State of the Artist 11/26/2012

View halloo, all!

It's Monday, which means it's time for another State of the Artist update! :)

 

Weekly Words

Genius is another word for magic, and the whole point of magic is that it is inexplicable. - Margot Fonteyn, 1919 - 1991

 

I think we all need a little magic in our lives.

 

Current Project

Whoo! The Holiday cards arrived at the house on Friday (well, one box... there was a printing/shipping error, so the order was split and the second half will arrive by Wednesday) and they look great! I'll probably be spending most of the week addressing cards in batches since there were so many respondents.

I'm so excited, you guys! There's a lovely gloss finish on the primary image side, and the colors look fantastic! I will definitely post when they go in the mail, that way people can be on the lookout for them.

The Monthly Postcard Subscription Project is up and running. You can subscribe for 3, 6, or 12 months to receive an exclusive, limited-edition original artwork postcard in your mailbox for less than the cost of 2 Starbucks lattes a month! The Subscription Service is open to US and International subscribers. You can find out more information at the subscription page here!

 

Shop Silvertales

Studio Silvertales

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, I ended up drawing what I think is the cutest thing I think I've ever drawn...

... and he's available on multiple items in the store! He's on mugs, t-shirts, bags, skins, cases, and cards. If you'd like to see him on something else Zazzle offers, let me know!

If you have suggestions for more cute animal things let me know, he needs some friends!

Zazzle is having a fantastic Cyber Monday sale with 50% off cards and postcards, 30% off mugs, 20% off t-shirts and bags, $10 off sleeves and cases, and 15% off everything else! The code is valid through November 26th until 11:59pm PT on everything from any store, no matter how much you buy or what store it comes from.

Don't forget to check out Zazzle Blackwhich gets you free standard shipping for a year within the continental US, Alaska, and Hawaii for a flat, one-time $10 fee along with exclusive discounts throughout the year.

 

Near Future

The Near Future sees me spending much of the upcoming week filling out holiday cards! This is the part of the project that I usually forget about... the hours spent hand-addressing and writing notes on all the postcards requested. O.o

I'll be splitting that with working on a recent commission project and getting ready for the holiday insanity that is family visits and trips and holiday get-togethers, along with making sure I have everything together for the launch of next year's Postcard Subscription Project and the Sketch-A-Day Project along with OhayoCon.

 

If you enjoy seeing posts of new or in-progress artwork, please consider a donation.

Become a patron of the arts!

 

Thank you for joining me for another State of the Artist update! :D

Black Friday Blowout! :)

It's that time of year again, folks, Black Friday strikes again!

Wow... my very first Black Friday sale! This is the first year, I've actually had a product shop to advertise for Black Friday... it's so exciting, and rather overwhelming!

Today is the day that most merchants and vendors look forward to. Why? Because today is the day they turn their biggest profits. For many small businesses, this single day will put them in the black.

Why? Because, it is the single busiest shopping day of the year!

People are buying presents for friends and family, and maybe a few extra little goodies for themselves, thanks to the tremendous sales.

If you're anything like me, you prefer to do your shopping with small businesses, merchants, and artisans for those more personal touches... and from the comfort of your laptop!

My new Zazzle shop has mugs, cards, iPad/laptop/eReader skins, phone cases, t-shirts, and more featuring my fantasy, steampunk, and Art Nouveau artwork.

Zazzle is having an unbelievable sale, too! 60% off prints,%50 off cards, %30 off mugs, %20 off shirts and bags, and %15 off everything else! Be sure to check out Zazzle Black, for a $10 annual fee, you can get free shipping on everything you order, no matter the store, no matter how much stuff, no matter how often!

If you're done with your own shopping, Zazzle has a Wish List function... who knows, maybe someone will pick up a trinket or two for you!

 

As always, if there's something you want to see on a specific product, by all means, let me know!

Happy Holidays, all! May the joy and good will of the season follow you today and every day!

