There is Humor with Mice in Edwardian Fashion

I am a HUGE fan of the PBS series "Downton Abbey", so I can't wait until the new movie comes out in September 2019. Hopefully it will live up to my expectations and not disappoint. 

The series had been showing several years when I finally decided I needed to watch it.   I actually made the leap to upgrade my Amazon to a Prime Membership so that I could watch it.  It was well worth the $100 cost for me and of course I like the other Prime perks too. 

There is something intriguing about the formalities of and properness of British society.  I recall the episode where there was much discussion about wearing the black tie rather than the white tie to dinner.  "Indeed, one of the most tragic events of Season 3, Episode 1 (hour 2) was the hullabaloo over Lord Grantham’s black tie dinner jacket (aka tuxedo). His Lordship’s white tie dinner jacket went “missing,” “missing” as in hidden by his trusted, yet devilishly conniving valet (personal butler).  Lord Grantham is forced to look like a pauper at dinner and wear a black bow tie.  Ghastly informal – the Dowager Countess, his mother, actually mistakes him for a butler." (http://www.dirtyandthirty.com/beauty-fashion/lessons-learned-from-downton-abbey-white-tie-vs-black-tie/)

"Black Tie Event"

It was this episode that inspired my drawing called "Black Tie Event" and to have the matching black tails this industries little rodent uses a jar of black ink to dip the tip of his tail into.


Oh and don't even get me started on the hats and dresses.  Can you just imagine not being about to get yourself dressed without the assistance of a butler or servant?  What a different time that was but the whole of the Crawley clan seemed to have their own personal assistant that was there to curl their hair or help put on their jacket. 



It was this photo of the hat worn by Mary Crawley on the show that inspired me to create my own sketch of a little mouse wearing an Edwardian hat and feather boa in my drawing that I called "M'lady".  

"M'lady"

With a little Photoshop magic I have taken the two separate pieces and combined them into one composition that I'm calling "The Mice of Downton Abbey"  I then added a vintage postcard background and now you have my newest listing on my Etsy and EBay Shops.  Here is the link if you are interested in purchasing a print.  I also have greeting cards and magnets available too.  Julie Townsend Studio on Etsy

"The Mice of Downton Abbey"

Mockup

Mockup

Greeting Card Mockup

Blackberries and Sunflowers Equal Summer Days

I finished this colored pencil piece that I’m call the “Little Berry Picker”.   I'm pretty happy with the end results. I should have added more stickers to my vines though. I remember, as a child, just how much work it was to pick blackberries. We each had a pair of garden gloves that my mom had cut the fingertips out of to attempt to protect our hands from all those sharp thorns.  You came home sweaty, dusty and covered with plenty of battle wounds.  I’m pretty sure that anyone seeing us would conclude that the bushes won.  It was worth it though when you had a warm bowl of cobbler with a scoop of cold vanilla ice cream melting on the top. Yum!

I also wanted to share with you my most recent sketch.  It can’t be much more recent.  I will give you a series of work in progress photos of this drawing so you can see how I start out each of my little color pencil drawings.

All of these colored pencil sketches that I have completed in the past 2 weeks will be made into a series of greeting cards that will be available on my Etsy Shop and Website very soon.  

If you want to keep up with what is going on in my studio, then consider signing up for my studio VIP email or by liking my Facebook Art Page @Julie Townsend Studio.  This fall I will be having giveaways and discount offers via these two avenues.  You don't want to miss out.

1st, I use my .005 Micron pen to add fine details

2nd, I begin coloring in the flower using my Prismacolor pencils

  









  

You can see how I blend the different yellows by building layers

What is it About Mice

Little Squeak says "Always take time to enjoy the Pansies"

I don’t know why a tiny rodent that is known to send some scurrying to a higher altitude while screaming as if they are an character in a horror movie can also be so darn cute.  I just love drawing these little beady eyed creatures and this week I filled a number of pages in my sketchbook with their sweet little faces.  Here are a few of the selected pages for your viewing entertainment.

Little Squeak enjoying some delicious Candy Corn

Little Squeak with some yummy sprinkle donuts

I've been painting a lot of mice with donuts and candy corn on cowbells this past month so I thought I would just see how they would turn out using that same design in my sketchbook. 

