New girls personalised cushions

I wanted to share with you my new range of girls cushions.

There is always something really exciting about launching new designs to the world. For me it's showing off proudly what I do, there is also the relief that the hard work for this collection is done. There is also the scary side of...oh boy will the public/customers approve of my illustrations. Like all illustrators there have been hours & hours of work put into these. From the initial concepts, the first sketch, second sketch & so on, right up to printing, photographing, editing & the last piece, loading to the world wide web.

It's so worth it I LOVE IT!

I am really excited they are all done & have loaded them into my etsy & madeit shop.

Have a happy day.

Fathers day FREE download

It's a little over a month until fathers day here in Australia, if you haven't already put it in your diaries it's Sunday September 1st 2013. I know these dates tend to sneak up on us all so I have put together some father's day goodies sure to please. 

I have designed & created something so very practical & useful....a heat bag!! My good ol' heat bag is filled with rice to stay warmer for longer, & also filled with Australian grown organic dried lavender. These bags can be personalised so if you would like the word DAD, removed & replaced with Poppy or Grandad that's fine, just advise me.
A great size approximately 27x18cm. Price $28.00 plus postage. Two colours charcoal or blue & available in my etsy & madeit stores.

International friends I can not send these bags due to custom regulations, however if it's something you would like to order, even though it's not father's day, I can make these for you & send it empty. You would however have to fill them & stitch them at the end yourself. For those who are handy with a machine, this would be a breeze. Just email me if you're interested.

I have also designed 3 coordinating 11x17" prints in a typographic style with lots of wonderful words that relate to our dads. These prints can also be personalised, so if you would like DAD removed & replaced with Poppy or Grandad that's fine, just advise me.

Price $32.00 plus postage. Three colours charcoal, olive, or blue & available in my etsy & madeit stores.
Smaller sizes can be made on request.

Lastly something for you. I have created some lovely wine & gift cards for you to download, print off & use.

The first is a wine bottle tag. Simple cut the rectangle out, then cut straight down the indicated line above the circle. Carefully cute around the circle, then place over the wine bottle. Don't forget to write your message!

Click here to download.

The second are gift tags. Simple cut out the rectangle & fold in half. The inside is blank to write your special message. make a hole in the top left corner, a whole punch will work well & use some twine, string or ribbon to hang.

Click here to download.

Please remember to get your orders in well before rush hour so you don't miss out. For guaranteed delivery in time please order by Sunday 25th August 2013. 

If you have any questions regarding changing words on either of the items, please don't hesitate contacting me, tigesandweince(at)gmail.com

Enjoy,

Have you ever had comparison paralysis?????

The last couple of months have been a time for change for me from a personal development perspective. It's been quite the roller coaster, & it's basically all stemmed from the MATS course I recently completed. It was the shake up that I so desperately needed, yet had no idea how overdue I was for it. I entered the course feeling relatively confident with my current work & my abilities. I knew my work definitely isn't the best, but I also as happy that it was far from the worst. I knew that my style & quality of work needed improvement, that is a never ending journey every illustrator knows. To think it didn't would be a complete lie to myself.

As much as I loved every moment of it the course, it has literally put me in a tail spin. I was pushed out of my comfort zone, being asked to create a different design each week, which force a new style, which you all saw. After the course I really felt like I was in a bit of a funk. I learnt what I have to do to improve & push myself to the next level. I proved to myself that I can create new work with different mediums. I also know that I can draw non children related topics. Sounds all positive yes, but for the first time in my life I feel like I had been hit with comparison paralysis. Sounds terrible doesn't it?
I was so completely in awe of the talented artists that where doing the course, there were around 450-500 of us...I know! The work submitted in the private gallery each week was so incredible I started to completely psych myself out with negative thoughts of, "oh my goodness I am never going to be able to do this". Every week after I submitted my work, I would look at everyone else's & study & ooh & ahhh at SO many of them. By the end of it I was feeling so flat again, the comparison paralysis hit again,  &  was feeling blah about myself & abilities.

Print available here

Thankfully the lovely Lilla Rogers was so nurturing throughout this course, & brought this topic up several times. You have to remember although she is a well known agent, she is first an artist, so she has been there & done that. She gently reminded not to compare, your work & your style is unique, & it is well suited to your market or clientele. Art directors, clients & customers are all different too, & are all looking for something to suit their brief. Basically there is room for everyone's work and style.

