preparing for the year of the sheep

The November issue of Gekkan Etegami (etegami magazine; published by the Japan Etegami Society) is arguably the best issue of the year. It has thirty to forty pages more than the ordinary issues, and it is always features the Oriental zodiac animal of the coming new year. This month, they have some 50 (50!!) pages like this one, jam-packed with etegami that readers have created to celebrate New Year 2015, the Year of the Sheep/Goat.

This year I will be using the sheep motif for both my 2014 Christmas cards and my 2015 New Year cards. I'm so excited I'm like a small child that can't stop wiggling in his seat during church or at a concert. One reason I'm excited is that the year of the sheep is MY year. I was born in the year of the sheep xx years ago, and that is one of the many reasons why I'm rather fond of the animals. Plus, sheep are a lot easier to draw than horses or dragons, don't you think?

digital downloads

I've decided to add high-resolution digital downloads to my Etsy shop. This means customers can download selected etegami directly from my shop and print the image on their own printers multiple times for a variety of artsy-craftsy uses that do NOT include resale. Shown here is the first image I've listed for digital downloading. I will be adding more images soon. They are available at a nearly-give-away price (and, of course, no shipping charges or waiting!) to the first five customers, on condition that those customers send me feedback on the experience to help me improve the product and service.

illustration friday (trouble)

illustration friday (octopus)

sleeping cats

The October issue of the Japan Etegami Society monthly magazine Etegami arrived a few days ago, and I was delighted by the special section on cat etegami. These "sleeping cats" brim with personality, don't you think?

experimenting with black

 

The standard (4" x 6 ") dimensions of etegami aren't really suited to square throw pillows and tote bags, so I always worry about how to fill in the extra space at the top and bottom when I get my etegami printed on these products. Since most of my etegami are painted on white cards, it had never occurred to me to get them printed on anything but a white background. But lately I've been experimenting with black backgrounds for products printed with my bolder-colored etegami-collages. I've been receiving some enthusiastic feedback on these experiments, so I guess it works. 

These products can be ordered from my RedBubble gallery, but I wish customers could choose the background color of pillows and totes like they often can with T-shirts. I could try to set up a listing for an etegami tote or throw pillow with the background color of your choice if you let me know before you order. Have any of you had to deal with the issue of background color when getting your art printed onto a product?

bursting hearts

My father-in-law is ailing and may not have much longer to live. I stopped traveling overseas long ago, so I haven't seen him in twenty years-- but I try to communicate regularly by email and etegami. When I asked him if there was anything I could draw for him, he told me about the "bursting-heart" plant that ornamented the fall of the eastern United States. "It's an unbelievable sight this time of year," he told me, "Let me assure you it is impossible to exaggerate the purple of the seed pod or the orange of the attached seeds." So I searched the internet for photos and made an attempt to express this plant-- with its flaming color and lovely nickname-- in the context of etegami. I know it falls way short of the picture he has in his mind, but I was glad to have this chance to share something with him.

Euonymus americanus is a species of flowering plant in the family Celastraceae. Common names include strawberry bush, American strawberry bush, bursting-heart, and hearts-bustin’-with-love. (Wikipedia)