Trillium Print - Combined Composition

I recently ventured into creating my first, small, print run of my artwork to be used in a gifting event. This was for the Christmas in July gift bags, an event for the indiExhibit, which were gifted to a small group of twelve celebrities.


I have participated in events before, but never gifted a print of my artwork before. I had to keep it fairly small, as there were items from other artists in the bags also.


I knew which drawings I wanted to use - two drawings of a white trillium (Trillium grandiflorum), from sketches and reference photos taken at an art retreat last year (see my first post here.) I love wildflowers and really enjoyed getting to know some of the local ones, including the beautiful white trillium. The triangular, pointed leaves and petals really appealed to me. 


I had completed one drawing in color (ink and colored pencil) of the plant in bud, and had an ink drawing of the plant flowering, so I thought it would be interesting to combine the two into a simple, botanical print. I scanned both drawings into my photo editing program and played with the composition until I felt it was right.  I really wanted to showcase the full color drawing, so I wanted that in the foreground. Personally, I found it more interesting that the drawing of the plant in bud, not full flower, was emphasized.  Rearranging it several times, and printing out drafts, I settled on the vertical presentation. 


I added some italicized text at the bottom to identify the plant and printed it out on acid-free, white cardstock. The final, matted print was only 5x7 inches, and I thought of it as similar to a note card (not intended as an archival, fine art print) that showcases my work, but isn't expected to last 500 years. I am hoping that maybe the celebrity recipients find it to be a little piece of botanical interest that they can put in their home or give to another friend or relative who likes this style of art.

The final print in it's white mat.

Back of the print with a small printout with my contact information and information about the trillium plant itself. Might as well educate a bit while I am at it! :)

Of course, I finished the gift package by putting the print/mat/backing into a clear bag, including my business card and wrapped a little green, waxed linen thread around it with a gift tag on the front (that included my holly painting, since it was for Christmas, after all!) 


It's unusual to get any direct feedback from the celebrity recipients (understandably), unless they are exceedingly gracious to each artist included in the gift bags or happen to really take to a particular artist's work. However, I love that this gave me an opportunity to "expand my horizons" (thank you, Mrs. Pletcher!) and think of how I could present my work and share a little of my artistic interests with a different audience.

Have you ever ventured out of your comfort zone or usual routine to do something different like this? I would love to hear about it!

indiExhibit Member of the Week: Sara Kamla of The Sticky Wrapper!

Got a sweet tooth? Check out this week's indiExhibit member of the week:

Sara Kamla of The Sticky Wrapper Gourmet Candy Shop!

Sara's gourmet candy is made-to-order, in small batches in her home state of Washington. Great for weddings, showers, or any party!

You can find Sara on Facebook and her blog as well as Etsy. 

Check out some of her delicious treats below...my mouth is watering as I type...

Pinata Caramels. With Mexican chocolate, cinnamon and cayenne.

Cake and Coffee Marshmallows.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Caramels.

The indiExhibit Member of the Week! Babcia's Heart: Inspired Custom Crochet

I have mentioned before that I am a part of a wonderful, global group of independent artists and craftspeople called The indiExhibit (or IE). IE members come together to provide gift or 'swag' bags for a variety of events including everything from celebrity red-carpet events to local and national charity events. 

As a group, we would like to help get the word out on it's members and the terrific, varied talents each of us bring. This week, the featured member is Joanna Lesinski of Babcia's Heart. Joanna crochets beautiful items including traditional blankets and throws to wonderfully whimsical hats and purses. Check out her Etsy shop for more details on these and other items!

Joanna created a custom coupon code - use IE4ME20 to receive 20% off of items in her shop. Great ideas for Mother's Day, upcoming birthdays and more!

 

 Cozy Circle Afghan

 

I Speak For The Trees Earflap Hat (adult and youth sizes.)

 

Cupcake Purse

Small Business Saturday! Support Your Local Small Business, Including Artists!

Today is the 2nd annual Small Business Saturday! 

It is a wonderful opportunity to support your local small business owners, including artists and craftspeople, during this busy holiday shopping season. There are many talented artisans offering unique, high-quality handmade goods as well as artists offering original art of all genres on practical and fun products from print-on-demand companies like Zazzle.

