My Artistic Sabbatical Just Got A Bit Nutty

Today's sketching efforts turned out to be a little bit nutty.  Or should I say that my focus subject today was a couple of nut loving rodents.  As I mentioned in my previous blog post,  we have spent the past week camping high on a mountain in the Humboldt National Forest camping just about 5 miles outside of Ely, Nevada to escape the hecticness of Las Vegas and more importantly the extreme heat.  While it was warm, 90+ for a few hours in the afternoon each day it is nothing compared to the 115 degrees that is often the norm back home.  It is hard to be stay inspired when you're sweating buckets of bullets.  

It has been a glorious week of peace and solitude.  I'm calling it my artistic sabbatical.  My list of creative goals is pretty hefty, and even if I don't get them all accomplished, I feel that this time is going to be well spent.  

Practicing Feathers

Today I decided to practice drawing fur.  I have for my inspiration a very cute book I purchased a year or so ago by Jane Seabrook called "Furry Logic".  It's the cutest little book and her illustrations are amazing.  I love her treatment of fur and feathers.  So I'm trying to improve my own drawing techniques while looking at her lovely pictures.  I worked on feathers the other day so today it was fur.

I especially wanted to draw a grey squirrel because I was treated to a visit yesterday by a particularly large guy that decided to run through our camp.  One thing missing from this past week has been wildlife.  Oh there have been plenty of bugs in the week.  I have had my fill of that type of wildlife.  There was one little hummingbird that would whiz by occasionally but not much else.  I had really hoped to see an elk or at least a deer but that wasn't to be.  Yesterday morning, while drinking my coffee I was treated to a sighting of a grey squirrel.  I was thrilled because it has been actually several years since I have seen a squirrel. 

So here are my two sketches. I'm pretty happy at how they turned out.  I of course need a lot more practice before I'm in the league with Ms. Seabrook.   One sketch done in honor of our camp visitor is treated in a realistic style and the other is closer to the style in the "Furry Logic" and is more animated and fun.  Both started out to be just little studies but I feel that when I get home they may wind up being matted and make an appearance on my Etsy store. Of course I will use my scanner and not these blurry cell phone photos.

You can checkout more of my work on my Website or my Etsy Store.

Draw Where You Live

The other evening, I was inspired greatly while watching several YouTube videos on the subject of plien air painting.  Both of the artists featured in these videos are extremely successful and skilled artists. They are  Lori McNee and Jim McVicker.  I have signed up to take an online webinar with Lori McNee on the "Secrets of Social Media" and am very much looking forward to all that she has to share on that topic since I love blogging and FaceBook.

The video that Lori had filmed showed her painting a river scene that is just a couple miles from her home in Idaho.  She is there quickly catching the colors and lighting with her paints.    You can really see the scene unfolding as she works.  Right in the middle of her filming session, a moose comes wondering up the river like he wants to be a part of the painting.  I have experienced the thrill of seeing wildlife up close and seeing a moose while camping in the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming was certainly a thrill.  I was immediately jealous of her ability to be surround my such amazing scenery with such a minimal effort."A Day in the Life of Lori McNee"

The video on Jim McVickers is actually a documentary on him as an artist.  It showed him traveling all over the rugged Northern California countryside painting from a variety of landscapes.  He never uses a reference photo but rather will return to the same location several days in a row or even up to a year later to capture the same lighting conditions.  The film showed several pieces as he started with just sketching roughly in paint and then immediately blocking in the canvas with vibrant colors.  The painting rapidly took shape as the camera man captured Jim working.  Jim McVicker "A Way of Seeing"

Being thoroughly inspired, I was determined to have a positive plein air experience of my own when yesterday when we decided to head out to the desert to do some 4x4 exploring.  I usually paint in acrylics but the air is so dry here that I struggle the whole time trying to keep my paints wet enough to even get it applied to the canvas so I packed my sketching box that includes my travel watercolor kit.    

With our lunch packed and some folding chairs thrown into the back of our old Toyota 4 Runner, my husband and I headed out to the hills.  The day was absolutely amazing.  We had an overcast sky and pleasant mild temperatures.  Usually the afternoon sun wears me out but there was a perfect blanket of clouds that allowed plenty of light but not the glare and radiation that you usually experience whenever you are out in the Southern Nevada desert.  

