As a rather laid back online retailer, I was surprised to see an e-mail today about "Free Shipping Day" on December 16th in my inbox.
Then again, every year I wish I had stared on my Christmas card illustration earlier! Maybe I should start sketching now.... I know that my 2011 card will involve another city scene, but that's all I'm giving away.
Merry Christmas!
http://www.freeshippingday.com/about/
One of the characters in my story and an important part of Adele's life is her feline companion, Henrí, named for Henrí Matisse, one of my favorite artists. Henrí is rarely seen without his beret and can converse with all humans, not just Adele. On this page he is terrorizing pigeons, one of his favorite pastimes.
In this post I have to be honest, I am not good at drawing hands. Since my college figure drawing classes, rendering that body part has always given me the most trouble. In my sketches, they end up looking like "Attack of The Claw," sausages, (as one of my Illustration professors put it), or worse! So please bear that in mind when you look at the next page of Adele's story. The "hand" that appears here is definitely better than how they usually come out, but I think Adele's hands should look more elegant, so I'll be working on that some more.
Also, I have been uploading the pages out of order, this is page 2, page 1 was posted on May 25.
I'm taking a break from the errands and cleaning doldrums on this rainy Sunday to share another page of the Adele book. Most of what I currently have is at this level of completion. I am still fine-tuning the composition and details, but I have decided that this one looks good enough to share. I may post it again once it is more complete.
Over the years I have been working on-and-off with an idea for a graphic novel featuring my character, Adele, from an illustration I created in 2001 inspired by my first trip to Paris, France that March. Since I lack knowledge and experience with sequential art and comics, I have also lacked confidence in how to move forward on this, and have had doubts about even trying at all. I haven't shared the story or sketches with many people... it never seems to be "ready" for others to see! I am always sketching and re-sketching the panels and pages.
Recently I traveled to Paris for a third time and 10 years (ouch!) have passed since Adele first came to life on the pages of my sketch book, I've decided that I owe it to her and to myself to push forward to see what can happen with this story. Plus, I can't seem to completely drop the idea, that has got to mean something.
Although it feels a bit scary, I've decided to start posting sketches and finished pages on this blog. I hope it will make the project seem more tangible, plus many of you might have comments that could help or encourage me. So please click "follow" on my blog page, add me to your RSS feeds, or catch the posts on Facebook since my blog updates automatically to The Nancydraws Shop page.
I may not be posting the pages in sequential order as this experiment goes along, but here's page 1!
I haven't been able to get myself to work on any of my drawing projects but I since I was on my own creative time and wanted to use it wisely, I figured out a way to have some kind of outlet today... after cleaning up some paper piles, gathering up recycling and a few things to give to Housing Works. (http://www.housingworks.org/donate/) BTW, they are opening up an outpost in my area soon and they are asking for gently used items to be dropped off this Saturday.
Anyway, what I came up with for myself today is a series of "window collages." I had a large pack of paper scraps from Kate's Paperie (http://www.katespaperie.com/) that I was sorting through and I noticed some of the see-through and transparent scraps, held them up to the light and decided it would be fun to tape some up in the window to make a collage. I'm so glad it was a partly-sunny day! Above are a few examples. You can see more at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26119264@N00/sets/72157626341720236/
For me, the freelance-office-gig to working-creatively-at-home transition is always a little tough. I certainly look forward to my less structured days but laundry, gym time, and internal battery-recharging is always in the mix. I'm blogging today as a way to bridge the gap this time.
I am looking forward to my trip to Europe which is coming up in April. It has been quite some time since I've been out of the country now and it would be putting it lightly to say that I am looking forward to it! I'll be visiting friends in Barcelona and then meeting up with a gang of single ladies for sight-seeing and celebration in Paris. As luck would have it, my parents will also be in Paris one of the days that I'm there, so I'll get to see them, too.
With this trip, I am finding that more than any other I have been on, the anticipation and planning are almost as good as actually being on the trip! This is mainly because of the large number of blogs and apps that have come into existence since the last time I traveled. I have downloaded tourist guide apps from TimeOut for both Barcelona and Paris, so I can browse activities and facts on my phone wherever I happen to be.