The last couple of week have been a time of reflection & hard work. I have been working really hard behind the scenes trying to develop my unique style which seems to be changing in a positive new direction. The confidence of learning new techniques has been a positive for sure. However starting to move forward again has been a great challenge. For a good week or two I just felt like I had stage fright to create. Such silly inner demons that can really cause you some grief. I feel like I am coming out the other side, I am focusing on my own style & developing. One thing I have realised I love is creating positive affirmation typography prints with hand lettering, it so much fun!

Comparison is a natural way of life, we all do it, however learning to accept it & see the positive from it is a empowering feeling. In my case look & love & enjoy the beautiful creations of others, & strive to keep creating my own. This post is not finishing with a happy ending, as there will still be days when I freak myself over these thoughts.

But I am only human on a never ending journey.

planning my Christmas range

It's time for me to start planning my Christmas range. I sit here & think to myself, already. It's only the end of July & I am in the middle of so many other projects. I am in the middle of getting samples made of all of my new products to be released. Once they are done, photos & editing need to be completed, then loading them into my store, & the fun part letting everyone know about them.

But I have to freeze for the minute & literally put on Santa's hat. Thinking about my favourite time of year isn't the hardest of tasks, & it's a time to lose hours upon hours while I search for ideas & inspirations. Love it!! I have loaded up my Christmas Pinterest board with inspiration, & after hours of pinning what felt like thousands of images, there was only a couple of hundred there. Without even realising, my eye has been quite drawn to the idea of a pink Christmas. It just looks so sweet, pretty, feminine, fresh & delicious. But there is no way I could design down that path only, I have little boys to design for.

Here are a few images that have sparked some interest. Yes they are very pink. But they also have a sweet nostalgic & vintage feel to them, which could be interpreted in so many ways.

From everything I have gathered it's time to get some firm ideas down with some sketching.
I am very positive I will be creating the same Christmas items again, as in stockings, my ornamental pear & bunting. It's hard not to, as they were all received so well last year. Thank you x

However I have a new idea or two up my sleeve so I will need to plan & make a few mock ups of that also. Fun times ahead.

Off to draw...Have a great day.

Global Talent Search

Just when you think you have heard the last about my Make Art That Sells course, or Lilla Rogers I am here to tell you NOT. One of the best talent competitions has been launched by Lilla herself. Global talent Search or GTS,  is a world wide competition that is open for everyone to enter.

Basically it's an opportunity to submit your work to a panel of well known art directors & judges within the industry & the winner receives a lucrative 2 year contract with Lilla Rogers studio. Not just a amazing contract with endless opportunities, but a line with Robert Kaufman fabrics, & a licensing deal with Paperchase & so much more.

The brief that was given was a Playground. Nice and simple. Everyone had the same topic so it was an even playing field. You could use any medium, naturally I worked digitally.

Here is my submission. I am really happy with it, it was the best I could do. Whether or not it's good enough to pass the first round who knows, but goodness I hope so, I won't lie!!! From what I am told, over 1000 people entered & a short list of only 50 will be selected. Then they will receive another assignment & so on.

It's a bit like Idol for artists isn't it?

Buy 1 print get 1 FREE

Tonight I am sending out my next newsletter.

My newsletter has been on my must improve on list. Lately I have been so busy with working on my art folio, & making orders, I don't always get to send my newsletter out, or play & promote on social media as much as I would like.

It's easy to forget about it when you are busy with your business & life. So I am working REALLY hard on my newsletter at the moment to make it far more interesting than it has been in the past. I want to make it interesting, colourful, informative, & of course an opportunity to offer my subscribed readers some freebies & exclusive sales & offers.

I have been doing some research & reading a lot about the importance of a newsletter & have learnt the following tips that really sang true to me.
My newsletter is a collective group of willing subscribed readers. 
They are current and past customers.
They are interested in my work & what I am doing! Or they would not have subscribed.
My very own captive audience, where I can let everyone know about what I am working on.

That was such great advise, because like so many people I always get worried about bothering people. I would hate to be annoying anybody & have always been conscious about the frequency of my newsletters. Are they too long? Too frequent? Boring? Do i promote enough? Not enough? What do my subscribers want? As it is our inbox is loaded with subscribed mail, so I am working hard on making it irresistibly interesting!!

In this newsletter I am offering a special on my prints....a buy one get one free sale for 24hrs only. BUT you must be signed up to receive the special coupon code.

Not only is it a great saving but you will the first to see my brand new prints I have release. Here is a sneak preview of one.

If you haven't signed up you can do so here. .
Also don't forget to confirm your email.

