Doodles and Illustration

When I was in Art School, I was told by more than one painting instructor "that's too illustrative", that was a critique not a compliment. For years I tried to change that and go against my natural tendency for strong lines.

Mushroom Illustration

Illustrating and Doodling were looked down upon and frowned on by some in the fine arts department, and I took that to heart, after wall I was there for an art education and these people knew better than me...

Girls night Out Illustration

I don't know if it is the internet, social media, a broader global reach but I honestly feel like that is changing with access to platforms (Skillshare, Spoonflower, Etsy, Society 6) meetups and workshops such as I am participating in now (Build a Freelance Illustration Business) I can see there is a large group of artists- yes we are artists and deserve a place in the fine arts community that have an illustrative look and as proof my old art school offers more classes in illustration, printmaking, textiles, paper and design than it ever did before.... It's kinda fun being on the cusp of an ever evolving Art Movement...

Cheers... PS, can you see the tile repeat?

Sense of Community

I belong to a Community Facebook page for Bellingham Artists (if you are one you should be too!). It is a great place to see what others are working on, what they are inspired by and what drives them. There are good discussions, feedback and suggestions.

original sketch

Flowers in Vase 

Last week I posted a picture from my sketchbook on a random doodle that I was working on and the reaction I got was so encouraging one person wanted to see it on a Throw Pillow and well why not? These days you can easily use something like Society 6  to create art prints, home decor, phone cases and a few other random things so I coloured it in and went for it!

I used Adobe Illustrator to colour it in. Live paint is my new favorite tool and my palette is from a photo I took in the Desert of flowering cacti.

Finally what the print looks like on a pillow... I'm in love with it, and just may order one for my chair. 

A new leaf.....

I am turning over a new leaf... well actually it is an old leaf, in the form of lots and lots of doodles, drawings, inspiration, memes ect and so on... if you are an artist or a creative OF ANY KIND you know what I am talking about... it is this the reams and reams of paper you collect with little tiny ideas or big ones. It is the work in progress- The eureka moment!!! Sometimes that moment loses momentum and well you're left with a random scraps, a half thought- something that you will save for later.

In love with this motif, I have revisited it a lot of times for borders.

Well later has come and and I have decided to get off my butt and  and do something with all those little ideas- and maybe just maybe you can do something with them too. Each time I discover one of these half form ideas I am re inspired and taken back to the original thought- I love discoveries, even if they are rediscoveries!

So bright!

Introducing Clip Art... Maybe it is just the thing you needed for your scrapbooking project or you just want to make a little inspirational card for someone and you just need the right the illustration to embellish your thought.... whatever have you I thought I would share some of my best little drawings with you. I want to let them out into the world to live and breathe as their own thing.  So please follow along as I add more and illustrations to my Shop on Etsy!!!

Remember these are for personal use, if you want more information, colours, designs etc I am happy to help or even if you want to add them to a pattern or use them for commercial use contact me.

Why I will no Longer work for Free

Why I will no longer work for free...  What I am talking about is giving my intellectual property away for free under the guise of 'exposure'. As creatives we hear it all the time. The emails I get almost always start off  with "We Love your photo of X it really captures what we want to say in our Magazine/Publication X, we would love to feature/print it..." We'll give you full credit. Take for example an excerpt of a recent email sent to me from the people of Pensacola Home and Garden

I've had interest from several publishers for this particular photo, it was for a Sriracha Devilled Eggs recipe (on my old blog) that highlighted a SilkScreen print I made in response to being homesick.

 

To be honest a I sent a rather curt No, 

Another time I had a large food and wine event ask me to donate handmade hand printed canvas bags (like these ones, but with kitchen utensils on them) to their event as swag bags for their participants. It was huge, they charged the general public $$ to hob nob with celebrity chefs, they had seminars, cooking demonstrations, sellers, buyers etc. I replied with a 'that sounds fantastic however I can not give you the bags for free, I broke down what it would cost to make them time, supplies etc, I did not ask for the full retail cost but a fee that would help cover the start up costs'.  I never got a response... not even a thank you for taking the time to respond.

