Military Spouse Appreciation Day - May 12
The first trimester of 2023 is behind us and so far I've kept my promise to myself to have a "New" #KidLitArtPostcard for each month. Although I must say the first Thursday of each month keeps coming by faster and faster and I have almost been caught short. Here they are in order:
January: A Panda Panda illustration from my picture book dummy that I had not used for a previous KidLitArtPostcard. Whew!
Concept is like that rare elusive bird you've finally glimpsed but of course it's gone into the dark forest. Do you dare go after it? Turning that concept into a tangible thing is like stepping into a forest, full of shadows and possibilities. There are no clear paths BUT if you thrash about you may find your way through.
Where middles are where you've got your bearings. You may even see your path out of the forest to where that rare elusive bird is posing waiting for you to take it's picture. It's just a matter of putting one foot in front of the other until finally, Snap!
If you're like me, you prefer the phase after most of the messy explorations been done. Which is why I did not dive back into my BIG Project or start this other idea, both of which I'd been itching to do while I was trying to finish the important MUST DO NOW life thingy.
NEW PB Concept - EEEK! All those blank boxes. (See ThumbNailer in side bar)
Instead I worked on something that I put aside a few years ago. This piece just needed some hand lettering and then I could add it to my budding Surface Design Portfolio. But why now? Because it had a clear next step and the end was in sight. Plus I was lured by the idea that it will only take a second and then we'll begin one of the other projects, maybe even do a bit of both. A warm up project. HA! Needless to say it took more than half a day as I needed to change the size, tweak the art and do a bunch of loose hand lettering, to get just the right balance of carefree and legible. Well, at least it was productive procrastination.
Beware the rabbit hole: It'll be quick - just takes a few seconds.
Sip Breathe Repeat, 2 Chawans, Japanese Tea Cups - © Diana Ting Delosh, Ink,watercolor, pencil, digital - this piece is available for licensing.
Tah Dah! A Tree, verse by me, Diana Ting Delosh with art by Marta Alvarez is published in the April 2023 issue of Highlights High Five magazine on Page 4.
The submission to publication journey for these 4 short lines began last spring, when I saw a call for submissions by Highlights for their Magazines in the May 2022 issue of Children's Book Insider. I actually almost didn't submit, A Tree, because it is sooo short and simple. But I did submit it along with 2 others in mid-May. About a month later, the editors passed on the 2 that I thought had a better shot. But no word about A Tree. I waited, wondering if it had been overlooked. Waited a bit more. Then on August 31, while I was on vacation, I got an email from Highlights saying that they are delighted to accept, "A Tree" for publication.
WOO HOO!
Then more waiting. Finally on December 12, I receive a PDF to check for typos on my verse and to let me know that it's scheduled for the April 2023 issue. All in all it took about 10 months from submission to publication.
YAY!
Note: Highlights use Submittable.com for all their submissions. You can do multiple submissions BUT each submission must be sent individually. What's nice for us, doing the submitting is that: Submittable sends a confirmation letter for each of your submissions and you can check on your submission status yourself. Submittable also sends you an email to let you know when the editor has reviewed and passed on your submission, title. You don't have any direct contact with Highlights until they accept your work.
Ah-choo - It's Spring! But seriously, I love all the green shoots and unfurling leaves even the tree flowers and blossoms and pollen. If only I didn't have allergies.
April Fools Day - April 1
Passover - April 5
Easter - April 9
Eid Ul Fitr, Ramadan ends - April 21
Administrative Professional Day - April 26
Sometimes you're busy, busy, busy. Humming along, being inspired, productive, creative and then BAM, you hit a brick wall. OKAY not really, but it feels like it. You're in a mood and all you want to do is scroll on social media or binge junk, TV, food, you name it. Of course while you're doing all that you're feeling guilty because YOU SHOULD BE DOING SOMETHING! And now you're feeling like you've gone in REVERSE, not only have you not been moving forward, but all this meandering has made you loose whatever progress you've made!
