shrinky dink keychain micro-art

Here's a Shrinky-Dink keychain I made while goofing off a few weeks ago. I just downloaded pics from my camera, and there it was. Fun little cat!

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10 minute sketch

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goofing off in illustrator

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Illustration Friday: Caution

Word to the wise: don't put all your eggs in one basket.

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Think of it as a "spa day" for your creative career

Here is a banner opportunity to gain a LOT of practical information on crafting your career as a professional artist, all in ONE DAY, and for one reasonable price.

There are seminars and workshops I've read about (and several I've attended) which cover the ins and outs of particular niche arts professions. But this looks to be the most well-rounded, ONE day-long seminar I've seen yet which tackles marketing yourself as a professional artist from so many broad angles. The only thing I've seen close to this in depth and breadth is the seminars available at Surtex Show and, to a larger extent, Licensing International. These shows each run for 3 - 5 days and the seminars and workshops they offer are about 1.5 hours each. But there are so many seminars and workshops over the course of 3-5 days, that you can pick and choose from many, many topics of interest.

I've taken many seminars at both of those shows and I've got my money's worth. But I can tell you that it cost *mucho dinero* to take the classes alone, never mind the travel and hotel expenses involved. This workshop costs only $200 (well, $195, officially) for one full day. You get to choose four seminars out of eight offered, which breaks down to $50 per seminar, which is a good price per seminar (for comparison's sake, Surtex seminars last 1.5 hours and are $75 each). Plus, there will be time to talk shop with others in a social atmosphere at the beginning and end of the day.

If you are in the Boston area (or will be September 13), and you are a working artist in need of some information, resources and a little guidance in a few key areas, OR you are a student about to fly the college coop, it's most definitely worth checking out. Great opportunity to gain a lot for not a lot of time or money!

I've attended workshops and seminars with Carol Eldridge and I can highly recommend her to anyone interested in learning about art licensing.

Here is a list of the titles and speakers who will be presenting:

Art Licensing: What it takes with Carol Eldridge, Carol Eldridge Designs
Art Marketing Today: New guidelines with Susan Fader, Ditto Editions
Art Etiquette: The Do(s) and Don't(s) with Suzanne Schultz,  Canvas Fine Art Gallery
Copyright & More: Know the laws with Brian LeClair, IP Attorney
Art Reproduction Today: Get the facts with Susan Fader, Ditto Editions
Art Representation: Is it for you? with Suzanne Schultz, Canvas Fine Art Gallery
Social Networking: How & Why with Corissa St. Laurant , Constant Contact

Speakers' web sites
Carol Eldridge (Art Licensing):
http://www.caroleldridgedesigns.com/


Susan Fader (Art Marketing Today, Art Reproduction Today):
http://www.dittoeditions.com/


Suzanne Schultz (Art Representation):
http://www.canvasfinearts.com/


Brian LeClair (Artists' Copyright Issues):
PDF bio download

Corissa St. Laurant (Social Networking):
http://www.constantcontact.com/index.jsp


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Art Marketing 21 Day Details
Date: SUNDAY, SEPT. 13, 2009, 8:30-5:30
Place: M2L, 104 BOYLSTON ST., BOSTON

• Participants select to attend 4 seminars from the 8 offered -- 2 from the morning session and 2 from the afternoon session)

ALSO INCLUDED:
COFFEE AND PASTRY  During Check -In.
COCKTAIL RECEPTION at the conclusion of
the day.

THE COST FOR THE DAY IS $195.00


Registration form PDF

Email: info@artmarketing21.com.

