Friday Thoughts Ep. 10

Hello Patrons, Friends, Family, Countrywomen! Happy Friday, another week achieved! I hope you’ve had a good one wherever you are!

I’ve had a relatively slow week when it comes to immediate commissioned work, which has worked out fine because I always have things to fill that spare time!

The biggest portion of this week has been spent on the bi-yearly art challenge hosted by artist and illustrator Beatrice Blue called Childhood Week! Twice a year she puts out a series of prompts with the intention of the artist community coming together to draw illustrations inspired by their childhood, or just art related to children’s illustration! These sorts of challenges are great ways to quickly inspire yourself to make a number of finished work, and to connect with other artists and art lovers.

I’ve been using the prompt list as a way to explore different or difficult to illustrate (for me) subject matter, to learn new techniques in Procreate (masking tools, new paint brushes, and no outlines!) and to try a Children’s Illustration style. I’m not finished yet, but I feel confident that I could illustrate a children’s book if I wanted to! I’m also confident it’s not the goal I want to aim for right now, but it’s a possibility in the future! Basically, for my own goal-setting purposed, I don’t hate this style, don’t love it.

I have connected with over a hundred new artists on Instagram through this challenge, which is a huge jump for me! It feels extra special to be followed by other artists on Instagram. If you’re one of those new followers, then hello!

This week I also have been putting some time in to revamping my social media appearances, dusting up the online shop and putting in some virtual flowers if you will. I hadn’t updated a few of my websites since I first started this business 3 months ago, and I feel like I have a clearer picture of the sort of branding I’d like to represent. A look that feels a lot more cohesive and me. 

Think: bright red, blue, yellow, rather than pink, teal, and green. Think Memphis Style instead of Kawaii . I want my brand to be like Ms. Frizzle from the Magic School Bus mixed with traditional folk art. Elementary School Teacher mixed with Maximalism and a dose of humor. And still lots of plants, animals, and vegetables. I want my art and brand to make people feel happy, confident, silly, and colorful.

Today I’m going to spend more time resigning my website, Patreon, Twitter, and soon my business cards, packaging, and postcards. 

There’s always things to be done in downtime.

That’s all for now for art this week! Please enjoy this unused test doodle for the Childhood Week prompt Shadows. When I was a child during the summer our parents used to take us to a weekly Bluegrass concert in a local football field. The parents would sit and drink wine and eat snacks and listen to the concert while the kids ran around in the field with the bright lights from the football stadium casting deep shadows. I couldn’t make this drawing work quickly enough, so I started a different one.

Non- Art Life: 

Fairly uneventful save my usual activities of Dungeons & Dragons, listening to podcasts like My Favorite Murder and Critical Role, and cooking unnecessarily large, fancy meals for dinner. 

The last few weeks I have been now and again making this delicious muffin recipe that I thought I could share from my saved images! The recipe is from My Darling Vegan and they’re SO delicious. Notice there’s no ”egg substitute” like flax or mashed banana, they hold together perfectly as they are! I usually cut down the sugar to a little less than a half a cup, and sometimes I sub the berries and lemon for chopped banana and walnuts. Let me know if you try it!

I also took a little trip up the road to our local über-stylish “plant-based” (vegan) ice cream shop Frankie & Jo’s with my friend and patron Zoe! She reccommended the seasonal Harvey Strawberry Milk flavor and it was amazing. Thus the cute picture up top.

Okay, that’s all the news for this week! I hope you all had a rockin week and have an even better weekend!

As always thank you like crazy for supporting me here! You guys are the best best best!

xoxo

Ragon