FREE and Just In Time for EASTER

I know that I am just a little bit excited about my newest Etsy Listing that I'm calling a Funny, Punny Bunny bookmark! I mean this week alone I have sold a total of 58 bookmarks in my sheep and cow design and that just blows me away. I purchased a new Scotch Pro Thermal Laminator, a Fiskars 12 Surecut Deluxe Paper Trimmer , and 4.5 x6.5 (5 mil) lamination pouches that are just perfect for this job.

In fact, I am so excited about bookmarks right now that I decided I was going to give a few away for free. All you have to do is follow the link to my Etsy Shop for this listing that I have linked below, favorite my shop and leave me a comment about seeing this on my blog on or before 4/1/18. That is all you have to do to be included in the drawing to receive a free bookmark. Now that wasn't so hard and in perfect time for Easter!

Funny Punny Bunny Boomarks

Blogging about Carrots

I've been a little over the top these days about carrots it seems.  It was just a few weeks ago that I jumped in and got really messy trying my hand at paper mache' and made some large carrots as part of my Easter entryway decorations.  They make me smile each time I walk through my front door.  These giant vegetables added just the right amount of color to my display.



This little sketch I did last year of a bunny sitting among a whole bunch of carrots is a favorite of mine.  I call it "Don't Forget Your Vegetables" and I love the contrast created by the black and white of the bunny against the bright orange and green of the carrots.

This week I had a few hours that I had to be away from my studio.  I'm part of a co-op gallery in the downtown Las Vegas Arts District and there are afternoons that I must take a shift to keep the gallery open during their scheduled business hours.  Sometimes I lug my paints down there and sit up a table, but this week I just took my small sketchbook and my travel pencil bag.  I decided to draw and I think you can just guess what the subject of my drawing was...You got it!  A Carrot!  I really wanted this carrot to have obvious bunny chew marks on it and I'm pretty happy with how the end results came out.  I decided to add some text so one of my digital files of this sketch has "Some Bunny Loves You" on it.





 I love when I can just sit for a short time and do something that I absolutely love to do and then take that effort and turn it into a potential income source.  I thought these two sketches made a perfect pair and so I couldn't wait to work on a sticker sheet that focused on these drawings.  Besides stickers the carrot sketch makes a beautiful magnet or gift card to give to someone special.  I have this full sheet of cute carrot stickers available now on my Etsy Store and will soon be adding the magnets when I get some good photos of them.

HO..HO..HO! FLEMISH GIANTS

This past week I had the pleasure of attending the Clark County Fair and Rodeo.  My favorite part of the fair of course is checking out the art exhibits but I really enjoyed my time walking through the small animal exhibits. 

The exhibit hall is a bit smelly, dusty and noisy but there is so much to see.  There were baby pigs and goats that were only 2 days old. There were loud crowing roosters and fancy chickens in all colors and sizes.  There was plenty to look at as I enjoyed strolled through each isle. 

One particular cage made me stop in shock!  Inside was the biggest rabbit I had ever seen. The cage label said he was a "Flemish Giant" and that was NO exaggeration. This bunny was HUGE! I just shook my head as I tried to imagine the havoc those giant incisors could wreak on any garden, flower bed, fruit trees or backyard vegetation. This guy could easily reach anything growing up to 3 feet or more off the ground with little effort.

This photo isn't my photo and it isn't the actual rabbit that I saw at the fair, but he looked just like this all stretched out in his cage. This would be TOO much bunny for me! I will just have to enjoy my little fluffy friends drawn on paper.

Not my photo- just one borrowed off the Internet to show what a Flemish Giant looks like

Watching Carrots Grow

Watching Carrots Grow

I finished up writing a poem I wrote just in the last few days to go along with one of my illustration sketches that I call "Watching Carrots Grow".  I think it turned out pretty cute and so I blogged about it yesterday on my Embrace Your Creative Side Blog.  Embrace Your Creative Side: Watching Carrots Grow:

I know I'm probably crazy to try to maintain two blogs.  I mean it's not like this blog has gone viral or anything but I found that I really needed to bring more creativity into my life and not just me painting on a canvas or drawing a cute little bunny rabbit.  I need my surroundings to reflect my creativity too.  I also need to pass on creative memories to my grandchildren and that all takes planning.  Blogging about projects and ideas will help me stay focused on what I really think is important.  So I say all that to really trying to step up my game.

Don't Forget Your Vegetables

With Spring weather arriving and the Easter Season quickly approaching, I decided I had better pull out some of my bunny sketches that I did last year and maybe add one or two new furry friends.  Now is the time to get these guys making a gallery appearance in the form of magnets, cards and small prints. Combine that fact with me working like a crazy woman trying to get all the details worked out for my March 28th solo art show "Down Country Roads", I have a pretty busy week in store.

This art and more is available on my Etsy Store. Check it out at:  https://www.etsy.com/shop/JulieTownsendStudio?ref=shop_sugg

WATCHING CARROTS GROW

By

Julie Townsend

Waiting and watching for Carrots to grow

Have you ever seen anything so painfully slow?

