Selling Your Art

Last month I sold a few images on ETSY.

They were all copies or reproductions of originals that I created in the past. One was a copy of a picture from a book I illustrated that I retained the rights to. One was a watercolor reproduction that I recently added to my site.

Reproduction sold last week.

Although I do not think I will ever get rich selling off these sites, I do think they are important. Agents, publishers, and others look for our work. They need patterns, illustrations for children's books, pix for stationary, umbrellas, cloth, and plenty of other art.

I use Etsy, Facebook, and I just discovered Society6. People use eBay, Art Fire, Craigslist, and many others. HERE is a list of 18 places you can use to get your art out there.

If you are looking to start your art career or just make a few extra dollars, there are plenty of places for you to start. 

xo

Art and Meditation

I have a friend who always tells me that I should meditate. She tells me it does many wondrous things.

I don't disbelieve her, but whenever I try it sometimes feels like overkill.

Most people can meditate, and I wondered why I had such an issue, and why I felt so antsy.

I think I have an answer.

When I am drawing I have to focus. I do not like having conversations, or even recording myself when I am doing serious work. Music is OK, but that is about it for input. 

I think art is my meditation.

Big Sister Goes to School

I do not think of problems, solutions, people, money, or any other worldly problems--I just draw. It is rhythmic, peaceful, and time stands still.

It is a separateness from reality and a bit of a delve into magic.

This week I looked at a deck of tarot cards drawn by artist James Eads. I was shuffling and the High Priestess card fell out. The High Priestess is the card of the subconscious, where ideas and creativity are first conceived.

We need to listen to our intuition and meditate in our own way. Some go outside and say nature is their church. Some meditate. I do art. Maybe you do too.

Stay tuned. I am in the process of creating a book just for artists. We are a special breed. We should not forget that.

xo 

Rule Your Own Life

Change can be hard when you are used to living your life a certain way. Not only hard for you, but others also.

If you are used to doing everything for everyone and putting yourself on the back burner, it may come as a shock to them when they have to start putting away their own socks. Many times when we find ourselves angry and exhausted it is because we are doing things we no longer need to do. 

Yep, your 15 year old can do his own laundry.

So get used to it! 

The same goes for your art. It is your own world and you can make it any awesome way you like.

Little Ruby

 If you like black and white and red all over, go for it. Glorious colors are your thing? Don't hold back.

You do not have to try and follow someone else's style because they are popular. Make your own style, then find the people who like it. There are Facebook groups, Google hangouts, Meetups, and endless social media forms where you can find your people.

Ruby, grown up.

So stop conforming! 

Be like a comet and blaze your own trail. 

xo

Oh! Don't forget to enter the February Art Giveaway RIGHT HERE. Good luck!

(This blog was inspired by awesome art agent Lilla Rogers and her Monday Moments. You can find her HERE.)

ART ~ It's In the Genes

My mother started to get grey hair when she was 16 years old, and people tell me I look like her. She has pure white hair now, and so do I. I did not pick up her flair for really good cooking unfortunately.

My father is a wonderful photographer, and although I like taking pictures and some of them are very cool too, I do not have his skill or his knowledge. But I did get his very long legs. 

Both of my parents are artistic. My mother used to oil paint when I was a kid, and my dad would draw pictures of eyeballs running down the street and rising like the sun that would rival Dali in style.

My sister does not think she draws well, but she has other artistic skills. She is an amazing interior decorator, and can host an event that would Martha Stewart jealous.

Pastel by great-grandpa Paul.

I am starting to learn that the artistic thing goes back beyond my parents. Seems I had a great grandfather that had a flair for art also.

We found his portfolio that is so old it is crumbling, and we are going to try our best to salvage and frame some of the artwork. It ranges from cartoons to oil paintings.

If both your parents have blue eyes, the chance that you will have blue eyes too is very high. I wonder what the genetic chance is in becoming artistic if there are artists in your family?

One of his cartoons.

According to a study at Penn State artists are both born and made. They feel natural born talent, along with societal influences, shape the artist.

In any event, it can't hurt to draw and paint with your children if they love it. And doing art helps them with critical thinking, decision making, and self confidence--so go for it!

So I wonder, did my love of art come from my parents drawing with me as a kid, or did I inherit it in my DNA?
xo

Downloadable Turkeys!

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Since I won't be eating any turkey tomorrow I drew some that you can download and color--one for the big kids (and adults, let's be real) and one for the little ones.

For the little ones

For the older set, and adults.

Have a wonderful day!

xo

Make a Picture Like Eric Carle ~ Kids Can Create a Picture Collage

The illustrations in The Very Hungry Caterpillar seem to capture the attention of almost every young child.

Simple yet complex, they are colorful and eye-catching.

Recreating the look is fun and easy for any child who is old enough to use a pair of scissors.

What you'll need:

Several sheets of white paper

One sheet of thicker white paper or board

Watercolor paints or markers

Paint brushes

White glue

Scissors

First, decide what you are going to draw. Feel free to copy my bears, but if you want to draw mice, or bugs, or your family you can.

Then paint several colors of watercolor on the regular paper. The colors can overlap, they can be in patterns, white areas are fine...basically you can't make a mistake. 

To give the colors even more texture, after the first layer dries choose a different color and make lines or dots. Crinkling up another small sheet of paper or paper towel and dipping it in the paint will create nice textures when softly touched on top of another color.

Using your paintbrush for texture is fun too. When the paint is almost used up on the brush it feels a bit dry and breaks up into sections. Without wetting the brush, dip it into a color and lightly go over another color on the page for a cool lined effect.

I did one page of my first layer of paint in browns and blacks because I wanted to make some trees. To get the spots, dip the brush in black paint, then brush your finger so the paint is kind of flicked off onto the paper. If your brush is too soft, hold the brush over the paper and lightly tap the finger of your other hand so little speckles drop off onto your page. (This method can be a bit messier.)

After your pages have dried, begin cutting shapes.

For my picture, I needed three ovals, three circles, for the bears heads and bodies, three very long rectangles for tree trunks in brown, several shorty skinny rectangles for tree branches, and many leaves cut out from all the different colors I painted. I also made six little arms, six little legs, and six little ears, and one big oval in green that will be a patch of grass. I also cut out a butterfly from some of the scraps and some very long curved triangles for grass. (The butterfly is made from two B shapes.)

Please feel free to make your trees, leaves and bears ANY color you like. Don't feel limited to the edges of the paper--go out of the lines!

Now start to glue the pieces you cut any way you like. You can see within the cut out pieces how the white spaces, speckles, squiggles, and paint splashes all add to the texture and charm of the picture. You can copy mine or create your own. I hope I see some mice, cats, dogs, wolves, monkeys, or anything else you can think of.

Send me any of your completed work--I'd love to show it off here!

Have fun!!

xo