Happy (late) New Year!

Hi everyone!

Happy (super late) New Year! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and enjoyed your first month of the new year. I know I did! Now if we could just get into the Spring months, I'd be really happy.

I will be posting new pieces here in the next week or so. I've been commissioned for some illustrations and have got a few freelance design jobs too. I'm also trying to work on my own little projects (learning how to make a website!), so I am currently a bit busy (which is wonderful!). I'm trying really hard to get back into the graphic design world. Because of that, I plan on only doing a few craft fairs this year, plus Hal-Con (maybe DCAF if I can get in.). I'm hoping with some of the freelance work I have right now will help get my name out there. I'm a sponsor for a local conference and doing up a poster and bookmark design for them. Plus a t-shirt design for a marketing business. I'm also hoping I'll be able to do a logo for a group in the city, just waiting to hear back from them. I really enjoy doing design work. Just something about layout and fonts makes me happy.

I wanted to tell you all that I have a Livestream account! So if you're interested in seeing how I digitally paint, you can tune in to watch! I am a super newb to this recording thing, so please bare with me. Plus I'm a super sloppy painter. You should see me when I use real paints! ahaha, the bf always gets irritated with me when I go on a painting rampage, because the apartment turns into a huge mess (ah well! He loves me).

That's about it really! So life is good, and hopefully will keep getting better! Plus on the 23rd, it's my 6th anniversary with Leo! <3 p="">

End of Year Update

Hi everyone! Sorry for the lack of updates and posts. The last few weeks have been busy. I was in two Christmas craft fairs, and they took up all of my free time. They went fairly well, but the last one wasn't very successful, sales wise. Oh well. It's always nice to hang out with fellow crafters and my table neighbor is one of my favorite artists in Halifax. So I got to pick his brain about things most of the weekend. 

Now that they are over and done, I will be taking a break from fairs and conventions until the Spring. I have some big plans and I need the time to actually work on them. So that's why I'm taking a break for a few months. Plus I really want to work on my portfolio and get ready for a gallery coming up (which I will write about later, it's awesome news btw). I also am going to present my work more professionally as well. Instead of selling prints in just a protective sleeve, they'll be matted and in a sleeve, plus have a little write up on the back, have paintings in a frame or something that will protect them, and just things like that. At craft fairs it's hard selling prints like that and paintings, because no one really wants to buy something that they have to go out and buy more things for. They want a finished product. But at conventions, people just want prints so they can plaster it on their walls, or whatever. They want awesome art work for a cheap price, because they want to be able to afford to buy from other artists. This is what I have found while selling at things like this for the past 3 years. So hopefully 2013 things will go more smoothly and sales will be up. 

Another thing I want to work on is my organizational skills. I need to have a schedule of what I have coming up, and what needs to get done. Plus I need to get a new system on how to store my work and how to transport it better. Especially when I am travelling alone to a fair by myself. 

So ya, lots of stuff, kind of boring, but I need to do this in order to become a better artist/business person! Yea! :) That's all for now. 

Have a Merry Christmas and a Great New Year!!

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!