We did some exploring of some roads out near the area of Coyote Springs and while the scenery wasn't breathtaking and the wildlife we saw wasn't anything as impressive as having a moose walk past there was still something satisfying about sketching in nature.  I did see a couple lizards and a fuzzy tarantula spider that I guess can count as wildlife.  Now that it has finally cooled off enough here I will be heading out more often with my watercolor and pens to practice some plein air of my own.

My plein air sketch of some driftwood I found in the wash

Impressive desert wildlife

I always want to know what is at the end of every road I see.  Well this was the end of the road.

In my adventures that day we had to pass through a barbed wire fence.  My shirt didn't quite make it as you can see.

Freedom Comes with a Cost

As Veterans Day is approaching the gallery that I actively hang my artwork at is presenting a special exhibit in honor of our nation's veterans.  This piece is 8x10 but will be matted to 11x14 in time to entered into the show. I used pen and ink, watercolor and colored pencils to get the rich colors of the flag and purple heart.

This piece is special because it is a tribute to my husbands uncle.  For many years now I have had a photo of this young man in his military uniform hanging on display in our living room.  I always made a point to talk about him to my own sons on Memorial Day and Veterans Day so that they would remember that their grandmother had a brother that she loved dearly but would only live to see his 19th year.  His family didn't even know that he was in Europe when the telegram was delivered to the Kopriva Hardware Store in Powell Wyoming.  Bruce P. Kopriva was killed in action on July 18, 1944 in France. See more details at Bruce P. Kopriva (findagrave.com)

"Freedom Comes with a Cost"- A tribute to all veterans and my husband's Uncle Bruce who died in WWII in France at only 19 years old.   I used his actual purple heart and dog tag as reference to do this piece.

Fence Posts

Most of my childhood memories involve growing up near the small town of  Eldon, Missouri.  We lived in a very small mobile home positioned 1/2 mile down a country gravel road off Hwy 52 on 20 acres of wooded property.  20 acres is a goodly amount of land for any child to explore and have plenty of childhood adventures.  Our house was tiny, cramped and stuffy so I recall that I spent as much time as I could outside. I had my own clubhouse at the edge of the clearing that we call our backyard.  I loved spending time there.

Our property was fenced very much like shown here in my painting.  Old fence posts strung with 3 strands of barbed wire.  The line of fence posts that bordered the gravel road that accessed our property were always painted white because my mother liked everything in the front yard, including 3 feet of the base portion of many of the trees, recycled rubber tire planters, well house, porch and our swing set all shining under many layers of white paint.  I think she would have had me paint all the rocks in the driveway if she had thought about it. 

The rest of the fence posts that separated our property from Old Man Shulte's pasture were left to succumb to the elements and slowly decay giving way to the character of the wood.  Knots and flaws in the wood probably go unnoticed by most but in this piece I wanted to show how this post still is standing strong enough to be home to many growing things.  Strong enough to still create that a barrier between the field and their grassy home.

This new painting I've just completed reminds me of home.  In the summer everything about Missouri is dominated with the color green.  There is just so much vegetation there and living in that vegetation is vast number of small creatures living their lives out in the search of food and trying not to become food themselves.  I call this piece, "Life at the Fence Post" and it is 36x24 inches and painted in acrylic.

If you like my work then please click on the link above called gallery or visit my website at JulieTownsendStudio.com

I Would Much Rather Paint Snow than Shovel it!

First Light

This piece was absolutely a joy to create.  I can honestly say that I love painting snow, I love looking at pictures of snow but I have never been a great fan of being out in it.  I'm pretty sure there are times as a little girl growing up in the Missouri Ozarks that I experienced some childhood enjoyment from the cold wet stuff.

Getting to enjoy a SNOW DAY would probably top that list.  We would have school cancelled because the vast network of gravel roads in Miller County were too dangerous to travel when they were covered with snow and ice.  Sledding was also a lot of fun and I can remember that perfect hill between my neighbor, Donna Wood and her brother Don's house.  What a thrill to fly across the snow and end up rolling into a snow bank.  I also have great memories of building a snowman with my grandmother on her front lawn in Swedeborg, Missouri.

 I have ZERO experience driving in the stuff and find dealing with it stressful and exhausting.  I think it has only snowed in Las Vegas maybe 4 or 5 times in the 38 years that I have lived here.  After all I was only 16 when I moved here and so I have never had to deal with it on a daily basis.

