Hi again! I ended up creating a couple options for this month's tech wallpaper download. My favorite is the floral version but the lettering one makes me smile too. The floral version is a pile of asters which are September's official flower. Use the sign-up form below to download your files.
Happy September to you!
Hand Lettering Practice
Hi there! Last night I worked on some lettering and this morning I brought it into Illustrator, traced it, colored it, and turned it into a desktop wallpaper for you (coming tomorrow). I'm sharing some process shots and a quick video to see some of my work. Sign-up below to get the wallpaper directly to your inbox.
SIGN-UP TO GET DESKTOP WALLPAPERS DELIVERED DIRECTLY TO YOUR INBOX
Check back tomorrow for the downloads!
Illustration: Teacups
Teacup sketches becoming vectors. I used pen and paper, then brought into Photoshop to clean up and then into Illustrator using Live Trace.
My Work: Blender Print for Neighborhood Walk Pattern Collection
Hi there! I am working on a pattern collection for fun thanks to Bonnie Christine's Skillshare Class and Workshop. I signed up for her "Create 3 Focal Patterns in 3 Weeks" workshop because I wanted to both learn from her more closely and to help myself stay on track to finish a few focal patterns.
The surface pattern design world is fairly new to me but I love it and am enjoying what I'm learning. Knowing how to design patterns will allow me to provide my clients with something unique for their brand. It will also give me the opportunity to create my own fabric or notebooks and it will mean I can provide you with new printables and downloads!
I used these simple motifs to create my repeating pattern.
And here is the final in a few colorways. This would be considered a blender print in a collection because it's fairly simple and will help tie the rest of the collection together.
Have a great weekend!
Recommendations: Podcasts
I am a podcast lover. Actually, I'm addicted and have been for a while now. It started circa 2010 when I discovered a marketing podcast and would listen when I had mindless things to do at work. Around that same time, my husband and I started listening to financial and family-oriented podcasts while we did housework in our studio and over the last couple years there have been some really fun new podcasts focused on creative businesses which have been helpful. I like that I can listen and learn on the go or whenever, really. Especially once I realized my phone has a podcast app...hello, duh. I can’t believe I didn’t know about it sooner.
Anyway, I thought I’d share some of my favorite shows in case you’re in the market for some business wisdom, interviews and creative inspiration. These are listed in no particular order.
1 • Creating Your Own Path: An Examination of Life + Creativity + Business
I love hearing from the guests that Jennifer Synder invites on her show. There are a few I already follow and know of, but many I’ve never heard about who I enjoy getting to know through their interviews. From artists to shop owners to musicians, Jennifer has a way of getting people to share their stories by asking the right questions and then letting them answer without interruption. The discussions really do reflect the title of the podcast because after every episode I have a sense of what the guest's path has been up to that point in their career and where it is headed. ••LISTEN••
2 • StartupCamp
My friend Candace from Pictilio introduced the StartupCamp podcast to me a few months ago and I’m so glad she did. The host, Dale Partridge, is exceptional at interviewing and makes each episode feel like time well spent. He asks the right questions and often shares bits of his own story to drive home certain points. Although there are some guests and topics that are not necessarily exciting to me, I gain helpful insights every time I tune in. Additionally, Dale’s website is full of great tips and essays on small business and life in general. I am a big fan. ••LISTEN••
3 • Make It Happen with Jen Carrington
This is my newest podcast discovery. Jen is a blogging coach and it is rare that she interviews someone I’ve heard of which I find pretty fun. It’s always nice to be introduced to people who are making things happen in their worlds and hearing how and what they are doing to build their business. I could be wrong but I think of it as more of a “young” podcast in that guests seem to mostly be in their 20’s. I love that young people straight out of college are starting their own online businesses these days. ••LISTEN••
4 • Being Boss
An all-around great podcast. I don’t listen to every episode, depending on the topic, but most of the time they’re great and Emily and Kathleen are fun hosts. Emily and Kathleen are creatives who provide website and branding services to their clients so their insights are right along the lines of what I’m interested in. They talk about things like client relationships, productivity, content creation, and interview creatives who share their journeys. They also have a community that anyone can be a part of via Facebook, or a paid community they call the Clubhouse where creatives can connect with each other. This is an all around great resource. ••LISTEN••
5 • Elise Gets Crafty
Elise Blaha Cripe interviews creative entrepreneurs in a very conversational way. She seems to be learning along with the listeners so she asks probing questions which mean we get to hear some great thoughts and gain helpful tips from people who are doing cool things in their industries. Her guests vary from fine artists to authors to makers. Listening to stories of where each came from and how they got to where they are is always intriguing and inspiring. This is a fun one. ••LISTEN••
I never turn away from hearing creative small business owners interviewed so I’d love to know if you have any other recommendations! :)
What I'm Learning: Drawing Chairs
Have you heard of Lisa Congdon? I first learned about her a year ago when she was interviewed on the Say Yes podcast. I listened and was intrigued by her idea of passion projects, but then forgot about her until recently when I discovered she teaches classes on Creativebug (which is my new favorite discovery...online art classes from accomplished artists).
Lisa is an artist, illustrator and author who also happens to be a great teacher. I'm currently taking her 31 Things to Draw class and really appreciate the way she encourages drawing because she shows her style and gives tips but also makes me feel like she’s giving me permission to try my own thing. Which is obviously the point of art, but sometimes it’s hard to think beyond what someone is showing me if I don’t feel like my skills are strong.
She has 31 prompts for 31 days and she gives a 3-minute lesson on how she draws the item. Her day 3 prompt is chairs, which are difficult. Lisa recommends drawing them for 20-minutes, even if it's the same style chair, to get comfortable with the 3-D aspect of chairs and I’m telling you, it worked. I chose to draw the same style chair (copying one of her styles), and it was so really frustrating until the twentieth time when I realized that what I drew actually looked like a chair. Success! I have a long way to go but was excited that the dedicated time and consistency paid off.
You’ll see my sketches are a mess...yikes. But I took the one that came out best, digitized it, and created a pattern. If you’re looking to spend 30-min a day on something creative, I recommend signing up for a free trial on Creativebug and finding a class that speaks to you. Have fun!
Time Out to Create
I’m off of work for the next few weeks! Thanks to my day job which gives its employees a six-week paid sabbatical after six years of service, I get a month and a half to do whatever I want...kinda. Most people visit exotic lands and try new, exciting things during their sabbatical, but I’ve decided to use these weeks to spend quality time with my favorite little people as a stay-at-home mom. I’m also planning to spend hours creating.
As you can imagine (or may currently experience), personal time is hard to come by when you are responsible for caring for a 12-month old and 3.5 year old from morning to night. But thankfully my 3.5 year old loves art projects and we can use the little guy’s afternoon nap time as “art project time”...which means we get an hour or two to be creative...and it’s the best.
And because I want (and need!) a little time to do things on my own every once in a while, my husband is graciously giving me a few hours a week where I can be alone and spend time on projects I want to do. A sabbatical is typically a time to explore and try new things, so I’m choosing to develop my drawing and painting skills...which are currently at a beginner level :) I’m more comfortable making digital art in Adobe Illustrator so drawing and painting is a stretch...but a good one!
Thanks to the online courses available to us these days, I can learn from amazingly talented people without leaving home. I’ve chosen a few classes from both Skillshare and Creativebug to complete over the next few weeks and look forward to sharing some of my work with you.
For now, here is some of the work I’ve recently posted on Instagram. Lots of fun...and there's so much more I'm looking forward to. xo
