our chronicle of being first-time exhibitors at NSS

You may remember we were singing like Charlie Bucket and Grandpa Joe back in December when we learned we'd received our 'golden ticket' and been accepted to exhibit at the National Stationery Show. This had a been a dream of ours for a long time, ever since we attended the show as guests in 2006.

While it's still a little early to give an honest assessment of our success at the show, one thing is for certain: we worked our hearts out getting prepared for it. Literally, blood, sweat and tears went into getting us to the point where we could confidently present our new business on a national stage. Working on a very limited budget, we made the most out of 80 square feet of New York real estate, making nearly everything, from the booth itself, to the desk, shelves and 'wallpaper' by hand.  Edgar joked that if we had the skill to weave the carpet tiles, we'd have done that too.

Below is a glimpse into our process, from beginning to end, with a few notes along the way.  If you are also considering exhibiting at a trade show for the first time, we hope this will give you some insight into the inner workings.  And, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.  We couldn't have done this without the guidance of those who had mastered the art before us!




We began conceptualizing our booth as soon as we signed the NSS contract. What began as sketches on the backs of envelopes eventually turned into precise measurements on the computer...and later, a construction site on our back deck.



We're always intrigued by the work spaces of others, and thought to share a piece of our own would be the best way to represent ourselves to those unfamiliar with our work.  With this in mind, we tried to pull as much of our studio into the booth as we could.  Edgar even created a mini-version of my desk as a place to sit and meet with potential customers. Like the original, this version was made entirely out of scrap materials, including reclaimed teak and walnut flooring.



One of our primary concerns throughout our design process was the transportation of the booth to NY. Rather than paying to have it shipped (as many smart people do) we chose to load it in the back of my parents' van and make the trek up the east coast. After lots of careful measuring, we constructed the partition walls so they fit with only an inch or so to spare.



The process of booth construction had just begun when we arrived in NY. Over the course of the next two days, we made no less than 55 trips in and out of the Javitz Center unloading the car and making the quarter mile trek to Aisle 1900. It was during this process that I realized I spend far too much time at the drawing board, and not enough working out!





In the end, however, all our planning paid off and our booth came together just as we envisioned. With the last minute addition of a one of my dad's Buddy L Trucks and a Lego Miles had slipped into Edgar's bag for good luck, we were ready to share our sketchbook on a grand scale.







The interns couldn't make it to NY, but they were still a fixture in our booth.





Without a doubt, our wall of process work was the most discussed aspect of our booth.  As we designed our collection for the Show we accumulated pages and pages and pages of sketches. We figured using these scraps to create a wallpaper for our booth was one of the best ways to bring our home studio with us. Time and time again, visitors remarked about how this revealed the authenticity of our work: truly, one of the highest compliments we could earn.





Looking back, we are keenly aware of just how much we invested in presenting our work at NSS.  It's exhausting just writing about!  However, this is more than made up for by the many nice folks we met at the show, from retailers to manufacturers to students to Internet friends who stopped by to say hello. to other designers who were there dreaming the same dream.  May this booth mark the beginning of a new exciting chapter.

makeshift pin-up space

With the deadline for finishing up our catalog for next month's National Stationery Show just around the corner, we're running a bit low on pin-up space!

determined snails

Thank you for your feedback regarding yesterday's post, both in the comments section and elsewhere. This is the very reason we love blogging---the wonderful support network.

We've been working, working, working in the studio day and night, but I'd be lying if I said that things didn't feel as though they were moving at a snail's pace.  The great thing about working from home is spending time with Max and Miles.  The not-so-great thing about working from home is it's difficult to get anything accomplished when the boys are awake.  Nevertheless, we've got several things in the pipeline that we're eager to share more of in the coming weeks.  Here's a little glimpse of the process via our Instagram feeds (@edgarcabrera & @anopensketchbook):

Oh, and have you met our intern?  Trust us, he's the one to blame if your order arrives damaged...

