Continuing with the Etsy shop promotions

Just a quick note, at least to keep the blog current! Here are the list of more etsy shops up for promotion highlighted by www.neatostuff.com.

Thursday- www.purpledaisyjewelry.etsy.com

Friday- www.maryzoom.etsy.com

Saturday- www.threadedgoodness.etsy.com

Sunday- www.uniquegarden.etsy.com

I feel so strongly about supporting individual artisans on Etsy. There is something so unique about one of a kind handmade items. Plus it's nice to know that my gift was not made by child labor in a third world country!!

I should get another batch of shops to promote next week. I am working on some real unique gift cards for my Etsy shop, hopefully I will get those all listed this week. I'm starting to feel the crunch ! More thoughts next time!

More fine Etsy store promotions

So here are two more Etsy stores for consideration as part of a promotional deal I've signed on with www.neatostuff.com . (once again I'm a day behind, *sigh*)

Tuesday- www.craftilycharms.etsy.com (wonderful handmade charms)

Wednesday- www.norakaren.etsy.com (does some fine work with a peacock theme on clothing etc)

I do want to just slip this bit in, one of my etsy store items was selected for an individuals Treasury selection!! Woo Hoo, a first for me! Check it out : http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=20659

Sharing the "Wealth"

I'm learning fast that if my art career is going to be successful, esp. through Etsy, I need to learn how to promote, get the word out there in internet land. Luckly, I am not alone, there are lots of other enterprising artist who are in the exact same boat as me. Finding a good avenue to devote my limited blog time to is another matter altogether. Recently, there was a post on Etsy board about a marketing website that would promote one store a day on their website banner for FREE! If you signed up, all you had to do was simply plug the Etsy stores on your own blog and Etsy store. Simple enough, huh!

Shamefully, I am behind in getting these stores promoted. But I'm doing my part now, below area sample of the fellow Etsy artists stores I've signed up with. Please check them out, there is an artist out there who will blow you away with talent AND is affordable!! From last week here are the stores I needed to promote:

Thursday www.randomscraps.etsy.com
Friday www.gogokioko.etsy.com
Saturdaywww.Elladean.etsy.com
Sunday
www.babymakesthree.etsy.com

So for today, here is the store for promotion:Monday- www.paintingsbyjude.etsy.com

And of course the website so kindly offering this cross promotion is www.neatostuff.com, which offers all kinds of gifts for women, kids and men.

There, I feel better now!!! I am having fun checking these sites out too!

WIP New Horse Action Painting Finished!

And it's finished! So you can see from the color sketch in the previous blog post I just really didn't add anymore color to the horses and riders. But I decided to add a bit more to the background. I added sepia and more yellows to indicate the dust flying especially on the center sliding horse. I also added more yellow and a cobalt blue "ribbons" behind the center horse to account for the energy of action around the horses and riders. I used the technique of wetting the tip of the pencil and then rolling the wet pencil tip on its side to lay the ribbon of color for both the blue and yellow. I then took a slightly damp brush over certain sections for some slight blending. Here are some closeups:








Compared to the more detailed paintings I normally do, this painting took only half the time to complete. I almost feel "lazy" to call this painting finished!! But I'm happy with it, very good exercise for me artistically. I may do a series of action horse events like this, with cutting horses or jumping horses or something!



Oh, I've titled this painting "Reining Riders Trio of Dreams".


This painting will be available for purchase in my Etsy Shop very soon. Now it's time to make more horse themed Christmas tags for my shop, already sold one set of eight! Yipee!

WIP New Horse Action Painting Continued

I truly did not forget about blogging the WIP, just been busy! But now I'm ready to complete the WIP. Once I had the initial sketches done, I made a few changes to correct proportions, like horses head size, legs and feet size, riders arm positions,etc.. and then used tracing paper to copy and lift the designs to the watercolor paper. Here you can see how I placed the drawings ready to be rubbed on the background.











