International Christmas Market - Christmas Gifts and Cards

This week I'm proud to present the work of a 'Baker's Dozen' of artists, photographers and designers from all over the world in a little virtual 'market' of products that I hope will give you some ideas for 
Christmas Gifts -

First, from Southern California:

FLORALS by FRED

I’m a 50 something retired municipal worker who decided to do something with a lifelong passion, photography. I enjoy many different styles of photography, florals and landscapes are a specialty. Choose from a large variety of floral and landscape posters, wall art and canvas photo art, T shirts, greeting cards and many other products to enjoy and treasure for years to come. I also take requests.

Fred's Zazzle Store

S'mores Snowman Postage 2 by FloralbyFred

.......

Nicola Jones from North Wales, UK

I'm Nicola Jones, owner and designer behind gooseberrymoon. I'm a self taught designer who lovingly combines hand-drawn and digital illustrations into motifs and patterns. With a less is more approach to design I create simple, elegant and timeless pieces of stationery and art prints.

Nicola's website

Monogram Nursery Art Print from notonthehighstreet.com

.......

Jayne Wilson from Houston, Texas

3D DESIGNS by JAYNE


Originally from England, Jayne Wilson is a self-taught artist who now lives in the Houston area in Texas. When she was introduced to the 3D digital graphics program Bryce in 2004 a whole new world of artistic possibilities opened up to her. Since that introduction, she has branched out and expanded her skills and now uses Vue Esprit and DAZ 3D to create artworks in a variety of styles, including landscapes, equine art, fantasy art and abstracts.

Jayne's Zazzle Store

Foal and Snowman Ceramic Christmas Ornament by 3DDesignsByJayne


....... 

Boriana Giormova from Sofia, Bulgaria.

CUTE and STRANGE CREATURES

I draw funny creatures and design stuff. 
I have two wonderful kids which inspire me and I love to read books and to play video games.





Boriana's Society6 store

Happy Singing-Snowman Bag

.......

Jennifer Wohlferd-Rowlands, originally from Minnesota 

I'm an American expat living in Wales and I've started a small company based in the heart of South Wales, specialising in making wax candle shells and scented soy candles. A wax candle shell is a hollow wax shell made entirely of wax which is completely re-usable, they do not melt, so when used correctly will last for a very long time.  You place a tealight in the centre and it lights up the wax shell to create an enjoyable glow. 

Welsh Candle Creations website

Christmas Luminaries, Hurricane Shells and Tea Lights

.......

Sherry Harris from the High Desert of Los Angeles County, California

I'm a stay at home grandmother, awaiting the arrival of my first great-grandson any day. I've been married for 41 1/2 years to the same man. I have two children and six grandchidren...five on earth and one in Heaven. I sell Digital Collage Sheets for Busy Crafters. I find images so they don't have to. I've been selling digital collage sheets on Etsy, Artfire and the Website for over five years. I've been a crafter since childhood and love helping others find what they need.

Santa's Elves: Vintage Children: Digital Collage Sheet

Sherry's Cloud 9 Kreations store

.......

Cheryl Hall from New South Wales, Australia

GOLDEN JACKAL GREETING CARDS and PRODUCTS

My artistic passions lay in photography, designing and graphics. I like to share what I create and to try many different and varied things. Everything I have done on a computer is self taught and I've come a long way with that.

I have created my own website, regularly blog and have a networking group on facebook. Visit my website for all the links. http://goldenjackal.weebly.com/

Cheryl's Zazzle Store

Christmas card xmas Christmas animal kitty cat by GOLDENJACKAL

.....

Cherie Balowski from Michigan

My name is Cherie and I live in south central Michigan, in a lovely rural part of the state. I call myself a 'creative soul' because there truly is never a time in my life that I'm not either creating something or thinking about creating something. I feel Blessed to have an opportunity to sell my arts and crafts online and hope you'll visit my Etsy shop to view some of my work!

Cherie's Etsy Store

Poinsettia Wreath Clipart

.......

Nandita Singh from India

I'm a freelance Surface Pattern designer from India. 

I love to see colour in everything. My style is hand drawn intricate Indian motifs in bright and eye-catching colours. 

My work is inspired by the colourful, geometrical and floral drawings of India, and the detail art works of ancient Mughal Paintings.

Nandita' Society 6 store

'Delicate Branches' iPhone or iPod case

.......

Countrymouse Studio, British Columbia, Canada

I create watercolor paintings of birds or animals. Love of nature drives me to create and humor makes the journey worthwhile so if you love nature and have a sense of humor you should enjoy your shopping experience. 

My store has unique, customizable giftware: T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, travel mugs, stickers, tote bags, shoes, ornaments etc.

Countrymouse's Zazzle Store

Well, this is a mouse pad! Cute Mousepad by countrymousestudio
 

.......

Wendy Flynn from S.W. London, UK

I am a surface pattern designer and Illustrator from SW London who designs under the name Doris & Fred named after her Grandparents.

I have been creating art for as long as I can remember, doodling, taking photographs and making a mess. I love colour and pattern and gets my inspiration from everything around me, from park trips with my son to digging veg at the allotment, vintage fabrics and trips to the beach.

I love using a mix of hand drawn motifs, photography and digital magic to create fun fresh designs.

Wendy's website

'Walk in the Park' iPad Case

.......

Inkflo @ Chez Inflo, living and working in France

I work from France and I love all things quirky! I am a bit of a fidget, so I'm constantly changing my designs, but hopefully that means I can't rest on my laurels, and it keeps my store new and exciting.

Inkflo's Zazzle store

I Love Shoes keychain. by Inkflo

Sarah Hudcock from Vermont

Sarah is a self-taught artist, but all that means is that she loves to draw, paint and create pretty much all of the time. She raises a small flock of chickens, sells her unique greeting cards to small shops around Vermont and elsewhere, and is fond of exhibiting yearly at the fair in her tiny town of Newfane.

Sarah's Christmas Cards and links to website

Roosters Carolling Christmas Card

Missed out this time?

If enough people are interested (at least 10)
 I'll hold another 
International Christmas Market
(in a couple of weeks' time)
 please just follow the instructions below
as soon as possible!

E-interview with Surface Pattern Designer, Wendy Flynn

This month's e-interview is with an artist from London who specialises in Surface Pattern Design and Illustration, Wendy Flynn.

Wendy's website
          Wendy's blog
Wendy on facebook
         Wendy on twitter

As usual, I began by asking Wendy: 

When did you first realise that you were an artist? 
I suppose when i was very young, it is all i ever wanted to do. I was always drawing and making things as a child and helping everyone else with their drawings in junior school! 

Have you had formal art/design/illustration training?
Yes I  have a BA in graphic design from Bath Spa; I spent most of the time in the colour darkroom and on the computer and they didn't quite know how to pigeon hole me at the end of the course as none of the other Illustrators were using those processes, which seems bonkers now as so many people only use the computer! It was only 1998! You were well ahead of the rest of us then, Wendy!!!

So, Wendy, what was the most important thing you learnt from your course? Tricky but I think it was actually something a tutor on my foundation course told me which was: to subvert the brief, i.e make it my own. That was my turning point on my degree course. I was having a really hard time in typography class and had contacted my old tutor. His advice to make it my own totally changed the way I worked. And my B+ in typography that term is all down to making an illustration out of tin foil and pink fake fur! I wish we could see it!

What is your favourite medium? 
I love Ink and a dip pen or a sharpened stick and adding colour in Adobe Photoshop.

Which artists/designers/illustrators inspire you, Wendy?
Orla Keily  for her simplicity and Miroslav Sasek for his great Illustrations

That looks like my Early Seventies Kenwood I see there, Wendy!

I see your business name is Doris and Fred, named after your grandparents. How long has your business been up and running?
Seriously, as Doris and Fred, since I graduated from the ABSPD course this year, although I was using the name before that for freelance work and my etsy and folksy shops since about 2008.

You mentioned your etsy and folksy shops - where else do you sell your work? 
These are my other outlets at the moment -

Society6:  

   

Envelop:

Spoonflower: 

Bespo: 

Do you enjoy the business side of things, Wendy? 
No! I hate talking about my work! I find it very hard to sell myself and really hate talking money! I think i need an agent!

Have you had any training in the art business? 
I took the Rachael Taylor course which has been really helpful.