Have a great weekend.

Hot Air Ballon Floating Patterns

Playing around with prints again.

This time some hot air balloons floating around in the sky, & butterflies fluttering really close.

I love playing around with coordinates, I could definitely see this design in bed linen & of course a quilt.

The butterfly designs would be gorgeous in a dress for a little girl.

This was all derived from this current design in my shop.

Have a great Monday.

Sweet & healthy kiddie treat

Still on a mission to feed my kids the best quality food I can, & food they just might eat willingly, I came across these gorgeous sweet fruity treats I had to share.

Aren't they adorable, fruit pops, & all created with a cookie cutter. What a great alternative to an icy pole, with the added fibre! 

This idea could be translated into so many other ideas, no bake muesli cookies, and fruit & yogurt pops are the first two that come to mind. I just need to find some cookie cutters like the ones above shown.

Happy Days

I am heading into the 2nd week of school holidays at the moment, & every day has been full of Happy Days. Hence my new print title.

Happy Days

A new print I have just completed, with a slight vintage style for me. My flicking through old golden books has really influenced me. I still love my use of colour & loads of patterns, I just can't stop that. 

 

Last Assignment #5 - MATS course

What a furious fast paced 5 weeks it has been. I have just completed my last assignment which was dedicated to gift wear.

I was asked to find things that I collect. Unfortunately I am not much of a collector, I am not a huge fan of clutter. One thing I have kept are the ticket stubs from my favourite places I have visited on my travels. This is what I found.

I had to create a piece of artwork gathered from this inspiration into a zipper purse, to sell in a quirky little gift store. Ooh how I love those kind of shops, the kind in the small townships you drive through when travelling. Shops with treasures I call them.

To be honest, inspiration wasn't hitting very fast as the stubs & pamphlets were old, a little discoloured, & lack a whole lot of colour. One place I am passionate about is Paris. I adore the city, & it's been nearly 7 years since I was there last. Boo Hoo!

With a hell of a lot of thinking I scanned the map of the Louvre & recoloured it as my base texture. Then I just layered all over it the National French Symbol, the iconic Eiffel Tower, some stripes, french words, a couple more flowers & texture.  This is how it turned out.

I am happy with how it has turned out. I am also feeling quite envious of some of the other work I have seen from my fellow students, as some of them have FABULOUS collections. From buttons, to figurines, to stones, feathers & so much more. To have had something like this so I could have photographed them would have been great. I could have used some of the kids collections, but from a copyright perspective I could find myself in hot water.

I am going to continue on with part B of this course which starts in October.
It truly has been a blast.

Feeding my kids

I don't know about you but I literally do not enjoy feeding my kids. 

I sound terrible don't I? 

The problem is that they just wont eat anything new, sometimes to even try something is a struggle. 

Or if they do eat something like bananas, they don't eat them anymore the next week? It's bizarre. I hear some mums tell me that they can't feed their kids enough, they just eat & eat. That is definitely not a problem in this house.

I have got to the complete FRUSTRATION point where I don't want to give up, ever, but need to find something new, better & a whole lot easier. Even if it means making a bit more of an effort to make it more visually appealing, or in better words, MORE FUN looking!

On my mission I found these. Aren't they the cutest muffins ever & so simple.

source

I will be definitely making these popping them in my kids lunch boxes once school returns!

The hunt also continues.

Trust yourself - MATS week 4

Last week I was diving into the week 4 assignment for my MATS course, which unfortunately is nearly over. You can see here how I got the golden opportunity to paint & collage. I will be honest I haven NEVR really done any work like this before, but have never enjoyed something so much. It was such a wonderful experience to use a real medium, watch it change & develop, see what happens when I mix, & create some texture, it was so gloopy & lovely. It's definitely something I think I would like to continue doing, but need some child free time to practise, as I have a blond curly friend (Charlotte), who nearly explodes with excitement when she sees any of my paints.

So here is my final piece, called "Trust Yourself".
For a first timer I am quite happy with it. I know it's not brilliant, I only need to compare it to some of the fellow artists completing the course, but it's the best I could do. I was so nervous submitting it, as I started comparing it to everyone else's work. The feeling can be quite deflating, but I soldiered on & feel proud that I completed it. Onwards & upwards, I can only improve!

I have some photos of my work in progress, which don't look as clear & bright as the above scanned piece, but its gives you an idea of how I went about & blindly got through it.

Despite all the nerves & apprehension I would not give up the fun & experience I gained from creating this piece.