Need shopping ideas? Unique stocking stuffers? Stop by my updated Zazzle store today!

Happy almost Thanksgiving! I hope you are having a wonderful start to the holiday season.

I have been hard at work updating my Zazzle Store in anticipation of the upcoming holidays and have added a number of new products in the last week. You may have noticed the Zazzle panel to the right here on my blog that shows some of the products available.  Much more is listed on the site itself, so please stop by to take a look!

All products feature my original artwork and include:

• Note cards and greeting cards
• Stamps
• Labels (return address--great for holiday cards!) 
• Ornaments
• iPhone Cases 
• Mousepads
• Mugs 
• Stickers
• Tote Bags 

Many of these items make great gifts for corporate groups, school groups, garden clubs, etc.

Keep in mind that all of the products are customizable. For example, you can add your own  text to create a custom return address labels for your holiday cards, or add your name to a custom iPhone case, etc.

If you are interested in getting email updates in the future as I continue to refine the store, add new products, etc., you can click the Fan Club link, and choose Join a Fan Club to be added. Or, feel free to just leave a comment (with email info or where I can find your contact details) for me on this post and I will add you to my mailing list.

Good luck with all of your shopping adventures, wherever they may be!

Windmills in the Netherlands - pen and ink illustrations

These are two pen and ink drawings I did from a trip to the Netherlands. We visited friends there and did a good bit of driving around. The first is from the windmills at Kinderdijk, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. 

The second was a windmill and canal boat that we saw along the way in our drive through the countryside. Such beautiful landscapes in the Netherlands. I would love to go back for another visit and take my colored pencils to capture the gorgeous tulip fields in the spring!

Botanical Note Card Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations to Helen Setter who has won my first blog giveaway! Helen will receive a set of 10 botanical note cards featuring my original artwork.

Thanks to everyone who participated and who joined the blog as a follower. I appreciate your support!

If you are interested in ordering any note cards for yourself or as gifts for the upcoming holiday season, please take a look at my Zazzle site for my current offerings. I recently added two ceramic ornaments featuring my American Holly and my Poinsettia illustrations. I also have return address labels and stamps. 


TODAY ONLY: Zazzle is offering 50% off all card orders. Use code: ZAZZLECARD50

Poinsettia in pen and ink

Happy Friday, all! 

This is a pen and ink drawing of a poinsettia that I did some years ago. It was done using a pointillism technique (applying many, small dots of ink to do the shading) and a thicker pen width. It's a little different from my usual style, but I like the overall effect.

UPDATE 2010: I have also created matching return address labels that can be customized with your information as well as a beautiful ceramic ornament, stickers, and stamps - all featuring my Poinsettia drawing. 

Have you entered my botanical note card giveaway yet? There are just a few more days to enter! 

The note cards would make a great little gift for yourself or someone else for the upcoming holidays.

Check out the details on how to enter and good luck!

Botanical Note Card Giveaway!

I am excited to announce my first blog giveaway!

I will be giving away a set of 10 botanical note cards, featuring my original artwork, in honor of my 2nd blog anniversary today. The set contains 4 American Holly cards, 2 Iris cards, 2 American Red Raspberry cards, and 2 Rose with Buds cards:

• 4" x 5.6"
  
• Printed on ultra-heavyweight (120 lb.) card stock with a gloss finish.
• Each card comes with a white envelope and is blank inside.

To enter, leave a comment with your name and contact information (email address or website/blog address is fine), by Monday, November 15 at 12 noon, and I will use a random number generator to choose the winner. 

For extra chances to win, leave an additional comment here to tell me if:

• You already follow my blog OR you have become a follower
• You have posted about this giveaway on your blog

These cards and more can be found at my Zazzle store. Please stop by for a visit!

I have recently added some return address labels and postage stamps that would be perfect for the upcoming holiday season. Keep in mind that there is no minimum order and you do not have to buy multiples of the same card to receive a quantity discount. You will receive a quantity discount on any order of 10 or more cards.

Be sure to tell your friends about the giveaway!
And thanks for visiting!

House portraits - what makes a good photo to draw from?

Today I thought I would post something a little different. I have been working on some house portraits in pen and ink lately and usually work from photos. See my online portfolio for examples of completed portraits.

It is extremely important to have good photos to work from, including a single shot from the angle at which the final portrait will show the house, and close-ups of architectural details such as doors, windows, light fixtures, landscaping, etc. I have been able to take the photos myself this time, but often, a client is located elsewhere and has to take photos of the home themselves. 

Some of the tips that I post to my website for taking great photos include the following: 

• At least one photo should be taken of the front of the building, from an angle away from the garage, so it is not the predominant feature.  If possible, include a small view of the side.
• Close-up photos are very helpful. If possible, take photos of the front door, windows, any special features of the building, especially if hidden by bushes or trees.  
• Avoid having the front of the building in deep shadow. Cloudy days are fine if there is enough light. 
• Utility lines, cars, and people will be removed from the photos unless you request otherwise.  
• The building(s) on either side of your building will not be included, unless you request otherwise.

Here are some example photos so you can see what I mean:

Great photo!

This shows a three-quarter view (e.g., part of the side) and the front door will be visible in the drawing. The front porch is in a bit of a deep shadow, but a close-up will help resolve that.

 

Ok photo.

This is workable as it shows the front door clearly, but it is a straight-on view of the front, so the drawing could turn out a bit flat without the side perspective.

Not good.

This view makes the garage the prominent feature and the front door is basically hidden. This would not make a good final drawing.

  

Close-up details: 

This allows me to include all of the architectural details of the home including the front door, porch, windows, lamps, etc., making the final drawing accurate and personal to the home owner.

 

 

A custom house portrait offers a unique way to commemorate a special place. They make great gifts for birthdays, anniversaries, retirements, holidays and more. Consider ordering a house portrait for someone or yourself today!

NOTE: The holiday season is rapidly approaching. House portraits typically take 3-4 weeks to complete, so my commissions list is nearly full for this year. However, I am happy to offer gift certificates that can be presented at holiday-time with the portrait to be completed after the new year.


Email me at carol @ ccreechstudio . com  with questions or for more details!

Thanks to Kelly Dorman and Felicia Kramer!

A big THANK YOU to Felicia Kramer and Kelly Dorman for randomly choosing me as the winner of the “In the Michigan Studio” Backward Glances $40 giveaway. I'm so excited! I get to use the $40 towards a purchase from Kelly's Etsy shop: Backward Glances

Felicia is a wonderful artist who featured Kelly in a recent blog post. Felicia's Etsy shop is: Another Bright Idea

Kelly is a wonderfully talented artist from Mackinac Island, Michigan whom I have been following via the Bead Journal Project. She does amazing bead work and historical pieces - be sure and visit her blog: Mackin-Art.

I can't wait to go shopping! :)