My Kathy Temean Illustrator Saturday Interview

Nicholas Bunny Blowing Dandelion Seeds © Diana Ting Delosh
Fat line style - Ink, Watercolor and Photoshop

In case you missed it, I was interviewed by Kathy Temean for her popular Illustrator Saturday series on August 8th. You can read all about my process and more at Illustrator Saturday - Diana Delosh.

For this interview I answered a lot of questions and gave a behind the scenes look at my new fat line illustration process, Nicholas Bunny. She also wanted, gasp, a picture of me. I mean the last "portrait " I had taken was on my drivers license. I was half tempted to send a pix of me at 3 but decided I should really grow up and asked a friend to take a proper photo. It was a lot faster and had much better results than weeding through family photos and cropping everyone else out. Kathy chose all the illustrations for the article other than the art for the process part. To be honest, I was really curious what pieces she would pick for the article. All in all it came out as a lovely illustration career overview. Thank You Kathy!

2015 Black & White Illustration Promo Page

2015 B & W Promo Page - Panda / Wildflower
All Art © Diana Ting Delosh

I belong to a local illustrators group and one of my favorite CBIG Projects are the Illustrators Directories: Color and the Black & White. Here's my Black & White Promo page for the upcoming 2015 directory. And of course, I make a PDF version for my own usage. Handy for handouts or as a digital tear sheet.

For my Black & White promo page I wanted to show my grayscale art and my line art. I also wanted to show that I do people and with all the fuss with adult coloring books, my line art. But I didn't want to show too many things. And of course they had to look good in a vertical format. Here's my solution. 

Book Buddies illustration : ink with ink wash on Canson 120 LB  watercolor paper. greyscale art.

Wild flowers illustration: ink on vellum paper. Line art. 

Here's to hoping it's enough of a taste to get the powers that be to click on dianadelosh.com to see more.  And Golly Gee Whiz  - land me an illustration commission.

Make Money from Your Art - 3 Steps

Jester Pig, ink & watercolor ©Diana Ting Delosh

From my perspective it seems to boil down to 3 actions you must do to make money from your art.

1 - Create the Art. Butt in chair routine.

2 - Show and Tell. Add new art: to your portfolio, submit, e-mail, mail out postcards, blog, tweet, FB whatever.  No one knows you created something until you tell them. To expand on this concept, no one knows you exist until you help them discover you. If you want clients with wonderful illustration projects to commission you, they have to know what you do and where to find you.

3 - Do both of the above routinely and on a regular balanced basis. Yup, the old 2-step, Create and Promote with the added crucial 3rd step: routine and balance. Create followed by Show and Tell on a regular, weekly if not more frequent basis.

All well and good in theory, BUT what happens when you're working on a commissioned piece OR a personal project that you want to submit/propose that must remain hush hush, then what??? Sure you're creating daily but you can't do step 2 until it's published. Ah -this is where I trip up.  Here's a list I've made for myself to keep on task: show other work, talk about other projects, tightly cropped sneak peeks*, toss out a hint, if possible - do other art that you can  show off**, etc. The idea is to keep promoting your art and to not totally drop off the radar.

*It may be fine to show sneak peeks of personal projects but I'd be hesitant to do this with commissioned work... unless you've gotten permission to do so.

**This is where all those online art challenges come into play.

OR if you're so busy due to whatever life is currently dishing that one if not all steps are out of whack than what? This one is more complicated but I think the zen approach is best. Don't beat yourself up and just do what you can. When you can... and keep at it...at your current pace. Create, promote, repeat.

Happy 4th of July weekend everyone!

Ice Cream Soda
© Diana Ting Delosh
watercolor

Hope you're all having a lovely summer weekend.

Personally, I'll be doing the family, running around bit - seeing everyone and wishing there was more time and I had more energy. At any rate - I hope to be coming back from all the family fun refreshed and ready to create anew. Sometimes I feel like all the family stuff just bogs down my creative flow and then I realize that without my family, life would be so dull. Sure I might get more done but would the art be as rich without the life to inform it?

You can read about the Ice Cream Soda Art Process HERE.

The Ice Cream Soda Giclée is available at my Print Shop, wingedrabbit.imagekind.com
Unframed Prints come in various sizes and paper selections. Custom framing is also available.  

Thumbelina -CBIG Brooklyn Public Library Fairytale Exhibit

Thumbelina
© Diana Ting Delosh
Ink, Watercolor, Digital

Thumbelina, my illustration in the CBIG, Fairy Tale illustration exhibit at the Brooklyn Public Library.

The exhibit is currently up and on display until Sept 25, 2015.

Fairy Tales Exhibit

Brooklyn Public Library

Central Library

10 Grand Army Plaza

Brooklyn, NY 11238

June 11- September 25, 2015

Featuring the Fairytale inspired art of CBIG members

Curated by Donna Miskend

Thumbelina is also available as an art print at: 

wingedrabbit.imagekind.com

Assorted sizes and finishes.