This piece maybe small but the colors are impacting as well as eye catching.  In the right frame, this piece can easily become a focal point in any room.  If you are interest in seeing more of my work, then please click on the gallery tab above or visit my website at JulieTownsendStudio.com.

I also think this piece makes an amazing shower curtain or throw pillow.  You can order prints or accessories at my Fine Art America Site

Getting Your Art OUT of the Studio

This past week I got to enjoy a great afternoon in historic Boulder City yesterday at their annual ART IN THE PARK event.  While I wasn't at the actual event, I did get to set up my artwork outside the Boulder Dam Hotel.  It is a real pleasure of mine to be a part of such an amazing gallery and am blessed by the friendships I have made among this group of exceptional artists.  There is some real talent at the Boulder City Art Gallery!

While I could have chalked the day up as a failure because I didn't make any sales, I think it is good to get your art out of the studio and experience sunshine and fresh air.  The Nevada sun has a way of burning away all the brain cobwebs and get your creative juices flowing.  I can't wait to start a new painting today.  

Here I am standing in front of all my newest pieces.  With the exception of the bottom framed piece, these were all painted in the past two weeks.   

Trying Something New

The past few weeks I have been creating something a little different in my studio.  I finished a commission piece for a friend and ever since then I have just had a real urge to break away from painting on a canvas and have been turning my attention to using a combination of watercolor, pen and ink and colored pencils.  I love the richness that the colored pencils give some of the areas when I go over it using the watercolor as a base. The end result is a  combination of looseness and yet rich details that neither the watercolor or the pencil has on its own.

I am also stuck on the look of outlining in pen all of the randomness of color and designs that are created by using watercolors for my backgrounds or on the fur.  It creates an abstract effect that I like in the background.  I have no idea if anyone else will actually like this technique, but I'm having a BLAST!

All these pieces will be hanging by Preview Thursday (October 1, 2015) at City of the World Gallery.

Watercolor pieces getting matted and framed

Fun piece to paint of a lions eye

Almost finished with the details on this Red Eyed Tree Frog

Coloring Isn't Just for Kids Anymore

I know that the newest rage I hear these days are adult coloring books.  Who would have thought that there would actually be a market for advanced coloring books geared towards adults but I can say that I it completely understand the benefits that they offer.

I have been doing a great deal of sketching myself and often grab these blank cards to draw on it. This practice has lately become an evening activity that I really look forward to.  I find it relaxing spending a few hours just having fun playing with colors and lines.  Getting wild with my watercolors, colored pencils and my new set of Tombow brush pens.  

I have no idea if I will actually sell many of them, but besides it being excellent practice for me as artist, I sure won't have to buy any cards myself for quite sometime. 

3-D card that I made by attaching the poppy flower sketch to the card

A pile of completed cards that I have made in the past few weeks.

A couple more colorful examples

More Red Dots to Report

This past month I have the pleasure of seeing several of my pieces find new homes.  Getting to post an article about how much I love talking about RED DOTS is right up there with winning ribbons.  Selling a piece is the ultimate confirmation in my mind that your art is headed in the right direction.

"13 Pickers in my Pan" sold to a young man that came into City of the World on August First Friday event.

"Always Tea Time" was a commissioned piece for a special friend. 

Special Order cowbells finished and ready to ship off to Columbia Falls, Montana this week

Telling a Story with a Paint Brush

As an artist, I'm having a blast with this project that I recently started. It has been something in the back of my mind for some time and this week I took the initial step to actually start putting my idea to paper.   I know that I am just a few sketching into it but I really wanted to share some of the fun I am having.  I'm not sure if the end result will actually be a published children's storybook, but I am having fun illustrating what I hope will be at least a real keepsake for my grandchildren.  I have a lot of work to do since I currently have 6 amazing grandchildren all wanting their stories to be told.  

I'm just using watercolor and pen and ink to make these sketches.  I have no idea if this is the best medium to actually use to illustrate a story, but I feel I just have to get the ideas on paper and they can then be refined as I learn the correct processes.  It is going to be a learning experience for me but I'm feeling up to the challenge.  

With a real dog that is very much as big as a small pony, the inspiration for this story is not hard to come by.  I have all kinds of funny ideas about the problems and benefits that one wee little girl could face with such a large pet.  

