Make Art That Sells Bootcamp: June

Yet another month has gone by, and I'm happy to write that I enjoyed working on another bootcamp assignment. The mini was all things nautical, especially ships in a bottle, and whales, and the final assignment was for wall art.

I was drawn to the idea of a sailor at night, perhaps dreaming and thinking of home, but enjoying the stars and the sky and the waves. It makes me wonder where a sailor feels most at home: at sea or on shore at home? In the end, I submitted the eyes open version to the gallery, but my favorite is the eyes closed version. I can't wait to be working on a collection of these.

I combined ink, watercolor, public domain textures (Japanese fabric, bookcovers, and wood), as well as a scanned wood canvas background I made.

Make Art That Sells: May Bootcamp

May's assignment from Lilla Rogers' Make Art That Sells Bootcamp this month was an editorial illustration for an article on meditation. The mini on the other hand was all about drawing dolls, even Lilla's Ken doll. Funny, but I kept seeing my husband in Ken, even in other classmates' drawings. Scroll down for a laugh at my Ken. =)

Because I was incredibly short on time for the assignment, I challenged myself to complete it anyway, with a few hours to concept, sketch, quickly ink and watercolor, and then scan and assemble it in the computer. It was hard for me to post this concept in the gallery as it isn't a style I have much experience with. But it came to me in a pinch, and came naturally, and I love it. Even if no one ends up liking it, I don't care. I do. Does it look like me and that I made this? Quite often, someone tells me they can tell when a piece is mine, be it paint or pixel, but I don't see that as clearly because I'm experimenting a lot of the time. I'm not ready to settle down and hit repeat again and again on what works yet. I still want to grow. Unless someone in the biz tells me that one direction will garner more results. Then I'd go with it and run with it until my legs give out.

My rough pencil idea.

I decided the flower at the bottom looked like legs and other things, so I took them and the circle above out.

Some ink bits and refined (and spelled properly) lettering.

And now for some funny ink sketches of Lilla's dolls. See there, that's my husband on the right.

Part of the mini challenge was using different materials, and so I gave watercolor pencils a whirl. I've had them for many years and haven't used them. Why on Earth not? Doesn't Ken look sweet? And the colors are wild.

And now some pencil sketches. I kind of like how the upper left three turned out. I tried to portray their eyes like flowers and keep their features more geometric. Some of their features inspired my final illustration.

Ink drawings from dolls this time. And that about wraps it up.

Trends Workshop with Design Garden

If you've been following my blog, you might remember when I reviewed the Hand Drawn Vector Graphics class with Design Garden. Earlier this year, I took another great class with Sabina, Trends Workshop. This class greatly inspired me to dive deeper into surface pattern design, and I even submitted some of my class assignments to Uppercase Magazine's Surface Pattern Design Guide issue.

This trends class was more intense and produced more projects in the four weeks that it ran than Sabina's foundational class, Hand Drawn Vector Graphics. Please note that I took the live class rather than the self-study option that is offered now. If you want a lengthy review, here's a breakdown of the four weeks, or scroll down for the pictures. ;)

• Week 1: Trends Class Intro and Borders and Brushes
  • Lecture video that goes over the class structure; trends in general and how to use them to make your work different, stand out, and be aware and current; the trends provided in class via pdf; and the design sets you'll make in class
  • You get a big juicy ebook pdf of selected trends to pull from, some inside info on what certain customers look for when buying clip art, as well as clip art subject matter suggestions and color ideas for each trend
  • A video tutorial in Illustrator where Sabina shows how to make pattern borders and brushes
  • The first assignment pdf (to complete a clip art set) which helps guide you through all the steps to create your set, including research and mixing trends and influences
• Week 2: Patterns
  • A tutorial video on making patterns using the old school method as well as using Adobe Illustrator's new pattern tool
  • Assignment 2 pdf, to make a clip art set with patterns
  • Bonus material (shh, it's a secret) for those that finish assignments and post progress with classmates
  • A Q&A session where the assignment, trends, and any questions are discussed, and a recorded video of the chat
• Week 3: Wreaths
  • A video tutorial showing Sabina's method of making a wreath, step-by-step. She even shows her initial reference sketches and inked drawings before she draws her wreath concept and creates it in Illustrator.
  • Assignment 3 pdf, to make a clip art set with a wreath focus
  • Bonus material earned from finished assignments and progress posts
  • A Q&A session and a recorded video posted soon after
• Week 4: Diverse Set
  • A wonderful video showing Sabina design process while she creates a clip art set (clip art, wreath, brushes, and pattern), from the initial research and mood board phase, to sketches, through to completion on the computer
  • Assignment 4 pdf
  • Testimonial on credly for those that have fully participated in the class
  • A Q&A session and recorded video