   

tossing and turning ideas

Along with cowboy boots, our current project has kept us busy this week drawing cattle and sheep.   We've been reminded that while one idea [see below] may be pleasing in the beginning, after a week of massaging, transforming, blending, turning, chopping, adding, subtracting, dividing, multiplying, finding the square root of...whatever [you know what we mean]...you realize the outcome has no limit.  What was initially  thought to be true and necessary, may not be at all.

getting it on paper

As you may have noticed, we're undergoing a transformation of sorts here.  Edgar and I are happily working to grow our business and have been working at creating a new brand, based our most important tool, our sketchbook.  Here's a snapshot of our work thus far.

Phase 1 : THIS IS TOO EASY...and indeed, it was

Phase 2 : LET'S GO BACK TO SQUARE ONE...a sketchbook

PHASE 3 : STICKING TO THE BASIC SHAPES

PHASE 4 : STILL TWEAKING

We had a quick deadline to meet with our new branding and fortunately, were able to get to a place we're happy with within a week of starting.  However, the process continues.  Still to go [at the moment]: letterhead, mailing labels, line sheets, updated website, packaging for new and existing work and lots of excitement.

to the boys

After putting the babies to bed, we've been spending many of our evenings in the shop working on a special memory box for our family. Here's a glimpse into our process.

working on a project

...that involves duck feet. Can't say anything more now [they're top-secret duck feet], but want to let you know I am here behind a computer and not in labor and delivery. [Some of you asked...] Let's cross our fingers we're not there until mid-May!

While we're on the subject of feet, big thanks to Carla of Decorativity for featuring our kicks as part of her fun Art Alphabetical Series. See the whole collection here!

flowers for you...

tennis balls bounced in her head

This week I'm hard at work on a special secret project. When all is said and done, I'm pretty sure I will have spent more time on it than anything I've worked on to date. I'm SO excited to share more details next week...but in the meantime, here's something to juggle:

Hope you're more coordinated than I am!

the colors orange, red, yellow, green...

The trees are so brilliant today; the perfect illustration of this, my favorite passage, from The Color Purple.

ideating for AIA

I think if I had to spend the rest of my life creating thumbnail sketches, and only thumbnail sketches, I'd be quite happy.

I love the sense of instant gratification that comes from these guys. And luckily, I've had the opportunity to swim in thumbnails [eww!] all this week. See more here.

classy

I don't think I'm quite finished with this drawing yet. Nor have I determined if what I have so far is cool or creepy. This is based on my 5th grade class photo (which I wish they continued doing until you graduate from college).

I was in shock to really examine the clothes of the people in my class and see how dated we all look. WOW. Am I that old? Embroidered sweatshirts, wind suits, floral jumpers, bolo ties (sorry to admit that's what I'm guilty of), M.C. Hammer pants....it's all more than I can take!

What was the fashion must-have when you were in 5th grade?

the best form of recycling

Inspired by the remainders of the topographical map my students made several semesters back, which, sadly, had to go into the recycling bin this morning. While I'm learning I can't save everything, I CAN at least draw it.

close to home and far away

Luckily for Edgar and me, one balloon made it no further than our own backyard.

I have to admit, I'm feeling a bit like Charlie Bucket today, all warm and fuzzy inside as golden tickets that have fallen from the sky begin to make their appearances.

We had a third balloon find today [if you count Edgar and I as the second and 'The Brits' as the first]. This balloon made it all the way to Cary [a little over an hour east of Greensboro!] where Chip Miller was running near his house. Chip writes:

"When I found the balloon off the road approx. 15 ft. I knew right away there was a message to be found. I was right.

This is the second such balloon in 2 years I have found with the first being sent from a church in Charlotte. The first wish I made upon finding this balloon was for both of my deceased grandparents, Joe and Flo Wilms… for them to have found peace and the hope they know I am thinking about them and hoping they are watching over me. They were fantastic grandparents and were very active and supportive for both myself and my sister growing up in Cincinnati, Ohio. Unfortunately, I don’t have any pictures of them electronically to share.

The second wish I made was for the person that signed it and his baby he mentioned, “A HUGE smile on my baby’s face”…Matt J., that they both have a wonderful happy long life together.

Thank you so much for sending this message (to me). There is a reason I found it and I hope to make the most of it by sharing your meaningful message. Thanks."

And thank you Chip, for sharing this with us.