I have also been browsing through blogs and travel websites for each city... here are a few of my favorites:
Paris:
http://dailyphotoparis.blogspot.com/ (Each day, a beautiful shot of the City of Light)
http://badaude.typepad.com/my_weblog/ (A U.K. ex-pat illustrator's take on Paris life and art)
http://bbonthebrink.blogspot.com/ (More excellent photography)
http://parisbymouth.com (Daily restaurant and food-related blog)
http://www.girlsguidetoparis.com/ (A great all-around travel blog)
Barcelona:
http://www.barcelonaphotoblog.com/ (Daily photos from around the city)
http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/04/26/travel/26hour.html (36-Hours in Barcelona)
Yes, the list for Paris is longer, but keep in mind, there are 5 other women involved in that trip and we've been sending one another Paris web links for the past few weeks. I also did a search on Google Earth for the address of our hotel in Montmatre... really fun!
So I hope this trip brings plenty of new energy and inspiration; traveling internationally always does the trick for me.
Au revior and hasta le vista!
Great news, I recently was invited to participate in the Graphic Artists Guild's Illustration Directory iPad application. The app will create a digital, flippable portfolio of 5 images per artist and will be available sometime in April.
http://www.graphicartistsguild.org/join/member-benefits/illustration-iportfolio/
I have been wanting to get more involved with tablet technology, and this will be a great way to reach art directors and buyers who use the iPad on a regular basis.
I hope you're all enjoying 2011, and getting back to the daily grind isn't too painful. I'm proud to report that The Nancydraws Shop did more business this Christmas season than last year, which was my first year. Thanks to everyone who made a purchase and passed the word along!
I also have an illustration in the current Winter issue of the Park Slope Reader. The article my artwork goes with is about cooking with butternut squash. One of the recipes is for Thai Butternut Squash soup and I ended up making it in tandem with my illustration. Delicious... I wonder if it affected my creative skills for this piece.
http://www.psreader.com/268
I have some new ideas for the Nancydraws Shop for 2011; I'll let you know when I post my birthday card designs for sale.
Until then, I hope you stay healthy and happy.
My 20% off sale went well and now I have 3 Multi-Pack orders to work on. (Thanks Holly M., Stacy M., and Christina R.!) I'm printing out my customers' cards right now, under the mistletoe... well, not quite, but I did decorate my place last night. (see above)
I also finished up the latest addition to my store, all-new Christmas gift tag designs. I have a new 3-pack and also a customizable "from Santa" tag. Just send me your child's name and let me know how many tags you'd like and I'll create a reserved listing just for you to purchase in the shop.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/63670111/christmas-gift-tags-set
http://www.etsy.com/listing/63671122/customized-christmas-gift-tags
Hello!
Can you believe that December is almost here and that 2010 will soon be over? I have been preparing The Nancydraws Shop for the holiday season and wanted to be sure that all of my friends and fans know that I will be offering a shop-wide, five-day sale from Sunday, 11/28 through Thursday, 12/2.
When you shop during this sale, you will automatically get 20% OFF of everything in the shop, plus free shipping on all orders!
Please be sure to stop by: http://sancynam.etsy.com/ and spread the word!
Thanks & Happy Shopping!
Nancy
I have taken on some tasks for the fall to achieve more creative momentum, and so far things are looking good. I am in week four of Etsy.com's "Holiday Boot Camp." Each week, participants are given a business-related article or two to read and a list of shop-tweaking tasks to complete in order to get everyone ready for the online shoppers who will be browsing for unique and creative items on Etsy. I'm also working on a few new items to post in my shop. This past week we were asked to update our bio or public profile, which was helpful because it is similar to my other big fall goal: applying for the NYFA grant.
The application for the grant is going to be much more challenging, a 700-word resume and 200-word artist's statement is required, along with eight examples of my work from the past 5 years. Selecting the work examples is no problem; luckily I have more than eight images to choose from. I am planning on getting started on the writing next week, some kind of rough draft. I know I am probably the world's best expert on myself and my artwork but I think explaining that in 700 words is going to be difficult!
As promised, I am revealing last Sunday's source of awesome inspiration.... a wedding card for my friends Holly and Craig, who got married in Las Vegas early in March!
Holly had worn a headband with devil horns and a veil for her bachelorette party. That headband sparked the idea... I feel that Holly and Craig have a devilish nature in common, so I drew this cartoon portrait of them as devils and did a little play on words: "Devils May Care," to state their obvious love and care for each other, but also to indicate their quickly pulled together (but well-thought out) nuptials.
I had this image in my head for a few weeks before having the time to execute it, so I'm pleased with how it turned out, and so are the newlyweds.
