Made another sale!

Oh, I hope you weren't putting off buying this one from my Etsy store. It's gone, baby, gone!
My commission client remembered me, and came back for a little more. She bought this notebook for a friend's going-away gift. The best part: the client said, "I was thinking, 'oh, I'll just pick up a notebook at Barnes and Noble' and then I thought, 'wait, why don't I just call Lisa?' "

I'll be savoring that for a while.

Since I brought her a selection to look at in person, she bought it then, so I just took the notebook down from Etsy. However, I've re-listed some other notebooks, so see if there's anything you'd like to take home. You can click on the link in the first sentence of this post. Or use the Etsy widget on the right side of the page, and click on "YoLisaLisa."

Homework. This could require thinking.

Ricë and I had a good talk last month about getting to know yourself and your art better... what really excites you, what medium/media you love so much you want to marry it, things like that. Like decorative paper and transparencies and stuff. (See more on my Flickr pages.)She suggested I get off my ass and do some deep thinking about these things. The threat of her nagging me to do so reared its head also. So I've been thinking. (Yes, that was the source of the smoke you smelled.) I hate hate hate homework, but I've been thinking.In my last piece, Dryad and Child, I was thinking about the face(s) I mean to show to the world, and the ones that show whether you know it or not. When I was younger, I thought one had to be the real thing, and the other was fake or not as authentic. (I was a teenager. Cut me some slack.) But I now think it's more like parts fade in and out, depending on circumstances.
Even with children. Which is why I printed one face, and layered another on top, on both figures. You look at one face, then the other, then back to wonder what one face expresses or conceals...

Another element of these shifting perceptions: all of the faces I used are of African Americans. Even the transparency face. They're just different shades of black people.

So I guess essentially, I like translucent layers, especially faces, because you can see two elements at a time and your mind shifts back and forth from one perception to another. My clever Artfest roomies Cheryl and Layla picked up on that right away.
That's why I like lace paper so much, and the semi-translucent white leaves on the dryad's over-skirt. I used to adore vellum when I first started making cards, for the same reason. The delicacy obscures, but doesn't completely hide, the layer beneath. This piece was the first I've made where I think that interest came out to the fore.

Dryad and Child is for sale (email me if you're interested), mainly because I want someone else to be as fascinated by the faces as I am. I plan on putting the piece on my Etsy store tomorrow.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled Artfest coverage

Another of my new dorm-mates posted a comment -- the talented Celeste. You'll find her in one of the bonfire pictures in the previous Artfest post. I just love it when I know where to find y'all online!

Once again, I have no idea how I made it to Vendor Night, seeing's how I was so dog-tired after another full day of arting. But Morag and I made it to the big ol' hangar where it was being staged. You see why I say "staged" instead of "held":
These are people attending Artfest, as well as Port Townsend locals who were interested in the art. Yes, it was crowded, but not as slammed as the Vendor Night at Art & Soul in Portland, because that was in a couple of large hotel break-out rooms. Plus there was all that overhead space dissipating some of the body heat. So it was warm enough to make you take off your jacket, but not dance-club-crowded.

I made a couple of circuits, because there was no way to move like an assembly line -- people want to look more closely or chitchat with the artist. You had to get in where you could. So when the crowd eased a bit, I saw LK Ludwig close to the front:
Anahata Katkin, selling like crazy (I promised to post a good pic!):
Nina Bagley (she liked my calling card design!) and her pal Misty Mawn, right next door:
I took pics of the necklaces Nina made for both of them. Nina teased me about sneaking in a boob shot.
Catherine Witherell, parting with one of her articulated pendant lovelies:
She took a little time to browse through my artist book:
... and I took advantage of her weakness to scoot in and take a couple pix from the inside of the vendor ring.
Look! In the dark sweater -- a guy at Artfest who's not teaching! (You may have noticed these events tend to be, um, estrogen-rich.)

Another circuit... this time I ran into some of my friends, like Stacie:She's naughty. It says so right there.
And here's Kecia, my Art & Soul roomie. She's a trained professional, kids. Don't try this at home.
And Laren, trying on a necklace (she's on the left):

I knew going in that I probably wouldn't be able to afford anything; most everything I'd love to take home was at least $225 or more. Which is almost as much as an Artfest class. But surprise -- I did find a little something I could afford, at Pamela Huntington's table!
She made a little articulated circus acrobat, and gave him a wire tightrope to walk on. I love the doorknocker, and the text above:
And then I stayed up far later than I should've again, at the "afterparty" we had in our dorm. Someone even had those plastic bracelets they give you to enter a party, so we figured that made our "club" official. Lots of fun.

