Michelle Morin / United thread
Posted by Amy on Wednesday January 25, 2012
I’m poring over the amazing details of Michelle Morin of United Thread’s watercolor artworks. She currently resides in Massachusetts with her fiancé and the subject of her artworks are primarily based on flora and fauna; the love of the former she picked up in Portland, Oregon where she worked at a plant farm and greenhouse.
I love watching the gradual transformation of her style and work from 2009 – it’s amazing. You can also read her blog here.
Comments [3]
Tattly
Posted by Amy on Tuesday January 24, 2012
Tattoos have always been a bit of a mystery to me. I can identify and understand the reasons why people have it, but I’ve always been chicken to have one thing permanently marked on my body. Call me indecisive or that I’m being irrationally fickle – but if I had my way from the beginning, my whole body would be covered in all sorts of illustrations that you could just hang me up on the wall.
But you don’t have to go through such permanent measures any more because Tattly is here! The site was founded by Tina Roth Eisenberg (of Swiss Miss) and features adorable designer temporary tattoos from the likes of artists Julia Rothman and Marc Johns. The sets on Tattly will be able to satisfy those who have cravings of self mark-making, with all the fun but without the pain and regrets.
Top to bottom: Menagerie set by Amy Blay, You’re Very, Very Late set and Complete Kitchen set by Julia Rothman.
Comments [3]
Review: Quoteskine Volume 1
Posted by Amy on Friday January 20, 2012
When the tough gets going, some people buckle or wring their hands and cry about it. But not Lee Crutchley, oh no. After he came back from a solid year of traveling (after selling off his stuff and quitting his job), he found himself in a recession. He braced himself for a job-less time, but didn’t want his downtime to be of waste – and so Quoteskine was born.
Featuring lyrics and quotes that he has gathered along the years, he started the Quoteskine blog (quoteskine is a combination of the qord “quotes” and “moleskine”) with the mission of drawing a quote every weekday to keep his creative juices flowing. His blog got picked up by quite a few website (including ours) and gathered momentum from then on. Last year, Lee published his first Quoteskine book – a greatest hits of sorts from his weekday exercises – all filled with quotes that he has penned down in his Moleskine in chronological order.
I like how simple his idea is, and that he lives and breathes it completely. His passion for his quotes and lyrics shine through in every page; but most of all I admire his can-do attitude and how he chooses to be an optimist in a time where it was simply easier to just be pessimistic about things. And look how far he has come!
You can get a copy of Quoteskine Volume 1 at his shop where he also has postcards, tees and prints for sale!
—————
Happy weekend folks! The Chinese New Year is coming up and there’s much spring cleaning to be done to welcome the year of the dragon – so I’m putting down my drawing brush and my mouse and picking up a broom and duster instead for the weekend!
Catch you here again next week!
Comments [3]
Art as a Business by Alexandra Hedberg
Posted by Amy on Tuesday January 17, 2012
We have a new teacher coming on board for Camp Pikaland and it’s none other than Alexandra Hedberg – an artist and teacher based in Sweden! Read our interview with her about her new self-study class, Art as a Business to find out about her journey and how she made her art practice into a solid, thriving business, and how you can too!
———-
Hi Alexandra! You talk about art business over at your blog. Can you tell us a bit more about your background and how you’ve reached the stage you are at now?
I studied art (painting, printmaking, art & technology) for seven years and art history for two years, but not at any of the Fine Arts schools that really count here in Sweden (something I later learned would have made it much easier for my career as an artist).
In 2004, while finishing my master in Art & Technology, I made my first public commission (a mural) and started my own business as an artist. 2004-2009 I made ends meet giving evening classes in art (lousy pay), exhibiting regularly and getting occasional commissions. I made some efforts now and then to advance and got some results, but I mostly felt that I was reacting to urgencies (read: just managing to get a new income before running out of money) and never managed to do any long term planning. It was more like outbursts of efforts sometimes and not much following up. I wasn’t drowning but it wasn’t like I was sitting in the boat steering either; I wasn’t exhibiting in as good galleries as I wished to, I worried about money and I didn’t feel I got the calm concentrated periods of studio time that I needed to develop artistically. In summer 2009 I felt it was time for a change – and decided to get in charge. To put extra pressure on myself I started a series on my blog where I wrote about my experiences so far as an artist and shared some of my goal setting and progress reports.
Alexandra mounting watercolors on the wall in her studio
When I’m now summing up 2011 I really feel that I have reached the part-goals on my way; I finished a monumental commissioned art piece (exactly as I wanted it!), had two good separate exhibitions, was guest-teaching art (screenprinting) at University level, made an interesting art project with children, spent a week in a guest studio and another week taking a concrete course, managed to get altogether five months of concentrated studio time and got myself a little economical buffer. This only making a living as an artist – also counting guest-teaching. I still have a way to go to reach my final goals, but I feel I’m getting there!
Can you tell us a bit more about your new self-study class – Art as a Business? Who is it for and what knowledge would you seek to impart to those who take the class?
My self-study class is for artists/illustrators at any level feeling stuck.
Being talented isn’t enough to get somewhere as an artist or an illustrator. Sure – some people actually do get lucky, but this isn’t something you should be counting on as a career strategy. So instead of waiting for the prince to come and rescue you -or being angry with yourself for not getting anywhere – you could follow my self-study class! I’ll share my own knowledge from the last seven years and the structured systems that have worked for me. I’ll be asking questions that will make those taking the class define their goals better and I’ll teach them how to map out their own master plan and give them the tools to do so.
Read the entire interview at Camp Pikaland where you can also sign up for Alexandra’s class!
Comments [2]