Showing posts with label Graphic Arts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Graphic Arts. Show all posts

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Don't forget to sign up for my giveaway!



Posters that can be personalized



Inspirational prints




Letters of the alphabet..looks cute in a child's room






Personalized pictures of animals





Biblical sayings





Posters for a classroom






Motivational posters and more






Remember, my giveaway ends in a few days..here are some examples of my prints and posters... Check out over 100 designs at my SITE All you have to do is send me an email or leave a comment here. I will randomly pick a winner on Mother's day.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Hello Again

It's been two weeks since I posted and for that, I feel really bad. As I explained before, I'm taking three classes at Madonna University. Two of the classes are Graphic classes and, for me, pretty easy. I went into these classes having a lot of information and experience under my belt. But the third class, Web Fundamentals, is another story. It involves building websites from scratch, using HTML coding. Although, I'm getting it in bits and pieces, there are a few things that have stumped me. I've spent hours and hours a day working on homework. When this class is finished, (in a few weeks), I'll know more about HTML than I ever thought I would. When winter semester starts, I'm taking two classes, Graphic Arts 2 and Lithography, so my world should calm down.

I do have good news. My last show was a great success. Last Saturday I did a show in Shelby Township at Eisenhower school. What fun! I almost sold out of my product. I wished I would have taken more, but, too late for that. My other shows were so bad, I wasn't very motivated to load up on tons of stock. Big Mistake! There were times that there were 5 to 8 customers with clay in their hands. It was the shot in the arm I needed, both emotionally and financially.


What sold?

My biggest sellers were snowmen families and snowmen. I personalized a lot of ornaments. I sold a lot of baby's first Christmas ornaments too. Penguins were a hit too.




I thought it was great that so many people have a lot of Christmas trees in their homes. For instance, one woman had a Christmas tree in her daughter's room. It was completed decorated in pink, so she purchased a pink sock monkey ornament. Another customer had a sock monkey tree at work and one had a tree in her kitchen. (I'm so busy, I am looking for a ceramic table tree to put in front of the window! Easy up, easy down, easy storage!)

I'm so happy and grateful to everyone who purchased ornaments from me. I learned a few things (again), after doing a good show.

  • Always have a lot of stock on hand
  • Always have a lot of change on hand
  • Only get into the best shows!!
When January rolls around, I'm going to try really hard to get onto mailing lists of the top shows in Michigan. I already have done some of these shows in the past, so I know which shows those are. I'll have to have a special account just for the shows, since one that I'd like to do is $250 but, I bet I could make 10 times that if I am prepared.

It's a bit difficult to do big shows by oneself, and that's the problem I have. But, if all goes well next year, I'm sure I can find someone to help me out at those shows. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

For now, I promise I'll be back on a regular basis. I still have a lot of homework to do, but I think the worst is over. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Whimsical Letter


I have been working on a project in my graphic design class where we transform a letter into another object.

I chose the letter G.
The assignment called for only 7 steps.


The process had to be gradual.




I started to add polka dots . The tummy and arms and head start to grow.

I smoothed out the tail.



More polka dots, longer arms, and a more defined head emerge.

I added whites for the eyes and little fingers and toes.


I have found, that no matter how hard I try, I can't avoid whimsical. I might as well face it, it's my style.

This would be a great idea for an Alphabet Book. Only, I think it would have been better to do
G is for Giant,,or something that started with a G.

All in all, I'm happy with the finished work.

Friday, August 8, 2008

Turning a new leaf

After months of contemplation and discussion, I finally made a decision that I know was the right one to make. I quit my job. I haven't been happy there for awhile and could feel the passion evaporating from my soul each passing month. Working with children used to be fun, but the last year proved to be stressful on me and I felt unappreciated. The parents in my program just didn't seem to really care about what my staff and I were trying to accomplish, and although a little 5 year old telling me they loved me gave me a warm feeling inside, it wasn't enough to keep me there.

My plan? To increase production of my clay and work my business. I also am trying to improve my graphic skills (I'm working on a Bachelor Degree in Graphic Arts)..I keep looking for small graphic jobs that I would feel comfortable doing, but so far, I feel intimidated. In September, I'll be taking three classes that will steadily increase my degree of skill and my self confidence. In a year, if all goes well, I'll have that degree.

Today I really enjoyed being home all day. I worked on cleaning my "studio", designed some Christmas ornaments, worked on my website (www.polymerclaybabies.com), networked a little and had a slight disaster in the kitchen. I burned some angels I was working on. I of all people should have known better. I got a new stove and should have done a clay test. I tell everyone to put a piece of scrap clay in the oven to test it. I didn't bother to do that and I also failed to put the temperature gage (something I got from Polyform Products) into the oven.

These angel wings are supposed to be white!.
.Now I'm going to have to

antique them. I think it should be ok. I'll upload
pictures later of the finished antiqued angels.


In the late afternoon, I took a break and sat out behind my home and listened to the birds. This is the simple pleasure that I love. It's something I do everyday, weather permitting.



I put out some apples and peanut butter
and old crackers to
attract the birds. Tomorrow I'm going
to get some bird seed. I'll probably end up feeding all the squirrels in the woods. Hopefully, the birds will get a chance.

Each night I hear a screech Owl back in the woods. The other day I saw a bird with a great wing span approach a tree behind the house. I only saw it for a second. When I went outside to investigate, I found nothing. I would LOVE to see an owl out back. It would be an honor as my sister says.

I ended my little break by taking a picture of the sky. It's to remind me of what a beautiful day today was!

When I sit and look out at the woods, it clears my head of anything negative, it inspires me and pleases me. I feel close to nature, to God and it gives me peace. After a brief period, I'm ready to come back to my studio and create. If you have a quiet activity you can do each day, try it. Maybe you like to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee before the family awakens. Perhaps an evening walk is your time to reflect. Embrace those gentle moments, inhale the scent and take a mental picture. It doesn't cost a dime and it's rewards are priceless!






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