So now the big decision, COLOR! I've decided this painting is going to be more loose in style and more contemporary in presentation as opposed to my usual realistic style. Every once in a while I like to go "outside the box" for me!! When I paint, I really enjoy painting using lots of complementary colors so that was my starting point. Found my trusty color wheel and went to work. Here is the initial color sketch for horses and riders.

I tried to chose colors that would all complement each other (according to my trusty color wheel) in some way or another. This was like putting a jigsaw puzzle together, which color would "fit" with another, I hope I pulled it off though! I used three brands of watercolor pencils, Faber Castell (FC), CretaColor (CC) and Derwent (D). So let's start with the left horse which is in a left spin manuever: horse, blue violet (FC) body, bluish turquoise (FC) mane & tail and receeding areas; rider, naples yellow (D) outline and recessed areas with ochre light (CC) and golden brown (D). For the larger center horse performing a sliding stop, colbalt green (FC) body outline with orange (CC) for eyes and forelock; the rider in madder carmine (CC). For the right side horse in a right handed spin manuever, horse in permanent red light (CC) with magenta (D) for mane & tail and eyes; the rider is in moss green light (CC) and earth green yellowish (FC). Yea, LOTS of color here! Well, this is what I think I want, LOL! So now time for water and painting!

WIP New Horse Action Painting

Ok, I've decided to start a WIP (work in progress) here, testing to see how I handle it schedule wise! An idea came to me about starting an "action" series depicting various horse sports. Somehow, I decided on a reining horse scene. Don't really know why, I enjoy watching reining horses but I was never that interested in actually riding in reining sports. But this is what came to me from Him so I'm doing the smart thing and going with it!



I'm thinking about a loose, more contemporary style, with lots of bold color to create a sense of action, speed and grace. As I'm looking to be original and different in composition I didn't want to depict more sliding reining horse side views that is very common. So I went with a left hand spin horse, a right hand spin horse and in the center a front view sliding stop. Here is a working sketch drawn freehand from references:











And I've started on the background using wet pencils and washes on dry paper, size is about 6" x 10" :


Next I'll "tighten" up the sketches, refine the lines and get them where I want to transfer onto the painted background. Then the color will begin!! Stay tuned....

And the Site builds, Jeweled Bookmark Paintings!

Well I'm making progress for getting art listings in my Etsy shop. This weekend I finished beading the four bookmarks and photographing and listing. Amazing just how much time goes into this process, however it's worth it to me if someone lets me know they enjoy the art! Putting art out for public view is a tricky thing you know, what appeals to the artist and what doesn't is the exact opposite to a viewer or buyer! So I try to create with that in mind.

I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the creative process with these bookmarks. Not only coming up with the painting subjects, but then designing the coordinating beaded tassel. So I combined the process of drawing, watercolor painting, leather work, collecting/combining the beads and stones and then sewing and gluing. Then learning how to get good photographs to best represent the art, *sigh* which I think is the most difficult part for me. The creative process flows pretty well in stages. A lot of times, I'll get to a point in the design, and then a little voice will say "stop" or "let it rest" for now. So I'll go do a barn chore or something and then the rest of the design will come to me! Then I just have to remember it for when I can get back to my art desk later! LOL!

I hope folks enjoy the bookmark art, anyway, there's four in my Etsy shop, each very different to appeal to different equestrian taste! I tried in each of the bookmark painting descriptions to delve more into what inspired the painting for me. I found that was something very personal to share. People could think I am one of those "nutty artsy fartsy types"! HA!

I've got to gear up in making more Christmas themed items, but there's this new painting idea stuck in my mind, so if I know what's good for me, I'll get started creating that first!! LOL!

UPDATE ! ! *** UPDATE ! !
BOOKMARK ART SOLD! And just like that, my first bookmark art piece sold this morning!!! The English rider and horse piece "Practising the Good Hack" now has a new home! Thank God! What a great feeling!