My Weblog

Off to NYC....Surtex and Stationery Show

This was last years Surtex booth, I kept things simple from past years fun themes since I felt a little burnt out from creating new booth concepts. I think it came out quite well. I can remember all the booth designs I did. The first year was a living room type theme with painted striped walls and frames that housed my designs. The second was a garden theme with a picket fence made from foam core and flowers also in which I put my designs in the middle of the flower. That was a good one and I was 7 month pregnant with Colby! I even had my photo taken for the press of the show. I made sure I sat in front of the table for that one.

The following year a laundry theme in which I had a closeline with foam core clothes that had my designs on them!! That was the year someone stoled my new design book! Many Surtex exhibitors were very concerned after that about leaving anything in the booth. They had to know what they were looking for since I really hit it well!!! The following years I just stream lined it down and did a fun bright booth that was simple, yet stylish.

I am glad not to go through the stress this year and will enjoy it more!! I will be meeting clients and friends and
checking out the newbies booths. I wish all who do the show the best and I will see you soon!

Tomorrow I leave to go to NYC and hang with old friends and shop a little then Sunday I will be at the show. Next week I will post all the going-ons I see there, so until then have a great weekend!!

Ellen

What's New!!

Here is why I have been very busy, I am getting ready for the Art on the Green show in Plymouth, Ma on June
14th at Pinehills a resort golf community. This is an annual art and craft show and I am doing it along side my Dad who is a very talented fine artist.

I have forgotten how much fun it is to paint canvas and since I just got my huge order from Dick Blick yesterday it looks like I will be painting canvas for awhile. This is such a nice change of pace for me from gouache and digital work as you can imagine. I am finding myself just lost in hours of swirling lines and colors and textures. These are just little paintings and I have many larger canvases to paint as well, but I am not certain what will go on them. Maybe I will be inspired from my NYC trip this weekend. I am off to meet clients at the Stationery Show and see old friends at Surtex. This is my first year in about 7 that I am not showing at Surtex and it feels rather strange not to have to cram in a bunch of last minute details and prepare for a booth.

I am curious to see how the show will do in this enconomy since last years show was the worst ever. I have been posting comments on Design Sponge about it along with my friend Caroland we have been accused of being"bitter" now I do not know about you but since when does good advice equal bitter? This world of blogging is full of too many hand holders and not enough realism, and if you cannot handle some tough information then maybe you better find a different line of work. Everyone seems to think that Licensing is soo easy and anyone with any sort of talent can do it, but you are sadly mistaken. It takes a savvy and talented person to thrive in this business someone who can put together lines and know how to negotiate contracts. I did not even show at Surtex until I had some good Licensees under my belt so that the manufactures would see how my work would translate into 3D.

If you go to Design Sponge and click on the Samantha Hann post and read the comments you will know what I am talking about. I think that these blogs should be a forum for discussion and inspiration but not a hand holding, you are the best artist ever forum. I am no longer going to talk about the subject along with my friend Carol and its sad since we who have been very successful in this business are not considered artists with good intentions but boo hoo ones! Get a grip people your in for a rude awakening!!

Okay I have vented enough for today!! Go and create!!

Ellen

IF- Seed

This illustration I did just for IF which is not usual for me but I have been having fun playing around with the Wacom tablet. What happens when the seeds just jump out of the watermelon? They go wild!!! They are finally free!

It is soo nice outside today I think I will have my lunch on the deck. I am almost finished with planting all my plants on it and cannot wait for the warm weather to finally get here!! Can anyone say Summer!! yippie!

Okay back to work.

Ellen

Get out the sketchbook

I am working on creating more sketches these days for new and improved ideas and just thought I would show a few of them. I have many sketchbooks for over about 2 decades that are just chalk full of ideas and designs. When I am in a pinch of trying to do something new I often refer to the sketchbooks for new
inspiration. You never know what you will find when you revisit something you passed on.

I am in the process of digitally putting some of these crazy flowers into a design. I am quite the novice at digital art eventhough when I designed children's wear back in the early 90's I was quite good at it. However since I stopped using computers and mostly painted I lost all that knowledge so I fear I must take a class, possibly at Mass Art. Or maybe I will get a tudor, if you know of any good ones in the Boston area let me know!!

So now I am getting ready for my oldest son's First Communion this weekend and he was fighting me yesterday trying on the white suit. He was exclaiming " I hate the color white" to which I exclaimed white is the absence of color so technically it's not a color. He was not buying it!! I have to tell you that white was my
favorite "color"as a kid until my artist dad told me it was not a color!! Thanks dad! Bummer. Anyway he will
be wearing the suit kicking and screaming but he will look so handsome in it. We are not having a big party since most of my husbands family is out of the state and some of mine as well. Its going to be about 10 of us which suits me fine after we just had his bday party last weekend!

Okay enough floundering off to do something fabulous! Like order a tasty cake and buy and outfit!

Ellen

Another Birthday!

Yes there is another birthday coming up in the house and its my oldest boy Hayden's! He will be turning 8 on Monday and we are getting ready for his big Lego party on Sunday. The party will be filled with Lego games and a moonwalk of course. We are hoping there is no rain, although they are saying there might be some in the morning. As long as its gone by the party I am fine. I just can't have 13 boys running around the house or I will go crazy.

This week has been crazy with the boys home for school break, I haven't had a chance to sit down at my desk and I need to desperately!! I am looking forward to school on Monday but then we have to get ready for Hayden's First Communion on next Sunday! It seems like its just one thing after another to do these days and I am trying hard to get all my plants in on the deck early and clean up the gardens too. Yesterday I planted some veggies and herbs as well as some pots on the deck. We are getting ready for the summer early and I am happy about that.

Okay so now I have to try and get some work done before I take Hayden out to get things for the party, and then plant the rest of the pansies and petunias I have on my deck!!

Have a great weekend all!!

Ellen

I scream you scream we all scream for......

ICE CREAM!!!! Oh yeah now that the weather has finally become warm and sunny it's good ol' Ice cream time. Last night we took the boys out for some much needed ice cream treat, I myself had to restrain because I am trying hard to get some pounds off, but I enjoyed watching them eat to their hearts content.

We were talking about our favorite flavors and mine as a child and still are Black Raspberry and Pastachio! Oh yum. My dad always like Rum Raisin and my little guy is a true Vanilla fan. Hayden my oldest loves Chocolate and Coffee! What is your favorite flavor? As always I had to have chocolate sprinkes on it or as we call it here in Massachusetts Jimmies!! Ever since I went to Italy though my taste for ice cream has changed and if I can get that fabo Gelato like they have in Whole Foods I would rather have that. The Italians just know how to make anything taste good period!

So get out and get your ice cream groove on!

Ellen

New Pattern

Do you like the new "mushroom" print with or without the background? I am not sure, I like the clean lines of the white background but another part of me likes the craziness of the polkadots. I am working on a number of
new designs these days and all sorts of other projects for an upcoming show I will be doing here in Plymouth, MA in June. I will keep you posted on that in a bit when I have my info together.

Until then I am just working on more new things as I see the beautiful sun shinning out my office window and hear the birds all around. Ahh how I love the Spring!

Ellen

Happy Birthday to Me!!

Happy Birthday to Me!!! Yes today is the day and the sun is shinning and the birds are out! I can't say that I am happy to be getting older but I do love to have cake and presents!! I went and had a facial earlier and it was great ! I wish I had more time for Spa day but I had to get my big boy from the bus stop. I will finish my pampering over the weekend with a mani-pedi!! Okay that's it for now, must go relax!!!

xo Ellen

IF- Save

Save me a piece of Cake!!! Yumm Yumm! Just a few days away before I get older and I am not sure if I will save any cake! I did this illustration for a greeting card and I just love to paint little bugs.

Funny but I feel with today's economy its almost like we are told to eat cake instead of trying to get rid of this war and pay attention to the home front. The poor are getting poorer and the rich are getting richer! I cannot wait to cast my vote on this upcoming election and get rid of this horrible President!!!

Ellen

The countdown begins!!!

The birthday countdown now begins!! In 6 more days I will be another year older but not sure if another year wiser!! Here are a few fun birthday designs I have done awhile ago that I really enjoyed doing. I am still waiting to see if someone wants to take them for something. Who knows why certain designs get picked and others do not, I guess it all depends on the buyer.

I love the crazy stripe, it reminds me of all my crazy birthdays, some have been nice some have been horrible. I have so many expectations on that day that I get myself in trouble and I really need to learn to let go.

Last year for my big 40 I we rented a big ski house in Stratton, VT and had a bunch of friends for the weekend with their kiddies. My friend Tim who is an amazing cook made the dinner and my fabo friends
Ron and Hank brought a cake from the fabulous Cupcake Cafe in NYC! Ron's studio is right around the corner from the bakery so it was the perfect choice. The cake looked like the Sunflower painting by Van Gough, and the taste was to die for. I wish I had some amazing photos of it but I guess we were drinking too much Brunello!! Also yum! If you like red wine you have to try a Brunello from the Tuscany region of Italy. I went there on my honeymoon and Ron goes often since he lived in Italyand speaks Italian. I am of course waiting until the kids are out of the house and moving there asap!!

So I am not sure yet what I am going to do this year, I was going to gather friends again and do something but not sure what just yet. I am having a hard time deciding to either go out or stay home. In any event I will have to do something which involves my favorite drink of choice Champagne!! I could bathe in the stuff and others just hate it, very funny!!

Well enough about me and my getting a year older, I just wish it was sunny out today, I know that April showers bring May flowers but I have had enough of this winter and its weather and want to be outside all the time. Let's go Spring I need my heat fix now!!

Have a great weekend all!!!

xo Ellen