State of the Artist 11/19/2012

View halloo, all!

It's Monday, which means it's time for another State of the Artist update here on Planet Kit! :)

This past weekend saw the Holiday Card artwork sent off to the printer and my card order placed! Yay!

There were a few donations made in the last week, and I thank you all for making them. They are greatly appreciated in alleviating the cost of production and postage, particularly in light of the number of requests. I've never seen that many requests before!

Now, if only I could get 50% of that on my actual art posts!

Don't worry, I'm not going to hold my breath.

 

Weekly Words

We'd get sick on too many cookies, but ever so much sicker on no cookies at all. - Sinclair Lewis, 1885 - 1951

I found this quote particularly meaningful today, as I was lamenting my lack of cookies. I am a very sad Kit without any cookies. It's a simple joy, but ever so important. Life would be dull and dreary without those simple indulgences.

I think today is a "bake cookies" kind of day....

 

Current Project

I am excited to announce the launch of a new project: the Monthly Postcard Subscription Project!

I don't know about you, but my mailbox is usually full of bills and junk mail.

It always puts a smile on my face to see something personal in my mailbox instead. In the hopes of putting smiles on other people's faces when they go get the mail, I'm launching this postcard subscription service. :)

For the cost of about 2 coffeehouse lattes every month, you can receive a postcard in your mailbox featuring new, exclusive, limited-edition artwork! You'll also have exclusive access to purchase the original artwork before it's released to the public!

The service is available in 12, 6, and 3 month durations for US and international subscribers, you can even order a subscription as a gift! Once you sign up, payment is collected monthly for ease of tracking, and only for as many months as you signed up.

If you'd like to know more, or sign up, please check out the subscription service page at: silvertales subscriptions!

Please be aware that postcards will not start mailing until January of 2013.

 

Shop Silvertales

Silvertales Shop at Zazzle

SO many new products posted over at the Zazzle shop! Everything from laptop bags to sleeves to skins to mugs to cards to even a few onesies, featuring new and classic silvertales art!

Today (Monday, November 19th) is also the last day to take advantage of Zazzle's '15% off ALL orders' coupon code: FALLIINTOSAVE. Offer ends at 11:59pm Pacific Time. Don't forget to check out Zazzle Black, for $10 a year, you get free shipping on all orders, all year! Zazzle also allows you to start a WishList and tell friends and family. :)

 

Near Future

I've gotten a few positive responses to the idea of a Silvertales Sketch-A-Day sketchbook idea, so I'm still batting the logistics of that project around. Please let me know if you're interested in this project, I need to see if it's worth it to do it.

I'm also pondering the logisitics of offering small, livestreamed commissions maybe once-a-month, depending on convention schedules, where you can request a small commission (probably between $20-$60) and watch it come to life in real time via a live stream. What do you all think?

Family and holiday plans are taking up most of my time right now, as we're well into That Time Of Year, so that's mostly what my Near Future consists of!

For my fellow Americans, Happy Thanksgiving This Coming Weekend, and for everyone else, I hope you have a safe and happy week!

 

Conventions and Appearances

There are no further convention appearances for 2012, but I will be making my first 2013 convention appearance at:

OhayoCon in Columbus, OH January 18-20!

I will have a table in the Artist Alley (I'll post my table location once I'm told) so if you'll be there, come say hi, buy some art, or commission something original! :)

 

If you enjoy seeing new project or sneak peeks at WIP photos, please consider a donation!

Become a patron of the arts!

 

Thank you for joining me for another State of the Artist update!

State of the Artist Supplemental

View halloo, all!

First off, the Holiday Card artwork is DONE, including layout for the card, and everything! The Request post is now closed, and the order is off to the printer! *whew!*

Thank you to the generous souls who donated in the last few days, it is a tremendous help and every donation goes to the cost of producing the cards, and postage. If you'd still like to donate towards the cost of card production and postage, I'll include my donation button at the end of the post.

