Making Mockups Almost Like a Pro

It has been a very busy time in the studio as of late.  I've been jumping around like a chicken with my head cut off just trying to stay on track.  I find myself the week of my combined show where I am 1/3 of the art exhibit and even with that load shared it is a great deal of work.  Our theme is "Fur, Feathers and Fins and it is turning out to be a really fun show.

Besides all of that flurry of activity I have spent a great deal of time on my computer working to improve the product pictures on my Etsy Shop.  I developed about 4 room templates that allow me to showcase my artwork framed and hanging on an imaginary digital wall. I can adjust the frame orientation and size because they are all separate layers in Photoshop.  Having these templates created are half the battle.   Now I'm sure there are more professional images out there but I'm pleased with the outcome of these mockups and wanted to share them with you.








Here are my current mockups and I really like the country flair of the barn wood frame and the potted red geranium.  Makes my Rooster painting, "Rise and Shine"Rise and Shine a perfect fit.  I couldn't have found a better mockup design for my giraffe painting "Reach for the Sky"Reach for the Sky then this little stuffed elephant on a distressed turquoise chair.































For my line of art magnets I decided to create a mockup of a refrigerator surface with a number of my images attached to appear as magnets. When I was showing all the templates to my husband mostly because I feel that I have to justify to him for all the hours I have spent sitting in front of the computer screen in the past 4 weeks since learning anything Photoshop, to point out to me that magnets wouldn't attach to a stainless surface.  REALLY!  I do know this, but you are supposed to focus on the beautiful artwork not the refrigerator.

Both of the originals of these two paintings have been sold but the good news is that I can create fine art prints of both of them and I offer them on my Etsy Shop up to an 8 x 10 matted to 11 x 14 size.  Prices range from $5 to $50 depending the size of the print and if you want it matted or not.   For larger sizes you can contact me and we can make arrangements to have one printed and shipped to you.  My collection of 4 x 6 art cow magnets are also listed there on my Etsy Shop and are priced at $6 each.  Cow Magnet Collection

I encourage you to spend sometime looking at my shop.  I regularly add new artwork there and am working to build a nice inventory of handmade gifts that feature my artwork.  To see more of my artwork you can hope over and check out my website gallery by selecting the "My Art Gallery" link above or clicking this link Julie Townsend Studio.

I would love to hear from you, so Go a head and leave me a comment below.

Am I Ready for the BIG Leagues?

 

"Reach for the Sky"- Commission Piece painted for Walter Johnson Jr. High School- 18 x 24 Acrylic 

In the past two weeks I took a step in my art career that has been one I have wanted to take for some time but was hesitant.  Then this painting came along and I decided to have my most recent painting "Reach for the Sky" professionally scanned and digitized so that I could have the ability to have quality giclee prints made in the future.   I felt this particular piece was one that might have a greater appeal to a pretty broad audience and so I took the plunge.

On the recommendation of a good artist friend of mine,  I contacted Joyce Kasprzyk at Max Art Production here in Las Vegas.  Joyce was so awesome and I immediately took a liking to her.  She wound up taking me on a tour of the entire facility.  Every room we visited was full of the biggest printers and scanners I had ever seen.  Of course she had to show me the large print job they had just completed for the actor Jim Carrey.  Who knew he was an artist but just looking at that giant print made me feel like I had just been moved up to the major leagues.

The process itself was a wee bit expensive but I'm hopeful to recoup my invest many times over.  I was very pleased a week later when I arrived to actually view and approve the proofs.  The one proof you see is the one that I didn't take.  I was very pleased with the color and the clarity.  Of course this photo is taken only with my cell phone camera of the original artwork and with the proof laid on top. 

Usually we take a photo of my artwork outside in the shade with our Canon camera.  This works okay but sometimes I notice there is a flat spot or a little color distortion.  I make sure that I take have the picture taken before a coat of varnish is applied but even so often there will be a slight reflection that is difficult to deal with.  When I look at the two photos below and compare the images side by side I can see such a difference in clarity and color.  Perhaps if we knew just a bit more about our camera we could improve on the quality of the pictures we take but it is hard to image that we could get them as spot on as Max Art Productions did for me.  

Here you can judge for yourself:

No Edit - Photo taken by our camera

Photo using auto correction feature on Photoshop Elements

WOW-Professionally scanned image

Reach for the Sky

Here is a question for your....."WHY ARE GIRAFFES SO SLOW TO APOLOGIZE?"  (Answer at the end of this blog)

I have to admit that this one is just a wee bit different than my usual painting as of late and there is a very reasonable explanation for that difference.  This piece is a commission piece for a local middle school and since it had to have an "INTERNATIONAL" feel to it I of course had to look for a subject a bit more unusual than your run of the mill cow or chicken as my subject matter.   I finally settled on the tallest animal in the world that also has an unbelievably comical and expressive face.   Who do you know that doesn't just love a giraffe?  I mean what says exotic and foreign better than this very leggy herbivore?  And let me tell you, this guy was a blast to paint.  When it came to colors, I pretty much used them all.

If you have followed my work in the past year, you know that I have featured several pieces of art that focused on a cow or a calf licking their nose with their long pink tongues in my "Down Country Roads" series.  Well this habit I guess, while it might be disgusting to consider, is something that is also a commonly shared activity within the giraffe family and since they have such a beautiful blue tongue I just couldn't help myself.

While the original painting, done in acrylic on an 18 x 24 " stretched canvas has been sold, there is the possibility of having prints made or I would LOVE to paint another one similar to this.  Just message me and we can discuss that possibility.  I would LOVE to paint one on an even larger scale.  While you're at it, why don't you check out my website and look at my other works?  JulieTownsendStudio.com.  Be sure and leave me a commit below and let me know what you think of my art work.


Just thinking out loud here....I wonder if a giraffe can get a sore throat?

ANSWER:  It takes them a long time to swallow their pride!

2015 Cowbell Marathon is Going Down Now

I have boldly announced this week over several social media venues that I am committing to painting at least one cowbell a day from my Las Vegas studio for the next two weeks. That's everyday until Thanksgiving.   I'm calling this self imposed proclamation my COWBELL MARATHON!  These are my most recent contributions to this effort and I think they turned out nicely.  

Actually, the only bell showing in this line up here that isn't already sold is that of the hummingbird that I just finished a few hours ago.  So much for building up my Cowbell Inventory.  I guess this is a good problem for me to have. 

I plan to blog here about this endeavor often and keep my Facebook Art Page updated as to my progress.  So check back often and if you see something special you like or have an idea for a custom bell that you want me to paint than just drop me an email or a Facebook Message.  I would love to hear from you.

CLICK THE LINK HERE TO:

Visit my Website     OR      Like my Facebook ART Page   

Commissioned pieces here are the Eagle and Giraffes.  The Nativity scene was just me getting ready for Christmas

I added a snowy cardinal and a little hummingbird to my cowbell flock of feathered friends line-up

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