A pretty young lady trying out her new camera – this picture was just a sketch on my desk for the last 6 months.

A portrait of my favorite season of them all, dressed up in an autumn wreath and a cute steampunk dress.

I found that looking through your etsy shop stats can be extremely helpful!  I had many visitors find me through search terms for ball-jointed dolls, so I decided to paint another one: Minora’s pretty red hair was perfectly accented by green eyes in honor of the Christmas season.   I love green and red together.

Pirouette, my one and only BJD pic in the store, has indeed been earning me a number of shop hits; but I think she is long overdue for a new portrait.  I painted this one year ago for my dearest friend Karen (who got me started with dolls) and I think I could do a better one of her this year.    Improvement is always the goal!

Re-Vamping My Shop for Success

Ultimately, reading up on etsy blogs for advice and looking through seller stories has taught me a LOT about how to make my shop better this weekend.  I’ve re-written my profile and a number of item descriptions to give them better personalities.  I must admit, I think that’s something I have been avoiding–painting is easy; writing about it is the hard part!

I took a few pointers from one spectacular etsy seller:  Berkley Illustration.  What do you know, they are merely a couple in Portland that have generated detailed animal portraits with amazing stories, and that’s earned them 30,000 sales in just four years!  I am totally inspired by their success   Someday I hope to also have enough artwork to have a stall at the local Saturday Market or annual Crafty Wonderland fair.

Finding a shop THAT successful has sparked me to get in gear and really start filling up my own shop with artwork that has a specific trademark personality and a focused subject matter.  However, I’m torn between what I love and what will probably sell:  the number one search term that has brought people to my artwork is “rainbow.”

Rainbow Wedding Dress Sketches, at 300 hits, was just intended to be a store filler as nothing more than a lazy day’s brainstorm.  The next most popular was my unicorn BJD print (shown above), with 100 hits.  Distressed Wedding Gown, cued in by the term “corpse bride” (another HUGE search term), was an old art project I did for a class in college in 2009 that I sold as a Halloween costume.  I’m not even sewing anymore– come on, people!

What I mean to say is, my heartfelt love for artwork lies in female figure drawing and anthropomorphizing my characters.  On the other hand, cutesy things and dresses (both wedding and corpse) may be exponentially more popular to etsy buyers than girls with antlers.  This puts me in a weird position when my goal is to paint what I love, and to try not to lose money doing it.

This data is just a snapshot from a very short period of one month, but I certainly feel like I should be integrating more rainbows, unicorns, and (zombies?) into my paintings if I want to attract more internet attention.  That sounds boring to me, but it is my job to be creative and maybe I will be taking my art in a new direction. XD  Certainly, I think it is apparent that my pictures should demonstrate a bit more focus, but that may come with time as I graduate from novice to someone with a bit more experience under her belt.

Comments and suggestions appreciated!  What do you think?  How do you find buyers without compromising your style?

The thing is, I’ve been meaning to make her something for at least a year now.  She even bought me a cool all-around art set a few months ago!!  =)  Knowing that she likes ducks, I set out to get creative.

Found reference photos:

I didn’t even know that these beautiful, colorful birds existed til I googled “colorful ducks”!  They are very majestic and totally inspirational. 

Foundations to any of my paintings:  a rough sketch of my potential color scheme and a sound drawing.  This one was 16×20″,  the largest paper I have.

Lay down the water resist (a liquid plastic called frisket) and set to work!

Okay, so the truth is I am a complete amateur when it comes to smooth and beautiful watercolor washes.  On the left (above), the fanning orange feathers turned out not too shabby.  On the right, the bird’s neck was a complete failure for me.  If you can’t get it on the first brush swipe, your pigments are pretty much shot – and the more you try to mend it, the worse it becomes.  I was attempting to achieve darker coloring on the purple and green areas and I would have been smarter to do a solid first wash.  That’s how watercolors should be!  One and done.