When you are just a snip of a girl, taking your giant dog for a walk is more like a fun park thrill adventure than a chore.  

Sleeping can be a challenge when your bed dog is more like a bed HOG!

Tea parties can be very frustrating affair when one of the guests have such bad manners that knock over all the invited guests, break the table, step on your entrees and spill the party beverages.

CONSIDER LEAVING ME A COMMENT....I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!

I promise to keep updating this blog as I come up with more and more pages to my story.  If you are interested in seeing more of my artwork, please click the gallery tab above or visit my webpage at julietownsendstudios.com

YOU GOT TO LOVE A BLUE RIBBON

This is me and my EXCITED face!  I was thrilled to find that my piece called "Edge of the Herd" took first place in the acrylic category at the Helldorado Art Show this past weekend.  This is a really nice western themed show that I have participated in for the past several years.  I just didn't think this small piece would receive any type of singling out or I would have done something with my hair!   

"Edge of the Herd" 1st place winner in the Acrylic category

To even add to my surprise, my entry called "Stories Around the Fire" also took second place.  I'm just tickled pink here.

"Stories Around the Fire" awarded 2nd place in the Acrylic category

IF YOU WANT TO LEARN TO PAINT BETTER...THEN TEACH!

I'm finding a great deal of satisfaction in sharing my art with a younger generation in the form of weekly lessons.  I'm always a little nervous before they come but once we get painting that hour just flies by.  Here is a little glimpse at my home studio and the space I have designated for students. I took this photo just last week of the brother and sister students that I have intently working on painting the details on their pink zinnias.  

I was once told by a veteran artist that you really learn a great deal about your own art work, style and technique when you take that step and begin teaching.  So not only are these kids learning from me, but they are teaching me and improving my skills at the same time.   A BONUS- Weekly lessons also keeps me motivated to keep my studio space clean and organized!  

My students painting chickadees and zinnias.

To check out more of my artwork, please visit my website at:  JulieTownsendStudio.com

Western Themed Art

My Newest Western Themed Pieces

Light'em Up- 12x12 Acrylic

This is a fun action filled piece inspired by a photo I saw shared by my artist friend who is the real life Marshall of Dodge City, Kansas.  There is just something about this red headed cowgirl, sitting high in the saddle,  reigns clutched in her teeth, six-shooters blazing that draws you into action of the scene.

It reminds me of the thrilling feeling I would get as a child when the beautiful and athletic cowgirls would fly past me with the American Flag flying proudly behind them and their strong horses kicking up the rodeo arena dirt with their powerful hoofs  as they circle the arena.  An exciting display in preparation for the singing of the National Anthem to soon follow.  Every summer this would be my memory as we would always travel to see the rodeo in Coffeyville, Kansas where my Uncle Dick Diveley would always sing the National Anthem.  To me that made him something of a celebrity in my young eyes!

"Edge of the Herd"- 10x20 Acrylic

The American Bison has always held a fascination for me.  I recall as a small child that as we traveled the 50 miles to my grandmother's house in Swedeborg, Missouri, we would pass a large property where  several of large beasts could often be seen from roadway.  

I was also raised on stories of my father's past professional rodeo days when he hung around with Buddy Heaton and his famous buffalo Grunter.  Several old newspaper clippings of my dad riding a buffalo during a rodeo event cover pages in the family album.  So for pretty much as long as I can remember, buffalo have been of real interest to me.  

This past summer I got to enjoy a close up encouter with a very large herd of buffalo we got to see while traveling near Jackson Hole Wyoming.  I have for some time wanted to paint a scene that reflects this American Treasure.  "Edge of the Herd" is the result of that experience

"Stories Around the Fire"- 16x20 Acrylic

There is just something about sitting around a nice fire with friends and a hot cup of coffee and with this piece I wanted to bring you along and stir up memories of your own campfire experiences.

I wanted this piece to portray the rendezvous of an old mountain man and his two cowboy companions.  You can see that the old man is sharing a story as his two companions listen intently. One sipping a cup of steaming hot coffee while the other cowboy holds a stick to poke the fire.   One look at this scene and you know that this old timer must have accumulated enough stories that he could easily keep you up all night listening to his adventures.

