Project: Paper

Class is back in session - Make Art That Sells, that is. This week's adventure was the Paper market and we were assigned to create a holiday card using ornaments and/or candy.

I've been finding that I have a tendency to create artworks that are too busy when working on MATS class assignments. I haven't figured out if this is because of Lilla's great push to create "icons" in order to cross-market pieces or if it's just how the other artists in class are influencing me. When I think about what I would buy or prefer to have, simpler and cleaner compositions always win. I guess I need to follow my own instincts to pare down.

chugging along.

this is officially the end of my first session of lilla rogers make art that sells class. this course has taken over my life for the last five weeks. i had originally committed to give about 10 hours weekly to my studies and artworks but i could literally laugh out loud at that now. i have definitely doubled that commitment and i could have benefited from tripling it.

week five was directed at the gift market which is gigantic and varied. just imagine all of the things you see when you go into a boutique - think blue q or land of nod. we were specifically given the assignment to create a "super lush zipper pouch design" based on things we collect and/or really like. here is my final submission:

now i am moving on to the next project...lilla rogers global talent search! the first assignment was given on july 1st and needs to be submitted by july 22nd. this amount of time seems like a luxury compared to the four days given during the MATS class. of the hundreds of folks submitting in the first round only 50 will be moved onto the second round. the winner will be signed by lilla rogers herself to a TWO year, INTERNATIONAL contract! i won't reveal too much about my ideas because they will likely change a few million times prior to the submission date but here is a quick preview!

week four - wall art.

coming into this week of class i felt relieved because "wall art" is something i have quite a bit of experience with but when the final assignment was given we were instructed to use only two main colors which were assigned based on our zodiac sign.
in truth, no one would know the wiser if i didn't take the colors associated with scorpio but i bit the bullet and took mine, green and orange, with general misgivings. other requirements of this assignment were to include a word or quote, incorporate collage, and use some type of floral-ish imagery.
here are the two pieces i created. i chose to submit 'shine' by the encouragement of my classmates.

week three - children's books.

finally, a better marriage between my traditional watercolor & line work and photoshop.
i have added a new member to my adobe family - illustrator. can anyone say 'vector'?

my brain hurts - or 'week two'.

after falling short of my own expectations last week, i pushed myself hard to begin taking full advantage of the opportunity to really absorb what is being offered in lilla roger's class.
i suppose that part of my difficulty was in accepting that just creating excellent artwork on paper is not enough. in order for work to be prepared for print or textile or any other market, some digital manipulation is necessary. what i hadn't really allowed myself to realize is that this use of photoshop doesn't in any way diminish the authenticity or value of the original paintings and drawings. it actually allows me more freedom to use my own traditionally made marks in a greater variety of ways.
i still am climbing this steep learning curve but i believe i have had my first break-through.

pictured above is my final design created to be shown within home decor markets. the brief specifically had us creating dinnerware.

bolt fabric - week one.

here's the uncut fruit (ha! see what i did there?) of this week's assignment from lilla roger's studio school. this first section is devoted to bolt fabric design.
please pay no mind to the fact that the poisonous amanita muscaria is pictured right alongside cooking equipment.
i can honestly say that i was a little out of my comfort zone creating images to be used on fabrics such as aprons, tea towels, quilting supplies, as well as a multitude of other items. it seems that most folks rely heavily on digital media for this type of work. while i am a traditional-media kind of girl, i did learn quite a bit about creating refined icons this week.