In LOVE with Plaid

I have always loved a plaid design.  I have fond memories of dressing my sweet baby boys in little plaid flannel shirts, jeans and little high top faux work boots.  Cutest thing ever.  So it is just natural for me to LOVE this BUFFALO PLAID decorating style.  The sharp contrast found of the black and white plaid bows, table runners and pillows just makes me so happy!

It is natural for me then to want to bring that same happiness to a design art prints and note cards that I have been working on for sometime.  To me a set naturally consists of 4 designs so while I had two of the designs created a while back, I still needed to work out a 2 more ideas.

I wrote a blog post back in June showing 2 new pen and ink sketches that I had recently finished and how I was going to take those sketches and with the aid of Photoshop Element turn them into the 3rd and 4th design I needed to make a set that I'm calling "Country Plaid".  I finished that project and I thought you might want to see the end results.  I am very happy with how they have turned out and the whole set is available on my Etsy Shop as either prints, magnets or blank note cards.  You can either click the tab above you use this to get to my shop.  Country Plaid Note Cards on ETSY

First, let me just repost the sketches as they appeared in my sketchbook and then I can talk about what I did to come up with these new designs.

There are a lot of people who love cardinals and since I already had a chickadee gracing the front of one of the cards, it was natural in my mind to include a second bird in the set.  I drew this cardinal with a seed in his mouth.  Sunflowers were also a theme in the first 2 cards so I decided to just to create then a another detailed sunflower sketch that I could use.  Again, the way my brain works, I had a mouse design so why not bring in a 2nd mouse?  I had the perfect drawing in mind.  I call him my "peeking mouse" and I have used him on lots of other occasions.

NOW it's HOCKUS POCUS, CLIPPITY CLOP...Work your magic oh mighty PHOTOSHOP!  

I sometime feel that it is magic for me to be able to edit my artwork in such a way that I can completely create such diverse compositions using the same drawing.  It NEVER gets old!

The finished set of "Country Plaid Note Cards"

Lots of Sunshine and Buffalo Plaid

Chickadee on Red 

I am in love with this combination of buffalo plaid and and pen and ink sunflowers that I designed a few months ago.  I think this little chickadee is my favorite.  Maybe it's the red with the black and gray that makes it so striking.

Using this design I wanted to create a set of cards that all had a similar feel to them.  Now as far as a set of cards goes,  I strongly feel that a set  should consist of  4 unique designs and while the first card pictured here in this collage does show sunflowers and is a design that I love, it just doesn’t go with the other three.  It almost looks like that Sesame Street matching game deciding “which three of these things go together”?

So even while on a recent vacation and many miles away from my studio my sketchbook is always near.  I decided to work on another sunflower design that will be used to come up with that 4th needed design.  I also get many requests or inquires about cardinals so I thought the combination of a cardinal eating from a sunflower would fit perfect.  The sketches below are still safely attached to my sketchbook and will be what I will be working with as soon as I get home to my scanner.  I'll be sure to post the updated set as soon as I can and they WILL be available for purchase on my ETSY shop soon at ETSY SHOP

If you like my artwork, I might suggest that you join my Studio VIP list through my website at JulieTownsendStudio.com.  I try to have monthly art giveaways and being part of the list ensures that you have a chance at winning.  Sign up at the “GIVEAWAY tab.

New sketch that will be used for my 4th design in the series

From Cowbells to Classic English Literature

So far this past week I have stayed busy, yet I seem to lack focus.  Oh, I do have some deadlines looming that should motivate me to stay on task.  I can't help but look at the calendar start counting down the days left until the Galleria Art Expo coming on March 2nd and 3rd.  Then there is the Clark County Fair and Rodeo in Logandale, Nevada on April 10-14th and that is followed closely by the Elk's Club Helldorado Art Show.  All of which require me to produce a number of new pieces of art and yet, here I sit at the computer and not in front of my easel.

Yeah...maybe I will start all that tomorrow.  In the mean time, let me show you some of the project I have been working on this week.

