Sunflower6x8 inches
Coloured pencils on drafting film
The most cheerful of all the Flower Folk, Sunflower's big, beaming face grins up at the sky, as he follows the course of the Sun from Sunrise to Sunset.
On a more serious note, I am having fun with these little Flower Folk between commissions, but don't really have a sense of purpose with them. I have received two knock backs in the last week from Publishers, including North Light Books, and so am contempating self-publishing with Lulu.
I would love some feedback as to what kind of book my internet friends think I should endeavour to write - a comprehensive 'how to' on all aspects of working with drafting film, including graphite and coloured pencils and people and animal portraits, or a series of smaller pocket size handbooks dedicated to each different subject - eg. How to draw cats.
Any thoughts and ideas would be very much appreciated!!!! :)
11 comments:
Love your flower folk Karen, so sweet.
I am sorry to hear that Northlight are not going with you, I would of thought that how to technique book for artwork on drafting film would generate quite alot of interest. I for one would of been interested in seeing that which brings me to your question.Personally I think the comprehensive how to would be great,you could say pick one animal,a human portrait, botanical etc but all on film. As I am useless myself at using the stuff I dont know if you use different techniques for each subject, and I know that some artists work on the back too,use acrylic for highlights.... info on mounting a finished piece as well would be handy...I wish you much luck with it and look forward to seeing what you come up with.
Sorry to hear about your knock backs. They sure don't appreciate good art. :)
What comes to my mind. is small books...A smile a day.
Childrens...The picture tells the story.
Gift Cards...
Maybe I will do some more thinking for you.
Oh this beautiful cherubic face!! His expression matches your description of sunflowers. Lovely work, Karen. I'm not good at giving advice, but as a lover of books and a wanna be artist, I would love to read up on the using of the drafting film and all other related things you mentioned!
Thank you Vic for all that feedback, it really does help me - I thought maybe a comprehensive one might be better, but just wanted to put feelers out to see what people might like. There are slightly different techniques for graphite, as opposed to coloured pencil.
Thank you for your thoughtful ideas Dors - a children't book is one of the other ideas I'm throwing around.
Thank you for your lovely comments Sherry. The feedback from each one of you is so helpful and means a lot, helps my muddled brain to sort through ideas!!! :)
Gawd, having an awful time trying to comment - it keeps losing it!
They are just delightful Garden Babes - so vibrant.
Have you thought about publishing DVDs instead of paper books? That's the way we went with "Rainbow Catcher" - no big up front print runs and the associated costs. We had the DVDs burned 100 at a time.
The purchaser could still run off a paper copy if they chose, or view book style content on screen through a "flip book" viewer.
I think an instructional DVD would be fantastic - I'd certainly buy one from you! ANd many other copies for aartist friends - a DVD is lot cheaper to post than a book!
Cheers,
Cindy
Karen, I would love for you to write a technique book for artwork on drafting film . I am having such a difficult time with this new technique. Whatever you decide I wish you the best of luck.
Thank you Cindy - a DVD would be a better option, but I'm a bit camera shy, and not sure I could explain myself cohesively when talking - at least with writing, I can review, then edit. These days, the DVD's are probably more popular, so I might pluck up the courage down the track.
Joan, I'm so sorry you are having problems with the drafting film - it can be tricky to adjust your technique if you are used to doing a lot of layering. Let me know if you have any specific problems that I might be able to help you with! :)
Karen, I would think the comprehensive book is worth doing, perhaps Volume 1 for black & white, Volume 2 for color. Have you considered the possibility of offering a local in-person workshop with a small group of 8 - 12 (not instead of a book, but it pays well, and you'd get some feedback on the idea of a book from doing it also)? If you feel shy in front of an audience, maybe you could start with friends or fellow miniature painters.
Could the flower folk possibly be a series of birthday cards that allow the person to choose one flower that most fits each person's personality?
Mona thank you so much for taking the time to come up with those ideas. I am a bit uncertain about doing workshops, but know I need to overcome that. We are on the very outskirts of Sydney and most of the active members of our Miniature Art Society live over an hour and a half away, much closer to the heart of things. I would love to get more involved with them, both in doing and in holding workshops, but the distance can be a challenge, especially when I need to fit in around the school hours. We will see - when the commissions are slow, I feel like I'm not achieving much, and then think I should possibly return to nursing?!
This series of flower folk is fascinating! I think these are great for creating greeting cards.
I would love to know the details on how to work with drafting films. :-)
Thank you so much for your positive words Akiko. I've shelved the idea of a book for a little while and am focusing on trying to learn some of the digital techniques associated with art, which is proving to be a huge learning curve.
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