Busy, Busy, Busy

Hello again!  Long time, no post, I know. An idle blog, though, does NOT mean idle hands -- or an idle keyboard, graphic tablet, or studio.  Nono!  Au contraire!  I've been busy, busy, busy, creatively speaking.  Finally, it's time to go live with it all.

First... You've probably already noticed that I've completed another blog (and website) redo.  I just LOVE digital design -- the colorplay, the compositional challenges, the image manipulation, the creation of graphics.  And since I'm not a professional graphic designer (yet; maybe someday?), redesigning my blog and my website is a relevant and accessible way to practice, experiment, and dive into that oh-so-pixellated joy!  I hope you'll enjoy the new designs as much as I enjoyed creating them.

Part of what drives me to rework my online branding is that I'm trying to find my design "voice" just like, long ago now, I found my teddy bear one.  It's something that, I know from experience, simply takes practice and time.  It's a process; a discovery.  In terms of my graphic design experiments, I've tried romantic, blurry styles and stark, clean styles; neutral color schemes and brights.  I've tried soft-edged treatments and blocky layouts, both.  And I think I'm finally narrowing in on what I like, and do, best.  There's a little whimsy in there.  A little scroll-y romance -- but not too much.  A definite contemporary vibe.  And color, color, color!  I admit, I'm loving the unfolding of it all.

Second... Announcing something entirely new from the POTBELLY ARTS studio.  PAPER DOLLS!  Read here to learn how I stumbled into this magical, paper-y world... or visit my Etsy shop to view my available sets.  My first paper doll offering, SUKI, was inspired by the fashion-crazed youth culture of Tokyo's Harajuku district; a theme that's been inspiring me for a while now.  Fun!

Third... Announcing three new bears, almost ready to debut!  Wheeeee!  I'm completely done with one of them (he looks like a brownie and just needs photographing;) almost done with a second (in golden brown, and a cutie, with a few seams left to close;) and ready to begin work on a third, which will be an entirely different kind of POTBELLY BEAR.  Here's a preview of the finished brownie bear; I'll notify my mailing list when he becomes available for sale.

I tried something new for the last bear I mentioned.  Knowing the exact silhouette and proportions I was after -- small, squooshy, schlumpy, with a biggish head and short, slim, simplified limbs -- I decided that, rather than hand-draw a pattern like I usually do, I'd SCULPT the entire bear in the way I wanted the finished teddy to look.  When it was dry, I used pattern draping techniques to create a pattern in-the-round, right on the dried clay sculpture.  Although I know a few other bearmakers have used this method successfully, it was my first time trying it.  We'll see how it goes!  The bear I hope will result will be the kind of teddy you prop against a pillow, because he's just that floppy and sweet and old and tired lookin'.  Cuteness!

Fourth...  I've been busy creating mail art, too!  I've just received the first of nine round-robin Marie Antoinette journals from a peer at Marie Antoinette Mail Art, and will be completing a two-page spread and then shipping it on to the next person, over the course of the next week.  And I recently finished three cards for an "Erotic" swap at IllustratedATCs.com.  You can view all three on flickr, but here's a zexy taste:

Fifth... speaking of IllustratedATCs.com... some news.  The site has changed!  It's still a juried trading venue for illustrators and fine art hobbyists, but there's now a second, mixed-media dimension to it.  One of iATCs sister sites, Mail Art World, is closing its doors, so iATCs is "absorbing" MAW.  If you're a mixed media artist of talent and you'd like to swap art on a juried site -- trust me, your returns will be excellent! -- please consider submitting your work (via link to your flickr, Deviant Art, etc.) for review by the art panel.  We're looking for new members for the mixed media division.  Come join us, and trade!

Sixth... I'm so excited to share that I not only wrote an article in the current issue of free, downloadable webzine ARTTrader, but am also the featured artist.  My article covers the practical aspects of prepping and shipping mail art -- fairly well, if I do say so myself! -- and the artist profile is just plain fun, and features some of my art cards and other mail art work.  I hope you'll give it a peek or download it for reading at your leisure, or even printing at home.  The PDF is a high-resolution, printable document.  And this issue, in particular, has some really useful information and gorgeous, gorgeous art.  Give it a look!

Comments

[Shantell]

Fantastic...all of it!!!

[Shel]

Thank you my sweet friend. :)