Here are some great resources to get you started - check them out! I think you will find some terrific gift items for both the hard-to-buy folks in your life as well as some great gifts and stocking stuffers.

• indiExhibit Holiday Gift Guide on Pinterest - Offers a wide variety of styles and products, from both handmade and print-on-demand artists and craftspeople for everyone from kids and teens to men and women. All items are produced by the very talented members of The indiExhibit, a global group of independent artists and creatives. 
• CCreech Studio on Zazzle - my original botanical, nature, travel, and wildife artwork featured on a wide variety of print-on-demand products including cards, t-shirts, mugs, coasters, tote bags, iPad cases, and more. I have been creating a number of new products on newly offered items by Zazzle including gel mousepads (great stocking stuffer!), puzzles, notebooks, ceramic tiles and gift boxes, and plates. Definitely worth a look around! Lots of great discounts being offered as well - check out Zazzle coupons as well as weekend deals. 

 Other artists worth checking out:

• Country Mouse Studio - Zazzle store of artist Carole Barkett offers original watercolor and digital paintings of favorite subjects including birds, wildlife and all of nature.
• Lynne Reichhart Fine Art - Zazzle store of artist Lynne Reichhart offers original artwork including archival prints.
• Bugs, Beasts, & Botanicals - Etsy shop featuring the art of Mindy Lighthipe.
• Bibliographica - Etsy shop of Louise Thompson, a New Zealand artist offering unique hand made journals, botanical photographic studies, & miniature wearable treasures.
• Mary's Jewelry Designs - Texas-based jewelry artist Mary Bishop creates beautiful and affordable pieces, many of which use some of my favorite semiprecious stones like jasper and agate.

Whether you shop from any of the above stores or your favorite local artist or small business, be sure to show your support this holiday season and all year 'round! 

Happy shopping!

Photos from the indiExhibit at the 63rd Annual Emmy Awards Gift Lounge

Here are some additional photos from the 63rd Annual Emmy Awards gift lounge where The indiExhibit had a booth. The group distributed swag bags containing items donated by indiExibit members to visiting celebrities and included handmade jewelry and other handmade items, prints and products featuring original artwork, books written by members, and more. We were fortunate to also have included the first volume of IE Magazine, featuring member ads, a great way to further promote the independent artists and creatives who are our members.

This was my first big events with The indiExhibit, and I am so glad to have had the opportunity to participate! I have an ad in the IE Magazine, and I was able to include a binder for my display item that featured my Woodland Peony illustration and my contact information. My swag bag item was a simple, but elegant packet of botanical seals featuring two of my other original botanical art pieces, the African Daisies and my Daffodil. 

Below are just some of the celebrities who came by The indiExhibit booth and received our swag bag. Yes, I deliberately chose photos that show my binder, either in the front or the background. :) As you can see, the celebrities often hold one of the display items for the photo.

Jim O'Heir of Parks and Recreation - holding my display binder!

 Alan Cumming

 Beverly Mitchell

 Joe Mantegna

 Kate Linder of The Young and the Restless

 Nia Peeples

Scott Adsit of 30 Rock

There was a great deal of interest in and support of The indiExhibit's mission to elevate the brands of independent artists. It was a very successful event! 

For more information on The indiExhibit, founded by Shannon Justice of Lollipop Labs, visit their webpage or find them on Facebook.

indiExhibit Display at the 63rd Annual Emmy Award Gift Lounge!

Here is one of the first pictures from The indiExhibit display table at the 63rd Annual Emmy Award Gift Lounge sponsored by GBK Productions. The event was held two days prior to yesterday's Emmy Awards. 

This was my first event with The indiExhibit, a fantastic, supportive and global group of independent artists and creatives who pool resources to promote their work collectively through celebrity gifting and charity events.

The table looks fantastic and so many wonderful artists are represented here, including jewelry makers, writers, fine artists, multimedia artists and more. You can see my red Woodland Peony binder on the far right of the display. 

The event was a huge success for the group with a number of celebrities stopping by the table to see our display as well as receive our swag bags with products from each of the artists. A big thank you to the indiExhibit staff, including Shannon Justice, Kerry White, Kathy Adalian, Heather Nelson, and Joan Kelly, whose hard work made this such a great success.

Check back this week for updates and additional photos from the event!