Baluchi's, one of the restaurants that I illustrated for the Park Slope Reader's restaurant review asked to purchase a print of my artwork! You must stop by some some of their delicious Indian cuisine and to check out the print, everyone is really nice there. I am very flattered to have this print displayed in the restaurant. I also added a small caption to let people know it was published in the Winter 2009-10 issue, along with my credit. I am working on getting in touch with other managers at restaurants that I have illustrated in the neighborhood to see if they would like to purchase prints.
I re-purposed one of my existing illustrations to give as a retirement greeting card to a nurse at my allergist's office. She's been working at that office since before I started going for treatment there and I'll really miss seeing her. I personalized the inside with her name and the message "Congratulations on your retirement!" In the future, I may offer this card in The Nancydraws Shop.
I really love it when I have an image or an idea in my mind and I can get it exactly as I imagine it onto a piece of paper and into the world without a glitch!
Believe me, this is a rare occurrence. Usually it takes me a few drafts, centimeters from my eraser, turns with the pencil sharpener, and layers of tracing paper to get the art to look the way I want. More often than not, I either can't seem to make it as great as I imagined it in my mind's eye, so I have to compromise, or I didn't have a clear enough vision of what I wanted until I started sketching.
The drawing that inspired me to write this blog entry happened just an hour or so ago. I really am pleased and surprised with how easily it flowed from my mind to my pencil. The image has been floating around in my imagination for a few weeks and I just could not let it go until I made it real. I wish it was always that easy and quick.
Unfortunately I can't go into much detail about what the image is or what inspired it for reasons that I don't want to give away right now. I will be able to share all later in the week!
One of my fellow volunteers at God's Love We Deliver, Jicky, has been planning to leave on a year-long, cross-country road trip this month and another fellow volunteer asked if I would create a custom card for her send-off party that the rest of the volunteers could sign. Luckily, Jicky had already e-mailed me a photo of her pickup truck with a camper attached which I was able to use as reference for my drawing.
Her ultimate goal is to make a visit to each of the continuous 48 states over the course of the year, so I drew arrows to indicate her routes in many directions. I was going for the feeling of asphalt by using the purplish-gray, crackled texture in the map portion of the image.
The inside of the card reads: Have a great drive, Jicky, we'll be cheering you on!
I've been forced into a transition of sorts, my day-job/perma-lance gig has cut back on the amount of hours they need me to be on schedule each month, which is really hurting my income. Of course, I am glad to still have some kind of income but it definitely makes me nervous, knowing I will need to find other sources very soon to be able to bring home enough money. My illustration work hasn't been a big money producer in the past but I am always working on that and hoping for a break.
The change in my situation means that I have some more time now, to work on my ideas and projects, but I also need that time to send out resumes, make phone calls and search online for new possible freelance gigs for the near future.
Its been quite a while since I've had to make those calls to search out gigs and connections. It is something that makes me feel uncomfortable, but I know that the more I reach out and communicate with new contacts, the more my confidence will build ... for a sustainable period of time, I hope.
I had a moment of inspiring thought as I considered all of these things. I was calling a few staffing agencies to whom I'd sent my resume last week, and as I heard myself explaining what I was looking for, I realized I sounded very professional and together, adding to my feelings of confidence! So, I am enjoying the fact that it currently feels more exciting to be in the position that I ma in, as far as where else I might find work and what my new connections will lead to. I always feel better about these things when I begin to take some sort of action.
All of this does not take away from the fact that I'd rather be drawing right now, I think I've made my point ... stay inspired until my next post!
Every few months, I have a couple of restaurant review illustrations in the Park Slope Reader, a free, local publication available in my neighborhood in Brooklyn. In lieu of payment for my most recent work for them I asked for ad space for The Nancydraws Shop in the Winter/Holiday issue. That issue hit the streets today! Here's my ad:
In this issue, I illustrated Fonda, a great new home-style Mexican restaurant and Baluchi's Park Slope location, which serves Indian cuisine.
Here's a link to places that carry the magazine so you can pick up a copy:
http://psreader.com/
I have yet to get my hands on the Winter issue myself, but I intend to find one on my way home from work tonight.
Here's what my drawing table looked like yesterday as I prepared and packaged my gift tags for sale at The Nancydraws Shop. I've posted sets of 3 of the gift tags, each inspired by one of the cards I also have posted:
Adele and Henri at the Skating Rink:
http://www.etsy.com/view_
Vintage Ornaments:
http://www.etsy.com/view_
An Urban Christmas:
http://www.etsy.com/view_
You may also purchase a set of the 3 gift tags for $3.
http://www.etsy.com/view_
Don't forget that my prints are still available; they will make unique and lovely gifts to be enjoyed for years to come. The artwork is professionally matted by my parents at their store, The Great Frame Up in North Carolina.
http://www.huntersville.thegreatframeup.com/
For a limited time, they are offering special pricing on the framing of my prints, starting at $48. If you are interested, please Convo me when you place your order and we'll get that ball rolling!
