Thursday, April 28, 2011

30% off for Mom


Buy a cute present for mom.
Welcome comissioned works.
Give something made with love

Use code: LOVEMOMS at the checkout.
Valid: May 30th 2011

Monday, April 25, 2011

Time for craft fairs

Since last month I've been displaying my work on some local Art and Craft Fairs.
As you know, I not only have my art business, I also own a jewelry and hair clips business.
I started first because I love bows and hair clips and some of them were really expensive. So I decided to buy some supplies and made my own for my litle ones.
I gave them also as party favors and as birthday presents of the little girls of my friends. They insisted so much that I should sell them that I thought 'Why not?', and here I'm running two business of what I love most: using my hands to make art and crafts.


I enjoy to be at fairs where I have a close relationship with my customers and I've made a circle of crafts friends. My little assistant (my older daughter) also loves to go and she is now so well known and loved by the other vendors.

Here are some photos of my latest show




And I'm so excited because there I met a great person who invited me to this SPRING Fair this coming May 1st. I will be displaying not only my clippies, also part of my art work.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Friday Spotlight: The Art of Lisa Falzon

The first time I saw her art I was breathless, she reminds me a lot Joe Sorren, one of my favorite artist. I saw in her that beauty of romantic painters, she lets us into a world of inhabited creatures that seem to have their own history and fantastic places.
Hope you enjoy the journey together to this whimsycal places and explore more about this talented and pretty artist.



Name: Lisa Falzon
Location: Cork, Ireland

1. Tell us about your crafts and how you came to make them


I create digital artworks (and occasionally, traditionally-produced art pieces too) and sell prints of them. I'd been working as a digital illustrator for a couple of years, selling prints through DeviantArt when one other Deviant Art user mentioned in a very casual way that I'd sell more on Etsy. I'd never heard of Etsy before and tentatively opened my store in 2008. I began selling properly in 2009 though, and as soon as I started tking it seriously it started taking ME seriously, and now it is my fulltime job. I also create custom one-of-a-kind headpieces through my other brand, Moth And BayLeaf. www.mothandbayleaf.etsy.com :)



2. What do you enjoy most of being an artist?

I enjoy the act of creating and communicating. To me, art is an act of expiation. I can tell through paintings things I am too embarassed or that would cause me to feel too fragile to say. I can also say very subtle things that there are no words or expressions for.

What I like about being an artist for a living is the fact I am master of my own time schedule, I can take a holiday when I want/need, and I am part of the movement that breaks the myth that you cannot be an artist for a living :)



4. Which artist inspire or influence you?

I am very inspired by historical artists like the Pre Raphaelites, art of the renaissance and rococo/baroque period and medieval gothic artwork. In a sense though ALL art inspires me. My favourite artist is probably Balthus, whose moody pieces influence my work very much.

I am also inspired by modern fashion and trends. It's no surprise to you perhaps then, to see a girl with a bow in her hair when bows are in fashion in stores and streets. I try to mix and match the old and the new - the medieval and the high street couture. It's subtle but the influence of both is there.



5. Which is your favorite color and which colors do you use most in your work?

My favourite colour is primary red, the reddest red you can get. I don't use it more than other colours but I love to use it as an accent. So in a sea of greens and blues, you'll see a dash of red and this dash is what I'm all about. I also like other reds like vermillion and magenta, that veer to the cold range as well as the warmer cadmium reds. I don't discriminate when it comes to colours though - I am sincere when I say I love them all, earthy browns, electric blues, lemony yellows - I love the way they all make me feel, think and taste something different. Colours are amazing :)



6. How you promote your work?

I promote my work via my Facebook page and blog. Second to that too, I also have a deviant art page which keeps me close to a younger art community. It's not promotion as much as it is 'staying part of an artistic community'.



7. Can you share your #1 tip for success?

I believe that you have to approach the business side of your art exactly like that - as a business. Most of us start out on Etsy in a kind of hotch potch 'oh maybe I'll sell something' way but even if you had the best items in the world, if you treat it as an artist would and not as a business person would, you'll not be efficient.

I think working out how much you want your business to make per month then checking out item sales and working out profit per item then calculating how many items you need to sell per month is a good target. This gives you concrete numbers. Then set about reaching those customers to secure those sales! A hard step too.. but the first one is an important step often missed, and this is my number one tip therefore :)




8. List 5 of your favorites blogs or etsy stores

My favourite blogs are:
http://maggiestiefvater.blogspot.com/ : Maggie Stiefvater's blog. She's so funny and clever

http://elsita.typepad.com/thehiddenseed/  :  Elsita's sense of style cheers up any morning before I've had my coffee!

http://intothehermitage.blogspot.com/ : Rima is so inspiring - her words, art and photos are dreamy :)

http://littlearrowireland.blogspot.com/ : A blog I love by a writer I love

http://madameguillotine.org.uk/ : I adore history and this writer has taught me about so many nteresting people I never knew existed!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Wearable art for babies

Hi everyone,
   I know it has passed long time ago, but I needed time for inspiration and new stuff for my 2 businesses. I have designed cute bodysuits for babies with a Mexican style. These are so cute and everything is handmade.
  You can buy them on my Etsy store and are available in different sizes. More designs coming....