Last summer, while we were vacationing in Ely, Nevada, we came across a large deposit of discarded slate during one of our exploring day trips.  This was near the ghost town area of Cherry Creek.  It was such a fascinating area that we actually drove back there several times during that month.

I managed to fill up a box of medium size pieces with the idea of painting on them.  I tried to get a selection that not only gave me a nice flat painting surface, but that had bright appealing colors.  This particular piece stood out to me and it has been lying on my drawing desk for sometime now.

I finished painting this rooster on that piece of slate yesterday and have decided that it will need to be mounted on some weathered wood we had lying around.  I took this picture before we started the mounting process today.  I will try to share photos with you of the finished piece in my next blog post.

I love the contrast of the white painted feathers against the gold and rust tones of the slate.  The piece is rather thin and therefore fragile.  I will be glad to get it mounted on the boards tomorrow for fear I might chip or break it.

Today, I managed to paint a second bunny cowbell.  The first one I painted 2 weeks ago actually sold before I could even finished it.  I decided to have this bell be a Beatrix Potter themed bell and so you will find on the back a sign that says "McGregor's Garden, Keep Out" and nailed to the sign is my rendition of a little blue jacket just like the one Peter would have worn.  I am pleased with how the bell turned out and I'm sure that it will make some new collector very happy.

Last month, you will recall that I took the plunge and purchased a Cricut Explore Air 2 for the studio.  I have wanted to learn how to use one for quite sometime and knew that it would be helpful with my sticker sales.  NO MORE HAND CUTTING STICKERS!  I also was anxious to step up my greeting card game.  In 2018 I sold almost $800 worth of cards and would LOVE to see that number grow.  I feel that the Cricut is just the tool I need to see that become a reality.  


I spent part of yesterday playing around with some designs and just learning how to work in Design Space.  Here are a couple of my first attempts.   I really like that I printed the artwork out on a thick watercolor paper.  That gives such a texture and rich feel to this little 4 x 6 prints.  They are mini art prints and would be worthy of a matting  and a frame after the cards are used.

I decided to use both the black cardstock and the kraft paper cards.
To make the inside of the cards easier to write in and to add to their appeal, I decided to create a cute sunflower insert that really makes this card stand out in my opinion.  I finished it off by attaching a matching sunflower embellishment to the envelope.  It was so much fun to put these together.  They combine both my original artwork and colorful country charms that I can now make with Cricut proficiency.  I've added this greeting card style as a new listing my Etsy Shop where I hope to begin selling note cards online on a regular basis.



You can find the link to my Etsy Shop by selecting the tab at the top of this blog or by searching for Julie Townsend Studio.




I will end this blog post today with my Verse of the Week meme.  Be encouraged in this promise today.  I'm thankful that I know where my strength comes from.  Feel free to share this image on your own social media accounts as long as you leave my studio watermark visible.

Have a blessed day and remember to do something creative.  You will feel better if you do.

Soon to be Cricut Crazy

I have a total of 24 Etsy listings that are for stickers.  I know many would think it is a waste of my time to make stickers but truth be told, I find the whole process fun.  From the design, the printing and even the cutting them out with scissors.  Well maybe not the cutting part so much.

I love taking my artwork and adapting it to fit onto different formats.  Another benefit is that I am able to have multiple Etsy listings and it has given my shop statistically a number of sales and good ratings.  That is a really good thing in the world of Etsy Shops.  I believe that it will eventually result in the increase of sales of my prints and original art.  Well at least that is my hope.

This year I have added several new items to my home studio and one of them is the addition of a Cricut Explore Air 2.  Of course I have no clue how to use it at the moment but I'm sure I will have fun learning the process.  I anticipate not only using it to cut out my stickers more quickly and professionally but I am anxious to create some new greeting card designs that feature not only my artwork but some fancy scroll cuts.  In 2018 I had $788 in greeting card sales and $104 in Sticker sales.  With the investment of cutting machine, I hope to at least triple my sales in both categories for 2019. 

