INSPIRATION UNDER FOOT

Mice taking a Shower in the Rain

Here are two new pieces that I designed just this week. I call them posters but I just enjoy taking my artwork and combining them into encouraging or funny images with the help of a little Photoshop.

The first image here I call, "Showers of Blessings". I had this idea of the drawing some mice taking a bath in the rain. I thought the one with the toothbrush and his mouth wide open was cute and then I really got a kick of drawing the little one on the right has a life vest on. That made me laugh for sure.

Kitten with Ginger

The second piece is kind of close to home for me. While I was off visiting our son in Georgia a couple weeks ago, Brad discovered that we had a litter 4 feral kittens born in our backyard. When they were old enough, he set out to trap them so that we could socialize them and find them good homes. This is actually the last kitten we caught and we are crossing our fingers that today he too has found a good home. In the meantime these past several days he has been running around our house getting into about every tiny space or crevice he could find. He has also found a new best friend in my chihuahua Ginger. I'm not sure that the feelings are mutual but he seems to have a great deal of fun chasing her wagging tail.

Dog Art

After I had finished to "Showers of Blessing" piece I had already found a reference photo and decided I would try my hand at painting a chihuahua. I wanted to use watercolor and pen and ink. Here is a scan of my original drawing. I still have to finish the background but I usually try to get a scan of it before the background goes in. This allows me more freedom to use the image in other compositions.
As I was trying to think of a creative and funny way to use this drawing in my digital art, I realized that I didn't have to look far for my art inspiration. I realized that I didn't have to look any further than at my feet.

What was Ginger thinking when all of a sudden her world was rocked by a tiny ball of fluff that persisted in following her all around the house with the occasional pouncing on her wagging tail or grabbing at her as she walked past. I'm sure she was thinking, "Seriously! Is this some kind of a bad joke?"

Cat Art

I had drawn this little kitten with colored pencil just a month ago for a cat themed art show that I was participating in. I knew she would be perfect as the feline companion to my single chihuahua.
Photoshop is such an amazing program. With just a little adjustment here and a swipe of the eraser or the lasso tool you can create almost anything. I decided to add only the one word, "Seriously". In my mind the whole story is so clear but I wonder if I really convey the feeling of the drama of the situation with just this one word? Does this make sense? I guess the jury is still out on that one and I maybe pulling this piece back into Photoshop if down the road I think of something funnier to say.
If you like my artwork, then you might want to check out my website at Julie Townsend Studio. You can follow me on Instagram or Facebook @JulieTownsendStudio and I also have an Etsy Shop you can check out where I sell posters, prints, jewelry and mugs with my images on them.

"Seriously, Is this some kind of a joke?"  Dog and Cat Drama

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

TYPOGRAPHY is Creating ART with Word

NOW THIS IS WHAT I CALL A FONT!

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking these days about fonts. I had downloaded a few fonts previously from a site called  www.dafont.com and learned that my favorite font artist so far is Kimberly Geswein (KG). I find myself drawn to almost all of her collection. 

What I realized that this site is fine if you are just using the fonts for personal use but if you want to sell the item, you need to purchase the license to use the font commercially. $5 doesn’t seem like much but it has put me on a hunt to locate a number of fonts that are free to use commercially that I like.

I'm not real good and remembering the names of the individual fonts or what style they are and so to help me with that I have dedicated a whole section to fonts in my creative journal. 

I wanted to share some of my favorite fonts with you that I found on www.font.google.com. This site has 878 fonts all free to download and use and I quote, "Free to use.  All fonts are released under open source licenses. You can use them in any non-commercial or commercial project.With so many unique fonts to use, you're bound to find something you like!"  Now isn't that awesome?

One of my very favorite font artists is Kimberly Geswein (KG).  Kimberly has a number of free fonts on this site along with others that need a small fee to purchase a commercial use license.  All these beautiful fonts make me a happy artist and I no longer need to feel that comic sans is my only choice. 

All royalty free font examples in my creative journal pages

I have downloaded a number of fonts to my PC. I saved the install zip file on my external drive so that I have access to all the same fonts from my laptop or other computer that I may be working on.