Singing the Art Show Blues

This has been a particularly exhausting two weeks.  I have had art show commitments across town on two Saturdays in a row. This probably makes a total of 6 or 7 art shows that I have participated in these past few years of my young art career.  So far I haven't a single positive experience to report.  I can only imagine that art shows could be exhilarating if the end result was a number of sales or a pocket full of solid contacts had been made.  Alas, that has not been my reality. Not only did I loose the revenue I would have earned giving lessons to my Saturday students, but I got to pack up exactly the same amount of artwork that I came with.  My only real comfort as I look back over these exercises in futility is that I didn't pay much for booth rent for either event. 

Rejection for something that is so personal and emotional as ones artwork can be a hard pill to swallow.  Oh you get plenty of people who come by and make comments about what a great artist you are as they compare you to the only two artists that the uneducated art public know, Bob Ross or Thomas Kinkaid.  They might even gush over just how amazing your cowbells are but then they all walk, away to never been seen again. 

To end this blog on a high note, I am happy to report that the very next day I sold two cowbells; one through my sister-in-law and her Facebook post and a second because my sister had three bells out on the counter of her Pahrump, Nevada mini- market and one of her customers just had to buy one.  I guess the question here to ask is, "Will I ever do another art show?" I would answer probably so because it seems this is something that artists do.  I will do a little research before time and try to make sure I am participating in the RIGHT show that has been marketed properly and is a good fit for for my style of artwork and of course my COWBELLS.  

                                

If you are interested in seeing more of my work or perhaps ordering your own hand-painted cowbell then visit my website at Julie Townsend Studio

Shall we Take a Turn in the Garden

I have always wanted to have a cutting garden of my own.  One that I could go to early morning "While the Dew is Still on the Roses"; basket in one arm and floppy sun hat, tied firmly to my chin. I could cut baskets of beautiful flowers whenever I wanted.   A vase of fresh flowers always placed perfectly on my table and little bouquets piled up to give as gifts of appreciation for all my friends and neighbors.  I know what you're thinking, "This girl has watched too many Jane Austin movies."  You might be right with that assumption.  If I could quote Lady Catherine, "Miss Bennett, there seemed to be a prettyish kind of a little wilderness on one side of your lawn. I should be glad to take a turn in it, if you will favour me with your company.''

Reality is that all my adult life I have lived in a hot and VERY DRY desert.  I always plant flowers like geraniums, salvia, lavender and mum along with a variety of herbs each spring in pots around my front door but as soon as that summer sun hits the record temperatures in July and August I wimp out and nary a toe or the tip of my nose stays outside any longer that it take me to walk from my front door to the passenger side of my trusty Honda.

I guess I will have to settle for painting cutting gardens instead.  Recently, I have been fascinated with zinnias, lavender and black-eyed susans.  They have been a focus of both my canvases and cowbells and I'm in love with their bold colors and graceful lines.  I decided to combine two of them along with a feisty hummer in this composition that I am calling "Hummer in the Cutting Garden".  I hope you like it.

The original is painted on an 11 x 14 inch gallery wrapped canvas in acrylic and will be shortly available on my website at JulieTownsendStudio.com

"Hummer in the Cutting Garden"

FOR WHOM THE COWBELL TOLLS?

Perhaps a commissioned cowbell tolls for you!  


I know it may sound like I'm bragging here this morning, but think it takes some skill as an artist to do a commission piece from a small photograph.  I've heard horror stories about artists trying to use a tiny, faded, wrinkled black and white photo of grandma to capture everything that the family remembers of her years after she has passed away.  I can only imaging how very hard it would be to make a realistic portrait on a canvas under these circumstances.  My commission experience wasn't anything so drastic but I was asked to paint a commission bell of of a beloved pet, in this case a horse and transfer that likeness to the small 4"x 6" metal surface of a cowbell. This morning I decided to share with you my experience.

Painting so many of these cowbells have given me some valuable practice and I think, just like consistently drawing in my sketchbook, these small artworks are also giving me valuable practice as an artist.  Painting small can be a real challenge because I naturally prefer to paint much larger. Today, I can report that I'm feeling much more confident at painting in general and I can almost paint chickens in my sleep. 

Up to this point, my cowbell commissions have been pretty non-specific and rather more a general theme such as "Can you paint me a rooster, a cow or a sandhill crane?"  I also get request for certain flowers such as the Texas blue bonnets, lavenders or sunflowers.  This particular commission request was much more stressful because this is not just any horse but the clients horse "Lady" and I had to get it right.  

