Pretty Package Designs

Currently I have package design & illustration on the brain since I was recently hired to paint some desserts for the New Zealand food brand, Pams.  I am so thrilled to be working on this project and have become more interested in ogling food package designs on the web.  Here are some neat designs that caught my eye:

  Elizabeth Vereker's rebranding of a wine I tried in high-school (only once or twice!) - Boone's Farm.  I found this on a cool package design blog, TheDieLine.


Check out these Swedish gummi candy bags designed by Amore.  The expression on the mouse's face denotes either sweet or sour candy.  Those scrunched up eyes on the sour mouse are so cute!

Here's a pretty package for one of my favorite condiments: ketchup.  Ketchup gets a lot of action in my house and since it often sits on the table, I should probably upgrade to something more stylish, like this gourmet version I found on Lovely Package:

                                  

  

Gotta Get Back To Work

Why is it so hard to get back to work after a long weekend when you LOVE what you do?  I found help for this dilemma on one of my favorite art/illustration blogs: Escape From Illustration Island.  While I was procrastinating and blogging, I came across this post about getting back into the groove after vacation.  (Made me think I should be working instead of reading blogs).  Luckily I found these tips helpful and will be back to the grindstone tomorrow!  Escape From Illustration Island is a must follow if you are a commercial artist or illustrator.  Check it out, then get back to work!        

On My Way To The Great North West

Tomorrow my husband and I leave for his home town of Tacoma, Washington.  It's a cute town and on a clear day you can see Mt. Rainier in the distance.

Hopefully I'll get a chance to take some photos, like I did the very first time I went to Tacoma/Seattle with Brad, when we were newly dating...

Despite it being a tourist trap, I LOVE Pike's Place Market in Seattle!  

On Friday we're going to the Puyallup Fair.  And everyone tells me I gotta try the scones.   I hope it's sunny so I can take a picture that will look like this:

                             

Puyallup Fair - Puyallup, WA - 9-25-05 - jimvid's Photos

And maybe I'll even go on the Roller Coaster, (before eating the scones).  So pray for sun so I can snap lots of photos and return with beautiful pictures to post.  

Artist I'm Drawn To: Amy Casey

I decided to start a new blog series called "Artist I'm Drawn To."  The series will feature all different types of artists with the main criteria being that I saw and really dug their art.  Hopefully this will introduce you to some new art to bookmark, talk about and even purchase.

This past weekend I went to Art San Diego - Contemporary Art Fair.  This show featured galleries from around the world and in my opinion the art was 10 times better than what I've seen at local art walks.  One artist that caught my eye was Amy Casey, represented by the Rosenthal Gallery in San Francisco.    

Amy's 2010 paintings that were shown at the fair were a series of houses & buildings strung from twine and bound together in messy piles.  It reminded me of a mix between a Doctor Seuss illustration and a delicate drawing by Andrew Wyeth (like this one).  On Amy's website she said that this work was meant to "reflect the view of the nervous state of affairs the world seems to be in.  Inspired by natural and unnatural disasters, personal fiascos and the never ending stream of bad news coming from the media."  Hmmm.  Sounds like the book I am reading - Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution--and How It Can Renew America.  ANYHOO... Here are some of her paintings:

Interdependence - Acrylic on Panel

Anchored - Acrylic on Paper

Guarded Premises - Acrylic on Paper

So what do you think of this art?  Comments please!

A Surprise Painting For My Dad

This is a painting of my Dad rowing on the St. Lawrence river in northern New York.  While I can take credit for painting it, I can't take credit for the thoughtfulness of Tom Taylor, our family friend who commissioned me to paint it as a gift to my Dad.  Check out Tom's new photo blog.  Hopefully he'll send me more photos to paint - it looks like he has an eye for capturing beautiful scenery.  

Photographer Annie Liebovitz

This Saturday night my husband and I watched the documentary, Annie Leibovitz - Life Through A Lens. It was an enjoyable look at a famous magazine photographer who's had a lot of unique experiences.  I didn't know much about her until I saw this doc and I was amazed by where her work has taken her from traveling with The Rolling Stones to photographing John Lennon just hours before his death.  Definitely a great doc to watch - you won't be bored.

