Coloring Anyone?

 Who likes to use coloring books?

I've decided that I'm going to work on publishing a coloring book that will contain primarily my "Wash Tub" series along with other farm animal related drawings that I have done. I'm kind of excited and nervous about this project but I have over 32 pages designed and now I just need to scan them and make edits to each page. Then I have to work on designing the front and back cover along with the first few inside pages. This is going to keep me pretty busy. I would LOVE to have this book ready to sell on my Etsy Shop by Christmas but we shall see about that.

I think I also want to include small thumbnails of my completed artwork so that there is a coloring suggestion for how the finished page could look. My thoughts here are that while the images are simple enough for children to use, that with proper attention to shading and techniques, these drawings can be enjoyed by adults. Does that make sense?

The BIG learning curve will come to play when I work on getting the book published. I'm going to research the KDP self publishing arm of Amazon. I was listing this week to "Coffee with Ronnie" of Ronnie Walter Biz Coach for Creatives this week and that was one of her topics. It was like she was talking straight to me. I have tons of drawings already so for me it is really a matter of getting them edited and organized. I'm hoping she decides to offer a small Zoom class just to help those interested in see their book published. I've already sent her a message to add me to her list.

Anyone already have experience with publishing a coloring book? I'm sure this will be a blogging topic of mine for quite sometime. I would LOVE to hear your opinions and suggestions.

It's Coming

 Just 98 Days until Christmas...and I have the perfect Christmas Cards for you!

I've drawn this old washtub so many times that I can almost draw it now in my sleep.  With the holidays in mind, it just seemed natural to decorate it all festive for Christmas and invite some fun farm animals to the party.  I had a blast creating each of these drawings and it was natural to then turn them into a set of Christmas cards.  I just added the listing for the set a couple days ago on my Etsy Shop along with a "Woodland Critters Christmas" design that is just adorable.

I'm in love with the torn paper background and the hint of dark red surrounding it.  It compliments that old washtub perfectly and just makes an adorable holiday card to send to your farmhouse loving family and friends.  You're sure to get lots of smiles.  Wash Tub Christmas Card Set on my Etsy Shop

As a matter of fact, I'm SO in love with that background that I have decided to incorporate it into my 2021 calendar designs that I am currently working on that will feature many more of my washtub series.  I'm really excited about and will be sharing more next month.

When I create a new art for a series like this that I know I will be grouping together, I also list each piece of art separately on my shop where you can purchase a print or note card with just that image on it.  No background added, just the artwork itself printed on nice paper with my signature.  This gives 100% of the focus to the artwork without diminishing it with other colors and images to distract your view.  I have listings for all 4 of the Wash Tub Christmas designs on my Shop if you are interested in a print or a card of this style.  These cute animals are sure to brighten up any wall in your home with a splash of Christmas cheer!

If you would like to check out this image or more of my art you can hop on over to my Etsy Shop and poke around.  I LOVE having visitors!  Julie Townsend Studio on Etsy

Going to the Dogs

SO TELL ME, ARE YOU A CAT PERSON OR A DOG PERSON?

It seems like my summer is "GOING TO THE DOGS"!  I literally feel that I could just dedicate the rest of my art career to drawing all the different dog breeds.  I have received requests to do; Doxies, Collies, Corgies and Beagles...just to name a few.  All so cute, in their own doggie way and just adorable when added to that well used "Wash Tub" full of bubbles.  

Honestly, I've gotten as much response with my dog drawings as I have with the cow and chicken pieces that I have done. That surprises me a bit, but I guess there really are a lot of "DOG" people out there. 

Meet Ginger

Personally, I'm a pet neutral kind of girl.  We do have both a chihuahua mix named Ginger and a 21 year old tortie cat named Pesky that keep us hoping at home.  You can't help but get attached to them, but deep down, I know that I would be okay without owning a pet. 

I'm probably not going to surprise you when I say that, "I do love drawing them."  Now that's my kind of pets.  They make me laugh, they are not problem to clean up after and traveling is a breeze.  I can have an entire barnyard of animals and they are all just hanging out in my sketchbook.  

This past two weeks,  I have had a blast drawing these doggy fur babies and I really appreciate all the positive reaction I have gotten from them.  My Facebook fans are the best!

I have to share so let me introduce the gang.  I have a total of 4 doggy drawings I have finished and just today, I starting my 5th drawing of a beagle and 3 barn cats.  It is going to be so cute.  

All of these are available as prints and note cards on my Etsy Shop .  Hope on over and check them out.

