Julie Townsend Studio: Tutu

Friday, January 1, 2016

The Start of Something Big....

So as part of my Year Of Art in 2016, I want to create a portfolio of sketches. Don't worry, I will continue to paint on canvases and cowbells, but I want to develop my skills in the illustration arena. I've been reading a number of articles about getting your art licensed and this thought excites me. The one e-book suggests that you take 3-6 months and develop a portfolio of ideas so that you can share them with potential companies that buy art for licensing. I will make a little confession here that a secret dream of mine for years has been to have my art published on a Leaning Tree card so art licensing has been a goal of mine long time.

The last several days I have been a bit under the weather, so yesterday I brought all my drawing supplies out of the studio and arranged them near the sofa and the warmth of the wood stove. I spent a good portion of the day drinking hot tea, watching movies, drawing and trying to stay warm. The result of these efforts is a little 5x7 sketch that I'm calling "Take the Time to Enjoy a Good Book". I think this idea has potential to make a cute card.

"Take Time to Enjoy a Good Book"-

So my first sketch for my portfolio is almost finished. I need to decide if I should do something to the background at this point. I don't want to distract from the book but if I put a light color for the background then the book might actually stand out more. It a lot of light colors so I can see a beige watercolor wash perhaps.

Here are some other recent drawings I have done for my darling grandchildren for their birthdays. I'm trying to create a unique piece of art for each grandchild as part of their birthday gift from me. I never liked buy cards from the rack and so I thought it would be much better if I tried to create them something special. These are the three 3 year old grandchildren and I had so much fun turning them each into little cartoon characters.

JoJoda....The Force is Strong With This One!

Katherine- and her "Lovely Lime Green Tutu"

"It's a Bird, It's a Plane...no It's Super Noah"

Biography

Julie was born in Kansas City and spent her formative years growing up in the rural Ozark hills of Central Missouri. Surrounded by farming, woods, country roads and plenty of wildlife, Julie allows these rich childhood experiences to strongly influence her art. Julie’s love of art was obvious at a very young age. Drawing, writing and sewing were her constant entertainment, but as she moved into the responsibilities and stresses of a working mother, everything that was art in her life was packed up and left neglected. It wasn’t until 2010 that she decided to take a drawing class at the community college, followed by an online painting course. That was all the spark needed to rekindle that fire and get the passion burning once again in her heart. With a great deal of hard work, determination and focus, Julie’s work is beginning to be noticed around the country and even internationally. Adjectives often used to describe Julie’s art are the words “whimsical” or “childlike”. Julie has a unique ability to combine both details and bright colors to capture her audience and draw them into the piece. She sets out as a goal with each work of art to emotionally transport those that view her work to a more innocent and happy time in their lives. Smiles are what she looks for when she is watching those that are observing her work and there is usually no shortage of smiling in the room.

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Friday, January 1, 2016

The Start of Something Big....