My Interview at Indiefixx!

Please check out my interview at   http://indiefixx.com  !! It's a great blog and I'm very honored to be featured! Thanks Jen!

ARGH!

The painting wins. I'm redoing it. Now.

Me Vs Painting

So this is a painting I sketched maybe a month or two ago and really like. It's almost done, but I'm not sure if I'm diggin' the color. Originally my brain was like "navy, pink, white, lighter pink..." but I have been trying to stay away from pink and girly palettes. Funny thing is, I think this one really fits the navy/pink palette mentioned above. I might have to sleep on this one.  Hopefully in a day or two the final will be up. Wish me luck!

I know you want pictures, but tough.

It is Memorial Day. Today, my boyfriend and I will celebrate by cleaning the apartment and fighting the terrorist that is our dirty laundry. Have at you!

On another note, I am done with teaching and have felt like I have shed my skin. This summer I will be enjoying pre-college again, and in the Fall I start teaching at Montserrat College of Art. One thing that has really helped me be successful is teaching. Jumping in out of that environment keeps my mind sharp, whether it is with business, personal goals, or the development of my art. taking my own advice (the advice I give my students) has saved me a lot of stress and anguish.  Some of the important things I've realized, especially in the last few months:

1) There are thousands of clients out there. My work will not fit all of their needs, and that's okay. I do not have to stretch my portfolio in 263 directions. I can pick the subjects/styles that make me happy and try to find clients that fit ME.

2) It's about time I got those damn books my teachers told me about!

3) Hard work always pays off, even if it's in ways you don't realize.

4) Do not be too influenced by your inspirations and likes. The world doesn't need another (insert artist's name here). They need one of YOU.

5) Connected to no. 4... no one will do your work better than you. Isn't that enough reason to find your own identity?

6) learn from your mistakes and failures. It is okay to be disappointed, even angry for a moment, but that moment has to pass.

7) Your work should make you happy. If it doesn't, something is wrong.

Etsy Pissing Contest

I like to go the Etsy forums from time to time to post and get my avatar clicked on. I respond to people asking for critiques, answer a business question from time to time, and sometimes I even like to watch the occasional bickering that happens between two members (scandalous, I know!).
However, “occasional” has seemed to turn into “all the time” which is kinda getting on my nerves. Perhaps everyone is restless now that the warm weather is taking customers away from their computers?? I’m not sure, but I do know that it’s getting really old fast. There seems to be a handful of people who like to come out of the woodwork just to be a know-it-all or shoot someone else’s opinion down, which seems silly and counter productive.
Also, in a recent thread artists were described as “doing what they want and saying what they want” plus having less-than-civil behavior. Since when did artists become pirates? I’m a little tired of the whole “I can’t be a functional member of society because I’m and artist, man!” routine. I guess I missed that class in school: Behaving Like a Disgruntled Preteen 101.

I mean business, y'all!

New online portfolio at altpick! altpick.com/laurenminco

I recently realized that my postcard plan has one minor glitch- I can't get into the computer lab until July, which means I can't scan/send the work for the mailers until then. No biggie, because I probably need June to paint anyway.

I hit 30 sales on Etsy! That means as a new seller I'm roughly doing 10 sales per month. Awesome.

More importantly, I've decided that I needed to get all those books that a young struggling artist like me should have. I ordered 4 books, the first one that arrived from Amazon was 2008 Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market. I have to admit, I didn't know how helpful it would be since it has to do a lot more with being an author, but there are so many Young Adult Publishers and magazines that the section on clients was well worth the $21. I have over 200 new Art Directors to contact! Better get painting...

Back from Texas

Man, I haven't posted in a while! I spent a wonderful week with my family in Texas and was MIA from blogging and such.

This Sunday I will be in NYC for the Surtex convention rubbing shoulders (literally since it will be packed) and snatching up lots of business cards for potential clients. I have to start two new paintings so that I can make a three postcard promotion pack (puh puh puh) that will hopefully be out sometime in early July. So far there is a girl playing a guitar, and I also will do a piece I have been meaning to do for a while with little boats, and finally a portrait of Jason Schwartzman (with pigeons and tambourines of course). 

