Wedding images....

At the moment Shutterstock isn't able to give my stats on what are the most popular images. At least I'm able to see that last years 'Wedding' doodles sell very well considering I don't really have that many images, compared to Food lets say.

So I embarked on another round of wedding doodles referenced from two wedding magazines I found in the library. This was just a few weeks ago & I can tell they are already downloading frequently. Yey - a step in the right direction for a another stream of income.




I now know a little bit more about the type of people who download particular images, so I just kept it simple with fairly neutral colours. I wouldn't normally use black as a background for wedding imagery but it seems to sell, so it was one of the options.




Pinterest is simply doing wonders for my imagination...

From the moment I started pinning I knew it was going to be a love affair of sorts. I've relied of visual clues and images since I come to the UK and didn't speak a word of English. And at the moment being in rural Hertfordshire with few creatives around - its a bit addictive.

I spend 5 - 10 mins each day scanning my blogs and other boards to find whats what...and oh my there is a infinite supply of wonderous images that grab my attention most mornings.





By far I have the most followers for Love Food Illustrations, followed by Pattern & Print then Illustrators I Adore. I can reach out from my tiny part of the world and not feel isolated, and not feel that I am totally out of touch with the design & illustration world. I realise I'm not up to speed with other 'full time' illustrators but this is what I AM able to do for now...its a blessing for me at the moment.








I love finding images for my Calm & Mindfulness board which helps with visualisation to find my inner clam and stillness. And also for my Love & Abundance board which is about sharing with family/ loved ones and noticing all the small things in life that make me so very grateful.




Thank you Pinterest & Pinners for all the  beautiful images that you share with me.

Do What You Love...am loving it


So the summer hols are over and the kids are back at school. For the first time in many many years I will have uninterrupted time to work, doodle, play, read and hopefully pick up some creative grooves.

Despite the hectic nature of school hols I was able to keep an eye on the blogs I follow. The Do What You Love website had a redesign and it was so amazing to see many different strands/ ideas come together as a cohesive unit. Such as the Make Art that Sells, MOYO magazine, and the Art & Business of Surfave Design which now has its own website called Make it in Design.











These are just some of the wonderful things they feature and I almost get a electric buzz when i read about the amazing people they feature- such a inspiration for my creative soul. Another feature that appeals are the Thought For The Week, written out on a blackboard.



I know I keep banging on about the MATS course but all these elements make me SSOOO excited I just want to jump out of my seat. The future seems loaded with opportunities I just can't wait to get stuck in.

I want to add at this point that I feel at last I have given myself PERMISSION to seek out these new experiences, that I am worthy of the path I'm about to take.

Make Art That Sells...Lilla Rogers e-course PART 1

I eagerly anticipated Aug 1 when registration for the Make Art That Sells course was open. From the email that arrived the next day welcoming me, I KNEW I had made the right choice. The vibe was just what I was hoping to hear. I have signed up for parts A&B which will take place in Autumn the continue in the Spring of next year.


Each week we'll be covering wondrous areas such as children's books and gift. And there are areas I have never even contemplated as an illustrator like bolt fabric, scrapbooking and party paper.




Lilla wants us to ask ourselves some pretty thought provoking questions like...what are you hoping to achieve in your wildest dreams??? Ooooh I can think of many...where do I start...? And what do i consider to be me strengths, such as - highly motivated/ learning new trends.

On the realistic side she wants us to be OK with our fears...in my case its being out of the loop for years  thus lacking in confidence and skills. In the 'level of commitment' box I'll be saying I've cleared my diary for 5 weeks - it'll be the biggest thing in my life, I'm sure of it.

Lilla has very kindly provided a diary so we know what to expect each week from mini projects to business & life tips- how good does that sound!


I feel the last paragraph sets the tone of her style, and why Lilla is so successful. She asks us to VISUALISE happily working in our studio space so that we can connect with the dreams we are striving for as artists. As she states this is a wonderful investment in myself - I simply can't wait til October

Laundrette with soul...

For many years now I walk past a laundrette on the way to my kids school. However its only been in the last few months that I've realised the owner has been printing out A4 posters with meaningful words or quotes...

I've taken a few pics of what he's blu taked up in the big glass front of his laundrette. When  was taking one pic the lay working inside said "..oh he puts a new one up each week...can't think why?"





Well I certainly look forward to a new uplifting quote every week, especially if I'm a little frazzled getting the kids out the door that morning. Its such a low tech but effective way of reaching out the local community. I truly hope that I'm not the only one who mulls over these quotes throughout the day...

Two weeks ago it was from Tolkein...