A growing mouse can't always eat sweets

And finally, it is never too early (actually, I'm rather late) to consider Christmas designs.  This is the first one that came to my mind.  I think I can spend a little more time refining the drawing, but you can see the just of it and I think it is a super cute idea.

 

I Have a Fever- A Cowbell Fever!

This week here at JULIE TOWNSEND STUDIO has been absolutely AMAZING!  I am just stunned at the response I have received in the past few days on my newest cowbell designs and they have been flying out of the studio as fast as I can paint them.  Not only have I sold 6 bells in the last 3 days, I have increased my Facebook page audience, my Instagram followers and added a number of new email addresses to my studio email list.

From a marketing standpoint there is no way to access a value to this benefit.  Yes, these cowbells are helping me get my name out there as an artist and while I would rather be painting and selling canvas art, I guess I will take sales in any form I can get them.  I just need to embrace that fact that these little 7" bells are my "BREAD AND BUTTER".  Maybe that will change down the road, but for now I just need to count my COWBELL BLESSINGS!

What is exciting to me about this new design is that I actually have a much larger painting surface and that allows me to be much more creative.  Just look how beautiful these bells look.  The white background just makes the design "pop"!

This new found cowbell creativeness has taken a silly direction with my last 2 bells I've painted.  As you can see these little mice have quite the sweet tooth.  I still catch myself smiling at them each time I look at them.  Both have found new homes and will be sent out tomorrow to Florida and Kentucky.  I'm just spreading joy around the world, one cowbell at a time.

If you like my artwork then you might consider liking my Facebook Art Page or following me on Instagram @JulieTownsendStudio.  I post all my newest work there first.  I also have a studio email list that I periodically run drawings and offer giveaways through that you are welcome to sign up for.  I would just need you to message me your name and email address.

Front view of my "SWEET TOOTH" bells- Donuts with Sprinkles & Corn Candy

Back view of my "Sweet Tooth" bells

TEAtotaler not Teetotaler

I've been just a little obsessed this past week with furry little rodents and I just can't stop thinking of different scenarios and compositions that I might put them in.  Here is what I have been doing this week.




Really it started with this simple sketch of a stack of tea cups that I did in my sketchbook.  Nothing spectacular but I liked the simplicity of it.  I decided to add some color.

Of course I knew that this was just the beginning and I thought a cute little mouse and maybe a tea bag would be just the thing to go along the idea I had in my head.  So I went back to an older drawing that had a cute mouse holding a cup of tea and decided to invite him to the party.     I added some text and make this cute little poster which is now listed on my Etsy Shop as a printable download.

Etsy Shop- Tea is Like a Hug in a Cup 

























Then I decided what I really needed was 2 little buddies and a drinking straw to really set this composition off.  I really liked where this was going but decided that I needed to change up my mice.  I did some quick sketches and scanned them into Photoshop.  I love how I am able to play around with the composition and rearrange elements of the drawing to find the best position.  The mouse on the top I even later moved his foot around because I felt that the way I had drawn him would be awkward for him to be standing on the cup. As you can see by the end I actually changed hit to be sitting on rim of the top cup.

I printed the outline drawing out on to 140lb cold press Canson Watercolor Paper and began painting it.  I'm not very good with watercolors but I love using them for tinting and then finishing off details in pen and ink.  I even used some color pencil on the cups and areas of shading to give it a more solid look.  I've titled this piece, "TEAtotaler"

Sketchbook page of the mice

The final artwork using watercolor & colored pencil

Combining the sketches in Photoshop

   

I scanned the finished piece back into Photoshop so that I could create a 2nd (8 x 10") poster option by adding the lettering, the tea stained background and the lace table cover. I think this would make a really cute gift for a tea lover on your list or maybe even to hang in your own kitchen.

As you can see this image also makes a darling greeting card.

  


Etsy Shop link to "TEAtotaler" poster

Curling Up to Enjoy a Good Book

So I finished this little piece today and I thought it turned out super cute.  I framed it in a 5 x 7 shadow box and decided to add some tiny bits of paper along with a crumpled piece in the mouse's hand.  I'm calling this one "There's Nothing Better Than a Good Book".

This isn't the first piece I have created that featured a little mouse enjoying a book snack.  The other two pieces have all sold and so it must have struck a cord with other book lovers around.   They both had traditional frames so I'm hoping the shadow box doesn't distract from the actual artwork.  The sketch is 4 x 6 inches and the outside matte measurement is 5 x 7 so it is actually a lot smaller than my usual drawings.  I think it turned out cute and I anticipate it selling quickly.  I think I will be on the hunt for more shadow boxes in the future.  