Also, the RISD art sale was great for me, profits breaking the $1000 mark! 

Listen to the lion kids...read!

Isn't he cute? I did him for a client for literacy (woo! reading!) and thought I'd offer him as a print on my etsy site as well. Now I just have to update my website...

After tossing and turning in my bed last night for 2.5 hours (no joke) I have decided to redo some of the items I sale on Etsy. I still offer prints but was not 100% satisfied with my 8"x10" ones (although my customers were, thank goodness). I would like to keep offering prints that are affordable, professional, and still don't make me break the bank in supplies. Therefore, I've decided to offer 5"x7" prints that are matted (I think the mat and presentation takes it up a notch). This satisfies me as a seller and I feel good about my product.

Go go go!

So much stuff has been/will be done. Yesterday I...

1) FINALLY mailed out the three Tween portfolios to the publishers in NY

2) got a spot in a group show- my first in the midwest

3) painted and then sent two illustrations To MotherVerse magazine

4) got some groceries so I'm not living off of green tea (which I love, but c'mon! Just green tea?)

Today I will...

1)Put my new Etsy mailers all around town

2)prepare a sketch for a custom project someone is doing for me on Etsy

3) get free food at the Met because of my BF

4) Prepare my first ACEO sale! woo! It is below (it also happens to be from my Tween portfolio)

Sally Eyepatch

I'm pretty happy with this little painting I made yesterday just for fun (it will end up in the RISD sale). I like this time of the year where I'm just painting these little guys and not having to worry about what exactly happens, because usually I'll make one or two that I really like and it inspires something different for my online portfolio pieces.  This one has even made its way into the Tween portfolio I'm sending Scholastic Press and the others. It's sweet but still a little funky.

I have some new "gallery" originals up. These are pieces that I see as current artwork that would be in gallery rotation at the time. I have been hesitant because I know I would have to sell these at full price, but I figure on etsy you have all sorts of buyers with different missions (and different budgets for that matter). If anything, it couldn't hurt. There are also other originals- some over a year old that are up- and those I see as older pieces that risk not seeing the light of day through a gallery window anymore due to their age. I sell these for cheaper prices because I want to move them before I am flooded by art at my apartment!

So much Art!

In the last week I've done my taxes, hassled people for money they owe me, and have had some great sales. I'm a firm believer that most of the time you work hard to "be there at the right place, right time", "you make your own luck", blah blah blah. Well, through etsy I have possibly landed a chance to do some freelance work for a great company in LA. Not much to say about it right now, but I'm excited! Other than that I have to pay bills and FINALLY send out the book cover work to those art directors in NY! C'mon, Lauren!

I am also in line to do the next cover of CROQ magazine!

Booyah!

Etsy allows you to buy advertisement space, but I'm trying to figure out which is more effective...art page? The Storque? Saturday? Weekday?

I didn't get many hits yesterday while I was on the art page, but today I was very happy when I sold my first original painting! "Sisters" is gone, but prints are still available!

Huhzah, my friends. Huhzah, indeed.

There's always one in each class...

 I taught my second Illustration class tonight (well, technically it's "Art of Ideas" to fool the students) and I only have one kid that's really turning up a red flag. You know....messes with his phone when he thinks I'm not paying attention, is a bit defensive and seems distant while never getting his work done. I always hate having these conversations with students, because obviously I hope they really want to BE there, but next week I'm going to have to address this issue and tell him that my job is not to convince him to be there- either he wants to or not. Honestly, if he'd rather be home on the couch, I want him there, too, because having his in my classroom does not help.

 On more of an Etsy note, I'm hoping to soon join the Rhode Island Etsy Team, but according to their profile I need 10 positive feedbacks to qualify (I only have 3). Oh, RI team, don't you see that I need you to make these sales?? No, I'll get there eventually but it'll just take some time.

Bring on the Red Wine

  It gets kinda lonely as an artist, especially if your studio is at home. Yes, it's nice to sleep in (sometimes waaaaay in) and be able to work at your own pace, but usually I enjoy social interaction. 

  Luckily I've found it lately in the form of my new neighbor and her visiting musician friend. Every night it's been a few glasses of red wine and some sort of craziness. 

