Rainy Weekend Post

I'm taking a break from the errands and cleaning doldrums on this rainy Sunday to share another page of the Adele book. Most of what I currently have is at this level of completion. I am still fine-tuning the composition and details, but I have decided that this one looks good enough to share. I may post it again once it is more complete.

Adele, encore

Over the years I have been working on-and-off with an idea for a graphic novel featuring my character, Adele, from an illustration I created in 2001 inspired by my first trip to Paris, France that March. Since I lack knowledge and experience with sequential art and comics, I have also lacked confidence in how to move forward on this, and have had doubts about even trying at all. I haven't shared the story or sketches with many people... it never seems to be "ready" for others to see! I am always sketching and re-sketching the panels and pages.

Recently I traveled to Paris for a third time and 10 years (ouch!) have passed since Adele first came to life on the pages of my sketch book, I've decided that I owe it to her and to myself to push forward to see what can happen with this story. Plus, I can't seem to completely drop the idea, that has got to mean something.

Although it feels a bit scary, I've decided to start posting sketches and finished pages on this blog. I hope it will make the project seem more tangible, plus many of you might have comments that could help or encourage me. So please click "follow" on my blog page, add me to your RSS feeds, or catch the posts on Facebook since my blog updates automatically to The Nancydraws Shop page.

I may not be posting the pages in sequential order as this experiment goes along, but here's page 1!

Any which way

I haven't been able to get myself to work on any of my drawing projects but I since I was on my own creative time and wanted to use it wisely, I figured out a way to have some kind of outlet today... after cleaning up some paper piles, gathering up recycling and a few things to give to Housing Works. (http://www.housingworks.org/donate/) BTW, they are opening up an outpost in my area soon and they are asking for gently used items to be dropped off this Saturday.

Anyway, what I came up with for myself today is a series of "window collages." I had a large pack of paper scraps from Kate's Paperie (http://www.katespaperie.com/) that I was sorting through and I noticed some of the see-through and transparent scraps, held them up to the light and decided it would be fun to tape some up in the window to make a collage. I'm so glad it was a partly-sunny day! Above are a few examples. You can see more at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26119264@N00/sets/72157626341720236/

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