I don't know if you can tell from this photo but I actually used a copy of the dictionary page that contained the word MOUSE.  You can see it down there on the bottom right corner.  This is the first time that I have tried to decorate the matte and I really like how that turned out.  In this case, it really adds to the story and I'm sure I will be doing something like this again soon.

Here are the other two sketches that I told you about.  This first one actually has in tiny print excerpts from John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" written in pages.  that was a little bit of a challenge but so much fun.

I also think this will make a really cute sticker or magnet so as soon as my sticker supplies arrive I will be adding stickers to my Etsy Store and Website.  My magnets are 4 x 6 and I sell them for $6 each.  I think the stickers will be priced around $4 each.  

Go a head and check out my website at JulieTownsendStudio.com or my Etsy Store.

A Free Christmas Gift From Me to You!

There is just never enough time it seems in the month of December.  Okay...I know that the month has 31 days just like the 6 other months of January, March, May, July, August, and October but December is different.  We are asked to cram so many events, shopping, meal preparations, gift giving, baking and in my case painting into such a busy time.  I am declaring that for 2017, I am going to start thinking about Christmas in July, even if it is 115 degrees outside here in Las Vegas!

Yesterday, I was scanning my Facebook account when I saw this really great idea for Christmas.  I decided that I was going to make gift tags that featured my own original Christmas artwork.  I searched the internet and found another blogger that had written a very helpful blog post a few years ago on how to create stickers using Microsoft Word.  Now I am not good with graphics programs such as Photoshop, even though I really want to learn that program.  I only use Photoshop right now to crop and adjust my photos.  Word is however a program that I am comfortable with.  Let me share that link with you on how to create stickers in Word:  http://justagirlandherblog.com/make-labels-in-microsoft-word/ 

By the way this blogger, Abbey Lawson of justagirlandherblog seems to have figured out the blogging world and has an impressive home business that she and her husband have built.  I am going to spend more time going through her posts and maybe some very positive changes to this blog will be coming in the future.

Anyway, back to the gift tags.  I couldn't wait to figure out how to accomplish my own gift tags.   My first attempt actually didn't turn out too bad. I made them 2.5 x 3 inches and printed them using white card stock on my Canon Pixma Pro printer.  I cut a complimentary card stock that featured a Christmas print 1/2 inch large so that I could have a nice colorful border and add to the substantiation to the overall tag.  I think it turned out really well and I was pleased.  I really see adding a matching gift tag to each of my individual greeting cards that are sold or even selling packs of gift tags.  Either way I'm excited to attach them to my own gift giving efforts this year.

A side note here....As I was getting ready to write this blog, I had a dear friend who IS THE QUEEN of graphic art and a MASTER sticker creator, Victoria Thatcher at  http://www.victoriathatcher.com suggest to me a few improvements and with her suggestion, I got rid of the black outline of my text boxes.  I didn't know how to do that before hand.  She also told me how to upload the file as a PDF and put it on my Google Drive so that I could share it with you today.  Thank you so much Victoria for your friendship and constructive critique.  Be sure and check out Victoria's blog because she is amazing!

My Original Artwork titled "Except for the Mouse"

As part of the GIFT GIVING season, I have decided to make available a free printable document of my gift tags that feature a number of my 2016 original artworks.  This file is for personal use only and isn't to be sold or redistributed without my written permission.  All you have to do is click on this link SORRY LINK IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE FOR THIS OFFER.   Please leave me a comment if you downloaded this file.  If you are interested in prints, cards, commissions or original artwork send me a message so that I can discuss it with you.  You can also find my work at my Etsy store.

My Christmas Gift to You!

Christmas Gift Tags 

Merry Christmas and have a Blessed 2017!

My Original artwork on display.  

I Might Be What You Call Obsessed With Downton Abbey

This past week I have found that my easel has been neglected but my sketchpad has taken much of my attention.  I had come with this little idea of a mouse dressed to the nines with a top hat and black bow tie.  Actually, I have been watching the Downton Abbey series and was struck with the wonderful costumes that each of the characters wear and how formal and proper the upper class were during that era in time.  It is hard to fathom individuals who actually needed assistance daily just to put on a jacket or to brush their own hair.

