The one with all the Cats

It's no surprise to some that when you practice something you get better at it, so as a result of drawing everyday I have definitely noted an improvement (and I was surprised). I am used to painting and drawing from life or photographs so imagining what a little chubby bird might look like holding an umbrella and being blown by the wind is an entirely different proposition. As I sit and doodle away, while The West Wing plays in the background (such a good series) I feel very lucky to have this time to enjoy the process of creating. My problem has always been focusing on one thing, no sooner do I decide to focus on paper goods and I'm designing a whole laser engraved line which then opens the possibilities to umpteen other products. I'm taking a break from ceramics to take a wood shop class. I've already made a dog bed but my big project is a retail cart for craft shows.....
 
Recent projects include a cat line of keyc hains and potentially gift wrap if I can find a way to do it that is affordable. While I only have dogs, I can appreciate there are a lot of cat loving people out there and they are fun to paint. There will be a corresponding dog line too. Holidays are around the corner and I feel like I've been in Christmas mode for a while now. I saw my first full on Holiday display in Hobby Lobby the other day, weird.

Lately I've been waking up in the middle of the night, usually due to being bitten by mosquitoes, they Looooove me, and I wake up immediately grab the tea tree oil and an icepack and try and go back to sleep. There have been times when there have not been enough icepacks and I have to resort to the frozen veg. On one such interrupted night though, my mind was racing with puns for cards and I had to write them down, fortunately there's always a sketchbook somewhere. There were some good ones so stay tuned and you will see the results shortly.

Imagining what a cat looks like

Cat ink drawing

Cat heads

Lil heads pattern

 

Potential grumpy cat Holiday card

Prepping for UNIQUE LA and new stuff

It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks which included a 2 week vacation to visit the family in London and then playing catch up ever since. Unique LA is in a week's time from now May 3 & 4, arggghhhh! I am so fortunate to be sharing a booth with the Uber skilled Kevin from Silicate Studio a man with a wood shop, great vision and a lot of tools.

This is part of the signage, I must draw will be the main header.

I finished signage last night, laser cut of course and will do a whole post on the build. Product wise, a new card line on white, more hand lettered than my usual cheeky pun offerings. Having switched from the mighty ink pen to a brush of late, I've naturally made this transition and I'm excited.

New woodland creatures will be making their debut at Unique along with some new card designs and possibly some mobiles but why don't I just post some pictures already !

From sketch to Product

New Bunny - I'm a magnet

Medals for Mother's and Father's Day

Hand lettered, I'll probably print a colored version on white.

DIY Laser Cutting for Illustrators

I stumbled upon this local DIY laser cut business by pure chance and my brain immediately went into overdrive with the possibilities of this new medium. There was a 2hr intro to laser cutting course which I was a little apprehensive about but in all honestly it's just slightly more complicated than a photocopier, a few more buttons and fans to turn on. (Trying to fax something with the old work copier was far more difficult!!)
As many of you know, I find it difficult to focus on one thing for any length of time. Drawing for me is the consistent and whether its drawing on ceramics, illustrating a card, or sewing a design for me it's all essentially drawing. Like a kid in a candy store I put together about 20 different designs to put the laser cutter through its paces and see what the potential could be. There are a lot of materials that can be cut ranging from paper, leather, wood, glass to anodized metal but the machine also engraves.
I wasn't interested in putting a photo image on wood more exciting for me was the potential of hand drawn illustrations being converted into 3D objects. I was fortunate in day 1 that I had a lot of successes but also I learnt how long things take to engrave, sure its way quicker than doing it by hand but for an 18 x 24 sheet covered in designs, that could easily take well over an hour to cut and engrave.
I scaled back in terms of size for my second go and tested lots of different woods. Some it wouldn't cut through, if the wood is not totally flat that can be an issue, also if it's plywood there may be a thick lump of glue that it can't get past, these were new challenges but for the most part on day 2 more good things. For someone that does handmade I do like a good machine !!!
Here are a few examples of some products that I made.

The bear illustration you might recognize from one of my cards, he turned out really well if a little grumpy.

I did some artwork for my husband's band Special Blend, what started as a screenprint t-shirt design translated beautifully into a wood keychain. I didn't think it would capture all the details so cleanly.

 My new business card.

A new product line which I'm really excited about, working on the packaging right now.

New Year, New Workspace.

First doodle in the new room.

I spent the weeks leading up to Jan 1st frantically organizing my workspace ready for a fresh tidier 2014. It could get bad in there so much so that I would work elsewhere rather than face the mess. It took a while, time when I could have been creating but it was long overdue. I went through all my supplies, donated things I wasn't going to use and organized everything else. Extraneous furniture, big pictures were all creating clutter so out they went. The transformation was low budget, I found some wooden shelves while walking the dogs and an hour later got them home. They had been painted black but nothing that a bit of sanding couldn't cure. Other shelves from Ikea had been languishing in a closet as I waited for the right spot to put them up. My main eye opener was the fact that I had a million containers everywhere and they were all full of junk, so one by one I dumped them out and put everything in its place, needles, pin backs , small bits of fabric etc.

BEFORE: Sometimes during a busy spell it could get like this !!

BEFORE: Too much stuff not enough storage.

So the comfy chair was a good idea in theory, but just took up to much room. Out with the chair and in with the new/old shelf to form a wall and also a nook for hiding stuff from view (occasionally.) What isn't visible is the amount of stuff under the tables. The sewing machine is now stored below and comes out when its needed. Similarly the cutting mats are on hand but not on permanent display. A large walk in closet holds about 2 years worth of accumulated wool and fabric. There are also 12 clear plastic draws which also store supplies and packaging. I have not bought any fabric since the clearout as I have so much. It took a day to go through and sort the chest of draws so everything has a home.

After

Supplies which are used frequently are close at hand. Since this shot was taken a magnetic strip has gone up, a place to pin inspiring things as well as some pictures.

I got some colored cotton for Christmas and then added more in the sale, now I have a pretty decent set.

The guitar isn't part of my decor ! but its a small compromise in a room which is otherwise full of my stuff.

Added: Magnetic strip for inspiration and scissors.

I glove you clean workspace

Card packaging zone.

A handy thrift store find, filing cabinet on wheels stores all my patterns with a handy draw below for my sewing box. The wall decor is a work in progress.

Supplies and stock shelf

From yucky black wood shelves to very useful white ones, great free find, also acts as a wall and backdrop for photos on the wood side. Metal paper tray keeps loose papers at bay till they get filed.

Taken today as proof that it is still tidy 19 days into the new year.