All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost

My more loveletters...

I read about MoreLoveLetters.com in the most recent Positive News. I knew immediately I wanted to join in and connect with seemingly random people through the written word. This movement was started by Hannah Brencher several years ago in New York when she was feeling particularly lonely.

I have to say I attempted the first letters several times and just screwed them up. But then I was struck by inspiration and managed to write 5 in one sitting.

Since then I have left my loveletters in libraries, make up counters, at the Royal Academy of Art, and several book shops. We all need to hear & read words of encouragement, inspiration and know that we are not truly alone.

I'd really like to think that when someone picked my my letter & read it it bought a smile to their face and made them realise they were worthy.




Food miles 'game' that I actually painted...

Its been a while - I realised i was trying to do tooo much. So I took some time out to slow things down...a little.

Last week I did do something rather creative & unexpected. My other half is in the steering group for Hertford (UK) Transition. They were taking part in Hertford Carnival and he wanted me to come up with a low tech interactive map for kids...using a grape & straws (paper of course as we like to be sustainable)

The aim was to blow the grape from distant corners of the globe eg New Zealand apples all the way to England.


 


This was the first time I'd painted for 'pleasure' for an age - it felt good. I got messy, my jeans were ruined so was our patio table but by heck it really did feel good.


...I'm so inspired by these people & Lilla Rogers course sounds AMAZING tooo...

So I entered a meditative state late last night...no not really my head is full of stuff even at 12 midnight.

I'd been mulling over the Rachael Taylor e-course The Art & Business of Surface Pattern Design. I looked through her blog and found designs that her graduates had worked on . Totally fabulous, and inspiring and just wanted to be involved. Some more can be found here & on Rachael Taylors blog.

Luisa Franco

Maria Bautista

Loni Harris

However in that semi- sleepy thoughtful state last last night I asked myself if I wanted to just do surface pattern? I asked myself would I like to have a hand at 'childrens picture books' and ' scrapbooking'  Well yes was in inner voice. I already knew about the 'Make Art that Sells' e-course that Lilla Rogers runs. Today I found the Facebook page for Lilla Rogers Studio and discovered what some of her students have been up to just in their first week. I want to add I'm so lucky these lovely people are sharing their experience of the course, to help me make a decision.

I really love the diversity surrounding the original brief...

Brook Witt


Sarah Laws


Here are a few from Flora Chang's process on the course....




And also thought to myself have a look at the graduate degree shows at are on now & perhaps New Designers at the Business Design Centre.

So decisions decisions...whats it going to be??? I'll try that meditation again to help mull things over...

... Pinterest buttons...

Oh my gosh this is morning was java script madness...I couldn't get my head round widgets & gadgets. I was not going to give up - I wanted those buttons because I have a Pinterest habit that needs feeding....I now have to limit myself to 10 mins every day or its like a black hole for creative time...!!!

These are my latest finds...from print to photography to mark making.

Picasso sketch

latest from Rob Ryan

I'm attracting positive people into my life...

...yes I agree

...I want one

My best sellers...part 1

Ok much of this blog has been about all the exciting things I'm discovering & finding out about the world and myself. I really do have a day job...My other half had been asking me to consider illustrating 'single' images of my best sellers for Shutterstock (image library)

He feels there is arguably a huge market for art editors/ designers who simply what to 'drop' images on white backgrounds onto a page layout for example.

This week I am mainly drawing vegetables...as they seem to be selling so well. Anyhow I'll be uploading them today & see if they are successful- I am very hopeful. They're drawn in ordinary black marker, scanned into Photoshop, traced in Illustrator, and fiddled around with until I'm happy.












Postive news...being present & connecting with Capoeira

I adore reading this publication. It fills my head with exciting such possibilities for the future. These were the highlights for me.....


THE BENEFIT OF BEING PRESENT...or living mindfully everyday. Apparently Google offers its workers a course called ' Search Inside Yourself' which is designed to teach them practical meditation that can be used in their daily lives.  It goes on about developing awareness of self & others transforming lives. Part of the article was about a guy called Jon Kabat-Zinn who sounded amazing & had to find out more...

I'm new to meditation and I found this introduction to Mindfulness Meditation with Jon really helpful. This is an excerpt from a much longer video that I believe took place at Google in 2011 and its fabulous if you have time to watch it.



DANCE OF HOPE for child refugees in the Middle East. Again so enlightening...using Capoeira (combines dance, music, sport & play) to help children grwing up in refugee camps build a sense of community and belonging . And give them space to talk about any issues they may be facing such as aggression or anger. At the end of the article there are quotes from children whose lives had had a positive impact from Bidna Capoera. The video is really thought provoking but oh so hopeful.