Here are some of Annie Liebovitz's famous photos:  

1.  John & Yoko, 2.  Whoopi Goldberg, 3.  Nicole Kidman

 

Color Palette: 50's Kitchen Wallpaper

The hunt for color palette ideas always leads me to great websites and images on the web.  Currently I am working on a collection of paintings with a vintage kitchen theme.  I am focusing on the 1950s because I love the appliances from that decade and I love the primary colors in a lot of the wallpaper.  

One site I found that sells over 1000 vintage wallpaper patterns is Second Hand Rose.  Here are some samples:

Wallpaper from the "Kitchen Wallpaper" series

Art Sales Success Story: Selling Art in a Cafe

One question I get a lot is:  "How have you sold most of your art so far?"  People want to know what sales avenue has worked best for me in this beginning phase of my art career.  While a lot of things have started to fall into place, one successful venue has been putting my artwork up in a cafe.  

When I started selling my art 7 months ago, one of my marketing/sales strategies was to get my work up in local cafes or shops to increase my visibility.  This last week I sold off all but 1 painting from a local cafe and I am pretty pleased.  I have been trying to analyze what went RIGHT to make this happen and I have a few ideas.  Here is what worked for me:

1.  I cold-called about 10-20 places that I thought would be a good fit for hanging my art.  I used a phone script and left a lot of voice messages.  Luckily I heard back from a bunch of shops.
2.  Of the people who got back to me, I made sure that the owners did not want to take any commission and I visited the cafes to see if there was a lot of traffic.  I also asked if prior artists had sold much artwork.
3.  Just Go For IT!  I was nervous for my first cafe set up being "perfect" but I knew I had to just get my stuff out there.  The first place I chose was a cute cafe with a lot of traffic but I didn't sell anything.  This was because of the cafe location - a student/younger adult neighborhood.  I don't think people at this particular cafe had money OR owned homes.  Definitely choose a place in a neighborhood filled with people who are 35 plus and own homes.
4.  Learning through trial and error:  I committed to staying at the first cafe for only 1 month.  This was a good decision since I didn't have any sales and was able to move on quickly.  I was able to learn a lot about how to display the art, the materials I would need and the time it takes.  (Email me if you want more info on the set up process.)
5.  Location is everything:  My second location was an Ice Cream Shop called The Daily Scoop.  Good things about this location:  in an artsy neighborhood, in a neighborhood with homes, (not apartments), shop has a retro/crafty vibe and is known for displaying local art.

Photo Credit: David Olender

6.  Self promotion on-site:  I bought a plastic business card/flyer display at Staples and used it to display cards and a personal flyer (with info on my blog, etsy site, website, and a photo). 

7.  Success!  Sure enough, at this new location, I have sold 7 out of 8 paintings that were displayed.  My prints did not sell but I am finding that people want original, affordable art for their homes.  

8.  Follow up - I have contacted all the people who purchased my art at The Daily Scoop and have received additional sales from these collectors!

All in all, finding a good location is KEY to sales success at a cafe.  The above steps worked for me and I'd love to hear what has worked for you!  If you have any questions about the steps, please email me for details!  Luckily I found a hot spot and I hope that it continues to be a profitable location.  If not, I'll be sure to chronicle what NOT to do in a future post.  :-)       

Bagel Paintings Completed...pretty much

Two bagel paintings are done!  I have to consult with the client to see if she wants a third painting and if she wants text on the bottom but so far these two are pretty much done...

Bagel Bird's Eye View, 8x8 on canvas

Bagel and Cream Cheese, 8x8 on canvas

Bagel Painting Part Deux

So on Friday I worked on the small bagel paintings based on my photos.  I worked at my kitchen table...

which is now my workspace of choice since I can listen to the TV and paint at the same time.  For me the TV thing works mainly because I use it as a motivational trick to get me to start painting.  If I didn't have the pull of Regis &Wendy Williams I might procrastinate my studio time.  It also provides me with needed breaks while I am painting.  I almost never get up to watch it unless something really juicy is going on.

For now, my kitchen is my primary studio space.  What does your studio space look like??