Etsy Shop

So, since deciding on pursuing art as a major part of my life, one of my goals has been to open up an Etsy shop to sell original drawings and prints. Of course I still have many other things to do to prepare for the opening, but one thing which has been plaguing me is finally complete!

 

I finally settled on a concept for my etsy shop banner!

 

Well, at least for now lol.

 

I still want to play around with it of course, but I am happy with using this as a base to jump off from. I also now have something to base my business cards, thank you notes, and packaging designs off of.

 

The idea really originated from my love of topiaries! I wanted to use them in the same way many home and shop owners display them on each side of their entrances. I love the charm and welcome they always seem to convey. And its so English! Unfortunately with the dimension limitations set by Etsy, I wasn't able to design something incorporating them that I loved.

 

Solution? Lamp posts!  Don't ask why lol.

 

{Lantern #1}                     {Lantern #2}

 

I ended up drafting a couple different lanterns, then went into Paint and touched them up and incorporated them into a banner. I had to cut it up a lot in order to keep the size right, so afterward drew up a new lamp that fit the proportions much better.

 

Final result!

 

 

Its very simple, but I like it. And I can make it festive for holidays according to my whimsy. 

 

 

One little task officially complete!

 

 

Ballerina #1

 

 

Ballerina sketch #1, soon to be out of two.

 

 

 

{8x10 pencil drawing}

 

 Ok, there are a lot of things I do not specifically love about this one, but then there are some specific elements I do lol. C'est la vie!

I started on the second ballerina which will be comparable in size and lighting so as to be displayed either as a pair, or along each side of the 11x14 pointe shoes. I then want to do a larger ballerina to be displayed alone.

I am reminding myself repeatedly that the purpose of this little ballet project of mine is really to learn, so imperfections and mistakes are to be expected and learned from rather than cast in shame.

One of the primary reasons I have held off on pursuing art has been because of my perfectionism, so trying to leave that at the door.

Being able to draw out many different ballerinas should allow me to learn from each sketch and apply my new knowledge to the next. Hopefully after I complete all six drawings I will be more comfortable with this subject at least.

 

 

 Just for fun, I also took a few pictures throughout the sketching process just to document how everything developed and changed :)


#1.

#2.

This step really was just adding more shading and dimension to the figure, and changing some of the proportions.

#3.

I completed the tutu, the ballerina's face, and applied some background shading to emphasize the highlights, and added a shadow.

#4.

The last change I made was how I grounded her. I first thought it would be easy to do a simple shadow, but if I followed the light it really should have been very far to the right which would have unbalanced everything. So instead I tried just creating part of the stage floor which allowed me to keep the overall light balanced. I definitely favor this way of grounding the figures.

 

 C'est Fini!

 



Ballet Slippers

I am so excited about this drawing!

 

{11 x 14" pencil drawing of Pointe Shoes}

 

 

This is just a photograph that I had to edit to brighten of the drawing so the contrast level got kicked up and the pencil strokes are more obvious than the original, but I am going to scan it with a professional scanner soon.  

 

This is sort of the first drawing I have done recently which is really all me, and it feels so good! I think I am going to also create a few more ballet inspired pieces to build a collection that I can display together.

 

I started this concept design this past Wednesday, and actually had it completed by Saturday night! I was expecting the entire process to take me a lot longer, but instead of distracting myself and putting my supplies away even temporarily, I kept everything out and within my line of sight which really helped me stay on task.

 

There was so much work involved in this, so just having completed it to my satisfaction is so rewarding. But after I scan the image so I can keep it for always, I am planning on matting and framing it, and hanging it at a local Cafe Brazil for sale. I was at one this past weekend, and most of the items for sale are not as good, and yet are being sold anywhere from $50-$250. After asking the advice of a few objective people, I think I am leaning somewhere between $50-100 without the frame. We will see though...

 

Depending on how that venture goes, I may try selling most of my originals at a cafe, and use Etsy mainly to sell Prints. I would love to be able to build up a good little print business.

 

Classic Winnie the Pooh

Per my own odd wimsy, my friend Maria from Heritage Knitting, and my sister Brittony, I started working on a little collection of sketches inspired by the classic winnie the pooh artwork.

I guess its just fun to have some original sketches for art to display around the house. I want to sketch a few more of the famous images (pooh eating honey out of a jar?) just for fun.

This sketch looks great in a 4x6 frame, although can be in up to an 8x10.

 

Maria still has to get back to me on which specific images she wants for her nursery, so in the meantime I am just picking things randomly just for some fun.

 

When I have a baby, I want to buy all the Winnie the Pooh episodes and play them for him/her, since most of the television today just has no heart. There are just so many sweet and precious moments about the stories that I love! I think the producers now just throw together anything loud and colorful, and annoying lol.

 

 

 

Fall Homage Sketch

I started this sketch about a week ago. It is so much harder to draw dying leaves than healthy ones! There is just so much more varied texture really. Decay is not easy to draw; just sayin... lol.

I eyed this sketch in a 4x6 wooden frame, and I liked the look of it framed that way... especially in a walnut/natural frame. Very autumny hehe.

I was thinking of seasonal sketches I could do, and liked this idea for Thanksgiving. Many other ideas are bubbling to the surface though as well, which I want to have ready for next year's season.

Currently working on some ideas for winter, both simple sketches like this and more complex scenes!

Art, and Its Place In My Life

I finally made a decision about where I want to go with my drawing. I have had so many different things pulling me in different directions over the past few years... and although I am not out of the running with medical school, I think I have accepted that I am officially just burnt out on that track. Its been emotionally exhausting really, and seeing patients every day hasn't been very inspiring either. The job of a physician in this current time, is pretty crappy. Which was okay, but the thought of having to continue to apply just doesn't make me happy anymore.

While waiting for the spring to come to hear back from the schools I interviewed at, I really wanted to start working on something, ANYthing, career-wise. I realized the happiest moments during my day are when I am able to make creative decisions, and so thought about how I could incorporate that into an alternative career. There are certainly designing and coordinating jobs out there, but my lack of education in that field doesn't obviously put me at the top for applicants. Hence the following plan for my future while currently in limbo:

1. Create a collection of sketches that would be marketable to a large group
2. Come up with a business name, logo or quote, design, business cards, policies, and get a Tax ID #.
3. Perfect my ability to make professional prints from my sketches
4. Begin posting and selling prints and originals on Etsy.
5. Take community college courses in the evenings to develop my drawing skills, and get my feet wet with painting.
6. Develop my personal style as an artist.

Even if this "business venture" isn't able to support me, it could very likely at least offer some slight bump in income (especially since production costs would be so minimal), and at the same time allow me to develop a hobby I have always wanted to explore anyway.

Ultimately, the fact that I would be able to put all that on a resume, might seriously afford me the opportunity to climb up a more artistic career path.

I finally feel almost content, satisfied. Confident. Excited.

I made this decision Wednesday of this week. When I went home, after speaking with a friend about it, she immediately requested some Classic Winnie the Pooh prints with quotes. This idea (although not artistically original, still pretty marketable) sent me on the hunt for inspiration from other classic children's books.

I started that night on one from The Velveteen Rabbit. I still have to add in some grass and leaves to ground him, and then load it to the computer so I can add the quote and make it into a print. I am going to use this quote:

 "When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

All the sketches I do of this are going to be part of my Storybook Collection.




I also want to do original pieces for older children from classic books such as

1. The Secret Garden
2. A Little Princess



I know its a crazy optimistic plan, but in the end happiness is what matters, and I finally feel like I am going in the right direction for that. I feel peaceful, which I haven't felt for a long long time.