Productive Procrastination

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.

Big Project - rough rough roughs - thinking and sketching.

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.

You can find me at:

Website: dianadelosh.com

Instagram: @dtdelosh

Post: @dtdelosh

Check out my illustrations on products at:

Greeting Cards: greetingcarduniverse.com/dianascards

Gifts: zazzle.com/deloshdesigns*

Art Prints: wingedrabbit.imagekind.com

Verse in Highlights High Five Magazine, Submission to Publication Journey

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.

You can find me at:

Website: dianadelosh.com

Instagram: @dtdelosh

Post: @dtdelosh

Check out my illustrations on products at:

Greeting Cards: greetingcarduniverse.com/dianascards

Gifts: zazzle.com/deloshdesigns*

Art Prints: wingedrabbit.imagekind.com

 

April 2023 Holidays

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

Flying Pig April Fool's Day Card

Passover - April 5

See ALL my Passover Cards HERE

Easter - April 9

See ALL my Easter Cards Here

Eid Ul Fitr, Ramadan ends - April 21

See All my Eid Ul Fitr Cards Here

Administrative Professional Day - April 26

See ALL my Admisnistrative Professional Cards Here

You can find me at:

Website: dianadelosh.com

Instagram: @dtdelosh

Post: @dtdelosh

Check out my illustrations on products at:

Greeting Cards: greetingcarduniverse.com/dianascards

Gifts: zazzle.com/deloshdesigns*

Art Prints: wingedrabbit.imagekind.com

Sometimes You Hit a Brick Wall

 

sketch of a bunny backpedaling in reverse.

©Diana Ting Delosh

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?

You can find me at:

Website: dianadelosh.com

Instagram: @dtdelosh

Post: @dtdelosh

Check out my illustrations on products at:

Greeting Cards: greetingcarduniverse.com/dianascards

Gifts: zazzle.com/deloshdesigns*

Art Prints: wingedrabbit.imagekind.com

 

March 2023 Holidays

Welcome to the first of the spring holidays. Do you celebrate any of these March holidays? I don't. But I think a New Year that begins on the first day of spring rather than the middle of winter makes a lot of sense.

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

See all my Persian New Year greeting cards

Wheat Grass is also available as an Art Print in various sizes with/without custom framing in my ImageKind shop

The month of Ramadan begins on March 22, 2023

See All my Ramadan Greeting Cards

Arabian Night is also available as an Art Print in various sizes with/without custom framing in my ImageKind shop 

You can find me at:

Website: dianadelosh.com

Illustration Blog: dtdelosh.blospot.com

Instagram: @dtdelosh

Post: @dtdelosh

Check out my illustrations on products at:

Greeting Cards: greetingcarduniverse.com/dianascards

Gifts: zazzle.com/deloshdesigns*

Art Prints: wingedrabbit.imagekind.com

Marketing Without the Bird App

My life on Twitter came to a sudden halt when I was suddenly and unexpectedly expelled from the site on December 1,  2022. I still maintain my innocence. I've requested clarification/appealed the decision and aside from the automated response on my emails never heard anything back. So my account was and is suspended and I have moved on. But the BIG question was how would I fill the void. The bird app played a big part in how I marketed my POD, Print on Demand Wares.

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. 

You can find me at:

Website: dianadelosh.com

Illustration Blog: dtdelosh.blospot.com

Instagram: @dtdelosh

Post: @dtdelosh

Check out my illustrations on products at:

Greeting Cards: greetingcarduniverse.com/dianascards

Gifts: zazzle.com/deloshdesigns*

Art Prints: wingedrabbit.imagekind.com

Cupcake Bouquet Art Process

 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.

Web: dianadelosh.com

Instagram: @dtdelosh

Post: @dtdelosh

Check out my shops:

Greeting Cards: greetingcarduniverse.com/dianascards

Gifts: zazzle.com/deloshdesigns*

Art Prints: wingedrabbit.imagekind.com

Resolutions Meh-solutions (or is it Me Solutions?)

