Budding Botanist? And a few sketches...

It has been waaaaay too long since I have done any botanical drawing. But just this morning, I took some time to grab my pencil and some paper to do a little sketching.

I can thank my older daughter, who is 5, for this for two reasons, 1) she loves to have us pick up a bunch of flowers at the store every so often so we bought a bouquet of spray roses over the weekend, and 2) they are starting to shrivel, so she asked to take apart some petals this morning before school.

I trimmed off a few flowers and buds and my little scientist (or budding botanist?) started peeling away the petals into a pile. The resulting stem, sepals, stamen and pistils were brought into the light of day and were begging to be sketched.

I love the curve of the sepals and the sharp point they come to at the tips. Although I am out of practice (my shading ended up a bit heavier than I intended...) it felt terrific to finally get back to it.

View from underneath the stems and sepals.

View from the side of the sepals, with some beautiful curling as well as a great view of the cluster of stamens and pistils at the center of the blossom.

 

The holidays and winter colds can really put a dent in any available creative time. Have you had any projects you have been away from and returned to recently? 

2012 Year In Review and Looking Forward - Happy New Year!

Happy New Year 2013! 

Welcome to CCreech Studio's 2012 Year in Review and Looking Forward to 2013

I have seen similar posts on other artist's sites and thought this would be a great way to start the new year. 2012 was a busy year, creatively, and this is a great way to recall just how much was accomplished and take a look forward to what I hope to pursue in the coming year. So, let's take a look!

2012 Year In Review

1. I opened my Etsy shop almost one year ago, in January 2012
• I had 23 sales (of 30 items) in shop, but also about 30-40 additional sales outside of the shop, including sales made at booths throughout the year.
• My offerings started with leather wrap bracelets made with natural gemstones, but quickly expanded to include:
• Blank, hand-bound journals
• Jotter journals with reprints of my nature and botanical artwork.
• Natural stone pendants, most of which are on waxed cotton cord as an alternative to leather.
• Hand-knotted, macrame and gemstone bookmarks 
2. Advertised in a national magazine, FOLKMagazine.
• Participated in their Holiday Gift Guide Giveaway, donating one of my bookmarks that was given to a lucky winner.
3. Participated in three, in-person booth craft/gift shows 
• Saline Farmer’s Market (August 2012)
•  10^th Annual Kerrytown BookFest (September 2012)
• 1^st Annual Holiday Greens & Gift Market in Kerrytown (December 2012)
4. Consignment opportunities:
1. I am fortunate to have items from my shop on consignment at two local shops/galleries:
• Dexter Picture Frame Company
• Uniquely Yours Michigan
5. My first exhibit!
• The exhibit, "Illustrating Science: From Anatomy to Zoology", showcased scientific illustrations on a range of subjects, done by local illustrators. Four of my botanical illustrations were on display during June-July 2012 at the Ann Arbor District Library.
  
6. Drawing projects
• I had three commissions this year:
• Ink house portrait
• Ink portrait of a cat (Beacon)
• Landscape in ink and colored pencil.
7. Donated a bracelet for the 8th Annual Circle of Art benefit for Food Gatherers, a local food bank.
8. Donated a hand-bound journal to the American Society of Botanical Artists annual auction.
9. The indiexhibit
• Participated in the American Music Awards with two display items that were gifted.
• Participated in providing mugs and jewelry to three film projects being completed in the coming months.

2013 Goals

1. Keep creating!
2. Continue to add to the Etsy shop
• More hand-bound mini-journals with natural gemstones, silk wraps, and more.
• I enjoy creating blank ones for a variety of creative uses, including art, writing, photos, etc.
• Develop an idea for a journal format that a friend described to me last year.
• More bookmarks, bracelets, and pendants; including finding new stones to use, state-specific stones.
3. Participate in 1-2 booth shows
4. Continue my partnership with FOLKMagazine. for 3 of the 6 issues this year:
• I will have ads in the first three issues:
• Issue IX Winter 2013
• Issue X Spring 2013
• Issue XI Summer 2013
5. Continue consignment opportunities.
6. Create wholesale price sheet and look into wholesale opportunities.
7. Continue participating in The indiexhibit events as opportunities arise. It is a fun way to get a different angle of exposure and have my creations in different venues.
• Participating in the gift lounge at the Academy Awards ceremony (The Oscars) 2013 in February.
8. Participate in the 9th Annual Circle of Art benefit.
9. Draw more! I had some commissions, but did not really do much sketching or drawing last year. This year I *will* do more! :)
• Botanical and nature art - both sketches and finished pieces. I would love to do a few 'sketching' days at the local botanical garden.
• House portrait of my own house.
• Other commissions that come along.
10. Seek out other exhibit opportunities.
11. Attend the American Society of Botanical Artists conference in Pittsburgh in the fall.

So there it is! I am sure I will add to this list as the year goes on, but this certainly looks like a great start!

Do you have any creative goals for the coming new year? I'd love to hear about them.