  I've finished one book jacket dummy for the book publishers and I'm starting on another one today. Later I'll send out another order for "Song For You". That is my most popular print so far!

Ow, my toe.

 All etsy sellers have their "other" identities. It could be a middle school teacher, stay at home mom, bartender, serial killer (well, hopefully not that one). Anyway, I have several including freelance-editorial-illustrator-hoping-to-bust-into-children's-books. I got back from meetings in New York a couple of weeks ago after some successful talks and discoverd that Art Directors prefer me for the "tween" market for book jackets (I actually prefer this rather than a year-long project at the moment). 

 One day down in the city I wore my great kitten heels and  was trying to keep up with all the New Yorker traffic. By the end of the day my feet were killing me. And now one toe has been acting funny days later. Popping? cracking? I don't know how to describe the feeling. I was actually concerned that I had broken it after I was told that thing sort of happens sometimes without major bruising or pain right away. Of course, if that's true there's nothing that can be done- no tiny casts or anything. Oh, how we artists suffer sometimes... well, okay, I do get to sleep in and take court TV breaks whenever I want to, so maybe I don't suffer THAT much. 

Oh look, it's 2 o'clock. I think Judge Marie Lopez is on...

Operation Print!

My first sales came out great. They were not easy, but my customers got good products.

What happened?

 Friday Morning I wake up to do the prints that have come in (1 more from the previous night).  The test prints are good. Two weeks earlier I was printing like mad to get a children's book portfolio ready for some meetings in New York and it was a piece of cake, so why should there be any problem? The prints are coming out, but something is funny...do they look off? Am I just paranoid? Looking a little too closely? I don't feel good, and after a few more funny prints (and wasted watercolor paper) I pull out the barely used ink cartridge and switch in another one (painful, yes, but my top priority is to get these prints done). I clean and align and clean and align and now it looks even worse! I start worrying about my promise to send them out by this afternoon. I also start worrying that maybe my printer has for some reason died and that I may have to declare "Sorry folks! Wasn't ready like I thought!". 

 At this point I need help. My tech-savvy friend is busy until 6 pm. That will be too late. So I call the man I usually do whenever SkyNet decides to cause my technology to misbehave.

My Dad.

Our conversation goes something like this:

ME: "yeah yeah yeah no Dad, there's no paper jammed in it. I'm feeding each sheet in separately."

DAD: "well open it up, is there anything that's sticking out or looking weird?"

ME: "*heavy sigh* Dad, it ALL looks weird. I mean, this is the first time I've looked into this thing. I don't know what I'm looking at."

DAD: "okay okay. I'm just trying to help-"

DAD: "I know I know Ijustneedthisthingtowork!"

 Bless his heart for dealing with me. As we're talking I decide this calls for desperate measures. I call a former instructor and friend, Jon, who lives a few blocks away. He has a sweet printer due to the fact that he's a mega illustrator and sci-fi artist. We're talking serious shit. I'm a little nervous, however, because I haven't seen him in the last six months even though I keep leaving messages about getting coffee, etc. You know...being neighborly. Be a good neighbor, Jon, and just meet me for damn coffee. I know you're sitting there eating peanut butter out of the jar again for breakfast. 

 I call and am amazed that after the first ring a low, scruffy "hello?" comes from the other end.

 This is a sign from the the Etsy gods.

 "Hi Jon! This is Lauren. I know I've been calling about us getting coffee and catching up, and I'm sorry to pop out of the woodwork like this after so long, but I have a little bit of a crisis right now." Jon invites me over even though he warns me he is low on ink, so there's a chance we may not finish. I'll take that chance. I get a notice about selling another print and it's not as exciting as before...this better get figured out. Luckily I'm optimistic.

 Before I head over I decide to shower and take 10 minutes to chill. I quickly wash up and slap on some foundation before heading over. Jon is wearing an interesting ensemble of his fire skull cap and his adobe/Southwest inspired pull over. He's probably getting up into his mid 40's if I do the math, but he and his wife, Melissa, look more like 35 still. I'm use to being over here. Melissa has a fondness for skeletons and Jon has his figurines upstairs (my favorite is Ellen Ripley from Aliens in her yellow techno suit. What is it called again?). Their two dogs want a lot of attention and I give much love their way. Jon looks over my previous prints 

"Hmm. maybe a plugged nozzle? I don't know." However, we're not here to solve the mystery of my printer, so I head upstairs so we can get the prints done. I give him the files on my thumb drive and we print.

