:closer:

This will be short update, and to be honest, most likely next week's will be as well, as I'm preparing for my photoshoot next Thursday. I need to go through props and also set up my "living room" to become a photo studio again. I must admit I'm looking forward to trying out my new camera lens, one that was recommended to me.

I'm still completing other steps in other projects, for example I was digging through the boxes and shelves of flotsam and bones and such to see what will be added to the new Homunculus doll.

Also started on a new drawing. Honestly it's partially to make sure that I can still do it. I've leaned more towards photography due to the length of time it takes to finish a piece, and that's relatively quicker. I'd really like the blue of the hair in this one to be extra vivid, which would be ideal in digital, but I'm starting with color pencils as I'm still not confident enough with my Wacom tablet. Or at least how I have it set up right now. I might have to scan this one in to enhance the blues.

I'm certain that I'll soon add the growing pile of mini-framed Instagram shots to my Etsy shop. I'll make it work, dammit.

:commerce:

Moving steadily along, as per usual juggling several projects at once, doing little parts on each one.

One goal for the year is to get my artwork out and for sale more, so I've been looking into art markets and fairs, though some of the booth space costs for some of them are ridiculously high. I also continue to look into different ways of presenting and selling what I do have. I'm definitely going to keep pushing more of the Instagram shots, which are easier to frame in smaller sizes.

At one place that I was selling them at recently (a bazaar at my day job), a few people thought that they were coasters. So, I ordered a few actual coasters to see what that would look like.

I'm still enamored of metal prints too, so when I see sales or Groupons and such, I try to get another one.

We're in February now, if you didn't notice by the excess of hearts and the color red about. My Valentines are still available through Etsy, and I'm going to offer my original framed artwork of the zombie valentine drawing, probably putting it up in the next few days.

I regularly discover the advantage of always having some sort of camera on me, even if it's just the phone's camera, for you never know when something will catch your eye. I saw this as I was heading out the door this morning. That's a doll in progress hiding beneath the mask.

:framed:

One thing I'm learning with each gallery show I participate in is that it's not just the art but the presentation. Before I'd be content to display the art in a simple glass frame. Now I buy actual frames, because beside making it look better on a wall, it also means that if somebody buys the artwork they won't have to also buy a frame for it. I noticed that in the last show I was in ( still going on here ) that even with a frame but no mats within the frame, my pictures stood out, and not necessarily in a good way. I just liked to have the images as large as possible so I would print on an entire 8 1/2" x 11" sheet ( as that's the largest I can do on my printer ). So now I'm using frames AND mats, especially for the upcoming RAW show, for which tickets are still available, until Feb. 21st.

I do try to make the framing as unique as I can, when possible. I think it's helped sell a few pieces in the past.