Why Did I Wait SO LONG

I have wanted a dedicated shipping label printer for the longest time.  I just kept telling myself I hadn't reached that level and after all I was certainly able to stand up and switch printing paper for 4 x 6 labels in my Epson printer.  I mean it is only a little extra work but you would hear me scream in frustration when I would realize that I had forgotten to put the paper back in and I had wasted expensive label paper.  

It was just a few months ago that I decided to finally invest in a label printer for my business.  There are so many options and while price is a consideration I also wanted something that had very good reviews.  After spending some time researching, I made the plunge and purchased this model of label printer.  It's a thermal printer so no more printer ink, printing on labels by mistake and I can get my shipping labels free from UPS. I always compare shipping carrier rates using Pirateship.com and sometimes I do ship packages using UPS when they are less expensive than USPS  

Everyday when I print out my shipping labels I say to myself, "Why did I wait so long?".  The printing of the labels is lightening fast, the labels stick so much better than the inkjet labels I used to use and I'm not wasting supplies.  It may have cost me $120 but it has saved me time and lots of frustrations.  My advise to every small business owner, "Stop putting it off and buy yourself the equipment you need to grow your small business."

My Studio Equipment Recommendations

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

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.

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

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.  

Just Another Snowy Day

Beautiful Kawich Mountains East of Tonoapah, Nevada

Clifford Mine- just off US6 before you head up into the mountains to Bellehelen

The ruins of Bellehelen

I'm the type of person that you could classify a planner...I often stress over the details and worry too much about the small things in life.  You can probably say I have a need to be in control of my environment.   Occasionally, God just steps in a throws me a curve ball..or in this case... should I say a SNOW BALL.


For months, I have reserved vacation time to add to the already 3 day Memorial Day weekend so that we could make the trip to our favorite remote camping spot far in the Kawich Mountains, east of Tonopah, Nevada. I don't know many people that would drive of 245 miles just to spend a couple of days of solitude and relaxation but that is what Brad and I like to do.

The camping spot is perfect for us and to our great pleasure we found the creek that has been dry on our other visits, flowing with water from the snow melt and so we were greeted with a symphony of bull frogs.  For a Missouri girl, transplanted to the Nevada desert this was sheer music to my ears.  My artist eyes drank in the beauty of the mountains, rocks, trees and abundant wildflowers.  Painting for me, in that setting was pure joy and I found myself hesitant to stop even though I was obviously getting sun burnt.  But it was only Saturday and I had another full day to enjoy my new plein air experience, so I made plans to spend the next day painting at the ruins of Bellehelen ghost town. 

But now to the God sized snow ball part of my adventure.  First kink in a perfect camping trip is a sick rat terrier throwing up all over the camper at midnight.  There is just something about sharing small quarters that bring a family close together but when you are in a 23 x 8 foot box and 1/2 of it is covered with greasy dog vomit you find yourself questioning many things in life.  Like, why didn't I secure that bacon grease in a better location?  Why didn't I put the dog in the crate like I do every night?  Why did I bring the dog in the first place?  Okay...I can deal with this.  I just cover stuff up and wash the disgusting stuff of my right foot because I didn't have my glasses on and stepped on the wrong 1/2 of the camper floor.  Just a little extra effort on my part and I'll be painting away again before too long. 

The sunrise found me with a resolve to tackle the tasks before me and get that camper whipped into shape so that my day would be as I had planned.  But low and behold..I open the camper door to find that 6 inches of wet, fluffy snow was covering everything.  Now I might be from Missouri but I moved to Nevada when I was only 16, so driving in the snow is something I have only experienced twice and both times the experience wasn't exactly positive.  I was frankly, very nervous and the idea that we were beyond any human assistance and we're now faced with the possibility of having some real issues to get back to the safety of civilization. It was hard not to think about how just a few weeks prior, the news reported the story of a Canadian woman that had been stuck in her van in Northern Nevada for 7 weeks living only on melted snow, trail mix and candy. 

I felt the panic welling up and I just said a prayer and decided that I just needed to trust my Montana husband to get us out of this situation that we found ourselves in.  With the wonders of 4 wheel drive, my husband was able to pull us all to safety.  This experience makes be mindful of the scripture found in II Samuel 23:20  "Benahiah, son of Jehoiada, a VALIANT fighter from Kabzeel (is that in Montana), performed GREAT exploits.  He struck down Moab's two mightiest warriors.  He also went down into a pit on a SNOWY day and killed a lion."  Brad might not have been a fighter, a warrior or have killed a lion, but he sure was my hero on a Snowy Day!

5-6 inches of fresh snow that fell surprisingly during the night

Heading back to Las Vegas-My Montana husband saves the day!

Let me just share a few of my paintings that have snow as a focal point.  I love to painting snot but as you can see by this story I'm not to fond of spending much time in the cold, wet stuff.  If you like my work and would like to see more, please visit my website at http://www.julietownsendstudio.com/.  These paintings and many more are featured there.