You Take the Cake...and the Pies and the Cookies Too

"You Take the Cake" sticker collection now available on my ETSY Store

WHAT A WEEK!  I have spent a number of hours working on small projects in Photoshop and I couldn't be more pleased with this fact.  In one week I have learned SO MUCH!  With determination, using YouTube and a "Photoshop for Dummies" book I was able to break down that thick wall of fear and self doubt that I had built up over the years.  And to think that just a month ago I felt that I really needed to my kids to teach me this stuff.

To me, learning to navigate in Photoshop is going to be a real game changer when it comes to taking my art to the next level, especially when it comes to getting my art licensed.  Raising my computer skills is a must and has been a long time goal.  A while back I listed 5 goals on a large white board in my studio and learning Photoshop was number 1 on the list.   I'm going to be able to check that goal off my list here real soon.

For a long while now I have wanted to use my original artwork to make small items such as greeting cards, magnets and stickers that sell easily and bring in a steady stream of monthly income.  Yes, selling an original painting for $200-$500 is much more exciting than selling a $5 greeting card with that same image, but if I sell 100 of those greeting cards in a month.... Well, you can do the math.

I also see making this merchandise myself as stepping stone to getting my images possibly picked up and used by an art licensing company.  In my mind, if I have just smallest level of personal success this will serve as a segway into the world of art licensing.  By the way, I think art licensing is number 3 on that aforementioned whiteboard list.

If you are interested in downloading this particular sticker collection, then please check out my Etsy Store.  The cost is $3 for the download and then you can print as many of the stickers as you want as long as they are just for your personal use.

JulieTownsendStudio Etsy Store-You Take the Cake Stickers

Gardening

Here is an example of the original artwork still in my sketchbook before I scanned the images.  I did realize that it would have made things a bit easier if I had spaced each image farther apart so that I had no need to erase portions of overlapping images.

Cupcakes and Baking 

Here is a close up of several of the finished cupcake designs that I came up with.  They are all fun and bright and were so much fun to design. For the sketches I used my Prismacolor Pencils, my Tombow markers and black ink.  I outlined each image with a white border which I think results in a sticker on a sticker look.  At this time, I'm really liking how that looks.  It gives the image a "Pop" effect.

These finished images will work great on not only stickers but as meme's, greeting cards and magnets.

Fonts are extremely important to the overall design when you want to include a cute message.  Two fonts that I fell in love with this week, during my many hours of working on Photoshop projects are Catchup and KG Summersunshine.  I will certainly be adding both to my list of favorite fonts that I keep in my creative journal.  I keep the list because I have difficulty remember all those silly names and would have to waste too much time scrolling up and down the list of hundreds of fonts trying to remember their names.  I'm getting old so you have to cut me a break.



Catchup is already on my default font list on my computer but I guess I have failed to really see it.  It is fun and yet not too difficult to read.  I love how it looks on my most recent sticker sheet.

 The next font I used this week was one I actually downloaded from the website "Dafont.com".  My first font download by the way.  I was looking for a block font that I could really doctor up in Photoshop and this one turned out to be perfect.   This eye catching block font is called

Kg summersunshine  If you would like to download it yourself than here is the link at Dafont.com.  Here is the example of the flyer I made for a co-op gallery that I belong to in the heart of the Las Vegas Arts District.

A FREE Valentine Gift for you.

Last week I ran a contest for my other blog that I have started called "Embrace Your Creative Side" and the response was so amazing on my Facebook page that I decided I had better share this with my Julie Townsend Studio followers too.  Of my five Valentine designs for 2017, this one that I call "Puppy Love" won the most votes.  So to show my appreciate and to say Happy Valentines Day to all my friends, I made this image into a FREE printable PDF file.  There are two (2) 4 x 6 " postcards to a page and all you have to do is to click on the link below and it will take you to that blog post.

Let me know if you actually decided to print out the card and add it to your Valentine Gift Giving.  I would love to hear about it.  This image and many more are available in my Etsy Store or you can contact me directly by email.


Embrace Your Creative Side: My Free Valentine Gift to You: 

Why Do I Blog?

Blogging Helps me Stay Focused

I was asked the other day "Why do I think blogging is important for an artist?" I immediately replied, "Accountability and Focus."  Without a doubt I need this creative outlet to keep me on task and to stay focused.  I have always found that in my life, that  I worked best if I had a deadline looming.  Be it housekeeping (guest arriving for the weekend), business/professional (Financial reports due for the monthly board meeting) or creatively (what am I doing this week that I can blog about).

Blogging is like having an online journal where you can be yourself and share whatever is important to you with the world.  The goal of course is to create a fan base and that is very important as an artist.  I use Blogger as my platform and have posted regularly for a number of years.  It is free and really not that difficult.

Having a blogging goal of a minimum of one post a week keeps me on my artist toes.  I'm always creating or digging for interesting and fresh topics that I will be able to write about.  Usually the topic for my Julie Townsend Studio blog is of course my own artwork or current project such as teaching my art students or talking about something I have learned.

Blogging Helps Keep Me Accountable

As an artist, blogging faithfully and consistently helps you create a connection between you and your fan base. I'm huge into social media and blogging is just one of many avenues I use as an artist to make connections.  Blogging is a great platform for you to tell your story and potential clients are more likely to seek you out and purchase your art if they know you and your story.  If you are at all like me, I don't care how boring my day has been, I always perk up if I'm asked about my favorite subject - MY ARTWORK. That is a blog post start.  All you have to do is show a quality picture of your work in progress, your studio, your reference photos or even a picture of your dog and then talk about what is your motivation for this piece.  Readers WILL find that interesting.




This past week I make the decision to  launch a second brand new blog that I am SO excited about called "Embrace Your Creative Side" and I can't wait to really get it going in 2017.  This will be a platform for me to focus my attentions on more than just my artwork.  I will be blogging about before and after projects that are focused on improving my home decorating skills, creative cooking and for sure getting my "Awesome Grandma Act Together".  I want to throw myself into craft and art projects that include my growing group of grandchildren.  With all their Blonde Curly Cuteness, this blog is sure to become a hit and just think of all the memories I will be making in their lives.

Be sure and check out my Website and my New Blog.