Sigh.
Personally, the above has been happening at an alarmingly regular rate. Part of my problem, is that I don't allow myself regular day offs. If I'm in the studio, I expect to create and produce something. This is all due to my awareness of my own mortality as well as the fragility of what we consider our usual. I suppose this is partly due to the pandemic. In the last few years, I've had a few unexpected losses of family and friends. That certainly shook up all my assumptions of my world. Which goes back to my feeling like I could be running out of time and I don't even know it. Mind you I'm healthy and up to date on all my shots. Still, there's that old saying if you're standing still you're actually going backwards.
What to do?
I've come to the conclusion that I need to plan a day off on a regular basis. In hopes that I won't be waylaid by my brain/body deciding to have a rebellion. Allow myself to goof off. And enjoy it. Dammit.
HA! Right after I typed the above, I'm tempted to take it back and make it only a half day off but only if we really need it.
But I won't. In the pursuit of finding balance we will give Goof Off Day a shot. I also need to remind myself that pre-pandemic and other current responsibilities I had a weekly errand day. But Errand Day back then actually involved, aside from errands, meandering off to the library or mall or wherever to play a game of look.
Do you gift yourself a day or time off on a regular basis? Or are you stingy about it like me?
St Patrick's Day - March 17
See all my St. Pat's cards HERE
This design is also available on T-SHIRTS and other gifty things in my Zazzle shop
Persian New Year - March 21
The month of Ramadan begins on March 22, 2023
I was left with Instagram and Facebook. Both were problematic in that department. IG doesn't like live links although you can have them in your bio profile . Facebook did not like you being too sales oriented. So yes I can post my GreetingCardUniverse card links, but posting the weekend sales promo code got me a warning notice. sigh. I did sign up for a Facebook Artist Page. In January, I signed up for Post.News. Links and images look gorgeous on that site But I feel like I'm shouting into the void over there. Needless to say, I don't post as many links as I did on the bird app cause it's just not the thing to do on any of those social media platforms. Now what?
I did get creative in December, and did a countdown to Christmas and posted 25 winter/Christmas illustrations on IG, the majority of which were GCU cards. And yes that did help with my December/Christmas card sales. I also did a shorter run up to the Lunar New Year, Year of the Rabbit or Cat with illustrations/cards of, you guessed it, cats and rabbits- which helped with the January sales. And now we're at the end of February and my sales are way down compared to last year. Sure I could do a run up to Spring? But do I want to? Must I? Sigh.
Have I learned anything?
• Posting daily helps as far as engagement and getting new followers. No big insight here.
• My followers on all my sites seem to respond best to my Art Process Posts for illustrations or greeting card designs. They seem to find the process as interesting if not more interesting than the actual finished art. Thankfully, I enjoy documenting and sharing my art process.
• I realized I stopped blogging because I was micro-blogging on Twitter. No bird app and the blog revives. Hmmmm Maybe I'll do an occasional upcoming holiday blog post.
I would love to hear what social media sites you use to help promote/market yourself or your creations.
My Cupcake Bouquet greeting card design was inspired by a greeting card design challenge, #dhgartspark, on Instagram, Design House Greetings - Cue The Confetti. Which led to a lot of doodles in various notebooks and finally a full size pencil sketch and then an even tighter one. My next step is to take it to the light box to transfer the sketch to watercolor paper. I use Canson Montval Watercolor 140 lb paper.
Step 2: Is the inking. Black India ink with a brush and then wash with shadows.
Step 3: I paint my illustration traditionally. Using Higgins Waterproof/Water Resistant Colored Inks as if they're watercolors and then scan it all in.
Final Step: Bring it into Photoshop, clean up paint splotches, specs and dust and add details like sprinkles. Tah Dah - here's the finished art!
I hope to do a few more greeting card designs for this challenge before March1 happens. BUT who knows if I actually will. Anyhow hope you enjoyed reading about my art process.