Next time, on Blogging Queen: Last day of classes, and why the black kids always eat together in the cafeteria.

Pocket art, display art

Voila! The magic of Photoshop... the expertise of The Husband... and now I have official business-type calling cards. The Husband gently nudged me to get it done, and man, it was about time. One more step closer to being ready for Artfest.

And if you're going to Artfest, please stop by the gallery area, where my assemblage "Dryad and Child" will be available for purchase.
I know I'm offering this to an audience of artists, in a place where the artists are hoping to make some money to recoup their retreat expenses.

But still... if the piece isn't your thing, talk it up to your friends back home who would like it. You've seen this grow and change -- you're practically a midwife to this baby! Help me find a home for these two.

The reveal

And here it is: the commissioned altered notebook! Fret no more, and rejoice, for I have finally gotten off my ass and posted the finished piece.

The client was delighted, and ran her hands over the covers eagerly, flipping them open and looking at it from all angles. I tell you, it felt like I'd given her the bestest birthday gift ever.
The color blending worked out well with the background paper, and the red beads on the side picked up the map's road lines as I'd planned. Kinda looks like colored sugar for cupcakes, but I resisted the temptation to shake some into my mouth and enjoy the crunchiness. You're proud of me for that, I can tell.
I used an inset map of Rome for the back, and ran that 7 Gypsies gaffer tape along the bottom edge of the front and back cover. (I love their products, but man, they really need to make their website more user-friendly. Would it kill them to add a search function?) Then I inked up the edges to take the squeaky-clean feel down a couple notches.
I remembered to ask the client to tell a friend about me, and she said, "oh, I should tell my book club about this!" Which I thought was a fabulous idea, and then she topped herself. "Oh, wait -- I was going to give it [the notebook] to my husband [next] Tuesday, but my book club's this Thursday. I'll bring it to the book club, and then I'll wrap it up and give it to my husband on Tuesday."

Excellent idea! Couldn't have said it better myself.

First look

You're dying to see more, aren't you? I can tell from here.

But I'm going to wait on posting the full-shot pix until after I deliver it to the client, who will be available next week. I figure she's paying for it -- she ought to be the first to see it in its full glory. I promise, the minute I can get to a computer after delivery, you get to see the whole deal.

Okay, okay! One more peek. I am a total art-tease. Shame on me. Happy Friday, and I'll get the rest of the pix up soonest!

Ret' to go

Everything went swimmingly with the commission client this morning... brought the elements I plan to use, including this paper:Even though the client has seen my work, in person and on my Flickr account, I was still kinda nervous. But as we examined the papers and inks and other elements I plan to use, she oohed and ahh'd and brought up a couple of things I hadn't even thought to highlight.

She mentioned that she'd had no idea what it took to make the notebooks, until she saw the elements and we began talking about what I was going to do with them. I loved hearing that -- I've had my moments when I had to bitch and moan about how no one seems to understand that making things takes time. How it actually takes time to buy (or order online) materials, to decide if this element goes here or there, adhesive drying time, etc.

And when I brought out the artist-client agreement I drew up for the project, she listened carefully and was pretty pleased about signing. Apparently she's constantly wrangling with someone who teaches her son... there's always some sort of misunderstanding. And it's all because the teacher refuses to use a contract to spell out what's expected of her clients and of the teacher.

Whew! I best get to work.

Prime time, take 2

Good news: the commission client and I are back on for tomorrow. So I'll pack up my stuff tonight and be ready to go tomorrow morning. Hope The Boy gets a good night's rest -- we'll have to be up and at 'em early!

Not ready for prime time

Through a series of totally avoidable mistakes, I didn't meet with the commission client today. We might be able to reschedule for Friday. Cross your fingers that I get a new, functioning brain between now and the end of the week.

Altered notebook commission

I have a new commission -- sort of.

A new client wants to buy an acid-free version of this notebook I have up on Etsy:
Which would be fairly easy to make, since the original's staring me in the face and I should be able to get the acid-free notebook. (It's like the one I used for this commission, only without ribbons.) But there's a slight problem: I've used up all of the paper I used for the background. Googled it and called the store where I originally purchased it, but it's no longer available. Arrgh.