It's February and the first flush of excitement over a "New Year" is over and you also realize that a year or one month blends into the next, just as a week does and a day does. It all just feels like a constant hamster wheel with hops off for meals, snacks, rest and a look outside in-between. So the question Ive been asking myself lately is what have I done today to move me towards my goals and what can I do to get me closer. Another problem is that like most people, I have goals for several different areas in my life. How does one deal with that without feeling like you're trying to drive to five different destinations simultaneously? Again, back on that damn hamster wheel cause it's safer to feel like you're running, busy doing something without actually going anywhere.

So I've been looking for inspiration and structure with prompts and challenges out there that align with my goals. Signing up for these give me both community and accountability. So here's what I've been up to:

Create More submittable Kid Lit projects in 2023. Unfortunately I begin 2023 with nothing submission ready for my agent. EEK!

- Tara Lazar's Story Storm 30 story ideas in 31 days in January. Yay I did it. Came up with 30 story ideas, in January, sure some were just to make the count. Which leads right into...

 - Julie Hedland's 12X12, 12 Picture Book drafts and/or revisions in 12 months. Yup, in January fleshed out 1 of my story ideas from Story Storm and revising my graphic novel synopsis.

Create More Kid Lit Art and Share It. It's competitive out there and hard to be stand out. Need I say more. 

- Gina Perry's #KidLitArtPostcard or #kidlitartpostcard started in 2021 and getting stronger every year. children's book illustrators design a digital postcard and we all post on the first Thursday of each month. Which is when Art Directors, Editors know when and where to look.  I was able to come up with 12 last year. I will commit to doing the same in 2023. I'll be sharing mine this year on Instagram and Post.news and probably sharing it here too. Check out my January KidLit Art Postcard & 2022 postcard round up blog post.

-Illustration Contests: there's a bunch out there I'll be keeping my eye out for a prompt I like. The SCBWI runs a monthly one called #scbwiDrawThis - February prompt is Worm's Eye View, could be fun - deadline to post is 2/20/23. There are others. Right now I have my eye on one that has a deadline of March 31. I wasn't interested at first but the more I think about it the more intriguing it feels. The benefits of making the piece and entering even if you don't win: a chance to stretch as an artist and to be seen.

Ok Ok I hear you. But what about your own illustration projects? Yes, I do have one and it's a big one, my GN. Right now I'm revising the synopsis ending and doing rough rough stick figure + dialog scribbles. Making a point to do a bit almost daily. This stage alone could take awhile. Which means, I'll have nothing to share from this project for awhile. Hence my interest in doing shorter illustrations that I can share now. Plus I've found if I do nothing but sketches for awhile, I get scared that I will forget how to take a piece to finish.

 

Stock my Art Licensing/Surface Design Portfolio Currently focusing on greeting card designs

- #DHGartspark Design House Greeting on Instagram currently has a call out: Cue the Confetti, celebration themed greeting card designs with a deadline of March 1. I have a sketch on my drawing board ready to transfer to paper. I will show when I finish it.

Well that's my plan for now. Will you be joining me on any of the above prompts and challenges?

Web: dianadelosh.com

Instagram: @dtdelosh

Post: @dtdelosh

Check out my shops:

Greeting Cards: greetingcarduniverse.com/dianascards

Gifts: zazzle.com/deloshdesigns*

Art Prints: wingedrabbit.imagekind.com

 

The 2022 CBIG Illustration Directories are LIVE!

Just go to cbig-nyc.com and click on the ART TAB. Then Click on the covers and voila, you can flip through the PDFs. Ahem. Yes, I know it's now 2023, but I'm still proud of the work I put into both the directories and the gorgeous illustration promo pages created by the participating CBIG members that make up the 2 books. Kudos to Debbie Cuneo for all the image collection and dealing with all sorts of minutiae. Special Thanks to Vicky Rubin for proof reading when I was getting too bleary eyed. 