Wash Tub Kids

Scrub Tub Bubbles

Bubbles and Bushy Tails

Soap and Quackers

Soap and Quackers

Who still likes to spend time coloring in those popular adult coloring books?  I sure wish they had them when I was child.  I LOVED coloring and I've never out grown it I guess. I don't use those coloring books but I do love to work with color pencils in my sketchbook.    

Interesting coloring facts:  The coloring book, formerly called the painting book, has been around since the mid to late 1800's but coloring crayons weren't invented until 1902. (https://www.vox.com/2015/9/2/9248663/coloring-book-history) Since then, they have become a standard part of everyone's childhood.  Don't you still feel a bit of excitement to see a brand new box of crayons?  You know that really big box with the built in sharpener?  I sure do! It's like a goose bump moment when that lid is lifted and all those unmolested color choices are there making their grand appearance, standing at attention in their neat little rows waiting to greet you. I was always envious of my classmates that were so lucky to have the "BIG" box with the sharpener as we grew up poor and I always had to settle for the smaller sized box.  This could explain my strong emotional connection still today to that sharpener.  LOL.  

Yesterday, I finished working on a new drawing in my Wash Tub series that I am really excited about. It is hard to believe but this is actually #14 in the series so far.  This one is of a black Labrador and two mallard ducks in that very familiar tub.  At the base of the tub I have added some fuzzy baby ducks and a red ball.  The dog has soap bubbles on her head, which I hope gives you the impression that she has been playing in that water herself.  We all know that Lab's love to play in the water.  It's a really fun piece and I had a great time creating it.  It is SO much fun in fact,  that I felt a downloadable coloring sheet would be a great idea. 

As and artist, I feel it is important to share my love of drawing with others and that is what prompts me to create fun giving away items. Little pieces of artwork to share with those that support this creative journey I am on.  Please download as many as you like.  Share them with your students, grandchildren or maybe you just want to color them yourself.  I would LOVE to see your finished coloring projects.  Snap a picture and let me see too.  

Here is the link to my FREE COLORING SHEETS

Baa Baa Bath Sheep

This is my newest drawing in my Wash Tub series and it is just in time to order for Mother's day if you hurry.  Up to this point I have only had one animal at time in the tub but it seemed fitting to include a ewe and a her brood of youngsters as we approach the month of May.

While I was working on this piece, I couldn't help but remember the process bath time was when my own 4 kids were babies.  It was akin to a well organized assembly line.

I would hand one baby at a time to my husband in the shower and then as he washed them and shampooed them I was drying and putting on pj's on the clean child he had handed back to me.  It was fun times and I miss those years when they were all small. Thinking about those times, so many years ago brought a smile to my face while I drew this piece.  Of course, to really personalize this drawing to match my family dynamic I would have had to add a 4th little black lamb to the group.

"Baa Baa Bath Sheep"

For me creating art is about creating an emotion.  There is just something about drawing that transports me to my happy place or sparks a cherished memory from my past.  Scripture tells us that  "A happy heart is like good medicine but a broken spirit drains your strength." Proverbs 17:22   A HAPPY HEART is a powerful concept and living a life full of happiness is a choice.  I find myself at times becoming overwhelmed with the negativity of this world that surrounds me and I just have to escape to my studio, turn on some worship music and grab my sketchbook. I sing and I pray while I am drawing and the stress and anxiety just begins to disappear and fades away.  God is so good! (I can even hear your replying back to me "All the Time.")

This piece is titled "Baa Baa Bath Sheep" and is one of 10 drawings in a new series I'm doing that I call my wash tub series.  I may be quarantined in my studio but I'm loving this whole process of drawing farm animals taking a bubble bath.  The series has been so well received and for that I am so blessed. 

If you would like to purchase a print or note card with this image then you can visit my Etsy Shop and here is the link.  Search "Wash Tub" and you should be able to find all the rest of the water logged gang there.     HAPPY ETSY SHOPPING!

The Gang is all Here

What an exciting week I have had. Even in the midst of this isolation, I am rejoicing.  I don't mean that I am happy about the virus that has made many sick or that so many people have lost their jobs.  No those things weigh heavy on my heart but I am thankful for my new focus on important things and the reduction in the amount of distractions I have right now.  I appreciate the added time given me to ponder both the creative process and my relationships. Relationships with the Lord and with my family.  I miss them all and just can't wait until we can hang out together again.  I'm going to so enjoy having all those grandchildren climbing on us and wanting to sit next to us.  Facetiming just doesn't REALLY get it!   

On a practical note, this week I have gone a long ways to getting my studio inventory room all organized and slowly the studio itself is taking shape and I'm feeling that I can enjoy the creative process once again.  That makes me excited.

