Time for INKTOBER

If you are part of the art community, you are probably aware of an phenomenon referred to as "INKTOBER".  This is a month long drawing challenge started in 2009 by artist Jake Parker to challenge himself and improve his skills as an artist. There are 31 prompt words for you to use to guide you through the month.   I personally haven't participated in past years but have always wanted to.

This year I picked up my pens and my sketchbook and decided to give it a shot. Day 18 and I'm glad I did.  From the beginning, I decided that each of my drawings would feature a little mouse. This will help me on my quest to develop a little illustrated character that I can draw into little adventures and build an audience with.  Inktober is going to be GREAT practice for me to achieve that goal.

I thought I would just share a few of my favorite drawings so far this month.

Day 1- Prompt word- RING

Day 2- Prompt word- MINDLESS

Day 7- Enchanted

Day 10- Pattern

Day 15- Legend

Day 16- Wild

Country Plaid Christmas is HERE!

I know that I am about as late as an artist can be getting out Christmas designs here in the middle of  October, but it is what it is.  I stopped painting cowbells long enough last week to work on 6 new 2018 Christmas Card designs that I'm calling "Country Plaid Christmas" and they are now up an can be ordered on my Etsy Shop and Website .

Lately, I have noticed how popular black buffalo plaid is on the country decorating Facebook groups I belong to.  I can understand it because it looks great.  I have always loved plaid and there is just something about black and red that screams classic country Christmas in my mind.  So with that introduction, I present to you the fruits of my labor and I use the word labor loosely because designing is way more fun than hard work.

Christmas Surprise

Chihuahua Christmas

Crowing Rooster

Tangled Christmas Mouse

Cardinal 

Decorating Mouse

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.

Why is RED the color of Love but You See RED When You're Angry?

Here is a little Valentine Joke for you....Q: Why do melons have to get married in churches?   A: Because they cantaloupe!




This past week I have been frantically working on some designs specific to that lovely holiday that shines a bright spotlight on sweethearts.  You know the one where large masses of pink and red bouquets of hot house flowers clog the entry way of nearly every retail store and the smell of chocolate can be found wafting in the air.  Yes it is soon to be Valentines Day.  I'm frantic because not only do I have just a few weeks before THE day arrives but coming up with designs is the just beginning of the work.  I have to make the cards and market them.  I'm afraid that I have already lost the war but maybe I can win a small battle.  Next year when ghosts and pumpkins fill the shelves I am going to be seeing only pink and red!

Country Girl Valentine

First is my Country Girl Valentine.  You might be able to take the girl out of the country but you sure can't take the country out of a girls heart.  I had so much fun filling this heart with comical little chickens.  I plan on at least having a cow version of this design by the end of the weekend. (Fingers crossed and behind my back)

















If you have followed my work at all you know that I have a soft spot for both mice and chickadees.  That soft spot has once again made its way to the surface to combine with a fun Zentangle heart design.  I had so much fun drawing these and I think they will look great printed out as cards.  At least that is my hope and I will be working hard this weekend to make that happen.  Cards will soon be available in both Boulder City and at City of the World just in time for the 14th.  

I took a few minutes just to put together a couple of cards so that I could show what I had in mind.  I had purchased a pack of gingham craft paper a few weeks back and I think the pink and red will be perfect for this project.  I just grabbed a few items off my Valentine decoration from my entry way to stage this quick little photo session.  Lighting this time of the evening isn't the greatest but I think you can see just how cute these designs will work.




If you like my work and want to see more of it, please check out my Facebook page at Julie Townsend Studio or my website at JulieTownsendStudio.com.  I can also be found on Instagram and at my Etsy Store.  Thanks for spending a few minutes of your time with me.

Zazzle Your Holiday

Check out how awesome this coaster puzzle looks with my own  "Except For the Mouse" Christmas design that is now available on my Zazzle store.  I think these coasters add the perfect touch while protecting your beautiful wood furniture.  Because of the puzzle aspect, they offer an element of entertaining for the younger members of your family.  These would make great gifts and stocking stuffers.

Here is a link that will take you to this item in my Zazzle Store:
http://www.zazzle.com/holiday_cheer_coaster_puzzle_set_puzzle_coaster-256636727658322620?CMPN=emc_ProductCreationForStore_Html_blogger&rf=238584376346894601&lang=en

Not a Creature was Stirring "EXCEPT FOR THE MOUSE"

Except for the Mouse

There is nothing like the chill that comes to the morning air in October.  I'm thankful that I have once again survived another hot summer of oppressive heat of the Mojave desert and blessed with a feeling of  renewed energy and creativity.

As an artist, I really should be working on my Christmas ideas in July but that is just so hard to do when all you're trying to do is to stay cool.  So here it is in October and I'm feeling the pressure of getting my Holiday designs down on paper.  My goal is to have four or five unique sketches created by the end of this week.  I have these two so far.

With both of these designs were so much fun to draw.  I found myself smiling most of the day as I added in the details of these furry little decorators.  

All day the words to the famous Christmas poem by Clement Clarke Moore, "Twas the Night Before Christmas, when all through the house.  Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse" kept rolling around in my head. The difference was that I would change the last phrase to "Except for the Mice".