From the time in the spring when you place the seeds in soil

And don’t you forget to water, weed, sweat and toil

Then you jump for joy when you see that first bright leafy green

Looking like a plate decoration for some fancy cuisine

Remember with carrots the important part is growing out of sight

Deep in the ground without a single spot of light

For it’s the roots of the carrot that cause your lips to smack

Their crunchy sweetness is always a favorite snack

Patience is a virtue many will say

And you better have plenty because it takes many a day

Remember the saying “Good things come to those who wait”

Waiting you must do before that orange goodness is on your plate

There is an important lesson that you should take heed

Plant these words deep in your heart to grow just like a weed

I’ve read in the Bible that we should “fix our eyes on things unseen”

It’s not the outward appearance that makes you selfish and mean

But just like carrots that grow underground and out of our sight

It’s those invisible qualities of Love, Joy and Peace that makes you shine bright

And let’s not forget to save plenty of room

Because there is nothing so sweet when Kindness and Patience are in full bloom

Stand strong and guard the garden of your heart

The reward of that harvest will give your life a good start.

Just a Couple of Silly Wabbits!

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait- 8 x 10 colored pencil sketch

YOU SILLY WABBIT!   It is hard to think of anything as cute as a sweet little bunny rabbit.  Here are two cute little guys that are part of my "Down Country Roads Collection".  Sorry for the poor cell phone photo of my latest drawing, "Good Things Come to Those that Wait" but because I'm on the road and away from my handy flat bed scanner I have to depend on my cell phone to snap a picture of my artwork.   I was so excited yesterday when I finished this piece,  that I decided that I would use the cell phone photo for now.  

I have had the experience of having pet bunnies several times in my life and one thing that stands out to me about their behavior is that they are natural born chewing machines.  Just last week a dear friend of mine shared a story of how recently her pet bunny chewed her clothes dryer cord and nearly burnt their house down.  That's a bunny rabbit for you.  They love to chew unattended electrical cords.  

I also remember that we had to put chicken wire around the base of each of our trees in the backyard to keep them from striping the bark off and in the process killing the trees.  No shrub, flower or vegetable could stand a chance against their always moving incisors.

When you think of bunnies, you also immediately think of carrots, or at least I do.   I'm not sure that this particular vegetable is actually a favorite food over any other leafy green delicacies but the association with them is very strong.  Maybe it all started with something as iconic as a cartoon character and the phrase "What's up Doc?".

Whatever the reason, I love these carrots and how their bright colors add to my sketch compositions.  When I started drawing this little lop ear fellow I was thinking about the old saying "Good things come to those who wait" and the virtue of patience.   I could visualize this little guy patiently watching the carrots grow and that thought made me smile.  

Both of these original sketches are available along with prints, greeting cards and art magnets.  You can check out all my artwork on my website at julietownsendstudio.com.  

Don't Forget to Eat Your Vegetables

I'm Partial but These are Just Stinking Cute

For the past 6 months I have been painting a number of pieces with the idea they would all be part of a collection that I'm calling "Down Country Roads". The artwork is a combination of large acrylic paintings and pen and ink sketches that have been embellished with color pencil.  All the pieces focus on a country or farming themes.  To see the whole collection please feel free to take a peek at my website gallery.  I would love to hear what you think.

Now I'm new to the whole Zazzle market but as an artist I want to try to tap into any market that will get my artwork out there.  So the other night I was adding a few of my "Down Country Road" images to a puzzle coaster that they offer.  I thought this was about the cutest thing ever and so I thought I had better share it in case someone else decided this was the perfect gift.  

I can just see this as a great gift for friends that enjoy a touch of country.  Also young children would love the puzzle aspect and who can resist cows, pigs and bunnies?

Feel free to look up my Zazzle store and order your very own coaster set.  I would love to hear if you do.

       

                 I see......COWS!

Order a Cow Puzzle Coaster Set

and PIGS!

Pig Puzzle Coaster Set

and BUNNIES!

Bunny Puzzle Coaster Set

Be Sure to Eat All Your Vegetables

I started this little sketch yesterday morning while enjoying my favorite McDonald's coffee, thought about it all day while I was at work and finished it up while I was eating my dinner and watching NCIS series on Netflix.  Sometimes you create something that makes you excited and this piece is that for me.  I couldn't wait to share it with you this morning on my blog.

The overall size of the actual sketch is about 8 x 10" so that larger size made the fur a bit daunting.  I used a combination of hatching and stippling to give it that textured fur look.  The challenge for me came in when approaching the lighter areas because I had to have good control of the pressure on the pen so the ink tapered to a place that was barely visible and yet still  giving the impression of fluffy soft fur that you know this little guy has.  I also wanted the carrots to stand out from the bunny so at the end I took the plunge and used a darker bolder line.  Ink is not forgiving so once you make a decision there isn't much ability to turn it around.  With acrylic and oil painting you can create detours and exit plans all day long that are just not afforded to you with this medium.

My focus for the past few months has been creating art that reminds me of my childhood growing up in the Missouri Ozarks.  My brother and I raised rabbits for several years.  In the winter that was a particular challenge as the rabbit hutch was situated at the edge of the clearing that was our yard and the top of a particularly large hill.  I remember several times the ground covered in ice and I having to work my way to the hutch by grabbing on to tree after tree to keep from sliding down the hill.  Good memories.

I'm working on my 4th large 24 x 36" acrylic painting but I have also added a number of sketches that are waiting to make their public debut.  I have a solo show coming up in April in Boulder City Nevada that I am calling "Down Country Roads" and this piece will most likely be matted and framed for that show if it is not sold before that time.  I want to have a number of cards and prints available and this bunny will make a great addition to the lineup I think.  My hope is to make my cards and matted prints of my sketches available on JulieTownsendStudio.com in just a few days.  I just received my new Canon Pixma Pro 100 printer last week and I'm working hard to get up to speed and bond with this new studio addition.

4 designs that I have already developed in my series.  These are all hand tinted and packaged and will be sold individually or in a group.