I was a bit nervous during that time that I sent the initial photo of the finished bell to her Facebook message thread to the time that I received the "I LOVE IT!" reply.  Let me just say I gave a huge sigh of relief because this bell probably took me as long to paint as it would have taken to paint maybe 2 or 3 bells of a different subject.  

I am happy to report that this bell is today packed up and waiting for the scheduled postal pickup, soon to be a fixture in it's new home in Ponca City, Oklahoma.  As an artist, there is a great deal of satisfaction to take a project, even if it is as small a cowbell, from start to completion.  

Please contact me at Julie Townsend Studio Contact Page if you might be interested having me do a commission cowbell for you.  They make GREAT gifts!

Create It and They Will Come

I have been doing some research and browsing for examples of a commission agreement that I could use to create my own form.  This past week I was told that I might be getting a call from an individual that purchased one of my hand painted cowbells and that he was interested in getting me to paint a picture of long-horn steers and that confirmed to me that I needed to get busy.

Although, I haven't done very many commission art pieces yet in my short art career, they are a very important part of being a professional artist and so I am both nervous but excited about the possibility that someone may be calling.  I certainly want to be ready when it does happen and so today I created a Commission Agreement.  I have in my mind that it may be something like that Kevin Costner movie "Field of Dreams" and if I create the form then the commission requests will come!

There are basically 4 main sections to most of the contracts that I reviewed they are:

1.Artwork details- This is where you outline sizes, mediums, framing and anything else particular to this piece of artwork that is under consideration.  This might include some attached renderings.  Creating some small renderings is always a good idea so that the collector won't be completely caught off guard at the date of delivery.

2. Payment Schedules- Date the first payment, which is serves as a non-refundable deposit is due and the balance remaining at estimated delivery date.

3. Copyright- This is a standard statement that should accompany all of your artwork.  I have a very similar statement on my Certificate of Authenticity form.  I will be sharing that form in also in the next few weeks so please keep checking in.

4.  Right to Refuse- Gives the buyer one last chance to change their mind but also protects the artist.  The artist retains ownership of the piece that may be sold at a later date and gets to keep the non-refundable deposit for all the sweat and tears that when into creating a commission piece.

All the verbiage that I reviewed seemed to be very standard but the agreement covers the necessary points to protect both the artist and the collector.  Key point to me was collecting 1/2 of the total price as a non-refundable deposit.

So you can find the agreement that I came up with on my webpage.  I wanted to embed the document directly into this blog for you but learned that Blogger doesn't allow for that function so you will have to follow the link I've listed below and it will take you to my contact page where I have the document linked.  I'm happy to share this so feel free to adapt it to your own use and hopefully there are many occasions for us both to use it!

Julie Townsend Studio Contact Page

If you found this blog helpful, consider becoming a follower.  I'm on a slow journey to success and you're welcome to tag along!

Be an OLD DOG SPONGE!

I don't know if it is a right brain, left brain thing but a great many talented artists that I have met seem to lack any kind of business sense and have no clue how to promote themselves.  I've been involved now for several years in the local co-op gallery scene and have observed a steady stream of artists that euphorically believe that the moment their art is hanging up on a gallery wall, the public will come flocking.  They will make enough to cover the cost of their wall rent and sales commission fee with a tidy profit left over to at least buy their supplies to create more lucrative art.

WRONG!  I have personally learned from these past couple of years that the attitude towards co-op gallery scene should be more treated as an educational process in your LONG journey to be a successful artist.  Very few can create a fan base overnight and there is so much great art out there that you have to keep your eye on your goals. 

GOAL # 1- Paint, Draw, Sculpt, Throw Pots, Weld, Make Jewelry or whatever else it is you do and do it OFTEN!  My skills as a painter have improved greatly over these past 4 years since I decided I might want to retire from my 8-5 accounting job and do art instead.  If your lucky like me you might be able to trade your skills learned from you OTHER career to discount that wall rent.  Co-op galleries are always in need of someone that actually understands accounting, balance a checkbook and knows the difference between a profit and loss and a balance sheet.  

GOAL # 2- Never stop learning!  Your education as an artist can't stop at your easel.   You have to learn all about sales,  marketing, web hosting, photo editing, writing, blogging, networking; the list goes on and on and it may seem overwhelming because as mentioned before, many of us are retired. We didn't figure this stuff out when our gray matter was young and in it's twenties.  We're in our 50's and 60's and so the cliche "It's hard to teach OLD DOGS new tricks" comes immediately to mind.  Make a list of your weaknesses and start LEARNING about them.  

