Fly and Be Free!

Fly and Be Free
18x24 · Oil
AVAILABLE ON ETSY

Mister Fancy

This is my first time painting a rooster and I had such a blast painting this guy! I will likely paint more roosters the future!

Mister Fancy
18x24
AVAILABLE ON ETSY

Buzza Buzza Buzza Buzza

Here is another digital illustration which I had a lot of fun with. I started with a pencil sketch of the bee then once I redrew him in Illustrator I created the rest of the scenery, then I recreated it, then recreated it again, and again, and here it is. I decided on flowers, you can't have a bee without flowers and what better color flowers than purple! A hive, every bee needs a home. Additional bees because a bee needs his friends! And sun, ahhhhh sun! As it's getting cooler out nothing sounds better than finding a warm spot in the sun!

Buzza Buzza Buzza Buzza!
Print Available on Etsy

I also reworked the background of the cat illustrations and added an orange kitty to the mix.

Black Cat
Print Available on Etsy

White Cat
Print Available on Etsy

Orange Cat
Print Available on Etsy

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Cool Bees Outdoor Fall Market

Custom Portrait Samples 

Last Saturday was the outdoor market at Cool Bees and the weather was just perfect! Well...perfect until the wind picked up and started sending my artwork sailing to the ground. The "perfect" lasted most of the day though so I can't complain!

Me at My Tent

I had a great time meeting people and several very nice people stopped by to talk to me about my artwork and about having a portrait done. I was able to meet and chat with some of the other vendors and get to see what they were selling. Over all it was a wonderful day and I think I might do it again.

Another benefit of participating in the market was that I was forced to get my business cards and brochures done. As you may know, I'm also a graphic designer and have my own business, Bendt Design, so that helps quite a bit. Though, as the saying goes about the shoemaker's son having no shoes...well, I'm also last on my own list so I needed a little nudge. I'm very excited to finally have these done! You can download a brochure by clicking here or on the graphic to the left if you'd like to see it!

Business Cards - 2 sided

My New Portrait Brochure - Download Here

I also learned a few things about how I might set up differently next time. First off, I'd have table clothes, that would have helped everything look a bit tidier. Secondly, I'd have all of the portrait examples up front instead of splitting them up between front and side.

I also learned a few things about tents. To answer my own question, which I had before the event, "yes, there is a difference between them". I got an amazing deal on mine ($54! WOO HOO!) which is officially more of a sporting even tent. As the wind picked up and my tent wanted to go with it I realized that the people with "Festival Tents" didn't have as much of a problem as I did. There are vents in the top of those tents which allow the air to pass through vs to cause lift off. Of courses, festival tents are much more expensive then the one I got so unless I start participating in these regularly I'm not sure that I'll be getting one. Another thing which the seasoned folks around me did was to tie weights to their tent legs, a trick which seemed to work quite well.

Prints Hanging in Cool Bees

A final benefit of participating in this event is that I got myself organized! I now know what I have and where it is! I have added many more originals to my etsy shop and also have some originals hanging in Cool Bees Artwork and Gifts! That means more room around here for new paintings! Yay!

Visit my Facebook page!

I've Opened an Etsy Shop!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/darlenetwitchell?ref=pr_shop_more

I've had artwork piling up around me for a while now, always with the idea of selling it but haven't found the venue which suited me. A few years back I looked into a few, including etsy, and for whatever reason brushed them aside.

Last week etsy was mentioned to me by a friend of mine from high school who has an etsy shop, and again by my sister. I took that as a sign that I should at least check it out again. So I did, and found that it does seem to suit my needs at this point. I'm not really sure why they didn't back then, or if I just didn't realize that it might work out well for me.

In any case. I've finally opened up my etsy shop where I will be selling originals, prints, and portraits. I have yet to finish sorting out the originals which I'll be selling and I have a few more prints to get online. For the most part though, the shelves are full and the shop is open for business! Stop by and have a look! Throw me a few hearts! And if there are any experienced Etsians out there who'd like to pass on your wealth of knowledge, I'd love to hear it!

Also check out my friend's shop! She sells wonderful, handpainted glassware! My all time favorite being her changing faces glasses! And her mugs with the cherry trees and Chinese lettering! And her dandelion dishes! And...ok, I like it all! She also has a blog over here and writes books. Phweww! She must have a lot more energy than I do...

Around here I'm usually pretty quiet, I post my artwork, say a few words, and that's about it. In person, I'm quite the opposite. As I took a look at the preview of this quite lengthy post, I think I may have blown my cover, just a hair ;)