For me, the freelance-office-gig to working-creatively-at-home transition is always a little tough. I certainly look forward to my less structured days but laundry, gym time, and internal battery-recharging is always in the mix. I'm blogging today as a way to bridge the gap this time.

I am looking forward to my trip to Europe which is coming up in April. It has been quite some time since I've been out of the country now and it would be putting it lightly to say that I am looking forward to it! I'll be visiting friends in Barcelona and then meeting up with a gang of single ladies for sight-seeing and celebration in Paris. As luck would have it, my parents will also be in Paris one of the days that I'm there, so I'll get to see them, too.

With this trip, I am finding that more than any other I have been on, the anticipation and planning are almost as good as actually being on the trip! This is mainly because of the large number of blogs and apps that have come into existence since the last time I traveled. I have downloaded tourist guide apps from TimeOut for both Barcelona and Paris, so I can browse activities and facts on my phone wherever I happen to be.

I have also been browsing through blogs and travel websites for each city... here are a few of my favorites:

Paris:
http://dailyphotoparis.blogspot.com/ (Each day, a beautiful shot of the City of Light)
http://badaude.typepad.com/my_weblog/ (A U.K. ex-pat illustrator's take on Paris life and art)
http://bbonthebrink.blogspot.com/ (More excellent photography)
http://parisbymouth.com (Daily restaurant and food-related blog)
http://www.girlsguidetoparis.com/ (A great all-around travel blog)

Barcelona:
http://www.barcelonaphotoblog.com/ (Daily photos from around the city)
http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/04/26/travel/26hour.html (36-Hours in Barcelona)

Yes, the list for Paris is longer, but keep in mind, there are 5 other women involved in that trip and we've been sending one another Paris web links for the past few weeks. I also did a search on Google Earth for the address of our hotel in Montmatre... really fun!

So I hope this trip brings plenty of new energy and inspiration; traveling internationally always does the trick for me.

Au revior and hasta le vista!

Coming soon to an iPad near you!

Great news, I recently was invited to participate in the Graphic Artists Guild's Illustration Directory iPad application. The app will create a digital, flippable portfolio of 5 images per artist and will be available sometime in April.
http://www.graphicartistsguild.org/join/member-benefits/illustration-iportfolio/

I have been wanting to get more involved with tablet technology, and this will be a great way to reach art directors and buyers who use the iPad on a regular basis.

Happy New Year!

I hope you're all enjoying 2011, and getting back to the daily grind isn't too painful. I'm proud to report that The Nancydraws Shop did more business this Christmas season than last year, which was my first year. Thanks to everyone who made a purchase and passed the word along!


I also have an illustration in the current Winter issue of the Park Slope Reader. The article my artwork goes with is about cooking with butternut squash. One of the recipes is for Thai Butternut Squash soup and I ended up making it in tandem with my illustration. Delicious... I wonder if it affected my creative skills for this piece.
http://www.psreader.com/268

I have some new ideas for the Nancydraws Shop for 2011; I'll let you know when I post my birthday card designs for sale.

Until then, I hope you stay healthy and happy.

Holiday Spirits are Rising!

My 20% off sale went well and now I have 3 Multi-Pack orders to work on. (Thanks Holly M., Stacy M., and Christina R.!) I'm printing out my customers' cards right now, under the mistletoe... well, not quite, but I did decorate my place last night. (see above)

I also finished up the latest addition to my store, all-new Christmas gift tag designs. I have a new 3-pack and also a customizable "from Santa" tag. Just send me your child's name and let me know how many tags you'd like and I'll create a reserved listing just for you to purchase in the shop.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/63670111/christmas-gift-tags-set
http://www.etsy.com/listing/63671122/customized-christmas-gift-tags

20% OFF and more at The Nancydraws Shop

Hello!

Can you believe that December is almost here and that 2010 will soon be over? I have been preparing The Nancydraws Shop for the holiday season and wanted to be sure that all of my friends and fans know that I will be offering a shop-wide, five-day sale from Sunday, 11/28 through Thursday, 12/2.

When you shop during this sale, you will automatically get 20% OFF of everything in the shop, plus free shipping on all orders!

Please be sure to stop by: http://sancynam.etsy.com/ and spread the word!

Thanks & Happy Shopping!
Nancy

New Goals

I have taken on some tasks for the fall to achieve more creative momentum, and so far things are looking good. I am in week four of Etsy.com's "Holiday Boot Camp." Each week, participants are given a business-related article or two to read and a list of shop-tweaking tasks to complete in order to get everyone ready for the online shoppers who will be browsing for unique and creative items on Etsy. I'm also working on a few new items to post in my shop. This past week we were asked to update our bio or public profile, which was helpful because it is similar to my other big fall goal: applying for the NYFA grant.

The application for the grant is going to be much more challenging, a 700-word resume and 200-word artist's statement is required, along with eight examples of my work from the past 5 years. Selecting the work examples is no problem; luckily I have more than eight images to choose from. I am planning on getting started on the writing next week, some kind of rough draft. I know I am probably the world's best expert on myself and my artwork but I think explaining that in 700 words is going to be difficult!

Custom Bonanza!

As promised, I am revealing last Sunday's source of awesome inspiration.... a wedding card for my friends Holly and Craig, who got married in Las Vegas early in March!

Holly had worn a headband with devil horns and a veil for her bachelorette party. That headband sparked the idea... I feel that Holly and Craig have a devilish nature in common, so I drew this cartoon portrait of them as devils and did a little play on words: "Devils May Care," to state their obvious love and care for each other, but also to indicate their quickly pulled together (but well-thought out) nuptials.

I had this image in my head for a few weeks before having the time to execute it, so I'm pleased with how it turned out, and so are the newlyweds.


Baluchi's, one of the restaurants that I illustrated for the Park Slope Reader's restaurant review asked to purchase a print of my artwork! You must stop by some some of their delicious Indian cuisine and to check out the print, everyone is really nice there. I am very flattered to have this print displayed in the restaurant. I also added a small caption to let people know it was published in the Winter 2009-10 issue, along with my credit. I am working on getting in touch with other managers at restaurants that I have illustrated in the neighborhood to see if they would like to purchase prints.






I re-purposed one of my existing illustrations to give as a retirement greeting card to a nurse at my allergist's office. She's been working at that office since before I started going for treatment there and I'll really miss seeing her. I personalized the inside with her name and the message "Congratulations on your retirement!" In the future, I may offer this card in The Nancydraws Shop.