Here are just a few of my stickers available on my Etsy Shop- Julie Townsend Studio on Etsy

Stickers really are a lot of fun.  They just brighten up any surface that you put them on.  This calf licking his nose is my number one sticker seller, followed closely by the little chickadee.

SUNFLOWERS- the Garden Centurion

Sunflowers Galore!  The gentle giant of the garden. Standing tall and bright turning to meet the sun as it travels across the sky. Like a centurion guarding the summer warmth as we anticipate the soon coming autumn chill.  You are my garden hero, spreading cheer and happiness with a boldness of  bright yellow like none other.

I know as an artist I am about 4 months behind with my seasonal art.  I will get my act together in 2019. I should have all my Christmas designs finished by August and at this time be looking to the red and pink of Valentine’s Day but for some reason I am stuck in Autumn and a season of harvest and blessings.  I’m loving my newest designs that feature the amazing sunflower and I just wanted to take a few minutes to show you a few of my newest sunflower designs.  All of these designs are available in varying sized prints, greeting cards and beautiful 4 x 6 art magnets.

If you like my art you should hop over and like my Facebook Studio art page.  I post all my newest works there first.  On my JulieTownsendStudio.com website you can order prints and sign up for my studio VIP news.  I also have an Etsy Shop that you might also check out.

Original Drawing included a very Grateful Mouse

Here I removed the mouse and added my drawing of a sweet little chickadee

Following Farmhouse decorating groups I've discovered that Buffalo Plaid is very popular

These designs make striking and unique greeting cards- Snail Mail is coming back in fashion

I came up with this design just last night using my sunflower drawing and a pumpkin graphics file

It's the Little Things that Add Up

Handwritten thank you note...check,  I appreciate you free greeting card gift....check, lots of protective bubble wrap and tissue paper...check.  I guess I have everything ready to pack up this little sweet honeybee and ship him off to his new home in Pampas, Texas.

I think the little details are important and you want to create an excitement when that cowbell box arrives.  This week I designed a 2 x 4 inch sticker that I can use to decorate my cowbell shipping boxes with.  It says "Spreading Joy Around the World One Cowbell at a Time".  That is perfect and you can see by this image it really stands out on that box.

When I shipped off my first set of 4 cowbells early last week, I scrounged around the house and found some boxes that I had stuck back.  One of the bells was a bit wider and so I actually emptied a case of K-Cups to find a box that it would fit in nicely. That is when I immediately logged onto Amazon and ordered a set of 25 shipping boxes that were large enough to handle shipping of 2 bells but yet small enough that the costs were kept reasonable.


My tips for you on shipping artwork- 1. invest in a postage scale.  I paid $20 for that one on Amazon  and it work GREAT!  2.  Create and account with Pirateship.com.  They allow you to purchase postage and print out the labels at a commercial rate that is lower than if you went into the post office yourself.  They a have been great so far. 

On Sunday, I was shocked when shopping at Sam's Club to see this set of 10 small white shipping boxes that measured 6 x 6 x 6 and cost only $4.98 each.    If I put the 7" cowbell in the box diagonally it fits very nicely.  I bought 2 sets of these boxes so now I'm flush for boxes.

Yesterday was the first bell order I filled using the new box and while the bell fit great, I realized that my usual free gift to show my appreciation didn't.  I usually pick out a greeting card that is similar to the artwork that they purchasing.  In this case they purchased a bee cowbell and so I wanted to send her my new honey bee greeting card.  The only hitch is that they are larger than 6 inches.  I put the card in the box but I'm afraid that when it arrives it will be bent.

Today, I decided the thing to do was to give a way a smaller note card.  Still a nice gesture and I know it will arrive unscathed.  Here is the 4 designs I came up with and I think they are very cute.

So as you can tell, my focus this week has been on painting, marketing, selling cowbells and shipping out cowbells. It has been so exciting.  I've made some great connections and added a few new friends to my little art group.  I'm blessed and humbled by how well these bells have been received.