Left:  This green/yellow belly was patched with multiple swipes, but salvageable because of the bleeding that gave it a more beautiful effect.  (the second belly turned out much worse!)

Luckily, I got the face coloring right on and inked the eyes and outlines.  To me, faces are the number one most important feature of an image.  If I can’t get the face right, I fix it with opaque paint or scratch the picture.

What’s really surprising to me about how this portrait came out was the water.  For the most part I went over this section just once and that’s what makes it work.  The continuity of the pigment wash combined with the sections divided by my frisket produced phenomenal gradients that look realistic.  I actually had no idea what I was doing and just crossed my fingers that it would look okay.  My boyfriend was impressed!   I also decided to leave the frisket in place rather than ultimately removing it – because of its blue-green coloration, it blended perfectly.  Replacing that effect with bright white would have been a bad move.

Lastly, I planned to use acrylics to add in the thin orange neck feathers.  That was pretty much a no-go with my inadequate skills in acrylic brushing, and I think the birds finished with plenty of color to be fine without their special neck feathers.  There was no easy way to do it. =/  That’s a challenge I’ve faced on other pictures too, that leaves me stumped… (painting over existing paint) and projects get abandoned.  Watercolors take a lot of planning!

I’m more or less satisfied with how it turned out.  I think the top duck’s belly is an eyesore, but I only made it worse the more I modified it and overall the picture is okay despite it.  XD

On another note, I did a little model sketching on a photo by JaimeIbarra (super amazing photographer) and it turned out okay.  Sent it to my good friend for his birthday this November

Keeping busy in school keeps me busy after school!   I really like that part about dental school so far.

http://axoloti.etsy.com

A couple of these I revealed on my facebook along the way, but for the most part these pictures are all-new just to display in my online store.  Some of them were gifts to friends, and a few are still available for purchase of the original.  I’ll post those to my etsy eventually as well.

Dental school second year has been the most time-consuming semester I have ever lived through by far.  It is supremely busy, which limits my creative efforts, but has also encouraged me to make the 100% most of my time, which I am happy about. =)  Fingers crossed, I’ll have a more active blog in the next couple months too…. at the least, I have more artwork lined up for my store in the near future. ♥

Thanks readers for sticking with me!  =)

Check out this BEAUTIFUL artwork!!!   I was so surprised, delighted, flattered that someone would draw pictures for me, of my beloved dolls! ♥  Of course, it had to be a very sweet girl.

I bought a mini version of this pretty painting from eluneth, the best friend of my best friend, and she sent me a sweet note with additional artwork.  Her shading is impeccable and her figures flow with grace; they are not copies of photographs but beautifully thoughtful interpretations.  Ahhh I am so lucky!!   I highly recommend checking out her shop at eluneth.etsy.com for some amazing, unique fantasy artwork.

Today was the last final of my first year of dental school.    I feel like I have come so far, but blogged so little… here is a tiny synopsis of what I’ve been up to~

Quilting with my classmates, and lots of practice on dental lab work (that’s a pic of my friend Michelle, she’s awesome!) although misleading… because for the past month we’ve been working only in mannequins.  No more baby benchtop!

Moved my brother into a new dorm room in Eugene, OR….

Visited my alma mater to be a bridesmaid in a friend’s wedding   Boy, am I glad I don’t live in a small dorm room anymore.

Bought this INCREDIBLY CUTE original artwork from local artist Lisa Mirella.