Decorating Committee

These little guys are hard at work putting on the final touches of the decorations and you can see just how hard they must work to get the ornaments hung just right on the tree and this beautiful wreath so it can be hung on the door to welcome with cheer everyone that visits.  So I'm calling these "Except for the Mouse" and " Decorating Committee".

If you would like to check out more of my work, please feel free to visit my website.  I work hard trying to keep it updated with my new pieces but sometimes that is a challenge when you draw and paint as much as I do.  Here is the Link: JulieTownsendStudio.com

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas...

Well, not so much yet. Today is the 1st day of October and that fact makes me happy even if it was still 95 degrees here in Las Vegas.  I had the joy of being part several artists who got to display their work and to paint today outside of Boulder City's Art in the Park event.  I've participated in a number of these outside festivals over the past few years and as an artist and have until today gone home with every piece of art that I back breakingly hauled out.  Today was different. I actually sold a couple of small pieces and I am ecstatic about that fact.  I met a lot of great people and even finished a little piece that I started the night before that I'm really happy with.  This little mouse, complete with little red paint paw prints makes me smile.

I took along my acrylic paints and a WIP piece I'm working on of an owl along with me today.  The plan was that we were to stage painting demos throughout the day to draw attention from the public as they walk past on their way to the park.  Acrylic are tricky in hot dry weather.  They just dry so fast that I find myself just fighting with them to blend the paints before they are completely dry.  So I decided instead to work on a little sketch I had started the night before of a little Christmas mouse.  All day the words to the famous Christmas poem by Clement Clarke Moore, "Twas the Night Before Christmas, when all through the house.  Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse" kept rolling around in my head. The difference was that I would change the last phrase to "Except for a Mouse".  This little guy is hard at work putting on the final touches of the decorations and you can see just how hard he must work to get those Christmas balls painted just right and hung on the branches with such care.  I believe that will be the title for this fun little drawing "Except for the Mouse".


Have a blessed October 1st.  Take time to be Thankful, Look at Beautiful Art, and enjoy the Fall Leaves in what seems like a very crazy world at times.  

Here are a few other furry little rodent sketches I thought you might enjoy looking at. For more of my artwork, please check out my website at JulieTownsendStudio.com and please leave me a message.  I would love to hear from you.

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.

Make Everyday a Black Tie and Tails Day

My husband and I have been enjoying the PBS show, Downton Abbey.  We have tried to watch one or two episodes each day while eating our dinner.  Last night we started watching season 5.

Never in my life have I experience watching a TV show from the first episode all the way to the end of the show.  I would always hear people talk about their "Show" is on tonight but I have never watched TV like that.  I've always been a hit and miss kind of viewer.  Never really having a favorite show or even knowing the time or date a specific show was airing but Netflix has changed all that.

Like so many other households,  3 years ago we canned our cable TV subscription and joined Netflix. Maybe a year ago I got involved in the show "Lost" and I was hooked.  Now we have watched every episode of NCIS, Longmire and Sherlock.  I find the experience much like reading a good novel.  I find myself getting involved with the characters and caught up in the story line.  I had watched lots of episodes of NCIS but now, having watched them in sequence, everything makes much greater sense because you know the history.  

I knew I would love Downton Abbey seeing as how I am completely in love with anything Jane Austin.  The only problem I faced was that Downton Abbey isn't on Netflix so I had to pay for a subscription to Amazon Prime to start watching the show.  So far I'm happy with that decision and since many of my art and business supplies are purchased on Amazon it makes the $100 expense a bit easier to deal with.

My Little "Downton Abbey" Mouse Sketch

I suppose I had better get this blog back on track since my focus isn't on critiquing TV shows but talking about my artwork.  The whole Downton Abbey influence is evident, at least to me, in my most recent sketch that I'm calling "Make Everyday a Black Tie and Tails Day".  I was thinking the other day about how the Crawley family often dress so formally just to eat dinner.  Their chauffeur turned son-in-law Tom complained about having to wear a tuxedo to dinner each night.  They put such stock in whether to wear their black or white bow tie.

So my little "Downton Abbey" mouse here is getting all dressed up for a special evening.  His top hat and bow tie are ready and he has just dipped his tail into the jar of black India ink to finish off his formal attire.  He was so much fun to draw yesterday.  I had a number of people watching me at McDonalds in the morning as I started working on the pen and ink work there.  I already have plans on starting a sketch of his date and perhaps I will let the influence of the beautiful "Lady Mary" help me with that one.

The original 5 x 7 matted sketch along with prints, art greeting cards and 4 x 6 art magnets are available in both my Etsy store or on my website

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.  

A Flurry of Fur and Feathers

I have been having a blast the last few days sketching little creatures and so I just had to share.  I'm working on a new painting that has a rooster and a few chickens as the focal point and so it never hurts to pull out the the paper and and pens to get a little practice in.  This is my 4th painting in a series that I started working on at the end of last year.  I'm pulling out lots of memories of my Missouri childhood as I paint my version of rural country life.