So you might ask, "How do I purchase a cowbell?"  Well first, I would suggest that you like my Facebook Art Page @JulieTownsendStudio.  It is there that I post all my new work first.  Second, you might want to join my studio email list.  I periodically host drawings and giveaways and I'm pretty sure as we enter into fall, I will be giving a way a cowbell or two.  Just send me a message with your name and email address.  Third, and this is for those ready to give a cowbell a good home.  Message me with your zip code and I will give you an estimate of the shipping costs and with an email address I can send you an invoice that included the $60 cowbell purchase price and the cost of shipping and handling.  That isn't so hard.  The hard part comes in deciding which bell to buy.  I have one collector in Montana that has purchased 12 bells.

Let me leave you with the 2 newest bell designs.  I actually sold the Rooster bell today but I still wanted you to see it because I will be painting some more.  Each picture is showing the front and back off the bell.

Seeing Spots

When I see cows, while traveling down some back country road,  I AM THAT PERSON THAT ANNOUNCES “COWS” TO EVERYONE ELSE IN THE CAR!  I am also rolling down the window and shouting at the top of my lungs, "MOO!"  I can't help myself.  While I was raised out in the country with agriculture all around, I wasn't raised on a farm but cows have always had a special place in my country heart.  I guess that is why I just love to draw and paint them.

I've been including cows as a central theme in my drawings and paintings for several years now and I find them always to be fun subjects.  They have big huge sweet eyes and large curious faces.  While I suppose some can be a little on the ornery side, mostly they are just giant lawnmowers eating the grass from morning to night.

This past month, I have just been having a blast adding cows to items such as stone coaster, stickers,magnets and greeting cards. Here are just a few of the examples I have come up with so far:

Etsy Shop Sticker Listing




Etsy Shop Greeting Card listing

Turnip the Beet

Hollyhock illustration

It has been quite a week that has now has come to a close.   Running the gallery on First Friday each month is always so exhausting but also energizing at the same time.  I love talking to all the visitors and other artists about my artwork or about the gallery.  This month, I took my artistic journal sketchbook with me to show some of my friends my newest page that features a Rock & Roll Beet. Several of my fellow gallery artist take the time to look through the pages.  For me it was almost like having a someone flipping through your family photo albums and have them admire your children and talking about those fond memories.  Yes, it's pretty much the same with my art journal.

So even though I was pretty much worn out from my late night at the gallery, I found myself up early and anxious to work on my lovely beet sketch.  I am pretty happy how it has turned out and the little vegetable humor here as a spoof on the Dobie Gray song, "Drift Away".

After I finished working out the details of the sketch with my color pencils, I scan it and then fix up the digital file using a little of my newly learned Photoshop magic. All week I've been working on a sticker sheet collection that I'm calling "Life Began in a Garden" and this image is going to work perfectly with that collection.

My really big plan for this afternoon, after church of course... start working on drawings of turnips and paint some rocks. I know you are envious of this exciting artist life I lead.  Who doesn't appreciate a nicely painted rock and have you really looked at a turnip?  That gradation from purple to lavender to grayish purple almost white is amazing. Won't that be a fun challenge with my color pencils and just think of all those great puns I can come up with? TURNIP THE BEET for starters.

Life Began in a Garden handmade stickers

An example of one of the handmade stickers

I'm going to close leaving you these cute images and my completed sticker sheet that is available for download on my Etsy Shop.

Julie Townsend Studio-Etsy Shop

Now wouldn't you look awesome sporting this?

A number of my images are also available to be added to an assortment of merchandise. Here is an example of what my Rock & Roll Beet would look like on a hoodie.  Just check out all the options available on my RedBubble site:  Julie Townsend Studio- RedBubble

Etsy or Ebay....That is an Excellent Question????