Happy Holidays,
Nancy
Here is the link to more pictures of the collages created during the workshop with Hanoch Piven on 11/10/09:
http://www.drawger.com/piven/
I was lucky enough to attend a workshop given by illustrator, Hanoch Piven, (www.pivenworld.com) last Tuesday, at the Society of Illustrators in New York. Mr. Piven creates striking yet simple images with objects and is well-known for his celebrity and pop culture caricatures.
The evening began with a brief slide show of his portfolio examples, famous collages from art history, and art created in previous workshops. Meanwhile, all of us were salivating over the long supply table in the center of the room, which was loaded with a plethora of objects and ephemera that we would soon be using for our collage pieces. There were sewing notions, sequins, old tools, construction paper, dead light bulbs, feathers, buttons, jewelry parts, odds-and-ends; all kinds of things, as well as glue guns for assembling our masterpieces.
Our challenge was to focus on the items available to us and "let the objects guide you" as to what our final "drawing" would become, and to play around with and manipulate the objects until we found some inspiration from them. Mr. Piven stressed that we were "drawing with objects," and not choosing items from the table based on a preconceived idea for an image. If we needed a specific concept to get started with he said it was alright to work with the idea of a face or portrait.
I brought all kinds of things back to my table but I soon found myself playing with a zipper. When I unzipped it half way, it looked like a pair of legs running. I decided this was not enough to base my image on but I was loving the "legginess" and thought that if I had more zippers, maybe I could make an animal with more than two legs... maybe an octopus? Luckily I found enough zippers to create 8 legs. After playing around will all of these some more, I discovered that a squid would be best, considering the available materials.
To finish, I cut the head out of paper and made a hole for the eye to poke through. I used the round part of a kazoo, which I had with me since we had been instructed to bring some of our own objects to use. I added a silver, plastic arrow with a feather glued on to represent a harpoon that the squid is fleeing from.
And here is how it turned out:
0 Comments on My creation from the workshop with Hanoch Piven at the Society of Illustrators 11.10.09 as of 1/1/1990
Here's another Halloween costume photo that I found. I believe this was senior or junior year of high school?
I don't think I had a name for this one but I know that I really wanted the white make-up on half of my face to be in the shape of a quarter moon! This was a year that I re-purposed some fabric from a past year's costume. The white drapey fabric that I am wearing in this picture was from a ghost costume that was inspired by one of my favorite young adult novels, Ghosts I Have Been by Richard Peck.
The main character of the story, Blossom Culp, dressed as a ghost to expose a scam artist who came to town and claimed he could summon spirits. Anyway, she carried a candle and I carried a batery-powered, glowing pink rose instead.
Believe it or not I still have that white fabric and I used some of it last year as part of my "Ghost of a Zeigfeld Girl" costume:
I was thinking last night, about how inspiring Halloween is to me. I often come up with an idea early, maybe in mid-August. This year inspiration didn't hit until a few of weeks ago and I'm finally going to take action this weekend to get started on gathering the supplies that I need. Elaine and I are planning on driving out to a fabric store on Long Island (better deals and selection!) to see what we can find. Luckily I probably won't need much more than some felt to add to and embellish pieces I already own! But I'm not going to reveal my costume idea right now.... stay tuned.
Leading up to the big holiday, I am going to try to post images from Halloweens-past of some of my favorite costumes. I might not have something each and every day, but I'll see what I can do. It will probably continue past Halloween, too, since I'll have to show off my creation for this year.
Here's one of my ultra-faves- Fabulous Bee! I am embodying one of my illustrated characters. Tara is dressed as Thelma from Scooby Doo! I remember that at the party we attended that night there was a group dressed as the Scooby Doo gang that did not have a Thelma! That was a hilarious moment, I definitely have a picture of that somewhere.
Hooray! I goal I set for myself in May has now come to fruition! I have an Etsy.com store to sell prints of my illustrations, and whatever other handmade things I might create in the future. I just finished posting all of my current items for sale.
Thanks to Mom & Dad for helping out with the custom mats and shipping.
Without further delay, enjoy this link while I grab a cup of tea....
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5395171
I love the card. It is hanging in my camper.
Jicky