So I've emailed the client to let her know, and attached photos of some papers I think would work as substitutions. The finished piece will be a gift for an artistic-type guy who also thinks very linearly.
Manly enough? What do you think?

UPDATE: All is well.. it turns out one of the other papers meshed perfectly with the interests of the gift recipient. I'll see the client next week!'

P.S.: Now stressing about whether I'm charging too much. I emailed her an estimate of costs and The Husband said it was too much. So now I'm thinking the client will back out. I won't find out, likely, until Monday or Tuesday. We're supposed to meet at the beginning of the week. [whiny fussing baby sound]

Etsy store -- stealth launch

Day after Christmas, and my Etsy store is UP!

Sometimes I have to sneak up on myself to get stuff done. If I pay attention too closely, I'll hear all the poisonous, "what, are you kidding?!" shrieks from my inner critic. But tonight and last night, I went in all ninja-warrior and completed my Etsy store front, complete with four items.

Now you have somewhere to spend the money that Great-aunt Eglantine sent you. Or somewhere to send your Cousin Ulf when he asks you what you want for your birthday.

New Flickr pix

Finally got around to downloading some more pix into my Flickr. Go see.

Front and back

I finished the commissioned notebook today! I'll reassemble the front and back covers after the sealer sets. Materials: photos, photo transfers, plastic rosary, gaffer tape, decorative papers, cardstock, microbeads, twine.

The Husband showed me how to do the super-zoom, so I can show you the rosary icons a bit better. This one is at the end of the rosary beads running down the left side of the front cover:And the one at the center of the "sun" (I think it was supposed to be the Holy Family, but it was hard to see even before I painted it):And the crucifix to the right of St. Dominic.
It was a good day at the Castle... I had a nap, went out on a lunch date with The Husband, then came home and finished the commission while we watched our "Little Britain" DVD. (I need an oxygen tank next to me to watch the show because I can't catch my breath for laughing.)

And I even had a little time to do the beginnings of three ATCs for Artfest. I signed up for the big ATC book this year -- 27 ATCs, so each participant gets a book of 25 cards and the organizers Teesha and Tracy each get their own, too.

Two of the ones I made today won't work for the book, whose theme is, of course, Artfest, so I'll just keep those as trades. But one uses some of the leftover transfer paper from the commission, so I think it'll work as a base for a book ATC. I need to be thinking more of the "Forest Floor" theme they have working this year. I've been thinking for quite some time about the other piece we're encouraged to make. But I'll have to do that in between the ATCs, because those have to be in Nantucket by February 15th. Oh crap, now I know I have to be all over those, because I have to help plan a baby shower for February 9th and a dual birthday party for soon after the ATC deadline. Oy.

La commission

No, that's not a sweatband on the man's head, that's his tonsure. Remember Friar Tuck from Robin Hood? Same haircut.

To be more specific, the monk pictured is Saint Dominic. He's the focal point of this commissioned notebook I've almost finished. The client is going to give it to a good friend for Christmas, as a general memories book.

The gift recipient is from Managua, Nicaragua. From what I understand, she likes Catholic imagery for its aesthetics as well as its meaning. So I looked up some info on Managua and found its patron saint is Santo Domingo de Guzman (St. Dominic). Her family also has a vacation home in a tiny Texas border town that holds a prickly-pear cactus festival each year. And her husband raises reptiles. Three references to the recipient, all in that one bit of photo!

So I finally got to use this cool-as-hell white paper that has a lizard-skin pattern. (See, I'm not hoarding! I'm using the good stuff!) The gift recipient likes green, so I rubbed a bit of green acrylic into the grooves of the "lizard skin." I also chose a notebook with acid-free pages and reinforced the bottom edges of the front and back covers, since it's meant to last for a while.

I was just going to assemble straight photos of cactus around the saint. But then my eye fell on the cheap paper I had left over from LK Ludwig's class, the stuff we used for transfers. So I added cactus transfers to the regular photos for more depth.

These are the bits of plastic rosary I was talking about earlier, the ones I painted to look like copper. I think the one on the left turned out better than the one on the right. In real life, the one on the left looks more orangish-coppery, and it's easier to see the detail of the figure's face. (Sorry I couldn't zoom into it better.) I think, but I'm not sure, that the one I prefer was coated with an orange/black wash that tended more to the orange side. Guess I'll just have to keep noodling with it to find out.

I hope to be done with the whole commission tomorrow. And I have the day off, so maybe I can also catch a movie with The Husband, who's currently working from home.

We have returned. You may now recommence pilgrimages to the Queen's court.