By the way my illustration promo-pages are on page 19 in the COLOR Directory and on page 5 in the BLACK & WHITE Directory.

Web: dianadelosh.com

Instagram: @dtdelosh

Post: @dtdelosh

Check out my shops:

Greeting Cards: greetingcarduniverse.com/dianascards

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Art Prints: wingedrabbit.imagekind.com

It's ALL about Time

I'm taking the period between January 1st and the start of the Year of the Rabbit, January 22nd to think about what I want to happen in the coming year and what I need to do to make it happen. As I was making my lists for all the facets of my life I realized that all this list making was an exercise in futility. If I didn't get a handle on my time, nothing would change from this year to the next.

Now I've never been good with time. My priority was based on If I don't do it now: 

• Is it a matter of life or death?

• Will I cause pain or suffering?

• Is it commissioned work?

• Does it have a hard deadline?

• Will it effect me/us financially?

Everything else could go to the back of the line and be taken care of in due time. For the longest time this system sort of worked at least until the Pandemic hit mid-March 2020. I don't know about you but since then I've been plagued by a case of bad timing probably caused by too many pajama days sprinkled with too many days of uncertainty. So the last 3 years, I felt like I've been running around putting out fires. Still, I'm happy to report that the only thing I killed was a houseplant or two.

While last year was definitely better as I seemed to gain some of my old speed back with creative and commissioned work, everything else was like slogging through molasses. Weeks speeded up as my to do list piled on. So what do I plan on doing differently now that I've decided to be serious about my time management problem? For starters, I've decided to log my time. This way I can see how long a task actually takes as well as where I'm wasting it. 

So far I've discovered (been doing this for a week):

1 - The weekly bills, a task I hate and dread and stress over and would always procrastinate before actually beginning, only takes an hour. Only one hour. Meanwhile I killed 2 hours not doing it. 

2 - I can cram a lot of creative work into the last hour of the day because I suddenly realize that if I don't start it now it will be another day that I'm mad at myself for not getting to it.

3 - Keeping track of my time helps me to use my time more intentionally.

4 - I will still have days where I'm totally off.

They say it takes 90 days for something to become a habit. I'm taking it 1 month at a time.

Web: dianadelosh.com

Instagram: @dtdelosh

Post: @dtdelosh

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January KidLit Art Postcard

Panda Crack, from picture book dummy, Panda Panda - © Diana Ting Delosh

Ink with brush, Photoshop with Wacom.

Here's my first #kidlitartpostcard and #cbigArtShare for 2023! #KidLitArtPostcard Day is on the first Thursday of each month. Illustrators post their digital postcards on Twitter and Instagram giving art directors, editors and industry professionals a specific day to look. The next KidLitArtPostcard will be on Thursday, February 2 - better get creating.

Last year I committed to designing a different postcard layout for each month. This year I plan on doing the same. The challenge is to create art that you're proud of BUT also work that you can show now. Which means creating personal work on top of commissioned work. Unfortunately, most client work can not be shown until it's published unless you have special permission.

Below is a round up of last years posts. Beginning with Elephant and Meerkat Friends for January  and ending with a Mermaid Melange for December 2022.

Thanks for looking. I hope you enjoyed the show.

Read more About KidLitArtPostcard HERE

Web: dianadelosh.com

Instagram: @dtdelosh

Post: @dtdelosh

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Greeting Cards: greetingcarduniverse.com/dianascards

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Art Prints: wingedrabbit.imagekind.com

Art vs Artist 2022, My Illustration Year in Review

 I've been admiring ALL my illustrator friends' #artvsartist posts on social media. I have always been of two minds about it: 

1- I want to do this!

2- EEK! I am not posting my image and do I even have enough work that I'm proud of etc... self-doubt and imposter syndrome showing up here. Balance that with I've created all this work but I can't show any of it until it's published and... Sigh.