Writing this post wasn’t so hard; I ought to do it more often.  =)

P.S.  Keep an eye out for my etsy shop re-opening at the end of this September! I’m kicking into gear with some new artwork ♥

Dream come true for me:  on my plane ride back from Boston a week ago (I was the maid of honor in a friend’s wedding in May), I sat next to an empty seat and then a handicapped old man – who turned out to be a PROFESSIONAL COMIC ARTIST.  Norm Vance is the author of Kittybuns, a comic apparently featured in many big national newspapers.  I can’t name them because I forget, and neither can I find his comic online, but boy was his talent amazing on the plane!!  He is 80 years of age and his hands have lost no skill.  He drew me a few things and a comic for the stewardess, and it was nice talking to someone so seasoned on the 6 hour trip who could tell me crazy war stories and older generation opinions.  Best of all, I showed him my little sketchbook with a few bunny girl drawings in it and he said he was impressed!  DD  Because my sketches looked innocent and with childlike élan (French for peace/grace) he recommended me to check out the original Winnie the Pooh illustrations.  This genuine artist said my bunny character reminded him of Hello Kitty, where the wide eyes portray innocence and the big forehead is a sign of youth.  Cool

With that boost of confidence and a ton of inspiration from traveling, my rehearsals have taken flight again and I have an actual list of projects in the works.  It’s so exciting! ♥

These are some of the worst I have drafted so far- not to the level I want, but they are a starting point…

These I spent more time on and drew much earlier

So.  About Dr. B – he is our anatomy instructor at Oregon Health Science School of Dentistry and he is SO. SMART!  Highly motivated, enthusiastic, charismatic, and extremely knowledgeable anatomy instructor and doctor.  He somehow got the idea that I could draw (though I’m not very good) and has started commissioning me (commissioning for free yet, lol) to do watercolor paintings of certain anatomical views that are not portrayed in any clinical textbooks yet.  It’s the PERFECT opportunity for me right now and I’m getting my butt kicked by it because there are so many other things I want to do right now!  haha.  Anyway, it’s extremely cool and I am working on a portfolio for his publisher. 

What else….

I will post a picture of my bf and I!  We have been dating for about 6 months now and it’s working out SO WELL… I think we are meant to be.  If you knew how much we had in common sitting next to each other (by last name) in dental school, you’d agree it’s not a coincidence.   Most of all, I think he is the CUTEST PERSON EVER!  I wish I was that good looking.

Right now I’ve just started spring term and I’ve got a bunch of readings due tomorrow plus a crown wax-up due the next day.  Thankfully that isn’t nearly as bad as last semester, plagued with x-ray training, periodontics instrumentation, crown  making, tooth prepping, biochem/physiology, and a lot of other random dental-related basics.  22 credits was a lot for me.  Not challenging mentally so much, just timewise.

ANYWAY!  What kind of art has laced my life?  Just the inspired kind.  I still don’t have the motivation to practice every day. Disappointing.  How do you learn discipline?  =/ haven’t answered that one yet…

Picture from like 5 months ago for a friend from MIT, ridden with memories:

Picture for my roommate’s mom who came to stay with us for a month from korea:

Picture for one of my best friends from college, after we had a discussion that my creative passions were fading amidst the normal people at school:

the girl I got from the artist Redd Walitzki.  Super amazing talent!

Recently, I’ve been playing a lot of League of Legends with my brothers in college and my bf.  We make a great team, cus one of us is REALLY good at video games.  It’s not me. lol

The character I’ve been playing is called Cassiopeia, a range dps that specializes in poisons and slowing.  She doesn’t slither so fast, but I like her fast attack potential and the character idea is pretty neat.

My homeboy koa likes to play Jax, the legendary League champion that is so good that he has “resigned to fighting with a lamppost.”  He hits hard and has great dodge and has proven to be a very successful character unlike my own.

One day I decided to put them together at a bar.  The drawing didn’t go anywhere, and neither is tracing paper a great medium in this case, but it was a fun idea.

I have inspiration for some new drawings beyond this inside-meaning business.  But where to find the motivation and passion to fuel it….

Here’s what I’ve done in the past month:

A depiction of our dental school orientation competition (sand castle building).  On this beach trip we were assigned into our fundamental bridge groups (think of it like Harry Potter sorting) that we will be working in for the next 4 years.  There are 13 of us, and my friend likes dinosaurs so that was my choice for characters.  We used charcoal chunks and grass to decorate our presentation =)  I made a copy of this for each of our group members.

