Surtex, part 2!

So, dear readers, here is the long anticipated (if you don't know me, please insert heavy sarcasm...), part 2 of my surtex journey, this time concentrating on how we (Tammie, Emily and I) worked together as a collective in preparing for the show. 

Firstly, let me say that if you are planning on exhibiting in a group, make sure you have common goals, work ethics and individual styles that ultimately look good when shown together in the same space. Maybe that seems obvious, but the look of your booth, design, etc. should have a cohesive vibe to it...not so much where the individuality gets lost, but enough that a passerby knows the kind of art to expect. The three of us (along with the other collective members) had been together, doing collaborative projects for over a year, so we knew that we could depend on each other going in, to share the workload and work well on a collaborative basis. 

Once we committed to the show, our first design-related order of business was to put together a Surtex ad. We were all busy, so naturally, the deadline creeped up and we only had a few days to put something together. After deciding to just divvy up the allotted space in thirds, it was apparent that we would need vertical images! Giraffes, llamas and top hats to the rescue, haha. We agreed to an overall palette for cohesiveness, added some coordinating patterns at the bottom to fill the space (and show we could do more than characters...a recurring theme). Emily put together the overall design with some additional great hand lettering and we were done in about 24 hours, whew!

Our next design topic, was the booth itself. This was a little trickier. We all were of the opinion that we wanted to stand out and be different, which by our definition, meant not going the typical vertical banner route. I believed that as a collective, we had a unique opportunity to do something a bit different...we had the advantage of combining our time resources as opposed to an individual artist and yet we were not as large as your typical design studio, attempting to fairly represent a larger number of artists' work. Our booth design evolved over time and many discussions, via text, email, Facebook, google chats, you name it. Initially, we were going to feature a different character scene on each wall. The characters would be dressed in our own patterns and hopefully, could be printed on foam core, to give the walls some added dimension. The more we thought about this, the more we realized that this would really only feature characters. Being a group with differing strengths, we needed to rethink and come up with a design that could showcase pattern work more effectively. Tammie came up with the great idea of extending the "rain" theme we already had going on the character wall, with a wall filled with raindrop patterns. At that point, we felt that we would have the best of both worlds... pattern + characters = happy happy!

Wall design that was axed in favor of the raindrop wall concept.

Initial thumbnail of what our character wall might look like.

Next came the extras. Emily had the awesome idea of having a selfie wall. Since we had a corner booth with an outside wall, we decided to utilize that for selfies. That left the interior/flip side of the same wall. Having crappy site lines (we started referring to it as the "useless wall") I thought of playing up the rain theme a little more (yep, I know how to run an idea into the ground) with a fun self promo.... squirt guns (or for the politically correct crowd, "soakers"). With all the walls, spoken for, we divided up the tasks. Emily did the character background and designed the selfie shapes (we divided up the props themselves later), Tammie did a graphic plaid background for the raindrop wall and other areas, and I did a happy happy lettering pattern for the selfie backdrop along with the headers for the squirt guns. 

We each contributed our own birds as well as hand lettered names.
Credit for the Happy Happy Art Collective logo goes
to Muffin Grayson.

Now it was time for actual design and production. We never actually comped up what the final booth would look like, something that in retrospect, was kinda scary. The most we did was mock up our own areas of the walls. Emily provided the background image, and I made sure that my elephant would fit. For production, again we divided up responsibilities. I dealt with the foam core vendor, Tammie with the banners and Emily tied up all the loose ends and handled a lot of the dealings with the show itself. We had talked intermittently about hanging raindrops, suns clouds, etc. as a cute finishing touch. That idea got scaled down to a raindrop banner, hung between the poles. I found some cool colored vinyl online (what can I say... I procrastinate by shopping...) and we cut and strung together all the drops on setup day.

This was Emily's preliminary character wall background for layout purposes, She later added flowers that we each had drawn. White vinyl raindrops were added by hand at the show after we had adhered our guys to the banner.

Fortunately, Tammie was local, so we had the everything shipped to her (lucky Tammie). The only snafu was with the foam core. The company I found that could print and die cut our characters was based in San Diego. Needless to say, oversized  foam core animals with skinny appendages don't always travel well cross-country, but we gave ourselves enough time for some redo's, which we ended up needing to do. Setup day was a bit more involved than the usual hanging of banners. The command velcro strips worked really well, even with hanging our big, wall-sized banners. After cutting numerous foam core tabs to the backs of the characters and raindrops, we adhered them all and moved on to cutting out more raindrops for the various walls as well as for the banners. We decided to tackle packaging up the squirt guns back at the hotel, after we ate.

Our wild and crazy Saturday night activity... bagging and stapling up squirt gun promos!

our promo table set up... magnets, cards, postcards, stickers and pencils galore!

Emily was a pro at interacting with the passerby's!

my little shower of patterns :)

Ultimately, we were super psyched when we saw how it all turned out (so maybe we or at least I was a tiny bit worried, not having comped it all up!) The show went very well and the booth design and selfie station served as great conversation starters. Well, I think that about covers it! If you haven't dozed off by now, thanks for reading!

parting was sweet sorrow!

