Thursday, December 10, 2009

A new beginning--clearing out the old





This has been quite a month so far, opportunities to be in an art show "Disturbia" and a 'Cash Flow Art Show' coming this Thursday and Friday. My beloved grandma Lisa died one day before her 90th birthday...and so its been a strange topsy turvy feeling. I did get to visit with her before she died...about 2 weeks before when she was visiting my parents. She was a great supporter of my art work and her life was full and creative so she was a great role model of a working writer. I have a great feeling of creative momentum inspired by her and a wonderful non-traditional doll-making class.
As for my etsy shop, I am going to clear out most of the art that has been there too long and list my newer work. And on my blog I want to hear from you my viewer and reader and hear what you are interested in seeing. I want to hear what you like about my blog and what more you'd like to see. I appreciate all of you that comment and read here, thanks very much for your support!

Sunday, December 6, 2009

the MiniBlog

MiniBlog
check out this cool blog...this is a great way to promote your etsy shop too...I am still figuring out how to do it so let me know if you made it work.

Friday, December 4, 2009

Meet JMTolman and her fantastic characters!





I think that I met JMTolman in etsy chat as I've met many of the artists that I post here...I felt that you needed to meet her and see her characters. Some of these people I think I've met and have made me laugh out loud.

1) How long have you been selling on etsy?
Since January 2009

2) Do you have advice for etsy newbies?
You must advertise outside of Etsy! Promotion within the site is good, but you're advertising to other sellers. Join forums, find site that are relevant to your shop and advertise them, use other social networks, etc.

The other piece of advice is for artists: Art is hard sell, unless it is a product (ex: Jewelry, stationary) or a custom piece for the buyer. Keep an open mind about what you can sell.

3) What are your fave etsy shops and why?
http://www.etsy.com/shop/mscorley- Fantastic illustrations. Just wonderful.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/gloomth- The clothing designs are one of a kind. You can tell they love their work!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/brainscan- I bought Stolen Sharpie Revolution and it changes my views on print, design, and the DIY scene. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to publish on their own!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Shrinkle- Another clothing line. I have one of their dresses and I love it.

4) What are your fave pieces in your shop and why?
Whip It!: This was the first gouache/pen painting I ever did, and I still like it!

Everyone is Disappointed in You: This is a painting from a workshop- the setup was the two woman (sans part hats) and the table of booze. Well, the models and the class started cracking jokes, and I decided to add my own twist. The angry Victorian portraits is my favorite part, hands down.

The Dopiest Vampire Necklace: I just think it's funny.

5) What plans do you have for your shop?
I want to be able to sell enough so I can pay off my tuition for college. Right now that's all I have planned for it. As for my art, I do a variety of commissions- I'm only 20 years old, so I need to establish myself and prove I can do the work.

6) How long have you been creating art?
Since I was three or so. A very long time, heh.

7) Who are your art heroes?
Alphonse Mucha, JC Leyendecker, Brom, Junko Mizuno, Amano, Toulouse LaTrec, Jhonen Vasquez, Junji Ito, Edward Gorey, and JH Williams!

8) Where do your ideas come from?
I'm honestly not sure how specific ideas come about, but they're all influenced by my interests- I'll explain below.

9) What do you do when you have a creative block?
Take a break for a hour, or start over with a new approach. Sometimes a design just doesn't work, no matter how much work you put into it.

10) What other interests do you have that feed into your art?
Horror, music (I have music-to-color synesthesia, so this is a big influence) fantasy, sci-fi, pop culture history, punk, fringe culture, cabaret, magic shows, the paranormal (from a skeptic's point of view) old movies, and fashion.