I very much feel that creativity is a gift from God.  He was the first Creator and has instilled in all of us a desire to make things.  Some of us, just seem to have a bit more bent towards that direction.  I guess that is why it is called a gift.  My desire to create art has been there inside of me for as long as I can remember and I feel that it has become my ministry to others.  I know that might sound strange to some but I receive comments almost daily about how my art has brought a smile, lifted someone's spirits or was a bit of  "light to the dark spots".  I am humbled and in awe of this. My prayer is "Lord, please allow my art, in some small way, to point them to Your love and joy."  I pinch myself daily because I'm really doing this art thing.   

You might not know this about me, but I actually have a business degree so I pretty much always have to talk about the numbers too.  This month, I made the decision to pull out of the local galleries, at least for the next 6 months and put all my efforts and attention into promoting my artwork online.  My online audience has grown leaps and bounds this past year and I am finally seeing the fruits of that in my increased sales.  Brad and I are so BLESSED!  We just look at each other and shake our heads.  This past week, I broke both my daily Etsy sales record by having 8 sales in one day and my weekly sales record with a total of 16 sales this week.  In February I had a total of 22 sales and in March 23 sales.  Both months were a record for me.  This month for April, I have 35 sales and we are just barely half way through.  That so motivates me to get into the studio and get busy. 

"Goat Soap Bubbles"

I contribute some of that growth to popularity of my newest series of art that I have started creating.  Last month when this whole Covid-19 thing became a real "THING" for most of us, there was so much emphasis on hand washing.  Videos and memes galore.  The idea popped into my head to draw a pig in an old galvanized steel wash tub taking a bubble bath as a bit of a joke.  You know, "EXTREME HAND WASHING".  Well, that drawing was a hit and I haven't stopped drawing that washtub since.  I'm have now finished my 8th drawing in the series and it is of a little goat. 

I really have no idea when I will be done with this series because the number of farm animals and wash tub compositions that I have rolling around in my head seem to be endless.  One thing is for sure, "I'm having a blast!"  Friday night, I decided it would be fun to line them all up and use that as my Facebook banner.  You know, like a "WASH TUB PARTY" and that image got so much response that I decided I had better create a new listing on my Etsy Shop and I call it "Wash Day".  I couldn't really get them all to fit on the standard size paper having them all in a row like this image, but I did form a bit of a circle with the tubs and the end result has been a real winner.  Here is the link to my ETSY SHOP  (or you can just hit the Etsy Shop tab on the menu bar above) if you want to check this listing and all my other bazillion cute farmhouse art listing that are available there.

Here's the WHOLE GANG!

3rd week of QUARANTINE

As I approach the 3rd full week of confined isolation and this government orchestrated lock down, I feel the challenge to keep my spirits and those of my family lifted up.  I strongly believe that we should always be wise concerning our health but I'm reminded that in 2 Timothy 1:7 we are told that "God hasn't given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love and of a sound mind."  So I wash my hands and am barely sticking my nose out the front door.  Of course the pollen count is so high right now that I don't need government persuasion to stay inside.

To help me with that whole "sound mind" thing, I have made the decision to limit the amount of news coverage that I listen to and try to surround my thoughts on happy things and stay busy.  Rome may or may not be burning around me, and while I can't play a fiddle, I can draw cute little cows in wash tubs.

This series of drawings has really blessed me, as I hope they have brought others in my social media circles a smile or two.  I had a record month for March with 2.5 times my normal Etsy Sales and I can directly attribute that to these little bathing beauties.  I have to pinch myself every morning, because I am actually making extra money and still having this much fun.

One thing I have done here in the studio to help with this scary time is to have a giveaway each week.  The first week, I gave away a set of 4 "Wash Tub" note cards, week 2 was a t-shirt with my "Wash Tub Diva" art on it and this week I'm giving away a mouse pad and coffee mug with my newest drawing "Moo Updo".  I'm just trying to keep the focus on fun and sharing smiles.

I promise we will get through this and hopefully life will return back to normal so we can have the best 2020 summer ever.  I read that this virus can't take the HEAT, well the HEAT here in Las Vegas is coming, as it always does.  This maybe the first summer in 42 years of living in Las Vegas that I actually want the 100+ temperatures to get here.

So to enter this contest you must subscribe to my VIP Studio list by Sunday, April 12th at 8 PM (PST) but honestly anyone on my VIP list is automatically entered into many of my regular studio giveaways.  So it's a great win, win.  You stay informed about my studio stuff, you get to see some art that will make you smile and you have a chance to win some fun art.  Have I convinced you yet?  How about I give you the link to my website where you can go to sign up?  Or even better yet, you can subscribe to the list just by using the SUBSCRIBE form right here on my blog.  Sounds like a good plan.