Way back in 2010, when I had just begun to paint, I thought the thing for me to do was to open an Etsy Store.  I think I uploaded a total of 3 paintings, got a few page views and one comment and quickly I became disinterested in the whole thing. Frankly, the thought of paying $ .20 for each listing and the fact that poorly painted canvas pieces were not a good match for that platform.  Fast forward 6 years and today I'm chopping at the bit to get my artwork out there on Etsy. 

My artwork has changed a great deal and I feel that with these changes the pieces are much more suitable for an online marketing venue.  My illustrations and drawings are becoming more popular.  I have chosen Etsy along with FineArtAmerica.com, RedBubble.com and Zazzle.com as platforms to get my images out there.  Etsy is a bit different than the last three vendors I mentioned.  With FineArtAmerica, Redbubble and Zazzle I just upload my images and if that image is chosen by a customer to be added to some merchandise such as a pencil bag, pillow or a shirt, they handle the whole process and just mail me a commission check. This is pretty sweet way to make some money with just a little effort up front but so far I haven't made enough money to even blog about it.

Etsy is more like a real store that I am in control of.  I handle all the orders and inventory and I stand to make much more profit on each sale. It's constant work and needs weekly attention from me but I think it will be way more satisfying overall.   Again, like anything worth while, it takes time.  I understand very well that this isn't an overnight process but rather a slow building of a fan base.  

I am no Etsy expert so this past week to help my store performance I started to do some research. Why re-invent the wheel when there are some really successful stores out there who have all four wheels rolling at full speed?  I want to sell art prints, cards and magnets that feature my artwork.  So I found a store called Paper Llamas that had digital prints of baby animals along with a number of other subjects.  I checked their sales statistics and was very impressed that they had sold nearly 9500 sales since opening their store in 2011.  Compared to my 1 sale these guys are Etsy giants.  I noticed that I posted just a single high resolution image of my art while they often posted images that showed their work framed and matted hanging on the wall.  They sold their prints both individually and in groupings.  Having them framed and matted gives the buyer a chance to visualize the art nicely displayed on their own wall.  That was smart!

Yesterday, I set up a staging area and tried to get that same hung art feeling by adding a few Christmas props and a nice wooden frame.  I used the camera on my cell phone but for my effort I think I got a much better image to compliment my work and promote my listings.  My shop received 3 favorites just yesterday alone.  That is a good sign.

My titles were a disaster.  I thought they wanted the title of the artwork but I realized after studying this successful store that this is where I need to get creative and add as many searchable phrases as possible.  I just made the artwork title the first line in the description because the image is from an original piece of art that I have taken the time to give it a name I want to include that name in the listing, just not on the title line.

They also used a variation drop down menu that gave them the ability to offer different sizes and prices for their work.  Seeing this was like a light bulb going off in my head.  Why have a separate listing for a card, a magnet or a print when I could accomplish it all with one listing?  My store will forever be much tidier and easier to manage thanks to this light bulb moment. 

My goals for 2017 for my Etsy Store is 75 products in my inventory, 500 individual sales and 100 favorite rating for the store.  I am going to also give ebay a try and see if the potential for art sales is there also.  Some artists swear ebay is better than Etsy and so I need to figure this out for myself.  

As I learn from my experiences, I will be blogging about what I have found to be successful and what has worked for me.  To sell an original canvas painting for several hundred dollars is great and I surely appreciate those moments.  They just don't happen nearly enough.  I want to supplement our retirement income with art sales and perhaps even allow additional income to continue even when I am no longer able to create.  I want to never be tempted again to take an accounting or tax preparation job. 

I have come to the conclusion in my own art path that brick and mortar galleries can only do so much to get my work out there.  I have to take ownership of my own promotion and art destiny and those small sales, I believe will add up and surpass any sale of the original piece.  I am going to be building my business one greeting card, one magnet or one print at a time.

Here is the link to my Etsy Store if you are interested in checking it out.  Remember it's a work in progress and this progress has really just begun.

Here are some images I took yesterday for my Etsy Store listings: