Thursday, September 27, 2012

WIP - mule deer buck


I made some progress on the mule deer I started at the fair. I'll admit I didn't think it through before I started; I just wanted something to work on while at my tent and didn't have anything already started. Usually I do the background first, especially when I have sky like in this one. It was hard getting it around the antlers, and I need to even it out a bit more.

I have started adding the shadows of the trees, and I will be adding the trees themselves next.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

My Tent


Here it is! My first tent at a fair. This turned out to be a great introduction to the outdoor art fair. First of all, it wasn't an art fair... it was a science fair. There were several artists there, mostly in my row. Given that it was a science fair aimed at kids, I made sure to have a kids' activity at my booth. I drew up six line drawings of local wildlife and put out several copies of each at a little table with crayons. It was a huge hit.

Second, the booth fee was completely reasonable and included the tent. Two of the main reasons I have never entered an art fair are the high entry fees and needing to have my own tent. They even had tables to use for a modest extra fee, which I took advantage of because I don't have a folding table.

The fair was only four hours long, instead of a full day. I wasn't expecting to sell much, but I did make back the booth and table fees and then some, and also gave out many business cards and commissions fliers, so overall it was a success. I set up my tabletop easel and started a new drawing while I was there (shown below, in-progress). Lots of people liked watching me work for a bit, so that was also a nice thing to have.

So now for the big question: will I ever do it again? I don't know. I don't think I could do more than one per year, so I would need to rent a tent. I think I would also need more of the lower-priced items. (I am so glad I only brought three originals - people looked but didn't seem interested at all.) It was good exposure and a great experience, but it will be a while before I do it again.


Tuesday, September 04, 2012

My First Booth at a Fair

I have been reluctant to join an art fair because of the expense involved. The space itself usually tops $200, plus I would need a tent and tables, not to mention inventory. However, there is a science fair coming up in 11 days, and I was asked to have a booth for a reasonable price with a free tent. I couldn't pass it up! So here's my plug:

Come by my tent at the Next Big Idea festival (Los Alamos, New Mexico), Saturday, September 15th from 11-3! I will have original drawings, framed and unframed, prints, greeting cards, and all-new art cards. If space allows I will also bring an in-progress drawing so you can watch me work, as well as animal coloring pages for the kids. I hope to see you there!

Saturday, September 01, 2012

Wildcat Art Cards

Several people have expressed interest in my doing art cards. I tried a couple several months ago, but now I'm starting to get into them again. Here are the four I did yesterday. They will be going for $5 each, including a protective sleeve.
Bobcat 
Cheetah

Tiger
Ocelot