I've got to say one of the best things about Sabina's class is that she asks you to do your research properly and take a deliberate and design-centered approach. If you have experience with graphic design, or want to know more about graphic design, sell art to graphic designers, or how to merge illustration work with design, her classes are probably unlike anything out there and would definitely appeal to you.

One thing I greatly recommend while taking the class is to jot down notes while watching the videos. There isn't as much typed out content as in the Foundational Class. Instead, there are videos to watch, great assignment pdfs (with some useful reference links and information) that you can use as a guide for future projects, and a trend pdf. Something like Evernote might be useful to store your pdfs and class notes in a specific notebook.

To see some of my work from the class, please scroll down to see selected sketches, inked drawings, and some finished art. =)

This pattern made it into Uppercase Magazine's Surface Pattern Design Guide!

Some various pencil sketches.

On a wonderful side note, Sabina asked me if I was interested in selling some patterns and such on The Ink Nest, her fabulous online shop for clip art and patterns. I will post more on that when it comes to fruition! I hope you enjoyed the review.

Coming to a Fabric Store Near You

I have great news I've been wanting to share. Last month I signed an exclusive contract with the wonderful Windham Fabrics (after they saw my work in the Surface Pattern Design Guide in Uppercase Magazine) and one of the collections I've been working on is something I created during Lilla Rogers' Make Art That Sells, Part B! I can't wait to see this fabric become a reality. Needless to say, I'm feeling very very grateful and excited. =)

Because I couldn't help myself

Since I took Part A & B of the Make Art that Sells ecourse, a wonderful offer was presented to previous students to take it again at a greatly discounted price. I had already signed up for the stellar class that would be during the same time from Rachael Taylor and Beth Kempton, Module 4: Building Your Portfolio (more on that in a bit), but I couldn't resist the siren call of more fun assignments. I worked very fast in the class this time around so I could juggle the other class and other projects.

This second time around with Part A, I took the opportunity to experiment with adding more handmade elements and textures. Being familiar with the content of the class and assignments, I felt less pressure or cramped for time; it was simply a joyful experience.

Children's Books

A tiny rough thumbnail and larger sketch to scan and work off of.

I left out the smiling sun as it ended up competing with the focal point - the fox.

Bolt Fabric

Pen and ink drawings

Pyrex and other kitchen tools

A style variation in vector for the same theme

Pencil sketches

After a suggestion from Zoe Ingram in the class, I did a quick mix-up of the two concepts. It needs some tweaking, but I like where it's going!

Home Decor

I received very valuable feedback on these plates from Lilla that I'm looking forward to implementing, such as changing up and varying the amount of art on the plates and making them a bit more diverse.

Pen and ink

Watercolor

Wall Art

I used all handmade parts for these two pieces, including pen and ink, watercolor, tissue, lace, and painted wood panel. Everything was assembled in Photoshop.

Ink drawings

Tissue collage of Earth

Some ink and watercolor bits

Part B of the course starts later this year in October. There's still time to sign up! I definitely recommend it. Great opportunities can happen as a result, not including the best benefit - making great art for your portfolio.