 It came out. It looks great, actually.

 We print out a few more and I'm thankful and surprised how easy it is. No surprises or mess ups or "oh, we just ran out of ink." I put my prints sealed in their protective sleeves for the ride home. Before we leave I ask Jon a quick question. 

 "If I get this fixed do you think they (future prints) will be fine"

  "Oh yeah. The quality is fine, something is just off."

The prints get mailed without any problems. I hope my customers like them.

  That night my friend takes a look at the printer. He fiddles with some things and then I notice he's holding something good in his hands- a perfect print. Turns out he fiddled with some settings that were more appropriate for the watercolor paper I was using. It seems obvious now-  during the printing for my children's book portfolio the paper was different, and the ink was settling more to the surface, so there were no problems. Now I know what to do. We print out a test of the newest order and I'm happy to see how wonderful it looks. crisis avoided. 

I'm back in business!

 

First Sales!

 I was lucky enough to get some advertising on the etsy site for my new shop. Very cool, because obviously the traffic is good, right?  So far I'm really organized. I put up paypal with no problems and all my printing supplies came in days earlier. I even have a filing system that works well for me: 

1) one file on the computer contains all "raw" images scanned for my prints. These are scanned images at 300 dpi that haven't been messed up with. I always have these in case I screw up a file somehow.

2) a second file contains all "etsy images" particularly for the website. All of these are resized for the site's size requirements.

3) The last file has "etsy finals". these are the 300 dpi images from before but tweaked for the relationship between my computer screen (well, my boyfriend's) and the printer (his as well). This way once I figure out the best setting for saturation, color, etc, I save that image and don't have to test and guess the next time.

  I check traffic on the site every few minutes Wednesday morning. I'm currently obsessed with the "I heart this seller" option. I see how many people mark me as a favorite. Slowly, the numbers go up  until I have roughly 13. Not bad for my first day I think. Nothing exciting happens. Thursday rolls around and I know my article is going up. I'm actually busy sending a portfolio to an art rep when I see two emails I don't recognize. Then I realize they are...payments? have I sold something? Yup. 4 prints! I realize my day suddenly got busier. I go online and see the article. One image has 300 views and I have about 60 "heart this seller" icons. I send out emails confirming the orders and when the items will be shipped. Tomorrow I say. That night I buy some more ink and look forward to my first batch of sales not knowing that it will end up being more difficult than I thought.

It starts...

 I'm probably like most people on etsy.com right now, a great little (well, not little) online marketplace for handmade goods, from original paintings of nudes and swearing broccoli to every thing you wanted to see on a piece of jewelry (funky beads? got it. plastic red guns? got it.). I had some friends tell me about the site and they eventually convinced me  that I should take the proverbially whack at the pinata.

So I decided to.

 I should explain a little about my background.  I  graduated from The Rhode Island School of Design in Illustration and balance being a teacher, freelance illustrator, gallery artist, and entrepreneur. Etsy is the recent roller coaster I've forced myself onto. My art is "whimsically awkward" or "awkwardly whimsical" as I like to put it, full of pattern, quirky characters including robots playing keyboards and little girls smoking. I live with my boyfriend (also an artist) in an apartment where we both have studios. He's a clean freak and I'm...flexible with my cleanliness we'll say. He gets a paycheck versus my living from art accomplishment to accomplishment. I work from our apartment and he comes home in the evening.  My family has dogs; his cats. He'll eat anything and I'm a picky eater (hey, I'm getting better). 

 Etsy was something I joined to hopefully get more exposure and of course make some serious profit.  This blog is a look into the world of etsy from behind the scenes: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Maybe you're reading for entertainment? Maybe you're reading out of curiosity? maybe you're another "etsyite" who takes comfort in knowing that other sellers are facing the everyday craziness of trying to make it on etsy, too.