Here is the thing, every time a creative, artists, crafter, designer etc gives their work away for free and I am not talking about donations for good causes, we are devaluing our work saying that it is not worth the same as 'working artists paid commissions'. My time is worth X, materials cost X, I spent 4yrs and my own money on my Art University degree. I may have children and can not afford to work on my career full time but the time and talent I  do give is 101%. 

I hope to rejoin the workforce as an artist one day and be paid for my creative intellectual property, but as a working artist why would anyone pay me for work that I once gave away for free? Am I not undermining  the future me and current working artists? Why would professional companies pay working artists when there is legion of free labour just looking for a little bit of exposure? 

So that is why I will no longer work for free... 

I have had a lot more brazen requests for free work, images, time etc, this woman was just the straw that broke the camels back...

Home Turf and Gimme Shelter.

I was back on my home turf this weekend. Husband and I were able to get a little weekend

getaway in (why I was so late posting Saturday). Every time we are in Vancouver we make sure to grab breakfast from Granville island, even if that means going there on a Sunday. Get there early enough you can usually find parking,  get your coffee and grab a pastry in a decent amount

of time. 

Do you see what is taking shelter with the frame of the photo?

When we are on the 'island' (what was once our home), I with husband on tow (he likened my art supply buying habit as a black hole) visit Opus (I needed new pens),  and then head over to Emily Carr University of Art and Design- my old school. We both love walking through the Concourse Gallery. A space for rotating works by the students and faculty. The title of the most recent show was Gimme Shelter.

There was a large tent like structure, a couch made out of chicken wire and stones (that reminded me of the time my classmates and I attempted to cover a couch in large ceramic slabs covered in thorns), photo essays and simple wire sculptures, all beautifully done.

But the one I loved most was this piece pictured above. I loved that it was a simple shape repeated and that from every direction it changed and that you could view through it and then over it

and your perception changed.

I would love to know the name of this artist, I feel strongly about citing and giving credit where credit is due but none of the plinths, photos, or sculptures has names on them. Was this an over site? or was this part of the theme? Vancouver is a city where Shelter is on every citizens mind yet though it has a shared common concern it is also a very anonymous city. Hmm... I wonder?!

Someday my husband and I would love to move back to Vancouver, we still refer to it as home but our question is and always has been shelter... We want it to be not only a city we find Shelter but one in which we live and thrive.

Good Morning.....

Good Morning....

How are you?

The Weekend is nearly here!

As I start to become more active with blogging again I thought I would start out with a bright image! Inspired by the the sun streaming through the window on this crisp cool autumn morning. 

Everything Will Be OK....

Everything will be Ok.... or so I hope.... I have been a little frustrated, a little discouraged and a wee bit overwhelmed of late. Sometimes you need to stop, breathe and then make something beautiful.

A Simple Reminder.

It also helps to have a quiet moment to yourself, a glass of wine and some good food.

Each Photo Represents 10 minutes Practice.

I am currently reading I Just Like to Make Things by Lilla Rogers. It was highly recommended by a classmate in the  Make it in Design Summer School I am doing. The book is full of prompts and exercises that both encourage and inspire you, filled with tips that steer you towards Making Art a Business. It is great for the the newbies (such as myself) that want to be Surface and Pattern designers as it is full of advise and interviews from professionals in the field. So far I am about half way through but the number one take home is message is .... be true to your style and number two.... Practise Practise Practise.

Here is a photo journey of one such practice prompt to see how you/I work.... Using a photo that was provided in the book you draw what you see.

"Only draw what's appealing. Stop when you are done and wait for the next bit of inspiration [...] you are to focus only on staying in a place of passion and creative motivation."

I gave myself 10 minutes of work time, between each step I moved onto something else. Maybe it was tidying up my work space or assisting my kids with a chore and or making breakfast, lunch or dinner and cleaning the kitchen. 

Each Photo Represents 10 Minutes 

I worked when I had time, it took me nearly all day but what surprised me is that I stuck with it. Flowers are not my favourite thing to draw. I don't have very much patience for them as I get frustrated that I can not represent them accurately enough. Because of the 10 minute cap I was able to keep looking at it with fresh eyes and stay on task. The time limit gave me permission to walk away and to be less self critical. 

What excises do you use to practice, how do you work? Is practice work or is it play, Can it be both?