Make Art that Sells!

My legs actually starting shaking! I have been following the happenings of Lilla Rogers Studio for a while now. Lilla's studio is arguably THE top international art rep agency around, receiving thousands of submissions a year.

Well, together with Do What You Love, Lilla has recently opened up a new course, (especially for people like me) called Make Art that Sells. I have been eyeing it out and wondering how I was going to justify the course costs (and sell it to hubby too!). To cut my story short - they were giving away a free spot  and guess who won!! Now you know why I turned to jelly! When I checked their facebook page and saw my name there - I just couldn't believe it and thought, no that can't be me. But it was! It's real! I am on my way to discovering what could be a life changer for me! This is a big deal and you know whats just as exciting? They have just launched the Global Talent Search and I get to be a part of this too! The winner will be represented by Lilla for 2 years and gets their work in front of an incredible judging panel of top art directors and other industry experts. Check it out for details if you're interested. Now, I don't believe I am about to win the talent search, (oh go on, believe in yourself for once Jocelyn!) but with this course behind me and getting some in house tips from Lilla as to what makes art sell, I know I am on my way to some exciting opportunities. So a huge thank you to the team over at Lilla Rogers Studio! You cannot imagine how grateful, excited and nervous I am - all at the same time!

My course starts next week and I'll be posting my progress and assignments so do come back to see how its going!

Banners and more!

Lately I have had quite a bit of interest in my graphic design work, especially regarding helping others set up their Etsy shops with  banners and other related branding. I love doing this kind of work and am always tickled pink when my customers tell me they're happy with the outcome! I went through a phase of wondering if anyone would want the kind of banner sets I had on offer as they are sort of unique to me and not the norm of whats offered on Etsy, especially. I use my own photos if that's what you want, but often times it works well to feature the sellers own items.

Anyway, I thought I'd show you some of my work. You can also take a peek in my shop here . I'd love to hear from anyone thinking of giving their shop or website a makeover! Click on the images to take a look at these shops too - they are gorgeous!

  

Get the camera out!

Hi everyone!
This past weekend I went on a fun field trip with a group of local photographers. Its the first time I've done anything like this but what a blast! I got to meet knew friends and we finished the day up with a picnic at a beautiful NZ beach as the sun was going down. Take a look at some of the pics I got.

First stop was at a quaint bohemian village called Puhoi. This photo was taken inside of their one room historic library.

We stopped off at a roadside graveyard.

Then off to some beautiful gardens.

I can never resist a flower pic. Spot the bee?

The owner of this horse had stopped off to buy an icecream to share with her mount!

Some friendly cows, intrigued by the cameras.

On the road to Sullivan's beach - Hmm... I wouldn't mind this spot for myself!

At the beach - daughter Rosie framed!

A serene late afternoon - just beautiful.

This is the life!

The photographers decided Rosie was a great model!

And to finish up the day - a rainbow snapped out of the car window on the way home,

Ahhhhhh....... A blissful day!

Creative Easter

This Easter I had the privilege of joining with artist friends to celebrate what is a very special time of year for me. The church I attend opened its doors to both the congregation and the public to come and celebrate the gift of Easter, through art. Beautiful people, young and old, came to express themselves through music, sculpture, floristry, painting, collaborative banners and more. The following photos give a glimpse of what it's been like. My wishes are belated now, but I am hoping you all had a lovely Easter, celebrating new life and new beginnings in a way that fits you! 

 

 

Exploring surface pattern design

I've been doing some homework and trying out new patterns with my artwork, repeat patterns infact. Its a tricky process that I am learning on Illustrator but I am slowly getting my head around it. These surface pattern designs I have been playing around with, originate from my own paintings, photographs or drawings and I have manipulated them to become repeats that can be used for things like fabric and wallpapers. Let me know what you think of my new venturings!

Above is my hydrangea print you may recognize from my shop

The same print made into a repeat pattern...

and converted to a vector plus some shuffling around and color changes

and even further manipulated.

Another of my original paintings...

...which I have used in the background here

I transferred some elements into this pattern

and even used it for this line pattern.

Fun Fun Fun - I'm hooked!!