Surtex 2015.... part 1

Seems like the posts where you think you have the most to say, are the most difficult to begin. I am trying my hardest not to fall into my usual trap of starting off with, "Well..." Looking back at my posts, it's downright embarrassing how many times I start out that way! 

Anyway, (is that really any better?!?!) Surtex was an absolute whirlwind, from the moment I got there  and began the set up process to the last minutes of the show. I met so many great artists that I've been fans of for some time and I can honestly say, they are collectively, a wonderful group, funny, talented, friendly and just great to hang out with. Definitely a major highlight of the show for me.

I was reading my friend Lauren Lowen's recent post on her road to Surtex and it really got me to contemplate my own path. I don't have the same background, but she made me think about the how's and why's of getting to the show. I'm a graphic designer by trade...that's what my degree is and the design program at Penn State was meant to develop you into an art director. NOT an illustrator, which is why I don't consider myself much of a drawer. I still don't think of myself as an 'artist' and that's actually ok. I like to think that I'm more of a problem solver. But, when it comes to presenting yourself as an artist licensing/selling your work, it can get a little tricky. Truthfully, I never even heard of Surtex until a couple years ago, when I took a series of online classes. It opened my eyes to the possibility of working to get stuff in the marketplace, vs. working for a client. Big difference.

My first job out of college, was as a entry level designer for a major toy company. I had interviewed at a number of small agencies, but landed in corporate design. It's an area that is often overlooked by graphic design grads, but it gives you a great background in working with and for all the different aspects of getting a product to the market place. From R&D, to marketing, to upper management, to sales, packaging, copywriting, legal and merchandising departments...there's a lot to learn. I worked with a lot of brands and helped develop and apply styles (yes, I even did a few My Little Pony rump designs O_O). I left Hasbro to raise my family and I continually, in dribs and drabs, started doing some freelance illustration. But not "licensing." Somewhat ironic in that I did a lot of work for the Licensing department, developing kits that defined brands like MLP, Monopoly, Mr. Potato Head, Furby, etc. I was pretty good at creating patterns, motifs, etc. that expanded the brand for manufacturers to use, but my own brand? What was that? I worked to briefs, solved problems, came up with ideas. I never gave my own "brand" a second thought. 

So the whole concept of coming up with art that others would be interested in, was pretty foreign. Make art that sells, do what you love... huh?!? To be honest, that still seems like a stretch at times. I decided to walk the show last year, and like so many others have said, it was completely overwhelming. So much to see, learn and process. I never had the courage to take a single peep into any portfolios, just walked around. When the opportunity arose to show with my happy happy friends, even though I felt completely unprepared, I knew it might be my best and only chance to get in. Usually the one standing on the sidelines watching, instead of logically waiting and developing an appropriate amount of work, I decided to go for it. We formally committed to a booth in January, but due to other commitments, I didn't start anything until mid-March! Not a plan I recommend to anyone! I did a lot of 'refresh' on some existing work (my motto being, it's new to you! ;) Here's an example...

This was originally a journal cover that I reformatted and did some coordinates and new lettering.

Even though I walked the show, I still didn't feel like I had a handle on what to show. This would be my biggest learning curve. I knew I wasn't a "pattern" person, but despite that, I still felt compelled to do them. That was my biggest eye opener. You don't have to do "patterns." Not that you shouldn't of course, but it's not a requirement. There were very few who came to our booth that were actually looking for them. A majority seemed to be in the market for icons that they could pull out and use. And Christmas. Bring it. You can't have enough of it. It was downright shocking to us how often we were asked for that subject. I had some, but should have had a lot more. I had heard that there would be a lot of requests for boys prints, but that didn't seem to be the case for us, at least.

Another surprise was the number of publishers present. This was great for me, since it's an area I really want to get into more. It makes sense, since NYC is kinda the publishing capital of the world, but surprising at least to me, considering it is advertised as a licensing show. Again, it's not all about pattern.

What do I wish I had done more of? Just prints and lettering in general...more that could be applied directly to the paper market. What was I glad I had? Prints with an abundant number of characters. It gives the buyer more bang for their buck. Can't have enough of that. What do I wish I had done? Send out show stopper self promos. Even if it is only to a handful of very select dream clients, if you do it well enough, you can really stand out and get noticed. Case in point...Emily's pennants! Who could resist or forget these beauties?

What was I glad I did? Show up. There's nothing like it. Where it all leads, remains to be seen, but it all went down pretty well and I'm excited about what happened and what might happen next! Stay tuned for part 2 when I talk about booth design and showing with a collective :)

surtex!

yup, it is on... surtex! I will be going there with the super talented Tammie and Emily, heading up the happy happy art collective booth! Lauren will be showing in booth 559. If you are going, please swing by and say hello at booth 532!

Artists Around the World Blog Hop

I was recently very humbled to be asked to take part in a blog hop of artists from around the world. One of the great benefits of having enrolled in online courses like MATS, is the chance to get to know and connect with other designers and like minded artists. The lovely and talented Antonija M. was kind enough to write a bit about me and some other great artists on her blog. Now it's my turn to go on about her! 