Thursday, February 17, 2011

The process of creating

Creating is bringing something to life. An artistic creation is full of  flights of imagination, of big surprises until the piece is finished.
The process is complicated as in your mind exists and comes to life from the nothing. You take pieces of existing objects and transform in a unique human expresion.
As an arists, I want to share with you the process of my new creation: "The mexican rag dolls".


1. First I like to sketch and then transfer it to the canvas. I love the Blick art mixed media panels as the paint colors remain true and brilliant on the surface.


2. My favorite part, starting to add the colors. I used watercolor crayons as a base and then the acrylics colors. Final I make the shading with ocre and brownish colors. You can see the difference from the finished face and the one wih the base only.


3. Now add more details with the acrylics colors and graphite pencil for shading. This will end in a beautiful painting don't you think?



4. An here is the final result of my creating process. I love the brilliant and colorful painting with the Mexican Rag dolls. This painting was made upon request and will be hanging in the room of a little princess.

Well I hope you enjoy the journey in this creation of my latest painting.

Love


Thursday, February 3, 2011

Thursday of treasuries

Hi everyone,
  This week was a little odd, I broke my toe hitting it with the door and now I realize how important is it. I can't walk, and my life is slowing down because this issue.
  Whatever, I will get better in 6 weeks, meanwhile I want to share some great treasuries I've been featured.
Enjoy them

1. Frida Kahlo


2. IT TAKES TWO...



3. All Mexico needs is Peace!


4. Take Care Of My Heart, I've Left It With You



Sunday, January 30, 2011

Share the Love - my new painting is ready

Finally I finished my painting, I love  how it looks with the vibrant colors!!!
Now you can buy it on my etsy store


It took me a while, because I was getting ready for my daughter's 6th birthday party, but I think it is just so cute that it was worthy. Talking about the party, it was awesome. Fernanda had a big smile and that was my best reward, she had a blast with all her friends. Here it is a picture of my little princess.


See you soon.... have a wonderful week

Monday, January 24, 2011

My new sketch for a Valentine`s painting

Helloooo!
I hope tou are having a wonderful week, I'm a little busy preparing all for my daughter's birthday party, she is turning 6! Yeah I'm getting old every year when she celebrate another birthday.
I want to show you the sketch of a painting I had in mind for celebrating this Valentine's day. Tell me what you think?

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Friday Spotlight: MisNopalesArt

Hi everyone,
   Don't think I forgot about this amazing section of my blog, but you know everybody was crazy with holidays and I prefered not to disturb them with my requests of interview them.

   I'm so excited because today the interview is about the owner of Mis Nopales Art:.

   I love his art and his amazing t-shirts that I can say my husband and friends just love them. Come and join me to know more about him and his art work.


Name: Jose Pulido
Location: California

1. Tell us about your crafts and how you came to make them

I do printmaking, which includes Gocco Prints, Linocuts, and T-Shirts. I've been pretty much drawing my whole life and generally draw things that I like. I started screenprinting on T-Shirts in 2004 and began putting some of my drawings on T-Shirts soon after I started up my Etsy shop in 2008.


2. What do you enjoy most of being an artist?
I really enjoy the freedom to express my creativity and to let out some of the things that are in my head. Sometimes I have too many ideas so it is very important to have a sketchbook.



3. How did you get started selling and How long have you been crafting?
I started my shop in 2008 and got started because I was inspired by other sellers on the site that were able to sell and share their art with the public. I was looking for an outlet to show/sell my art at the time and I lucked out with Etsy.


4. What does selling on Etsy mean for you?
 Etsy means a lot to me as it was my outlet to finally share my work with the world and hopefully make a buck or two to keep supporting my creative endeavors.

5. Which is your favorite color and which colors do you use most in your work?
I'd say my favorite color is green but I don't use any particular colors more than others, at least I don't think.

6. How you promote your work?
 I promote my work through my Facebook and Flickr pages,
www.facebook.com/pages/Mis-Nopales-Art/75106129779
www.flickr.com/misnopalesart


7. Can you share your #1 tip for success

I believe it is important to not give up and believe in yourself. When I first started my Etsy shop I didn't know what to expect and it took about 6 months for my shop to pick up. There were some times when I was a bit discouraged in the first few months but I always thought about how I could improve my shop and never gave up. Another mini tip is to have a lot of variety in your shop and many items. The more things you have up, the more likely somebody out there will like at least one of those things.


8. List 5 of your favorites blogs or etsy stores

tugboatprintshop: www.etsy.com/shop/tugboatprintshop
chetart: www.etsy.com/shop/chetart
poordogfarm: www.etsy.com/shop/poordogfarm
matty8080: www.etsy.com/shop/MATTY8080
ElleJW:  www.etsy.com/shop/ElleJW

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Starting this year...

Hi everyone,
   Happy New Year!!!!, I hope you had a wonderful holidays.
   I spent a great week with my family in San Francisco, this was the first time we were there and I just loved the city. As a big city you can find good things and bad things, and one bad was that my wallet was stollen in a restaurant. I was so mad about this!!! but that didn't ruined my trip.
  I enjoyed visiting museums and all the turistic places.

During the driving to San Francisco and coming back I saw my awesome DVDs that Tamara Laporte sells online (http://www.willowing.ning.com/). They are just great and very instructional so I want to share my very first pencil portrait I made with Tam's technique. What do you think?


I tried to make a self portrait and as I always wanted to have big eyes I draw it like that.

And talking about {willowing.ning.com}, I was honored to be one of the artist featured for this January, so please take a look!

 

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