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Ode to Illustrator CS4

I don't remember when I actually STOPPED using Illustrator. That's probably because I have never fully enjoyed using it, really. Ever. As an artist's tool, to me, it has always felt "wrong". Technical. Mathematical. (Like an Erector set.) Just not the way my brain organically works. Sure, I could have forced myself to work that way.* But, there were other tools available at my disposal that got me from Point A to Point B effectively enough. I was not willing to bend, twist and tangle my brain's working sensibilities to accommodate this particular tool which never really produced the type of results I was looking for. Yet Illustrator's stock in trade is the fact that it produces vector art. It's the number one vector art tool and always has been... AND, it is under the umbrella of creative mothership Adobe. Every illustrator and designer must have a good working knowledge of a program that creates vector artwork, and I am no different - it is one of the bedrocks of what we do. So I've had plenty of struggles with Illustrator. To me, Illustrator has always been like the most popular girl who heads the most popular clique in high school: very beneficial to have in your corner, but as icy as they come. The signature "computery", scary-even line that Illustrator has always worn like a new pair of shiny white tennis shoes has always been a trait that an artist either worked to develop their own style around or beat into submission (and then subsequently blaze trails for scores of vector artists thereafter) or it was something that you just loathed and avoided like the plague... like I did.

(You can force a person to do a lot of things. For instance, I use computers to create art and have for 14 some-odd years. But twenty years ago I would have said "NEVER!!!" We grow... We adapt! I digress...)

Well, now it's just a leettle embarrassing to say how long it's really been since I've experimented in Illustrator. But I guess that's what this post is all about. I will tell you that it's been *cough* years since I have played around with Illustrator's drawing tools. I use it for design work as needed, and I don't mind it. I'm grabbing a logo or whatnot, assembling text, doing production. But actually illustrating in Illustrator -- now that's a different story. For a long time, I simply avoided doing any illustrations in vector format (despite the clear and ginormous benefits) because I so deeply despised the lack of quality of line that I felt I was achievable for me in Illustrator. (Please note: there are plenty of bang-up, fabuloutastic vector illustrators out there that I am truly in awe of. We all have our strengths and our weaknesses.) But, if I need to produce vector illustrations these days, I head on over to Flash instead, where, in light of the comfortable line quality it lets me achieve, I can live with it's small series of imperfections. I've been using Flash for vector drawing for awhile now -- ever since I read this blog post and gave it a go. I was thrilled to have finally discovered a way in which could create vector artwork with a line that I felt was authentically imperfect (and, yes, comfortable) in an atmosphere that I was already familiar with. It's been my go-to vector illo tool ever since.

Well, my curiosity was piqued about a week ago to see what was new in Illustrator, if anything. (That's another story for another day...) So tonight, I thought I'd give AI a little whirlygig once again. Going in, the revisit could have lasted 2 seconds, for all I knew. (I'm not shy about hitting the Command+Q on AI.) My lack of high hopes from the outset may be partially responsible for my elation over Adobe's improvements. All I tried tonight was the Brush tool tonight. And I was this happy about it. I wonder what other improvements have been made. Maybe, Illustrator and I will become *gulp* friends, this time... for real.

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Beautiful day aboard the Carol Ann

Yesterday, I had the great pleasure of spending the day with my friend, art licensing superstar and all-around great lady Carol Eldridge!  Carol and her hubby Kenny (a.k.a. The Captain) hosted me in their beautiful town of Marblehead, Massachusetts. Carol took me to a delicious lunch at the boat club. I ordered what she ordered. Hey, I'm no copycat, but I know that Carol knows what's good there! Lobster salad and boy it was delicious. Then a mini sundae for dessert. Perfectly cute and tasty.

Then we got to go onto the water! Though I live in Cambridge which is also town on the water, and I live in Massachusetts which is a state laden with beaches, I rarely get to the beach myself. I'll be the first person to admit that I need to step back and smell the roses once in awhile - in fact I can't remember the last time that I actually went to the beach. And loving the ocean as I do, well that is just a shame. So this was a gigantic treat for me.

We boarded the Carol Ann, which is the Eldridge's beautiful boat. Captain Kenny was commandeering the boat when we arrived. Being on a boat really forces you to relax, and the Carol Ann is such a nice and comfy cozy, classic, lobster-type boat. I love the style of it.