Anyhow this year I decided to kick my uninvited guests self-doubt and imposter syndrome out the door and do it. TAH DAH!!! here's my #artvsartist2022.

It's actually a lovely way to review the year as an illustrator and to celebrate it. My 2022 illustration year started with a focus on my black and white illustrations in hopes of picking up middle grade/chapter book type projects. I also worked on my humans with hopes that they will play nice with my animal illustrations. I even tried some limited palette art which really appealed to my graphic designer side. I have also renewed my interest in Art Licensing and plan to build up a portfolio for that field in 2023.

Here's a fond farewell to 2022. I didn't manage to accomplish everything I wanted to do but there's always the coming year! 

Bye Bye 2022 and Hello 2023! Wishing everyone a creative, productive and prosperous New Year!

Web: dianadelosh.com

Instagram: @dtdelosh

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Greeting Cards: greetingcarduniverse.com/dianascards

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SOI -Robert Quackenbush & Sketchbooks Part 2

One of the Reasons that made this years Society of Illustrators, Original Art Show a must see in person event  was that my former teacher and mentor, the author illustrator, Robert Quackenbush was being honored posthumously on the 2nd floor. Since I was there of course I had to visit the 3rd floor where they exhibited SOI member illustrator sketch books. This was a bit of an eye opener. While a few of these illustrators had sketch books that looked like finished art quite a few of them had sketchbooks that looked like mine. Books filled with things like reference and research sketches as well as  as recording life. I am so glad I left my studio bubble to see it ALL in person. I hope to do a few more visits to the SOI in 2023. I didn't realize how much  I missed visiting galleries and such until I made this trip. Here's hoping to see more illustration exhibits in 2023.

Nate Cepsis

Sketchbook One 2022

I begin each day by filling a whole page in my sketchbook, using primarily a black marker. Simply, the goal is produce images without thinking. This process gets my motor skills working and also reminds not draw in my head, but rather tactually draw in real life. The image that is produced on paper is always different than the one in produced in the brain. This thought can be intimidating, but embracing it leads to fascinating results. 

I'm thinking of embracing Nate Cepsis' practice into my 2023 daily creative ritual. I keep way too much of my process in my brain. I should know by now that stewing things in my mind doesn't help it get down on paper any faster as the real work doesn't begin until I try to put it down on paper.  The marinating in the brain just gives me a false sense of productivity when really I'm just procrastinating.

So morning ritual 2023 here I come. I am going to commit to filling up 1 page daily either with drawing or writing or even both. One of my goals in 2023 is to create more. More illustrations. More writings. Which in theory should result in more submissions and ultimately more acceptances.

Happy Holidays!

Web: dianadelosh.com

Instagram: @dtdelosh

Check out my shops:

Greeting Cards: greetingcarduniverse.com/dianascards

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Art Prints: wingedrabbit.imagekind.com

The Original Art Show 2022 Part 1

 I finally went to see The Society of Illustrators, Original Art Show 42nd Annual Exhibition in person. It has been awhile. Up until the Pandemic, seeing this show was one of my fave holiday traditions. The last two years I viewed it vicariously through the show catalog. I’m glad I went. It was an amazing smorgasbord of illustration. There was about 200 pieces a lot more than what they usually accept. Below are a few pictures of the show but they definitely don’t do it justice. While final digital art may look the same as the printed version, the originals for collage and traditional media has a tactile quality that must be seen in person.

As usual I bought the catalog as a gift to myself. It's a bonus for children's book illustrators as it lists along with the winning illustrator and book title, the medium, publisher, imprint, art director/designer, editor and author. Great for doing research as to who or where your illustrations might be appreciated.

Hope you get the chance to see the show before it closes on December 24 or maybe just buy the show catalog. Happy Holidays

Web: dianadelosh.com

Instagram: @dtdelosh

also  @dtdelosh at Hive

Check out my shops:

Greeting Cards: greetingcarduniverse.com/dianascards

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Art Prints: wingedrabbit.imagekind.com