Here is a list of my personal favorites:

HANDWRITING FONTS-

Cupcakie- I actually downloaded this while on vacation and can’t figure out where I got it but the license says commercial use is okay
Shadows Into Light- KG font
Love Ya like a Sister- KG font
Give You Glory- KG font
Sue Ellen Francisco- KG Font
Annie Use Your Telescope- KG Font
Moondust- Free this past week from FontBundle
Amatic SC- all caps
Coming Soon- KG font (this is the font I have decided to use when adding my signature to an art file)

SCRIPT FONTS- 
Princess Sofia-
Dancing Script
Sacramento

BLOCK OR OUTLINE FONTS-
KG Summershine- This is a Kimberly Font that I just love so I decided to spend the $5 and purchase the license for this one.
Vast Shadow-
Fredericka the Great- Almost looks like a chalk lettering
Londrina Shadow-

Well there you have it. More than you ever wanted to know about fonts.

https://fonts.google.com/

Some Pig on a Coffee Mug

This Mug on ETSY

A few weeks back I was watching a YouTube video about increasing my Etsy Shop sales and discovered what appeared to be the perfect company to partner with to handle my drop ship order needs.  I want to begin changing my shop to more digital download files and drop ship listings so that I can free myself up to travel and not be required to keep such a large inventory of art related merchandise.  I'm getting so crowded in my studio that I'm finding it hard to create more.

With drop shipping you just place the order with a 3rd party vendor to fulfill the order.  You don’t have to carry a large expensive inventory of products or place orders with printers in large quantity.  Rather, you create the product on their site, advertise it on Etsy, Amazon, your website or any other venue that you might be using.  As an order comes in, you simply log into your computer and place the order and have it shipped directly to your customer.

The drop ship company that I learned about was called GearBubble.com.  I checked them out immediately and decided to give them a try.  I created a number of coffee mug designs and 2 jewelry designs all using my original artwork.  It was a bit of an effort and I wouldn’t say that the GearBubble site is super user friendly.  They have training videos but it still seemed confusing but I was determined to make this work.

I did have some issues when I came to opening the drop ship part of the account.  I had to email customer support 3 or 4 times to get it all resolved.  They did solve my problem and I’m still not sure why I couldn’t get the drop ship icon on my home page but it is there now and I guess that is what really matters.

I decided that before I had my first online order, I needed to check out the quality of this company and make sure that I was happy with the finished product.  So I decided to order the mug I though was probably the most difficult to reproduce and placed the order on May 13th and the mug was delivered on May 26th.  That is within the 8-10 business days promised and my mug looks very professional.  Overall, I feel I can be confident that my artwork will be nicely represented.

Here are the pictures I took of the mug I received and the link to my listing.  I chose to order the mug design that features my original acrylic painting that it titled "Some Pig".  I love how it turned out don't you?

Julie Townsend Studio Etsy Shop-Some Pig

  

A FREE gift and That's NO BULL

Just in case you missed it, I’ve started a studio news email that I am trying to send out monthly.  This goes only to my friends on my VIP list.  The purpose is mostly for marketing and building relationships with people who appreciate good Country, Farmhouse Style or good Cow Art.  This week I sent out my 3rd email.  With this email, I offered a link that allowed for the printing out of these cute “Cow Thank You” stickers.  It just seemed the least I could do to show my appreciation to all my new friends.

You can download the file to your computer and print out the sheet as many times as you like.  Of course it is for  personal use only and so you can't try to share, copy or sell them but you can print them out over and over.  There is however a catch......I ask that you fist opt into my VIP list so that you can keep up with my newest artistic creations and all the fun giveaways that I have planned in the coming months.

All you have to do is head over to my website and I have made that super easy by giving you this link to click on.
Julie Townsend Studio 

It takes right over to the opt-in form.  While you are there, you might just take a minute to browse some of the artwork in the gallery.  I've been told that the average attention span online is 2.5 seconds but I don't believe that to be the case for Country or Farmhouse style art lovers like yourself. 

That’s all you need to do and I will send you the link for these stickers and you will get other fun stuff in my future emails.

Here is one response I received just last night from a friend after downloading these cute "Cow Thank You" stickers-
"Julie, Thank you so much for the adorable gift.  I printed off a sheet on some of my HP 80 lb soft Gloss printer paper.  They are perfect!!!  I just had my 76th b;d so will use them on my thank you cards.  Surprise gifts are always the most fun.  you really brightened my otherwise boring day!!!

