Early Black Friday Sale!

Hi everyone! Thought I join the bandwagon and have a sale on prints and posters. Art makes a great gift!

8.5x11" prints are now $2.50 each! Any picture of mine is available in this size!

11x17" mini posters are now $10 each! Only Art Nouveau, Sailor Viking Scouts and Pin ups are available in this size.

16x24" posters are now $20 each! Only Art Nouveau paintings are available in this size.

Shipping costs vary from $1 - $15. Depends on what size you get and where it's going to. Unless you want to save more money and come pick them up.

This sale will end Sunday at midnight! So hurry and ordered some prints!

*payment can be done through paypal!

Christmas Commissions

Hey everyone!

Christmas is just around the corner! Want to give someone a piece of original work? I am currently doing a limited amount of commissions.

$150 for an ink drawing. Samples of my ink drawings: http://aprilmdesigns.deviantart.com/art/Rose-338196301 http://aprilmdesigns.deviantart.com/art/Art-Nouveau-Catwoman-335291133

$200 for a digital painting with an 8x10" print and original sketch of drawing. Samples of digital art: http://aprilmdesigns.deviantart.com/art/Witch-Pinup-263032816 http://aprilmdesigns.deviantart.com/art/Princess-Daisy-329204041

Prices included shipping within Canada. For any other place, I'll have to add the cost of postage on top of my price.

I'll only have five spots. So if you want an original piece by me, let me know as soon as you can!

Good News Everyone!

April M Designs is doing some changes over the next few weeks/months. I am planning on doing an overhaul on my website/blog here. I'm planning on redesigning the look of it, plus make it so that you won't have to go to another site to view my online portfolio. 

I plan on working on more design related work. I've been really focusing on my illustration work and because of that, started slacking working on my design skills. I really want to have best of both worlds, so I shouldn't be ignoring one of them. I'm not sure what I'll be doing, but I think I might try to take a stab at reworking some old school projects and old freelance gigs I've done. Just to get the juices flowing again. I want to have a strong portfolio, so I think reworking some things will be good for me. I'm hoping to get a few freelance gigs soon and that would be a major plus for me as well. 

Also I've noticed over the last few months that my illustration work has been improving. Which is really cool to see! But now I must push myself further in that area as well. I need to start working on full body pictures and start drawing male figures. I always avoid doing that, but if I want to get ahead, I have to start practicing drawing things I don't really enjoy doing. Doing so, will only make me a stronger illustrator. I'm also going to try to play around with more techniques and media. I also have to work on perspective, and backgrounds. I'm hoping by next year I'll see a vast improvement in these areas. I can only go ahead, not backwards in my art, right!?

Another thing I am going to for my business is expand my products. I'm planning on getting into t-shirt designs. I've always wanted to have my work on t-shirts. And one of my friend is planning on starting her own silk screening business, so it looks like I'll be able to get shirts done in the new year! I'm hoping to be able to sell these at craft fairs and conventions I have a table/booth at. 

Business wise, some of you may know that I have become a new member of the Halifax Chamber of Commerce. I was a little hesitant at first because of the price, but figured out it is totally worth the investment. If I want my business to get more professional, I have to put the time and money into it. In the end it'll all be worth it. I'm planning on going to more networking events, to meet new people. I find that being in all of these craft fairs, you see the same people over and over again (which is ok, because these people rock!). But if I want to expand my business, I have to get out of the same group of people, and venture into more groups. Not that I'm saying I'm leaving the crafters group, but just joining others. I love my crafter friends! 

Speaking of crafters, I am going to organize another craft fair! I think I might re-brand Art vs Craft though. Start anew. The first year I did it, was pretty good, but this year, due to crappy timing, it didn't turn out well at all. I feel so horrible about it too. But! This year I'm going to really make it worth everyone's while. In the new year I will start planning things out. I was thinking of organizing two fairs, but with the amount of ideas I have for myself, I will only have the time for one. I'm not sure when I will have it, but it won't be during the summer. This city has way too many things on the go during that time of year, that it's too hard to compete with it. I will be announcing when that will be in the new year! So keep an eye out for it. 

I'm also planning on getting more involved with the community. Donate products for fundraisers  if anyone needs a poster done for an event, I'd do it for free, and so on. Things like that. Any type of exposure is good, especially if it's free!  

And I think that's it. I have a lot of goals for the next few months, and with working full time it will be hard, but I think I'll be able to pull it off! I really need to get better at my time management skills, so maybe this will help me do just that! 

That's it for now. Cheers!