Finally Spending some Quality Time with my Etsy Shop LoveUPaperly

I have been thinking about posting so many new products to LoveUPaperly and trying to do a push for new items, but we all know how that goes!

While I was away in California on family vacation (I will post pictures of that eventually) I was able to do so many water color paintings and works on some hand calligraphy.  I also had the chance to really think about what I wanted my Etsy shop to be.  That was inbetween the fire pit and pool time!

Back to Etsy.  This is what I decided.  As an artist, I have never been able to focus on one thing.  If I should have been painting, I wanted to be printmaking, If I was printmaking, I wanted to be drawing.

My teachers always saw this as something that was a hindrance to my art.  The more I think about it the more I have decided to use it as a positive.  I love all different kinds of art and enjoy doing different kinds of things.

I have decided to not focus on only one thing on LoveUPaperly.  Instead I am going to sell my cards, and prints, and jewelry, and my sculpture.  I will take it as it goes and keep making art that makes me happy.

Here are some of the latest listings:

Original Watercolor Print

Original Watercolor Print

Original watercolor print

Polymer Clay Flower Miniature

Polymer Clay Flower Miniature

Polymer Clay Flower Miniature

Polymer Clay Flower Miniature

The Prints above are each selling for $8.50.  The Clay Flowers are selling for $4.50.  Look on LoveUPaperly for more items.

I have to say I am happy with the work I have put into the new items and school is starting on MONDAY.  Uhhhhggg.

Hope everyones weekend is going well.

Lots of love,

Jess

New Prints on LoveUPaperly

Good Morning lovely people!

I am in Starbucks this morning trying to find the motivation to study for my lab final for Anatomy which is on Saturday.

No motivation can be found to study, but I did find motivation to blog!

I wanted to share two new prints that I just listed for sale on LoveUPaperly.  There are reminiscent of the cards that I make, lots of layers of images and textures.

I think they would make a lovely present and be really nice framed.  They are both listed for $10.

What do you guys think?  When I look at these prints they make me happy and I am hoping they do the same for other people.  Check these out and more on my Etsy store LoveUPaperly.

Have a Great Tuesday.

Lots of Love,

Jess

Muju World

Hello Lovelies!

I have been looking back at my posts and Oh My Goodness!  I am all over the place!  There are many reasons for this but lately I have had no attention span and a hard time focusing therefore you are getting some really random posts!

Today my random post is about Muju World.  Muju World is a collaboration between two artists known on their website at Mr and Mrs. Muju.  The live in England and both are VERY talented and create resin sculptures, felt sculptures, prints, zines, pencil cases, and custom skateboards.

When I came across their site I couldn't help but smile.  I love finding quirky, original artists that don't seem to care about if their product is going to sell but just make really cool things.

I think that the felt and resin sculptures are just so fun so I am going to show you a few images of those!

Whirlpool Muju Felt Sculpture

Atlantic Ocean Guardian Sculpture

Black Astral Muju Felt Sculpture

Deep Water Felt Sculpture #3

Pacific Ocean Guardian Sculpture

Aren't they awesome?  Check out more of their stuff at Muju World

(Note:  I am not paid to promote any of these sites.  I just like them and want to share the coolness)

Lots of Love,

Jess

Dave Devries and the Monster Engine

Good Tuesday Morning!

I had to share what I came across the other day and I hope you think it is as cool as I do.

Dave Devries is an author and artist and he did an amazing project called the Monster Engine.

What he did was take drawings done by kids and take their structure and idea and draw what they would like like if these simple drawings were done realistically.

The drawings totally captured my heart.  They are quirky, scary, funny, and completely original.

How awesome are these?  Definitely check out the website The Monster Engine.  It talks about the whole project and has more examples!

Lots of Love,

Jess

I Love Typography

TGIF!

I am so happy it's Friday.  We are having a baby shower for Meridyth's sister which is going to be fun and a new doctor started me on a new medication which will hopefully help some of this chronic illness stuff.