I was browsing through your studio. Your work is so precious. Makes me smile and warms my heart (not much does these days at 76 yrs. old and being alone)! Not quite accurate - I have my sweet little Honey, a 5 yr old male Pomeranian, cute, funny, smart, attentive/loving, etc. ANYWAY, I no longer wear jewelry, but I would just love to purchase a print of the cow with the chickadee on her head if you have it available. Please advise. I have several of your other chickadee pieces. I'm so glad you sent your stickers out today, because I haven't visited your site in some time. As usual, your work brightened my day. Looking forward to hearing from you. 
Thanks for your time,"

DS

Pretty in Pink

I like most flowers but peonies are hands down one of my favorites.  I can vividly recall my Grandmother's beautiful peonies and so I decided yesterday to create and design a planner sheet that focused on this amazing flower. I titled it, "Peonies and Lace" and it is now available on my Etsy Shop as an 8.5 x 11 digital download.  You can print it out yourself on your favorite sticker paper and even if you don’t use a fancy planner, these stickers are so beautiful that there are plenty of applications that you can use them for decorating on.

Here is the link to my ETSY SHOP LISTING so you check it out.  Let me know what you think of this design.  I would love to hear from you.  I also have lots of original artwork that can be seen on my website at JULIE TOWNSEND STUDIO.COM

Pink and Gray and Pink and Brown are two of my favorite color combinations.  I decided to go with the gray because I just love the contrast of the cold cement background and the cool pink with flowers cascading from the bottom.  I got all the images from pixabay.com and so I was free to use and modify them for this project.  I LOVE pixabay.com!

Here I changed to color of the lace from the Red and Black of the original image to shades of the pink found in the peony blossoms.  I'm still playing with fonts and trying to feel comfortable with which font looks and works best.  No more Comic Sans for me.  It has been quite a challenge to break that Comic Sans habit but with practice and determination I'm will be VICTORIOUS!

I downloaded this torn paper image for another graphics project but it was perfect for this sticker collection design.  Sometimes in life we get so drug down with the mundane grind that we forget to even look for the beauty that surrounds us.  We actually have to stop and seek out the beauty in things.  It isn't always easy at times and I felt this torn paper symbolizes the effort that we need to take.  Look for the beauty. 

Pinch Me Because I Must Be Dreaming

What if I told you that I have found a website that is still I  a week later blowing my mind.  To think that all of the Etsy tools I'm finding there on just the free version are amazing.  The site is called EtsyRank.com and if you have an Etsy Shop, you really need to check this site out!


For sometime I have been trying to find a tool to help me with keyword generation.  I find that in every application that I have my art listed at needs good keywords for SEO searching.  Sometimes it gets hard to be uniquely creative with keywords and you certainly want to drill into the mind of your target audience and use words and phrases they would be searching with.         



Here is an example of a few of the great features you will find on this site once it is linked to your Etsy Shop.  I love the Your Listings Section.  Originally, I found that I had 7 spelling issues.  Silly me, I had even incorrectly typed my own name on one listing.  I would never had realized that if it wasn’t for using this tool.






For this blog example, I did a search on “GOAT POSTER”.   EtsyRank.com gives you statistics about this key word you are considering so you can decide if that is the keyword that gives you the most visibility.  There is also suggestions for additional keywords.  I don't know about you, but when it comes to creating unique keywords for a listing I find myself scratching my head and not always sure that what I'm coming up with is creative enough.  So much of the success of my listing depends on this and now I feel I have the tools to make solid decisions about what words I should use.



It was only just yesterday that I realized that just a little further down on my screen I was actually being shown the listings of my top competitors for that key word category.  I almost fell out of my chair when I saw this.  I can really make informed marketing decisions about my product and find that niche to help my products stand out.  Remember what they say, "The riches are in the niches".


It seems I just can’t say enough about how useful I feel this tool will be for my Etsy Shop in the future.  It’s a REAL ETSY GAME CHANGER!

You want to check out my Etsy Shop or Website then please stop in and say hi.  Leave me a comment on this blog if you found this information helpful.

I would LOVE to hear from you because sometimes it gets mighty lonely here!