For my best boston friend Karen’s birthday (former Blueberry Pecans sewing partner), I illustrated a portrait to introduce to her my new dear tiny friend.

A peer dental student kept asking me to draw him a Snorlax pokemon, so I did it.  In fact, he himself reminded me of a snorlax, so the idea evolved into a personification of Koa.

AND THEN…. I happily discovered the magic of liquid frisket. ♥

Frisket is a gummy substance you can apply to the paper to resist watercolor in any given area.  Apply it in a shape, paint your background, and then remove it with a rubber cement eraser (quite easily) and you’ve kept your special area white!  It’s pure magic and I love it.

My first frisket project: I was asked to make a card for our bridge group leader so we could welcome her with hopes of starting off our school career on the right foot.  I painted the random background colors first, then peeled off the frisket and painted and inked the flowers.

And the next painting – a friend from Boston wanted me to make him something, so I did.  I don’t think I can quite explain what it’s supposed to mean in words, because I’m not even sure myself.

^ Before and after, resisting spots of color

I was disappointed with the amount of contrast, but it was because I have a habit of diluting my colors.  It really makes a difference- not in color hue (adding water to black doesn’t exactly make gray), but intensity (adding water to black makes a light black).  This came out much lighter than I wanted, but it’s a learning process.

And finally, today I started painting something for my brother.  Woo megaman!

During the anatomy and pre-professionalism lectures, I take great enjoyment in maximizing my notebook space with inspired (or tired) decorations.  I think the activity helps me stay awake and “interested.”  This is just about the only remotely interesting thing I have to share right now as my life is submerged in dissections and textbook.

Yep, the dissection theme has to come up somehow between the sea creatures. XD

Hopefully more art to come soon!

LANAI

Here’s a collage of scenic photographs I took on a camping trip:

Notable things about Lanai:  it’s privately owned, expensive to visit, and milk is $8. =)

HALEAKALA CRATER

I hiked in for a two-night stay in the beautiful crater of a dormant volcano.

The scenery both at Lanai and on the summit of Haleakala on Maui is just so phenomenal. Two of my favorite places on Earth are must-visits! Particularly at the right time of day – dramatic low sunlight provides for gorgeous contrast. In my experience, there is no better place to see the sunset than the tidepools in Lanai, and the sunrise is also best from atop the crater on Maui.

If you haven’t heard of this guy, you’ve been living in the dark!

Many have cited him as “one of the most influential artists of all time.”  But instead of regurgitating his story and what people say about him, I’ll shorten it to “his iconic work for The Face magazine has influenced so many image makers, it has almost become a school of illustration in itself.“  This I can testify to, and refer you to his own biography on his webpage.

What I really love about his work is not just how intensely creative some of his ideas are, but is how simple the picture is; and because of it being so simple and often colorless, you can’t tell what’s happening until you stare at it for a while.  For instance, here is “Bad Bambi” from his Poster Girl collection:

I don’t know about you, but I didn’t realize that it’s a picture of a real girl holding up a poster until about the fifth time I viewed it.  I love that!

Here’s another monotone design that shows a good example of extreme simplicity and contrast in the center montage:

The dark side to exaggerated beauty is that a lot of Goodall’s works to be found online are erotic or very suggestive and objectifying of girls.  I don’t agree with this exploitation, but I still find his drawings to be such perfected mastery of the figure that they shouldn’t be avoided just for that reason.

My favorites by this artist fall in the category of simplicity splashed with color:

Jaspergoodall.com is where you can find his own blog and abbreviated portfolio with his own captions.

At bigactive.com you can order prints of his work and see even more images by him.

Here is some of my own imitative “fanart,” if you may call it, that I did for a friend’s birthday – referencing his interest in video games and penguins.

“penguin chix: pwning owning pros.”