Why did you decide to specialise in Surface Pattern?
I worked in a trend studio for 6 or 7 years and I learned to make patterns there, I really enjoyed it and have just sort of carried on, I tried a few other artistic avenues but have come back to pattern now that i have a family as it is (I hope) something I can do from home and juggle around family life. 

Do you find that the business side of things takes up more time than you would like?
Yes and the social media which seems so important takes up a lot of my time. I can relate to that completely!

Are you working alone or do you have help? 
I work alone.

Do you enjoy that?
Yes actually most of the time I do although I am easily distracted so sometimes I should have someone to pull me back to what I should be doing. I suppose it would be nice to work with a few others but I also like that as I work from home, I don't waste time getting to and from a studio and can work when ever I have the time.

Do you paint or draw regularly?
Yes I draw regularly and even more so since doing the ABSPD course, I had forgotten just how much I enjoy doodling. I do need to get back into making a mess with paints and such but at the moment, I just don't have the space.

Are you still doing what you originally set out to do?
Yes, I think I am; it is just taking me a little bit longer to get there than I had planned.

That's to be expected with a little boy to take into consideration! How many hours per week do you manage to work?  I would say 20 - 30 hours a week. I have help with my little boy 2 days a week and then pretty much work everytime he naps and in the evenings

Do you have regular contact with other artists?
Only online, but that is a great support. Yes, I think that's great too!

What is your biggest achievement - or the one that pleases you most - so far? Having my designs in Urban Outfitters In the US. It was only as a freelancer but it felt great to see designs that I created from scratch on their website and in stores. Wow! That IS an achievement, Wendy!

Is there anything you would like to change about your art business
I would love more time on it but while my little boy is small I need to give him my time and enjoy him, there will be plenty of time, once he is at school, to concentrate full time on Doris & Fred.

And finally, what are your plans for the future?
To find an agent and build my portfolio, then take over the world! Well, maybe not the last bit! But an agent would be beneficial to me, I think. It would allow me to focus my limited time on creating new work and still spend time with my family. 

Wendy, I'm sure all our readers will join me in wishing you joy and success in all your endeavours and in thanking you for taking the time and trouble to answer my questions. I'm sure your replies will provide someone, somewhere with just the information or inspiration (or both!) that they need!

If you have enjoyed this interview and would like to get to know Wendy and her work better, here are the links to her website, blog and social networking sites - 

Wendy's website

   Wendy's blog

Wendy on facebook

      Wendy on twitter

Surfacing Pattern Designers Showcase: Stitches and 'Also Ran's

With the arrival of summer, such as it is, everyone is getting busier and only a few people have had time to contribute their patterns to this showcase.

So, instead, I have set up a group Pinterest Board where you can browse a selection of patterns, some of them for sale on products, others linking back to portfolio websites, so that you can get a broader picture of the work of designers you like.

But here are this month's contributions to the 'Stitches' theme in alphabetical order of first name:

Judy Adamson

http://www.poshandpainterly.co.uk

Pretty Pink Applique Flowers

This one, made from a handpainted paper collage, with the 'stitches' added in coloured pen, started out as a greeting card design, . I'm working on a collection based on this motif and hope it will soon be on show on the group Pinterest board.

Mel Pope

https://www.facebook.com/DesignedByMel

What Dreams are Made From

Mel says: I interpreted stitches as sewing stitches, so I have gone along a hand made theme, going back to a simplistic style the stitches are irregular and random to give it a more handmade/personal feel. 

Wendy Flynn

http://www.dorisandfred.co.uk/

I also suggested that designers might like to contribute any pattern they'd entered for a competition but hadn't won. 

So here's one from -

Lisa Rivas

http://lisarivas.com/blog/pretty-dress/

Lisa says: I had submitted this pattern: 'Candlemas I' to a dress contest a few months ago, read more here: http://lisarivas.com/blog/pretty-dress/

I'd like to add a big THANK YOU to all who have taken part in this series of Showcases - I know how busy you all are!

And 'Thank You', too, to all who have stopped by and  encouraged us with your comments! 

Don't forget, there is a lot more to see on our 'Surfacing Pattern Designers' group Pinterest board:

http://pinterest.com/judyadamson/surfacing-pattern-designers/