GOAL # 3- Be a SPONGE! Find a buddy that is at least a little further on the road to success than you are and that starts by joining your local art guild.  That's what I did and now have a number of good artist friends that offer support and help.  Artists can be a crazy lot but even a very quiet and conservative person like myself was able to find a friend.  You can do it too!

GOAL #4-  Get your website up and maybe create an art Facebook page.  You're not going to have thousands of hits or friends right away but it does build like a snowball rolling down the hill.  Find an successful artist and check out their website and Facebook activity.  There is nothing wrong with sitting up your own website to resemble and function like theirs.  They more than likely paid thousands of dollars to have a professional site made and you can take advantage of that.  You are welcome to check out my website at- JulieTownsendStudio.com   I used a free website host called Weebly.com but this past week have been working on my co-op gallery website that uses WIX.com.  Both work find and are good options as I am sure there are many reasonably priced sites out there to choose from.

I'm pretty sure I could come up with a pretty lengthy list of goals this morning while I'm enjoying my McDonald's coffee and free WiFi, but these 4 are, in my opinion, the core of where you should focus on immediately.  

A Studio That Fits in Your Pocket

I know that as of late I have had a number of posts about my recent little artworks painted on the side of cowbells.  And while the cowbells are my current focus due to the popularity of them among my Facebook friends and local galleries, I thought today I would share some of the sketching I have been doing recently.  

I was keeping a larger sized journal for the past year, but with the pressure of filling up the larger pages, I found I wasn't drawing it on a daily basis like I intended.  In January I purchased a pocket sized sketchbook journal at Michaels and I just love it.  I carry it in my purse along with my .005 Pigma Micron drawing pen.  It is small and easy so I can pull it out whenever I have a few minutes. 

I'm filling the pages with practice doodles, zentangle designs and intricate sketches.  Not only do I find this fun and relaxing, I completely believe that keeping your drawing skills sharp is one of the best things you can do to improve your painting skills.  

I hope you enjoy these pages I've selected and I would love to hear from you about what you are drawing.

For a look at my more SERIOUS artwork and fun COWBELLS, come visit my website at JulieTownsendStudio.com

Sunflower sketch that I did today.  I LOVE the torn paper border look

A page full of Zentangle designs.  Practice makes perfect!

Playing with contour lines.  I love how it gives the illusion of being sucked into the center

Playing with a rope design for a border

My beautiful niece Laura

A fun ZENTANGLE KITTY

Cowbell Stampeed!

It has been a Cowbell Frenzy in my Las Vegas Studio the past few days.  It started out with a request for a commission piece of a horse for the daughter of my cousin and then several additional orders were then requested.  I ended up almost finishing my 7th bell yesterday and I am happy to report that they are all sold!  I continue to be amazed and blessed at the popularity of these small pieces of art.  

I've pulled out 4 of my USPS medium rate shipping boxes and it is now time to get my assembly line shipping process in full swing.  I have (2) double orders and this box is perfect because I can ship 2 bells in the box for the same cost.  I have established an account with USPS and can order these free boxes in larger quantities to be delivered directly to my home.  I don't have to visit the local post office and hope they have enough boxes for me.  

Another great tool I have found just recently is invoicing on Paypal.  All I need is an email address and I can invoice the collector and they have the convenience of paying with a credit card.  The small fee that Paypal charges is well worth the convenience and security for me.  No longer am I waiting for a check to arrive in the mail before I can ship off the artwork.  This has really made the process less stressful for me.  I actually woke up this morning and sent an invoice to one happy client from my iPad while still enjoying the comfort of my bed.  What a day we live in!  Paypal also allows me print out a prepaid shipping label so I don't have to wait in line at the post office to ship.  I know that I can schedule a pick-up of my boxes but haven't done that yet.  I think this might just be the right time to see how that works.

The results of a weekend of cowbell painting!

The cost to order a cowbell is $65, which includes shipping if shipped in the continental US.  A $10 additional charge may apply if you are interested in a custom design.  Just message me you are interested in placing an order.  Mother's Day is coming and they make GREAT one of a kind gifts!