Custom framing is also available.

SCBWI Draw This - BOUNCE

Bunnies BOUNCE for joy!
© Diana Ting Delosh
Ink, Watercolor, digital

Here's my entry for the June SCBWI Draw This prompt, Bounce. I've created it in my new Fat ink style.
Direct link to My Illo on the New SCBWI online Gallery.
To see more of my art, both old and new styles: dianadelosh.com

July's Draw This Prompt is: ADVENTURE and I've already got an idea for it. Now I just need to sketch, ink, paint, etc. and  upload it by the June 20th deadline.

Hoppy Easter!

Bunny Wishes © Diana Ting Delosh
Prismacolor pencil & watercolor  WIP experiment
for #colour_collective #emeraldgreen

Bunny wishes everyone a very 

Hoppy Easter!

Twitter & Creativity: #colour_collective

Ballerina Bunny
© Diana Ting Delosh
Ink & Watercolor
for #colour_collective Pale Pink 3/6/15
I will probably be making this illo into product designs for my POD stores

One of the things I love about Twitter is the art challenges and artist community. I'm currently doing my best to keep up  with #colour_collective, the brain child of the talented illustrator, Penny Nelville Lee, @PennyNevilleLee .  #colour_collective is a weekly art challenge where participants create an illustration any media/subject - based on the weekly "it" colour and post their illo on Fri on or after 7:30pm GMT (2:30pm/3:30pm NYC time depending on daylight savings time) or as close to it as possible. The next week's colour is announced on Saturday. So you have a week to come up with something to share with your fellow illustrators. From the looks of it, the majority of participants are creating fresh works vs sharing already created art.

Cupcake Fox
© Diana Ting Delosh
Ink & Watercolor
for #colour_collective Flame Orange Light  2/27/15
Think this will make a cute birthday card.

 I've only done a few weeks of #colour_collective here and there but I'm finding it a lot of fun and a bit addictive. I've decided to do whatever comes to mind. Could be a technique I want to try or my old stand by. My thing is to create something fast and furiously, stay loose, enjoy the process. Even if I can't do an illo for the week I find I must check out everyone else's pieces. I am always amazed and inspired by all the great art.

Thumbelina
© Diana Ting Delosh
Ink & Watercolor & Photoshop
for #colour_collective Powder Blue 2/13/15
Liked the way how this one turned out may use this on my promo postcard.
- Made the portfolio.

 What I've found is that's it's helped boost my creative productivity. Sure not everything I've done is portfolio worthy but I've brought doodles to finish that I wouldn't have if I hadn't decided to participate. Experimented versus just thinking of experimenting. Best of all I've worked on more personal art than I normally would have. All good stuff.

Puppy Love
© Diana Ting Delosh
Ink & Digital Color Experiment
for #colour_collective Flame Red 2/6/15
thought this would work as a fun Valentine so it's in my POD stores - ready for Valentine 2016

If you're curious and on twitter, check out: #colour_collective

Follow: @PennyNevilleLee @dtdelosh

Please feel free to join in the fun.

Penny announces the new colour on saturdays

Everyone posts their illos on Fridays after 7:30 pm GMT

Opera Rose Girl
© Diana Ting Delosh
Experimenting with Black Prisma Color Pencil & Digital Color
My first #colour_collective Opera Rose 1/9/15 

#PicturesMeanBusiness - Credit the Illustrators

Logo by Sara MacIntyre
http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/

SO what does the above title mean? or refer to? Well click on the following link and read the very thought provoking post by Sara MacIntyre: #PicturesMeanBusiness

In short, We illustrators mean business. Illustration is a real profession and our illustrations enhance and add value. Too often the author of a book is mentioned but the illustrator is not, nor the designers. BUT would that book have even been given a second glance without the addition of the illustrations or thoughtfully designed type and cover???? The #PicturesMeanBusiness tag is meant to help bring awareness to the illustrators and illustrations in the biz. The post is a call to urge recognition for our profession and credit for our hard work wherever they appear but specifically in publishing. How can the value of illustration be quantified if there is no or limited data?

Happy Year of the Sheep, Ram, Goat!

Zen Ram © Diana Ting Delosh
Ink watercolor & Photoshop

Happy Year of the Ram! 

Wishing All Good Luck, Prosperity and Happiness 

in the coming year.

Last but not least a Creative and Productive year too.

Chinese New Year began on Feb 19, 2015 and there's 15 days to celebrate the beginning of the New Year.

In case you're wondering about the indecisive nature of  the Animal of this year, it's because the Chinese word doesn't translate neatly to sheep or goat (rams are male sheep)... however I'm sure the animal in question minds. 

FYI: My Zen Ram illo may be found: 

on Cards at greetingcarduniverse.com/dianascards

as an Art Print  and other nifty products on society6.com/dianadelosh

on t-shirt & mugs at zazzle.com/deloshdesigns*