I got a couple nice pictures from our visit to Nana and Peepaw's, where they have sunshine. We have to import ours at this time of the year. I'll put them in a new post late tonight.

I'm also almost finished with the current commission (that I should've done ages ago). It's a custom notebook, this one with spiral rings and acid-free paper. (Go to my Flickr account to see the first commission, on which I used the same kind of notebook.) That's what I was working on this morning.

I'm finally getting a chance to use this plastic rosary, and I've painted it to look like it's copper. Part of it turned out almost exactly the way I wanted it to; it's the color of an old penny. (Thanks, Michael.) But another part was darker, like a pretty grimy penny. And the rosary beads look more like black pearls than copper beads. It still works, but I wish I could remember how much of each color I layered onto the plastic, so I can get the same color every time. I'd repaint it, but I'm afraid to layer on more paint and then quick-dry it with my heat gun. The rosary bits are small, and I'm sure I've already melted some of the detail work. So I'm officially Quitting While I'm Ahead on that portion of the project.

In other news, I made a few calls to distant relatives to try to find out more information about my family tree. I started these conversations early this year, because I was feeling like my brother and I were the Last Mohicans. Both my parents are dead, and nearly all my direct relations are back East. So I'm filling a little of the void this way.

My brother's mother-in-law has done most of the heavy lifting. She's quite the expert. She's extracted individual information from the US Census and other public records into several reference books for genealogical societies. When my first niece was born, she decided to research our side of the family so Number One Niece would know as much as possible about both her mother and father's families.

But I think I'll wait until after the new year to make any more calls. I called one cousin on my mom's side, and his mother is in hospice (might have passed away by now). Then I emailed one of my father's cousins, to ask if her 93-year-old father could remember something -- and it turns out he died on Thanksgiving. I recklessly made a third call to another paternal cousin, and broke my streak. She and her father, who's had a few strokes but is okay, are trying to jog his memory by talking to a third cousin.

More on the art later.

Crafty

I done learnt a few things about art for sale, after yesterday's holiday craft fair. In order of occurrence in the twisty little corners of my mind:

-- The more expensive items (the full-sized notebooks, as opposed to the palm-sized mini notebooks) sold first. I think that was true of this year's and last year's craft fair. Don't know if that's because people think bigger is better in general, or for this particular type of artwork.

-- I'd like to find something else smallish to alter. Maybe under a certain size, people doubt that something artistic can also be useful? (Other than iPods, that is.)

-- I need to update my Flickr account with my newer stuff.

-- I need business cards or Moo cards. And I need to decide what art I'll put on the cards.

For those of you who have Moo cards, aren't you afraid people will lose them in their purses/bags/pants pockets, and then not know what your contact info is?

This year's craft fair was kinda slow. I blame it on the fact that there was also a craft fair going on simultaneously at the outpatient treatment center of the research institution where I work. The treatment center is uphill -- not a long way, but you know lazy-ass Americans like me. "That's too steep. If I go to both craft fairs, then I have to walk uphill either to get back to my car or to go to the fair up the hill!"

No, I think I'd make the trip. Geez, I'm already there, and the money is burning a hole in my pocket.

Nevertheless, I did make a little cash, and some people didn't sell anything yesterday. The other vendor who was selling notebooks wasn't there this year, so if anyone was interested in a notebook they bought from me. And I pointed some people to my Flickr account so they could order something later. Here's hoping.

I also met a lovely woman named Mary, who's friends with another art friend Stacie (Stacie was one of the co-organizers of the craft fair, as well as a vendor). We got to talking after the fair, andMary said she has a real knack for convincing wholesalers to carry her jewelry. So I asked if I could tag along and see her in action, and she loved the idea.

My brother says I think I need a Ph.D in a subject before I try something new. But preparation + opportunity = "luck." I also learn well from other people's mistakes, which is why my brother's behind saw more spankings than mine did when we were kids.

Probably the best thing about not selling everything at the craft fair: I had said I hoped I'd have a few left over to start the dang Etsy shop. Ask, and ye shall receive, dahling. I'll get this done by the end of this week at the latest. Might not be as purty as everyone else's, but I'm learning once again that sometimes mostly-done is good enough.