I'm pretty excited because just today I ordered a Canon Pixma Pro-100 wireless color professional inkjet printer and boy I can't wait to start designing my own line of greeting cards and matted prints. With my solo show coming up in April at the Boulder City Art Gallery, I can't waste a minute of time getting enough inventory lined up.  The title of my show is "Down Country Roads" so you can expect to see many more furry and feathered friends as I burn the midnight oil to get prepared.

You're my Little Chickadee 

You make me want to shout!

Hang in there...the weekend is coming

Just Paper and a Pencil

Well....there might be some ink involved and of course it's not just one pencil but rather a set of colored pencils but you get the idea.  I do love the freedom that colored pencils and a sketchbook affords me as an artist.  With very little effort you can enjoy creating a beautiful piece of art without hauling a suitcase full of supplies, easel and canvas around with you.  It affords you the ability to be discrete and yet at the same time i you can draw plenty of attention to yourself as an artist if you so choose.

I thought I would share a few of my most recent sketches that I have done in an effort to begin building a portfolio of such with the future goal of perhaps getting some illustration work or to have some of them perhaps licensed.  I know it is a stretch but you have to start somewhere and the research I have done so far says to take 3 to 6 months to build a portfolio of ideas before you start sending them out to potential clients.

These particular pieces are going to get framed this week and be on display for the First Friday event next week at City of the World Gallery in Downtown Las Vegas. I love the energy of First Friday and I'm really looking forward to seeing the response I receive from the public regarding my little drawings. You can be assured that I will be sharing in future blogs about that exact thing in the near future.

If you are in Las Vegas this next week, please consider stopping by and checking out the art.  City of the World is an amazing gallery full of many art styles and genre.  You are sure to find something to love.

Think Big

You Stole My Heart

Enjoy a Good Book

The Start of Something Big....

So as part of my Year Of Art in 2016, I want to create a portfolio of sketches.  Don't worry, I will continue to paint on canvases and cowbells,  but I want to develop my skills in the illustration arena.  I've been reading a number of articles about getting your art licensed and this thought excites me. The one e-book suggests that you take 3-6 months and develop a portfolio of ideas so that you can share them with potential companies that buy art for licensing.  I will make a little confession here that a secret dream of mine for years has been to have my art published on a Leaning Tree card so art licensing has been a goal of mine long time.

The last several days I have been a bit under the weather, so yesterday I brought all my drawing supplies out of the studio and arranged them near the sofa and the warmth of the wood stove.  I spent a good portion of the day drinking hot tea, watching movies, drawing and trying to stay warm.  The result of these efforts is a little 5x7 sketch that I'm calling "Take the Time to Enjoy a Good Book".  I think this idea has potential to make a cute card.

"Take Time to Enjoy a Good Book"- 

So my first sketch for my portfolio is almost finished.  I need to decide if I should do something to the background at this point.  I don't want to distract from the book but if I put a light color for the background then the book might actually stand out more.  It a lot of light colors so I can see a beige watercolor wash perhaps.

Here are some other recent drawings I have done for my darling grandchildren for their birthdays. I'm trying to create a unique piece of art for each grandchild as part of their birthday gift from me.  I never liked buy cards from the rack and so I thought it would be much better if I tried to create them something special.  These are the three 3 year old grandchildren and I had so much fun turning them each into little cartoon characters.

JoJoda....The Force is Strong With This One!

Katherine- and her "Lovely Lime Green Tutu"

"It's a Bird, It's a Plane...no It's Super Noah"

Fence Posts

Most of my childhood memories involve growing up near the small town of  Eldon, Missouri.  We lived in a very small mobile home positioned 1/2 mile down a country gravel road off Hwy 52 on 20 acres of wooded property.  20 acres is a goodly amount of land for any child to explore and have plenty of childhood adventures.  Our house was tiny, cramped and stuffy so I recall that I spent as much time as I could outside. I had my own clubhouse at the edge of the clearing that we call our backyard.  I loved spending time there.

Our property was fenced very much like shown here in my painting.  Old fence posts strung with 3 strands of barbed wire.  The line of fence posts that bordered the gravel road that accessed our property were always painted white because my mother liked everything in the front yard, including 3 feet of the base portion of many of the trees, recycled rubber tire planters, well house, porch and our swing set all shining under many layers of white paint.  I think she would have had me paint all the rocks in the driveway if she had thought about it. 

The rest of the fence posts that separated our property from Old Man Shulte's pasture were left to succumb to the elements and slowly decay giving way to the character of the wood.  Knots and flaws in the wood probably go unnoticed by most but in this piece I wanted to show how this post still is standing strong enough to be home to many growing things.  Strong enough to still create that a barrier between the field and their grassy home.

This new painting I've just completed reminds me of home.  In the summer everything about Missouri is dominated with the color green.  There is just so much vegetation there and living in that vegetation is vast number of small creatures living their lives out in the search of food and trying not to become food themselves.  I call this piece, "Life at the Fence Post" and it is 36x24 inches and painted in acrylic.

If you like my work then please click on the link above called gallery or visit my website at JulieTownsendStudio.com