Boating is truly a lifestyle for the Eldridges. I can definitely see the draw. I think it just permeates your whole attitude about life, and everything in it, in a positive way. I can see how boating could go from a hobby to a serious lifestyle in no time flat. One minute, you could be taking sailing lessons, and the next minute, you could be shopping for your own boat and looking into local boat clubs! Seriously. It's just a wonderful feeling to be on a boat and so relaxed, spending time in the sun, on the water, with great company, and the gentle breezes and boat rocking, the birds flying around, the scenery, and all the other boaters sailing by. It is truly a poetic experience and I highly recommend it! Thanks, Carol and Kenny!!

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Fun day at SOWA

Fun and (I am happy to report :) ) busy day today at the South End Open Market. I tell you I LOVE this side of town! Lived in Boston or Cambridge for most of my life. Now WHY have I not spent time in this vibrant little shoebox-cozy part of town? Let's look forward shall we! I'm going to drag Matt out of Cambridge for a leisurely South End Saturday one of these weekends. The dog count ALONE here is worth the trip -- so many adorable, sweet, big, tiny, licky-friendly and then also of course the non-chalant, stand-offish doggies, and I love to meet every last one! It's like a big dog party! :)

Weather was nice today -- very warm but not too sticky with intermittent sun and overcast skies. The a.m. was just a little bit harried because we did not have a lot of time to set up our tent and area. It was a race but it all worked out just fine in the end.

The crowds were intermittently thick or moderate at any given moment. We had an aisle spot, so there were a couple of "Now you see them, now you DON'T" types of moments, but in reverse: "Now you don't see them, now you DO!" That was fun and kept us on our toes!

Today, SOWA hosted a group of NYC artisans called "The {New New}". (The {New New} group is similar in philosophy and concept as the group to which I belong, Boston Handmade.) I think that having The {New New} here today may have helped to increase foot traffic over a typical summer Sunday. In general, the overall number of vendors was high as well, so it was a very good day to be here,whether vending or shopping or just hanging out! I was not able to do a good walk through, greet our NYC guests and see what kind of cool stuff they were making and selling. I was too busy today. with my own booth, which is a good thing, I can't complain about that but I sure would like to meet the NYC artists some time. For now, I will have to depend on their Flickr photostream to check out how the day went from their end!

I also did not take too many pics today (see the photos I did take HERE). I just didn't have many chances. I was able to take a few of my table and a few of my booth mate / sister / jewelry designer NancyRosetta's. (Those did not require that I leave the booth. It's no wonder I could get a few pics!)

Well,that's my SOWA report for Sunday, August 9, 2009. I might do one more SOWA date this month ( Aug. 30) . It's not certain yet but I promise to keep you in the loop!

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A hoax is in our midst

This is a public service announcement / cautionary tale for everyone and anyone who has their identity and business out here on the world wide web.

This year, in my effort to streamline my number of domains I renew every year, I let go of one of my web domain names. I figured: Why hold onto it if I'm not using it? BIG, BIG mistake, folks. Someone, somewhere, clearly has a domain name tracker for sites that are already well-established and well-crawled by the search engines and that become free for purchase. Someone snapped up that domain lickety-split and immediately up popped up a fake blog. A fake DESIGN blog. The domain name was kathywellerdesigns.com. This is particularly scary because ther domain name includes MY NAME, and CLEARLY is scamming to be ME.

Reading the blog, I quickly realized every post consists of gibberish, nothing makes sense - half sentences and the like. There are a ton of Google text ads and disturbingly a porno ad, too. UGH.

Please know that this is NOT me, I am horrified by it but I don't think I have any recourse, since I am not the only Kathy Weller in the world. This is the dark side of web marketing/promotion. Please beware and protect yourselves.

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Show Tips!!

Here are a couple of tips I put together from my experiences so far of doing open art markets. Hope you enjoy.