Today I came across an awesome site highlighting interesting and innovative typography from around the web.  I love words.  I like the way they look and the way they jump on a page.  Artists that use words to make images ROCK MY WORLD!

Hope you enjoy!

Burdened- Dylanroscover

En Masse- clockblock

I Speak Alone- Gordoca

Typography- e-emoo

Lion- rickystuffedpie

I Love Typography- mindCollision

What are you guys doing this weekend?  Hope it is beautiful, restful and fun.

Lots of Love,

Jess

Being an artist yet trying to be consistent

Hello lovely readers!
I have to apologize for completely and totally slacking on the blog posts.

I had been blogging like a good little blogger for a few months and really felt good that I had been consistent about something.

This brings me to the topic of my post. 

I love to blog.  I love finding cool things on the web, reader others blogs, and sharing what i'm thinking. 

That brings me to being an artist.  The way that I create might seem insane to some artists, but honestly, I first need to feel inspired.  Not just a little inspired, but REALLY inspired!

Whether it be dreams, seeing something while i'm driving, or a song that hits me the right way, I HAVE TO FEEL IT!

That then takes us to the process of actually making something.  I wish this wasn't true, but usually the first time I draw, carve, make something it looks the best.  Whatever the image may be it does not look over drawn or over thought.  When I start to make adjustments and fix things I feel the image starts to feel too worked.  (I discovered this when I was in grad school in a very halted conversation in Venitian style italian with my intaglio professor).

I have found in the last couple of weeks that this also relates to my blogging.  I haven't felt inspired lately.  After the hype and workup to the wedding I have felt exhausted.  I have also had some ugly chronic medical issues that have caused me to be in bed and asleep by 7:30 or 8:00 p.m.

So, the question I have been asking myself is how do you as an artist be consistent with things without it feeling fake or forced?

That is the question.  I don't have an answer yet.  When I do I will let you know, but I would love to hear other's thoughts.

How to stay true to yourself and who you are as an artist/writer/creater without forcing it.

Lots of Love and hopefully more consistent blogging to come!

Jess

Artist Saturday Showcase: Nidhi Chanani

Good Morning Everyone! 

When you read this it might not be morning, but since I went to sleep at 7 pm last night I woke up at 5 am, so it is morning to me! 

Yes, when most of you were eating dinner or getting ready to go out I was in bed fast asleep!  I never realized how much sleep a person needs as their body is healing.  I think about sleep all day at work and can't wait to come home to put an icepack on my neck and get into bed.  Hopefully this need for sleep will dissipate at some point because I barely get to see my honey!

Now onto the artist for this week!  Her name is Nidhi Chanani.  I found her on Etsy but she also has her own blog.

Here is what she say's about herself:
"My name is Nidhi (like nitty, rhymes with kitty). I am an Indian-American artist and designer.
I was born in Calcutta and raised in suburban California, I create art because it makes me happy - with hopes it can make others happy, too. I create a new illustration every week day."

She makes amazing illustrations, but she also does original wood burnings which is what initially drew me to her work.  They are really, really, really cool.  As you all know I love printmaking and this technique has the same sort of feel to it.  I love the detail, the white and black, the use of white space.  She's good people...really good!

"You, You, You"

"You, You, You" detail

"Basuri"

"Protected"

"Protected" detail

"Queenie"

"Queenie" detail

Aren't they beautiful?

Here is one of her illustrations I also thought was great.  I always want/do this in the rain.

"City in the Rain"

I am seriously contemplating buying one of her wood burnings!

Until tomorrow,

Love,

Jess

What artist and craft people don' t tell their customers: Sometimes products/art doesn't come out the first time!

I am going to talk about something that seems a bit taboo in the art/crafting world.

By the time the customer see's something whether it be a card, a print, a bookmark, a painting; really anything, the item has probably either been done before but has not worked or it has been changed and reworked to be made what it is.