I had never met anyone from the country of Croatia, but if she is any indication, I would sure love to visit there some day. We have been MATS buddies since the inaugural Part A of the spring of 2013, all the way through 2 Global Talent Searches ( she was Top 50 last year!), Part B, and Bootcamp. I have come to rely on her keen and thoughtful eye throughout our shared design experiences, as have many other artists. Her designs are instantly recognizable with their clean lines, sophisticated palette and super stylized, yet super cute characters. That's an extremely difficult combination to achieve, but she excels at it, while being a complete original. Just take a look at her amazing work…

She has also designed and developed her own brand lil' ledy, which she plans to debut at the Brand Licensing Europe Show in October. Her description of the brand as "Japan meets Sweden. Kawaii merging with classic harmony" is perfect and I can easily imagine her lil' ledy character on a wide range of product. I can't wait to hear and read about her success there! Be sure to check out all her work and her blog as well.

Ok, now is the part of this blog hop format where I have to talk about myself (ugh) and answer the following set questions. 

1. What Are You Writing/Working on? Well, I've been working on some cute cards for Peaceable Kingdom, developing some little characters for a shop, getting together some pieces to submit to companies, trying to remember how to paint, unsuccessfully entering design contests ;) etc., etc. Here's a sneak peek at a baby card…

2. How Does Your Work Differ from Others in Your Genre? hmmmmm…that's the 50 million dollar question, isn't it? I'm a firm believer that there's not much out there that hasn't been done before. If you don't believe that, perhaps you haven't heard of this thing called Pinterest ;). That being said, every artist needs to develop their own approach/style to have any level of success. I'd like to think that I can put a fresh slant on the mid century illustration that I love. I always try to inject some happy-go-sweet-unabashed-cuteness into my work. Does that make me unique? No, but I hope I do it in such a way that my work is recognizable.

3. Why Do You Create?  I dunno, but I've done it since I was little. There is always something about that rush to see what you can come up with and how it will turn out. I just like to make cute stuff! How's that for an in-depth answer, haha.

4. What is your creative process?  Because my background and degree is in graphic design, I tend to take more of a problem solving approach especially if I've been given a brief. Who's the audience, the message, the best way to visually communicate this, and so on. I'm not a trained illustrator, so I don't just sit down to draw before I have an idea of where or how I'm going to solve the problem. Lilla's technique of getting her students just to sit down and draw first has been a hard road for me to follow, but it has paid off, and I now actually use a sketchbook, and I love it! Anyway, I like to think it through first (like when I'm driving or in the shower…my mind tends to wander and I can think more openly. No, it hasn't caused any accidents, but I tend to forget some turns along the way!) Then I get to any necessary research followed by pencil sketches which I usually just take a pic of with my phone, and bring into illustrator on my laptop. I usually redraw everything there (that's the super tedious part) but lately, I've been trying to incorporate some traditional media into my work. Finally, I do my favorite part, add color, followed by texture, all in AI. Just a stubborn vector girl here. That and I'm not comfortable in photoshop.

Ok, more than enough about me. Let me introduce you to two wonderfully inspiring artists that you no doubt already know about… they are that good!

TAMMIE BENNETT

Tammie is one of those people that I find inspiring on a number of levels. We met through MATS and the happy happy art collective, which I am proud to be a member of, was her brainchild. She has the guts, intelligence and tenacity to take on any task…whether it be going solo at Surtex, to designing a pattern a day for 365 days…. (yeah, you read that right), to her tiny thanks project, 50 asks, producing great pieces traditionally as well as digitally, the list goes on and on and I haven't even talked about her art. Tammie has an uncanny ability to think in terms of pattern, but it doesn't end there. Her colors are so fun, the graphics, so brilliantly joyful… it's an irresistible combination.With degrees in journalism and a law school graduate, believe it or not, she is a self taught artist! I really don't know how she does it all and continues to do new things. Be sure to check out her website and blog for more inspiration.

Tammie got our happy happy alphabet off to an awesome start with the letter A! 

DENISE HOLMES

Another member of the happy happy art collective is the charming Denise Holmes! Ever since I first saw her work in MATS A, I have been in awe of her innate ability to infuse pure charm and sweetness into every thing she creates. I so admire how she has developed her own instantly recognizable style. She recently illustrated her first children's book and it should be on every parent and illustrator's "must have" list… it's that good! You can pick up a copy here!

I just love her distinctive line work… always just enough, always just right, and her innate use of color is a big part of her signature style. I tend to go a bit overboard when it comes to color and I know I could definitely take a pointer or two (or four or a whole lot more…) from all her work. I don't have a crystal ball, but I have no doubt there is a long line of books in her future, her style is just so sweet and clean with a fresh vintage vibe that I adore. You immediately know when you see a niseemade piece!

this letter T is one of Denise's contributions to the happy happy alphabet… how cute is this?!

Please be sure to check out her website and blog for more cuteness!

Well that concludes my officially longest post ever! It was a pleasure to share the work of these talented artists!