Positive News... & creativity

My other half is in the steering group of a transition town & last night he came back with a whole pile of these.


Positive News is published every few months and is filled with the most wonderful enlightening news from all around the world. Where people & communities are making a massive difference, often using low tech methods. Just spreading ideas, simple models that we could all learn from. I'm going to use


As always there were some interesting TEDx talks to be shared. I totally got what Ken Robinson was saying, since I was a product of the UK education system throughout the 80's. I feel very lucky that I can offer my 8 & 3 year old creative slots, painting, cutting, gluing. The whole notion being wrong is 'bad', and taking risks is just plain risky. Humans are a creative species, why do we try so hard to suppress it?

I hope as I grow and learn I'll be able to pass on positive beliefs & habits onto my kids. There is so much we can work on to create more fulfilling & joyous lives. This is powerful stuff, and this journey is just so exciting at the moment. The next blog will feature my take on the best articles in this edition...keep you posted.

AOI Illustration Licensing...part 2



Then it was the lovely Rachael Taylors turn at the mic. I was amazed at what she had achieved in such a short space of time. It was interesting to hear she gave herself masses of time to develop & explore her surface pattern designs for her portfolio & even today these original designs are selling. We're not just talking on a tea towel for instance but a dozen different items from tablet covers to shower curtains. She actually said '..I'm earning money while I sleep, which is a good thing' I totally agree. 

One reason I particulary wanted to hear Rachaels talk was I'm seriously contemplating her e-course ' The Art & Business of Surface Pattern Design' I met someone who had just ' graduated' from this course and she only had good things to say about it. She especially commended the courses' on-line community  for the support & feedback. OK I'm saying this now - within the next week I will sign up for module 2 & 3 of Rachaels' e-course



I have to admit I had never heard of the next speaker, Halz Cuppleditch. However she totally bowled my over with her enthusiasm & knowledge of licensing. One design could literally be used over and over again on any flat surface. She exhibits at the massive Brand Licensing Europe show held in Olympia every year. Again she talked about the support and connection there is between small exhibitors ( compared to BBC or Disney) such as herself at this event


Next was the esteemed Rob Ryan, the main man had been waiting for. He was a total blast and did not disappoint. He basically told us of his life from college, then the RA right up to now. With detours via Paul Smith and Liberty's, He described himself as art directors nightmare, and had even been known to make them cry. The most interesting area was work and potential opportunities he had turned down because it did not fit in with his 'plan' or his way of working. I really admire Rob for just sticking to his guns and staying true to himself.


At the end of these talks I plucked up the courage to thank each of the speakers in person and give them my gratitude. I left on such a high as I had made connections with so many other illustrators and felt all the good vibes radiating off Rachael, Helz and Rob.

 I can't wait for another AOI event, its really given me so much confidence to reach out and absorb this valuable information. 

Starting on a high - fabulous day at the AOI Licensing Illustration...Part 1

I signed up for this event months ago when I didn't know where the heck I was heading. But my instincts served me right as it was the best day I've had in a long long time. There was so much good vibes, the sun was shining, the connections were fab and I left my comfort zone...seriously I got my butt off that comfy zone.

 The day started with a talk from Vicki Willden-Lebrecht from the Bright Group. Funnily enough they were my agent for a while, although nothing major happened.  I was going through a really tough time, moving house, being a newish mother etc. I now realise I just wasn't in a receptive mood to produce focused work. Vicki talked about developing the artist as a brand & as a person, providing support & connection. This was great to hear and also a 
reoccurring theme for almost all the speakers.





Next up was the talk from Robert Landis who talked about intellectual property...A dry subject that I would normally run away from & hide. But he did a marvellous job of presenting the info & I learnt loads of new info.

Lunch was a quick walk round Covent Garden, where I popped into Paperchase & looked at their wares with new eyes - licensing is BIG news, its really booming
.

This is new for me, blogging that is...not the drawing

I want to start by saying I'm going through a bit of a transformation in recent months. Its been a long time in coming. I'm letting go of old habits, views, notions that do not serve me. I'm embracing & getting excited about new beginnings, opportunities & possibilities, in the sphere of creativity & personal growth.

I have so many plans, some are massive, some are just personal. Some days will be truly positive, some days will be a dream, some days I'll tell my self 'at least you're moving in the right direction' when I'm filled with frustration and angst. Yet I'm willing to feel these emotions and any others that work their way in.

This is way out of my comfort zone by the way. But I've taken and action & I'm going on a bit of an adventure...