30 wishes | 30 balloons

As a child I once found a balloon with a note attached. It was a letter from another little girl seeking a pen pal. At the time, I thought it was truly magical to find a message by way of a balloon and have thought about the experience off and on in the years since.

Fast-forward two decades. This week I turned 30. My life has been filled with countless blessings. So, in celebration, I wanted to follow the lead of my pen pal from years ago, spreading happiness and connecting with others with the help of a little helium. Last night a group of good friends joined me in releasing 30 balloons out into the world. On each card was a hand-written message from one of my guests to the balloon's finder.

[sketches by my sweet husband]

I'll be sharing photos soon...but in the meantime, if you found a balloon, I hope you'll share a bit with me. What wish did you receive? Where did you find it (street address is great...photos are even better!)? And what is your new wish? You can leave a comment here or you can send me a message via email at cabrera.suzanne [at] gmail.com

Thank you for helping make my wish come true. I look forward to hearing from you!

reminders for on-location sketching

You may remember me describing last week how this drawing at Pleasant Hill was a struggle to make. I felt early on that it would never see the light of day as the composition was simply not coming together. But, in an effort not to give up too soon [something I'm tempted to do all too often these days], I forced myself to keep going and see what I could learn from completing it. Here's the notes I took as I drew. I think they'll help me in the future and hope you find them valuable as well.

Things I learned (or at least was reminded of) while completing this sketch:

• avoid drawing spaces/places without a lot of detail too large on the page: too much negative space leads to a boring viewpoint
• avoid trying to add watercolor to a big drawing with a teeny-tiny brush
• let your watercolor strokes follow the path of the material you're rendering: in this case, because the brick is horizontal, my strokes would look better that way too
• look for ways to 'frame in' drawings for added dimension (i.e. tree branches)
• balance green, green grass with bits of red: here I mixed red and green paint together for the shadowed areas
• scale figures are ALWAYS helpful...too bad I'm missing them here
• brick is not typically red: be suspicious of any paint, marker, or pencil labeled 'brick red'
• always have a paper towel handy for blotting up potential watercolor mistakes
• pick a direction of light, even if there isn't one : it will help convey three-dimensionality
• if all else fails, count on the lucky four-leaf-clover your godmother just picked up for you

Have questions about any of this? Please leave a comment and I'm happy to clarify.

sea creatures

Good afternoon! Getting a bit of a late start this week...

Not to mention, it's Tuesday, nearly a week and a half after returning from vacation, and all I shared about the second road trip [to St. Petersburg, Florida] is a single cryptic photo! But there is a reason for this lapse. While in the Sunshine State I did not draw. I find that the beach has that effect on sketchbook productivity. To make matters worse, suntan oil is a terrible medium to work with! Bleeds right through one page into another...but, I digress....

While I wasn't setting the art world on fire [only my skin...ooooh, ouch], I was spending some quality time with an assorted cast of characters, several of whom took over drawing duties for me with this group portrait. Allow me to make introductions:

Sketches by Squidgar, Long Jones Silver and Titantic Tim. And, as luck may have it, Titantic Tim also happens to be quite the talented photographer. So, in the words of Lavar Burton, Florida was amazing, but 'you don't have to take my word for it.' See the trip through Tim's lens here and here.

peace on paper

Spending many hours these days contemplating what's next. If there is one thing I'm certain of, it is that drawing must to be a part of it. It's my go-to-place in good times and bad. When I have a black sheet of paper and a pen in my hand I feel the most like myself...my mind quietens and I am free.

What gives you freedom?

sleepy in greensboro

Trying my best to resist the urge to fall back in bed on this dark and rainy Monday morning. I'm hoping these balloons will help. Up, up and away!!!!!

Have anything you'd like to send up in the air with these balloons? Feel free.

active ants

Here's hoping you had a wonderful weekend!

I apologize for the lack of activity here lately.  I've been trying my darndest to catch up during a busy time at school.  By the way, can I tell you how proud I am of the students in my studio right now? I think they are trying extra hard...for me. I really appreciate it.

These are some process sketches I made months ago that I'm going to use on a class handout. I think the scale figures look a little like ants...very active ants.