I know for my store LoveUPaperly I make a lot of cards that don' t work, put images together that I thought would look awesome but don't, use too much ink, not enough ink, the words look too light, etc...

I have considered myself an artist since I was about 18, but after opening LoveUPaperly I have finally realized that making these mistakes and experimenting is not wasting supplies (I always thought it was)!  Instead the process of making things that don't seem to work or I don't like is pushing me to make images and words that do work!

Now I am going to take this one step further and actually show you some cards and prints I have tried that in my head looked awesome, but on paper I thought failed.  I am also going to go over the reasons why I didn't like them.

Separately, I liked the idea of this print.  I liked the UR AWESOME, the dog image in red, and the frog image in pink.  My first problem was that I didn't leave enough space for an E, oops!  The second part I didn't think was working were the two animal images together.  They weren't cohesive.  I felt that instead of allowing your eye to move across the print each separate image was it's own entity.

This card I don't think was working at all!  I was on an inspirational kick and that weekend was watching a lot of Harry Potter!  I tried to do the elf, Dobby, that only wanted to be free.  I don't think anything was working!  the colors, the ink....major fail on this one!

About these cards.  I LOVE my chicken stamp.  I really, really do!  However, in my chicken frenzy I started to make tons of cards that said Chicken Love.  I think the images themselves work and the words work with the images, but the whole concept seems a bit out there!

This is the final image I am going to show you.  I am still thinking through this.  I want to offer custom stamps from pictures on LoveUPaperly but I was trying to make examples and thought using Meridyth and myself would be great.  I love the picture in real like that I used but the dark colored stamp with the light letters is not working, and as a stamp the image itself is just o.k.

So there you have it!

I don't know how other artists/shop owners work, but for me it is a process of creating/discarding/tweaking/and creating.

I hope you found this enlightening!

Until tomorrow,

Love,

Jess

Artist Friday

Happy Friday!

What a very, very, very, loooong week!  I am glad to finally have two days to do homework, sleep late, watch t.v. with my sweetie, and maybe take some naps!

I am highlighting an amazing artist today who I am very excited about.

Her name is Liz Wolfe and she is a conceptual photographer who is living and working in Toronto, Canada.

She has no artist statement available on her website, but from my own perception she uses everyday objects and items, manipulating them and making the viewer look  and see in new and exciting ways.

Sugar Hills

Yellow Shoes and Sardines

Popsicle/Cupcakes

Red Shoes/Tampon

Lollipop Garden

Carrots/Peppers

Distorted Cones

I think her work is so interesting.  I love how everything is in bright and happy colors but that conceptually when you look closer there is something a little off.

Sort of like life sometimes, right?

Look tomorrow for the end pictures of my chalkboard glass tutorial!

Lots of love,

Jess

Christmas Eve, British Photogs, and a look at my studio

Merry Christmas Eve lovlies!

I am about to head out with Mer to eat some good food and see some family, but I thought I would write this blog really quick while she was putting on her makeup!

First, these are some bookmarks I was working on to give out as presents to coworkers

I had not yet covered them with acrylic sealer (makes it shiny) and they are missing the ribbons on the top, but you get the basic idea.  They were a big hit!

Also, I have been looking at a lot of British wedding sites like RocknRollBride, and OMG I'm Getting Married and the photographers that sponsor their sites are fantastic!  I could look at some of their sites for hours so at some point I am going to make a list of fabulous ones because man they are talented!

Finally, here is a look at where I have been spending a lot of my time.

This is my little corner of the world where my imagination can run wild.  As you can see it is just a table and lots and lots of art materials.

You can see though my little tiny press that I love, some stencils, white cards, and white dry grout I use to make chalk board paint!

I am working so hard on ideas for loveupaperly.  My whole idea of what I wanted the shop to be is changing but things are not ready to be seen yet.

Maybe in a week or so!

So I hope everyone has a great holiday!  Drink and be Merry and safe, and love to you and your family.

Jess