JOIN MY VIP LIST AND SIGN UP FOR LOTS OF SMILES AND SOME PRIZES


Let me also give you the ETSY link if you would like to purchase either of these newest listings I have added to my shop.  Here is the "MOO UPDO" mouse pad link.  Isn't she just adorable?  I've ordered myself one and honestly I'm so excited for it to arrive.  Pink isn't my color of choice usually, but she rocks that pink.

Then there is this adorable 15 oz ceramic mug.  (I can't stand the little wimpy 11 oz cups) I have this curler wearing cutie positioned on both sides of the cup so no matter which hand you use to bring it up to your lips you will have her helping start your day out right.  The text in the center of the mug says "Good Moo-rning" and this way even if you are not "THAT MORNING PERSON",  you are giving out a cheerful, positive greeting to all those around you without even saying a word.  I had fun creating this design.  Here is the link to the MOO UPDO COFFEE MUG

THE WASH TUB 6

"Moo Updo"

I had a lot of requests from my Facebook followers to include a Holstein cow in my new "Wash Tub" series and I am to please.  Here I present to you my 6th design- "MOO UPDO".  I spent some time trying to think of a clever title using a cow pun but then I decided to focus on the curlers.  I've never had an UPDO myself personally but it rhymes really well with MOO so there you have it.

She has a bit of a shy look on her face.  Maybe she is a tad modest and is uncomfortable with all the new attention she is receiving.  Whatever the emotion, I'm sure she will bring many smiles to all the faces of her fans.  Right now we need plenty to smile at so here at Julie Townsend Studio, I am doing my part to help you through this COVID-19 crisis.

This gal along with her 5 friends are all available in prints, note cards and magnets on my ETSY SHOP.

HERE'S THE WASH TUB GANG

Old McDonald has NOTHING on ME

What a week...  We are now almost to 2 full weeks of lock down here in Nevada and what is an artist to do with all this extra time?  You guessed it!  CREATE! 

That is exactly what I have been doing and it seemed like the perfect time to start a new series of art.  While  I haven't picked up a paintbrushes much, my color pencils have been getting a real workout! 

A month or so ago,  I had taken notice of a very successful Etsy Shop that had the most adorable photographs of different types animals that she had Photoshopped into a claw bathtub.  It was really cute and my mind jumped immediately to an old galvanized steel wash tub. I decided to create a series of specifically farm animals taking a bubble bath in just such a wash tub.

And just as I suspected, this series has really struck a chord with many of my fellow Farmhouse Whimsy followers.  They have made my March a record Etsy sale month for me and I am absolutely thrilled. TAKE THAT CORONAVIRUS!

I've completed 5 drawings so far in the series and I am currently working on a Jersey Cow in curlers as my 6th design.  I really don't know when I will finish drawing these because 1. I'm having a blast and 2. There are so many more farm animals to draw.  I've got goats, horses, sheep, chickens and the list goes on and on.  All waiting patiently for their turn to take a nice bubble bath. 

Let me introduce you to the my washtub crew:

"HOGWASH"- My first drawing in the series was of this beautiful but rather portly smiling sow.  She actually has a look of contentment and relaxation on her face.  She isn't stressing and the cares of the world are melting away in a sea of bubbles.  ORIGINAL AVAILABLE

"SWEET & LOVEABULL"  is the 2nd drawing in the series and it really makes me chuckle to think about a two thousand pound Brahman bull soaking into a washtub.  ORIGINAL AVAILABLE

"WASH TUB DIVA" is my 3rd drawing in the series and probably the most popular design so far.  She just looks silly with her pink shower cap and her mouth moving, chewing her cud.  ORIGINAL AVAILABLE

"BERKSHIRE BUBBLE BATH" is number 4 in the series and it and number 5 are actually commissioned pieces that are now on their way to their new home in Alberta Canada.  I think I captured her sweetness with her little pig snout. 

"MOO LA'LA'" is the 5th drawing that I have completed.  She is a French Charolais cow and so that explains how I came up with the name.  I just had to make her a bit fancier than the others and so she has a very special pink polka dot shower cap and a rubber duck. 

I hope you enjoyed my little show.  All of these images are available in my Etsy Shop as prints, note cards and magnets.  I even have worked a couple of them into t-shirt designs (Wash Tub Diva and Sweet and Loveabull)