Show Tips
by Kathy / wellerwishes.com

Your appearance: Make an effort! Dress nice!
People dress as an extension of themselves and as a visual artist I am no different. But when I am feeling over extended I tend to dress to "hide". My first day at SOWA, I was in such a rush in the morning and got such a lack of sleep the night before that I did not give as much thought and consideration to my appearance as I normally would. I did not look and feel as "bright" and chipper as I might and this may have showed to my visitors. From now on, when I'm getting ready to go, I will imagine that I am attending to a casual outdoor party where I want to put my best face forward and I will prepare accordingly.

Your booth is more than just a table
As a designer, I'm well aware of this simply by my day to day work - you always have to consider the whole space allotted, not just a portion of it . I strive to keep the bigger picture in mind  when it comes to my booth presentation also, while also always considering the details as well. This is a work in progress - in the future I plan to have a nice backdrop on one of the walls as well to really further activate my space (plus I have some other fun things up my sleeve for future set-ups)!

Your attitude and demeanor at your booth
When you are manning your own booth, you are always "on". This is a casual, relaxed and the atmosphere should be fun and light. When working at or attending any outdoor art/craft market, a very personable mood in the air comes packaged with the event given the outdoor relaxed vibe. People are approaching your "personal space" to check out your wares -- and everybody is different. Some potential customers want to talk; some would prefer to be left alone. How to act/react? It's a fine line to walk, between being totally involved in everyone who approaches and starting conversations, and being a passive, relaxed but friendly and on constant stand-by for any possible questions or interactions. My goal is to just be myself, but to try to temper my mood to the day, and to the vendor "hat" I am wearing, consistently, for the allotted time. I don't want to be too caffeinated, or too ultra-relaxed, either. I am there to "work it" after all but in a relaxed way. (I don't want to scare people away with enthusiasm! Ha.. )  It takes some getting used to, but honestly I think I'm getting better at it.

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Pictures from South End Open Market (SoWA) 08/02/2009

South End Open Market 08/02/2009, originally uploaded by kathy weller.

Here are more photos from Sunday August 2 at SoWA. Some of the booths in this photo grouping are not named -- I will fill in the names at my earliest opportunity, since you should have that information in case you want to buy their stuff.

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SOWA Sunday

Today was my first time vending at South End Open Market. It was a nice breezy day, overcast for most of the time but not a serious threat of rain until the very end. And even then, it didn't rain. (Lucky!)

My commute to the site was, how can I put this ... eventful! On Friday, Nancy drove to my house so we could load up her vehicle with my equipment and goods, to make Sunday morning easier.It would have been a hassle for her to have to pick me up at home on Sunday morning because we have to be there very early. Instead, we loaded up my stuff in her car on Friday night, and I would take the T in on Sunday morning, meet her and set up. We wanted to set up a workable plan early on since we will be doing more shows together.

There are several ways to commute to SOWA via public transportation,so I picked the one that I thought would work best for me and made my plan. Live and learn: I had two wrong turns during the waking portion of my commute and they cumulatively set me back 30 some-odd minutes or so. Live and learn! (Since I live in the city, I have the luxury of choosing between a few of the routes. I have now chosen a route which I think will prove easier for my travel next time!) Got there in one piece, happy to report, with plenty of time to set up.









There is way more to share with you about my maiden voyage here at South End Open Market. For one thing, I would like to introduce some of my neighbors. But for now, Im tired and looking forward to relaxing for the remainder of the evening. I will be sharing many more photos from today's show very soon. Please stay tuned!

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SOWA Today

( please forgive the iphone photos - not great, but they are something!)

I'll be at the South End Open Market on Sunday! (That's TODAY... Maybe I should get some sleep...)
I will post photos of today's show later (make that much later ;) ha )

For now, take a look at some of the cute stuff I am making, in progress.

-- Post From My iPhone

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