 

In Monday's State of the Artist post (here) I mentioned that populating my Zazzle store was addictive...

... so much so that I spent about an hour creating a rather obnoxious number of products with a little-known image, my very FIRST Holiday Card artwork image from years ago! I don't think I made more than about 20 of these cards (and they were done by hand!) but it was also the very first time Panda appeared in any of my artwork. It was the year I adopted him, 2004 (and, yes, he was a surly little thing even then!)

 

The very first little winged Panda now appears on everything from cards to mugs to iPad skins to postcards to onesies (I couldn't resist!) If there's anything you'd like to see him on (or anything else) let me know!

Shop Silvertales

*Zazzle also has a current 15% off ALL orders offer valid through November 19 at 11:59pm PT. Be sure to use code SANTASAVINGS in the coupon box when placing your order to take advantage of the sale.*

If the rest of the week, and into the weekend, goes as planned, Monday's State of the Artist should see the launch of a new project!

 

Become a patron of the arts!

State of the Artist 11/12/2012

View halloo, all! It's Monday, which means it's time for another State of the Artist update! :) Weekly Words Nothing is more apt to deceive us than our own judgement of our work. We derive more benefit from having our faults pointed out by our enemies than from hearing the opinions of friends. - Leonardo da Vinci, 1452 - 1519 In a creative field, in particular, little is more useless than glowing praise. Don't get me wrong, glowing praise gives you those warm fuzzies that always feel so good, but it does little for creative advancement. If all you ever hear is "it's perfect," especially if you hear it often enough, you will come to rest on that. Herein lies stagnation, the end for anyone intent on honing their craft. In truth, we gain more in the long run from criticism of a constructive nature. Key word there is, of course, constructive. Just as no one ever improved by hearing "it's perfect," no one ever learned anything from "I don't like it." It's not enough to declare, one must tell you WHY they don't like it. Sometimes, it's as simple as "it's not to my particular taste," and that's fine, but there is nothing to be done with that. But, sometimes, it's not that easy to explain. Sometimes, it's a more visceral response, but those kinds of responses always have a why. Without that all important WHY, there is no room to see where something might not be working. Current Project Still at work on this year's Holiday Card artwork, but pretty sure I'm nearing completion! Nothing like cutting it close to a deadline... >.< And yet, my Quality Control Supervisor (Panda) is keeping a close eye on my progress... the other day, he interrupted my work to enforce a Mandatory Cuddle Break. Beyond Panda, you can see my Tools of the Trade, otherwise known as my collection of Copic markers, which I'm using after the ink stage. Shop Silvertales If you've ever thought that my art would look great on a tote bag or a t-shirt, or you've ever wanted postcards or note cards with that certain piece on them, well, you're in luck! I've opened up a Zazzle store which features my artwork on all kinds of goods, perfect for gift-giving, or just keeping for yourself! :) http://www.zazzle.com/silvertales If there's any particular pieces you think would look great as a postcard, bag, t-shirt (or anything else you can think of!) let me know! I'll be populating the store with more products over the next few days (week/months/etc ... it's rather addictive,) and Zazzle constantly has deals and coupons to redeem, so check back often! In fact, today is the last day to take advantage of Zazzle's Verteran's Day Sale of up to 50% off cards, 30% off mugs, and 15% off all other products! I'll also be sure to post any coupons or codes Zazzle offers as they become available. Holiday Card Project This will be the last post regarding this year's Holiday Card Project Request, as the post will be closed to new replies on November 15th (this Thursday.) This is so the art can be sent to the printers and the cards shipped to me in time to mail them by early December. If you'd like to get a holiday postcard in your mailbox, please leave a mailing address HERE. Please only reply to the linked post, as comments there are screened for your privacy. This may also have to be the last year I offer Holiday Cards. This year has seen an incredible jump in the number of responses to the Request Post. While it is extremely gratifying to see such an overwhelming response to receiving these cards, many from people who've never commented in this journal before, it has also resulted in a prohibitively expensive proposition. I put forth this project as something I pay for out of my own pocket (and those kind souls who donate) in order to provide something small and special in people's mailboxes over the holiday season. That worked out fine when I was fielding up to 60-65 requests a year, but I am now sitting at over 350 (!!) responses to be mailed all over the world and, as an independent artist, I can no longer afford to continue sending out professionally produced materials for free. Please understand that while I love working on this project, and truly wish I could continue doing this, it's just not economically feasible for me anymore. If you wish, donations to the aid with the cost of production and postage are greatly appreciated:

Become a patron of the arts!

Thank you for joining me for another State of the Artist update.

State of the Artist 11/5/2012

View halloo, all! Well, Daylight Savings Time is over for another year, and it's back to getting dark early, which is definitely taking some getting used to! Weekly Words Frame thy mind to mirth and merriment, which bars a thousand harms, and lengthens life. -William Shakespeare, 1564 - 1616 Smile, be kind to one another, respect each other, treat others as you expect to be treated, and the world could be a more harmonious place. We spend so much of our time decrying the lack of respect that we forget to respect others in turn. It has to start somewhere. Current Project Hold the phone! I'm 99.999% sure I've found my final Holiday Card art in the latest sketch I was doodling. (I think I really need to start planning my Holiday Card artwork in July in order to avoid this last-minute mad panic in November!) I'm also 99.999% sure I've got the final colors and such all worked out in my head, too... which I rarely know in advance. I spend far too much time dithering over color choices during the coloring process, instead of working that out in advance, either through a mini rough color version, or a digital color sketch just to see how it's all going to work out. Generally, when I'm in the process of putting color on a piece, it's the first time I'll have any idea what color I'm going to use! But, here you go, a sneak peek at this year's Holiday Card artwork! Holiday Card Project So many of you have signed up to request Holiday Cards this year, I'm amazed! At last count (Sunday evening) I have 225 respondents, and the post is open to replies for another 10 days. O.o Judging from the number of comments I receive to my art posts, either here on LJ, or through other social media outlets, I was NOT expecting this kind of response. But, if you'd like a card and still haven't left an address, you can reply to THIS POST HERE as all comments are screened for privacy. Please be aware the request post will be closed on November 15th to get final artwork to the printers so the cards come back in time to be mailed in early December (fingers crossed.) I don't require a fee of any kind for this project, but donations toward the cost of production and postage are greatly appreciated! If you'd like to donate, the graphic below will take you to my PayPal donation page:

Feel free to post links to this journal/community if you feel there might be interest in my artwork! Near Future Well! I've got some project plans for 2013! As has become my usual, January will kick off with the Sketch-A-Day project, and February will see the Work-A-Week project. I seem to get the most responses with the Sketch-A-Day project, so I'm thrilled you all enjoy the daily sketches and seeing them go from sketch-to-finished piece in February. I'm also planning on adding another Sketch-A-Day (and subsequent Work-A-Week) later in the year. I'm planning on Sketch-A-Day sketchbooks, collecting the pieces done in each year's project. A number of people have requested the daily sketches be collected in print editions for collecting, and I think it's a great idea! I'm also planning for a postcard subscription service in 2013! If you sign up (I'm planning on 3,6, or 12 month options) every month you'll get a postcard in your mailbox featuring brand new artwork produced specifically for the postcard project. You'll also get first rights to buy the original artwork, before it becomes available to the general public. Keep an eye out for the informational post about the service in the coming weeks to learn more! I'm planning on offering some limited small-commission slots and livestreaming the production process. If you've wanted an original or a commission, but my regular pieces are just not in your budget, this is the perfect project for you! Commissions will be kept small and you can watch them happen in real time! I'm excited for the coming year! Let me know what you think of the planned projects, or if you have ideas you'd like to see me tackle! Thank you for joining me for another State of the Artist post!