come out decently. Just a little more to go.....

Current Mood: productive

ducks and drakes
Much progress has been made since my last entry. The mouse is finally done, I'm surprised it's not 2 inches thick with paint. 3 of 4 ducks are done, I'm working on the drake & it's going moderately well. I redid the willow leaves to stand out against the darker background & make them closer to their real color. I've pretty much decided on what color butterflies will go where. I'm planning 3, but want to double check with field guides to make sure of the species. I'm nervous about doding the dragonfly, as I've never painted one before. It will be a green darter, with a green and blue body, brownish head & black-veined wings. I'm kinda excited about it, too, it doesn't seem like it will be super difficult, though I'm worried about getting the wings to look flat. The frog needs to be sketched & transferred, hopefully I can start on it this week. That side of the painting is a bit dark, so a point of interest will liven it up.
I've been working on this painting since winter & am tired of it. I had a lot more trouble than anticipated, which is what's taking so long. I'd really like to finish it this month, which is possible with the small amount there is left to do. I've been posting progress photos of each section as I finsih & the customer is pleased with it so far & that's not being able to see all the details online. I just need to have a little more staying power & it will be ready.

Current Mood: tired

ducking it
I'm working on the actual ducks of the duck painting & they are unexpectedly giving me lots of trouble. I've painted mallards before, so I'm not sure what the problem is, but the colors are just not working. I quail when I think of doing the hen's complicated back feathers, seeing how difficult the simpler drake plumage has been. Part of the ducklings' bold brown & yellow fuzz has mushed together & that's not good. Is it the pressure that the focal point MUST be good that's causing me to mess up? I don't do well under pressure. Can you tell?
The deer mouse in the background is partly done & I'm still debating the addition of a turtle. When I go to the library within the next week, I'll get some books to find the correct butterflies & dragonfly, as I'm really deficient in knowledge about insects. Hopefully, I can find some blue and yellow butterflies to add some sparks of bright color and whimsy.

Current Mood: determined

silhouettes
A few months ago, & had the idea of drawing my own silhouettes & then making them into notecards. My original idea was to enlarge a crow drawing I had done & then other subjects emerged, such as a squirrel, dove etc. Then complicated pictures, such as a lion head with wavy lines for his mane or a 2 stencil composition of pine tree & rabbit. The images have been coming thick & fast.
There is tons of info out there on how best to make stencils, what paints & papers to use, all sorts of helpful hints. I was planning on cutting my designs with scissors & an x-acto knife out of Bristol board. But there are tutorials on using mylar sheets or even x-ray film & gadgets called "hot pens" with thin, heated styluses that professionals use. I think I'll keep it low tech until I see how I like the process. It would be nice if this would pan out, as I think people see too many printed & painted notecards, that something different might catch their eye. Card sales of all kinds are down with the popularity of the internet, so one needs something unique to appeal to customers.
And now I'm seeing silhouettes everywhere! The latest was on the cover of a poetry book called "Meeting the Jet Man", a volume of pieces inspired by David Knowles RAF service in Iraq. It's the outline of him in his flight suit, holding his helmet, done in dark grey on a lighter, scumbled grey background. Very spare, bold & evocative.
While I can sketch out some of my ideas, my plan will have to wait a few months, as I'll continue to concentrate on the duck painting. The bank on top half is done, as is the water itself, so I'm working on the items in the water, the tree root hanging over the left edge, and the pickerelweed plants. I've never painted the latter, so was a bit nervous about them, but s far they are working Ok and they really lighten up the foreground. Their purple flowers will contrast nicely with all the green & the yellow irises. Plus, their arrow shaped leaves are kinda fun to do.

Current Mood: rejuvenated

Cinco de Mayo
Had the flu last week (though I don't think it was the swine flu), so I couldn't take my paintings to Avon Library for their biennial Community Exhibit. But the lady in charge said I could still bring them in this week, so yesterday I coughed my way out to Avon with my 3 paintings to drop them off. I was really disappointed when I thought I'd have to miss being in it, so I was pleased with the extension.The show is on till May 31st, so there's plenty of time left.
There's also been progress with the duck painting. I laid the base coat on the water & finally started the willow branches. I could not seem to be able to arrange the branches, for some reason I felt intimidated or confused, which is unusual. The back branches need done first, but I could only see where I wanted the front ones. Finally, over the weekend, I just sketched in where the front ones went, in attempt to remove the mental block and it worked! I immediately laid in the rear branches & began painting them. The leaves are being detailed now & within a day or two, i can start the front branches. Last week I also did a couple dead tree roots on the left, where I'll put the frog. So the background is taking it's final shape with these items.

Current Mood: groggy

Nature Fest 09
The 2 day Nature Fest is over for this year. The weather was hot, the first nice weekend of the year & probably what kept fewer folks from visiting, but there was still thousands of people there. My badly made signs lured more to the auditorium, where most of the arts tables were & there was lots of dogs, most notably, daschunds, for some reasons.
My sister helped me set up & take down, though she'd forgotten the routine for setting up and didn't refer to the charts, so I ended up redoing much of it, plus she kept rearranging the pictures. It actually took longer than when I do it myself. Saturday I was out of it, upset because of my guinea pig Rufus dying, but Sunday I had managed to lock away my grief for the day & was somewhat more normal.
There was more serious shoppers on Sunday, as it was last year, but for most crafters, it wasn't a very profitable weekend. I made my table fee, plus a $2 profit. My magnets were really popular and what I sold the most of, along with some greeting cards. Some people didn't sell anything at all, which made me feel bad for them. There was at least 2 people who did really well, including the guy next to me, a retired used car salesman from his actions. His wares, while nice, were overpriced & he used a high pressure sales technique that was overdone. An older man, he acted as if none of the women knew as much about crafts shows as he did & his false friendliness was annoying. But he still made a couple hundred dollars at the show. Grrr!
Some of the other people were much nicer & I hope I see them at future shows. Though the economy will make it rough for crafts shows for a couple years, the atmosphere at Nature Fest & the experience and interactions still make it worthwhile.