Make Everyday a Black Tie and Tails Day

I find myself thinking often about the show and so I thought I would create my own Downton Abby scene using cute little mice.  I drew this piece first and I'm calling it "Make Everyday a Black Tie and Tails Day".  I was so pleased with the outcome that I knew this handsome little guy needed an equally classy gal by his side so yesterday I started my 2nd drawing.

Milady

When it came to drawing my little girl mouse, I actually spent sometime looking at images of the beautiful Lady Mary Crawley and derived my inspiration for her hat from those images.  Long silk gloves, a blue feather boa and a tube of bright red lipstick finish off the piece that is titled "Milady".

The Happy Couple

Now the challenge to me is to learn enough Photoshop that I can take the elements of both pieces and combine them into one piece.


Since Photoshop isn't mastered overnight and I just had to come up with another piece that featured two overdressed rodents I took matters into my own artistic hands.  This time I drew a large 8 x 10 piece that includes a bride and the groom along with a festive cake.  I decided to leave the heart blank in the center of the cake so that I could personalize it with the monogrammed initials of the happy couple.  I actually have both a bridal shower and a 50th anniversary gift to purchase this week and so I plan on putting this piece of art to personal use right away.






I just uploaded these images and so if your interested in prints, art cards or art magnets you can check them out on my Website or on my Etsy Store.  If you are interested in a personalized print or card of the "The Happy Couple", just send me a message and I will be happy to work that out for you.

Enjoying the Classics

I thought I would end with one last Mouse sketch that I have recently done.  This one features a hungry little guy enjoying a piece of John Steinbeck's novel "Of Mice and Men" in a way that most book lovers would be horrified at but I thought it made a cute composition.

Rodents Wreaking Ravages & Ruin

Enjoying the Classics

I had so much fun this week doing this little  8 x 10 (Matted to 11 x 14) sketch that I'm calling "Enjoying the Classics".  I know mice are destructive little creatures and having several of them in your home or in our case, our camper can be quite a concern.  I was told by my husband just this morning that he could hear chewing during the night when he decided to spend the night out in the camper, enjoying the cool night air.   Oh boy....those sharp little teeth can really wreaking havoc on your electrical wires so you can rest assured we will be baiting several mouse traps tonight with a generous portion of peanut butter.  Hopefully we discovered this problem before any real damage has been done.

Despite their destructiveness, I find them to be cute little creatures.  Big round beady eyes, soft whiskered pink nose and tiny nimble fingers all add to their adorableness.  (Sorry if you are those individuals that jump on your chair at the sight of them but I don't scream when I see a spider either.  I usually try to capture the spiders and release them back outside because they are great bug hunters.) I also understand that if you are a true book lover, the sight of a destroyed book may bring you a moment of sadness, but I ask you to cast aside all your preconceived prejudices and appreciate the obvious cuteness of this composition.  

My favorite part of this piece is that I actually took the extra effort to painstakingly write portions of the text from the classic novel "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck in tiny little print.  The names of the main characters, Lenny and George are clearly visible on the scrap of paper held firmly in the hands of our little ravenous rodent.  

The original artwork is still available at the time of the writing of this blog, but prints and art greeting cards are available on the gallery tab on my website at Julie Townsend Studio.  Feel free to poke around and check out the rest of my gallery to see my other works of art.  

Looking Good in Green

I've never been the stereotypic female that screams at the sight of rodents or creatures with six or eight legs.  I've been known to actually take a spider out of the house and release him to live a better life in the great outdoors.  I recall once amidst the screams of my co-workers I was asked to crawl under the desk to check the recently sprung mouse trap only to find the poor creature alive and only trapped by a small portion of the leg.  I dawned gloves and took the trap and all in my car to the desert to release the terrified mouse.

There have only been a few times that I have locked my keys in the car and one of those times involved seeing a large praying mantis on a bush as I drove into a parking spot at the Costco.  I was so excited to examine the insect closer that I temporarily lost all sense and closed my car door with my keys lying in the seat.

It is no wonder that when I saw a photo by photographer Nina Schultz of Bisbee, Arizona of a gorgeous praying mantis atop a bush of massive white blooms I just knew this would be a painting I would like to try.

Here you can see my work in progress....still needing to add the final highlights.  When it's finished a high resolution photo will be taken and he will be available on my website at www.julietownsendstudio.com.