Speaking of the in-laws, Nana and Peepaw came over to visit for most of Thanksgiving weekend. It's only our second "family" Thanksgiving, meaning one with relatives as our guests: mostly we've gone elsewhere, or been by ourselves. We had a good time, and no blood was shed. The Husband cooked: turkey tenderloins, collard greens with pancetta (mmmmmmmm...), stuffing, and cranberry sauce from the can (homemade is good too, but it doesn't wiggle enough to be as funny as the canned stuff).

The Boy went to town on the cranberry sauce. The next day, he even ate leftover turkey as long as it was topped with bits of cranberry sauce. And leftover chicken that wasn't breaded nuggets, if it had the beloved sauce bits. And morning oatmeal, with sauce. Good thing we ran out.

Nana and Peepaw have lots of prior experience with (his) grandchildren, so they have a grand old time running around with and reading to The Boy. He's Nana's only biological grandkid, but hopefully my sister-in-law S or I will remedy that soon. Peepaw works out every other day, so he's pretty flexible for over seventy, and Nana just hugs on The Boy and plays until her arthritis pins her to the floor. They've got the tag-team method of Toddler Wrangling down.

The Boy was in denial about Nana and Peepaw going home, so he wouldn't give them hugs when they were leaving. But he came to the door and starting crying when they got into their rental car without him. We cuddled him and reassured him he'd see them when we go to their house this weekend.

Nana also encouraged me to get off my tuchis and get those samples of my notebooks to my friend whose friend owns a local boutique. I told her I was working on it, and that it was too late for the holiday season per se. But Nana said quietly, "you don't know that." Well, we'll see what happens with that. It would be mightily awesome if the boutique peoples want my stuff.

EDIT: Sin of sins! I forgot the sweet potato latkes we had for Thanksgiving! Jaysus, what the heck is wrong with me?! Melt-into-a-blob-o'-happiness good, and the potato starch The Husband uses replaces the usual eggs required for regular latkes. Drool...

A little ahead of the game (which is to say, not quite as late)

Herein lies a smidgen of a design for the altered notebooks I'm making for the holiday craft fair. My manufacturing pace is going relatively well. I've gotten all ten of the regular-sized ones done! and now I've got to do the ten mini-notebooks. I'm getting a little better at the on-again part of my on-again-off-again cycle, but deadlines will do that to you.

Last year I altered mini-phone books as well as the notebooks... they sold, but a lot of people pointed out they store most of their phone numbers in their phones now. Fortunately, I had a reply that seemed to knock down that argument: "But this phone book will never crash." But even so, I figured it probably wasn't worth the effort to do the phone books again. It was a good experiment, though. The craft fair organizers had suggested that I offer two or more options so people could choose a less-expensive, stocking-stuffer type of item, or a full-sized, full-price item. So I did the phone books for my buyers (I still get a kick out of that. "My buyers.") as well as the notebooks.

I sold three-quarters of my stock (stock! hee hee) at the fair, and then my boss' boss, who gets all card-crafty at the holidays, bought the rest. She and another coworker who bought two items said my stuff was a real hit with the gift recipients. So this year I'm actually hoping that one or two will be left over, so I can put them on my soon-to-be-established Etsy site. (I think I could set it up this weekend, if I'm on the ball.) I should've gotten it up and running by now, but it will be done -- I'm not going to let that fade away. So the Demons of Malicious Criticism are keeping things down to a dull roar in my head. Going to make some other stuff too, maybe a little less (gasp) practical than the notebooks... you know, just like, art. Stuff someone might want to put somewhere they can look at it and go, "Cool."

Hoo Lord! -- Ivy Myers, blues aficionado

Original image of children & doll carriage: Library of Congress

Behold the wonders of colorization and image resizing, in service of a commissioned artwork!

The client wanted an altered notebook in which she and her children could record Christmas memories every year. So I bought a wired notebook with acid-free paper, and created this piece. Her kids are big into soccer, surprise surprise. And she loves angels, an element which was easy to incorporate in this theme. The back was a little tougher to conceptualize, but I figured something out. Then the client and I discussed a mock-up with the elements, and the rest is now waiting to be scribbled in on December 25th.

You know, you could have something this charming and personalized, too. Email me in the comments section.

I don't even think of myself as having made a lot of art to show yet, but man... even with the batch uploader from Flickr, it took a long time. Especially when I went back and blurred faces on some pictures. And I haven't even scanned the card samples I've kept for my portfolio-such-as-it-is. Still need to make some sort of blog banner too. Don't laugh when I post it -- it'll be my first. Yes, I could hire someone, but right now the cash flow doesn't run that deep.

Go look at the pretty pictures, why dontcha.