Current Mood: tired

copy cat
A few months ago I got an all-in-one printer/scanner/copier, but when I tried to hook it up in late March, the scanner wouldn't work. The printer did, but at that point I really needed the scanner & nothing I tried would fix it, so I uninstalled it. I got a couple helpful processes to try, but haven't had time or courage to attempt. But now that I need price tags & name labels, it would be helpful if I could get the printer part to operate, even if the rest didn't. So this evening, I boldly plugged it in & the driver installation auto started, much to my surprise. In a few minutes, the entire list of newly activated parts said "Ready to Go". And it did! The printer works! Yay!
I got the idea awhile ago of printing out some of my paintings in a small format & putting them inside those round magnets from craft stores & selling them for about $3. With the economy in this state, framed stuff hasn't been selling, but small matted works & note cards are. The magnets will cost even less & can appeal to anyone with a refrigerator.
So I printed out several pages of the pictures that people have liked best & will be turning them into magnets. The printer produces very nice pages, crisp & bright, which I'm happy about. But what had even more of an effect is the sight of pages with 9 of my pictures in a row in small format. I felt like Andy Warhol doing soup cans! It was a novel feeling, but fun.

Current Mood: excited

busy bee
The Nature Fest is next weekend, a 2 day event that focuses on nature awakening in springtime, with an art show, wildflower walks, bird hikes, a salamander hunt & live animal programs. It's a lot of fun, whether presenting one of the activities or as a visitor. I was in the show last year & am doing it again.
But with both myself & Rufus(my guinea pig) being sick, I'm way behind in preparations. While I haven't done any new mini paintings, I do need to frame the 2 larger ones, print out new labels, gather supplies & load the car. I'm still coughing some & am constantly tired, so I'm pushing myself. I got the mats & frames this week & have been getting things together and piling them in a corner of the living room. Preventing seizures in Rufus has really stressed me out & is dividing my concentration and I'm already worried about how he will fare when I'm at the show. Hopefully he will be improved by then.

Current Mood: worried

transfer
Transferred the duck prelims to the canvas, after putting them on tracing paper & playing around with the arrangement of them. I'm going to have one of the ducklings looking up at a dragonfly on a flowering pickerel weed. They have tiny star shaped purple flowers, so that will add more color. I'm thinking of having a branch or tree root on the left side, near the bank, with a frog perched on it. At first I was planning lily pads, but that seems too cliched & I'm afraid of cluttering up the water. As it is, I'll have bunches of pickerel weed here & there in the stream.
I'm also debating a turtle on the right side, either on the bank or coming out of the water, which would be different. Once I get all the plants figured out, I can go back to actually painting the picture, but right now, I've got to get the composition right before going further.

Current Mood: okay

nautilus notice
Finished the chambered nautilus painting on Thursday & added it to the EBSQ Deep Sea Creatures show yesterday, barely sneaking under the deadline. Many of the other works are mermaids, so I added a bit of realism to the show. Some of the mermaids are well done, but the theme is supposed to be more scientific, which they obviously aren't. I left the background plain on my picture, the fibers of the purple mulberry paper adds texture & it's intended to resemble ocean depths. I'm not sure if it's too blah. At that depth, there isn't coral or sponges, just rocky cliffs in some areas, too dark to really add anything to the composition. So I hope the nautilus doesn't look pasted on. People have reacted favorably to seeing it, so maybe it's better than I think?
I've returned to the duck painting. I've been sketching the prelims for the actual ducks, which has gone better than expected. The female will be turned toward the ducklings & the drake will be almost dipping his bill in the water. I need to get them drawn onto the canvas so I can arrange the water plants & willow branches around them, before continuing the painting. Hopefully I can get the sketches done this week & then progress will resume.

Current Mood: mellow

logo win!
The winners of the logo contest was announced last night and mine won 2nd place! Yay! My squirrel pushing a shopping cart will appear towards the bottom of every page next to "Add to Cart". It's embedded in a green band & looks very nice. I'm so excited!!! Plus, I get a $50 shopping spree at the Squirrel Store ( www.squirrelstore.com ). It's all rather thrilling.
The winner of the contest did a really nice one with Photoshop of a squirrel holding a bag within a circle. It looks very professional & definitely deserved to win.
I am completely happy with the results! Yay!

Current Mood: ecstatic

logo launch
Finished the logos yesterday. Did 3 because there didn't seem to be many other entries, plus the owner said she didn't want cartoons, but my best idea was a bit cartoony(squirrel pushing a shopping cart).
I got a new all-in-one printer & scanner a couple months ago & spent last evening trying to get it hooked up, then retried everything today. The printer works great, but nothing happens when I try to scan. Finally I hit upon the idea of taking pics of my drawings with the digicam. That worked better than expected, you can actually see all the details. Yay! Bless my camera!
All designs are sent to one of the other members of the group, who forwards them without names to the owner of the squirrel store. She will decide which she likes best. I'm not sure when the winner will be announced. I forgot there was a prize, I was just enjoying exploring the idea.

Current Mood: pleased

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