Shooting for the Stars ... or not!

I guess we'll pay for anything ... even slumming ... it keeps it safe if you pay for it. People have so much money to spare that they are willing to pay for the slum life experience to limit their risk. The article linked below speaks to the safe and child-friendly environment you can enjoy for just $83 a night. What a steal! What a way to hedge your life experiences.

What a great business move for the resorts! You can take run down neighborhoods, do absolutely no re-facings, just put in some plumbing and under ground heaters and charge a premium.

I don't know about you but I was raised to work hard and pay for a better life; shoot for the stars. If anything I'd think of joining a non-profit group to go rebuild an area like this for the people who live there, not for a resort ... Giving back to those less fortunate? Or take what they have and reap the benefits. What side do you fall on?

Read more here.

The Dr. Seuss / P.D. Eastman Approach

Ok ... so here are my true colors. A child at heart, but that just means I'll never become obsolete! I really couldn't say it better myself:

Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you! ~Dr. Seuss

Recently I read this blog on the Huff Post, What is Working: Small Businesses
REposition, REstrategize, REinvent: 10 Tips for the "New-Age" Professional in 2014 (click the blog title to read the full article).

It made me think of how we may not have realized the actual story being told in all those books from our childhood. There are articles, blogs, textbooks, papers, and the likes, which we can read and school ourselves on, but it could be the memories of our childhood that really launch us into our role as a "New-Age Professional"; properly suited for 2014!

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the guy who'll decide where to go. ~ Dr. Seuss

I've found a way to be me, steering myself in a direction all my own. It's time to launch into 2014 and really forge ahead. I'm ready to take #6 by the horns and be relentless in this life of a career. Do you still see a correlation still with this topic - or - are you starting to at least? If not, check out the video for Are You My Mother: #6 - Be Relentless in Your Pursuit ... similar to Are You My Mother? ...

Be Relentless in Your Pursuit

Street Art vs. Architecture

I read an interesting article today that got me thinking: What art form carries more merit and might win this fight? When artists go head to head not thinking about the scope beyond their particular medium what losses are incurred?

Here's the article for reference: New York graffiti complex headed for Demolition

Initially I went in siding with the street artist. Old buildings and the organic nature of graffiti bring a certain element of character and distinction to cities. BUT, then I thought how gorgeous architecture can be and the different element of character and distinction that can bring to cities. THAT distinctly relies on the architect and the design type being approved.

What if ... the 17 artists who are filing this lawsuit were able to win the fight by being commissioned by the new developers to incorporate new art that would be more permanent and hold stature. They are arguing that this is what their artwork is and why the building should not be demolished, so live up to that standard and acquire higher recognition and acclaim by being a staple to the uniqueness of this new development. "Luxury" being the term here that might cause a rub ... but to each their own interpretation. A lot of it depends on the target audience and clientele they are trying to bring into the area with these new lofts.

Which side do you lean towards?

*Disclaimer - the 'luxury flats' image I referenced here was just a generic Google image result.

Balancing Social Media and Your Sanity

Promoting your business in this social environment is a little like asking someone to solve a Rubik's cube: A standard Rubik's cube has 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 possible positions and only ONE final solution. So the odds of solving it are over 43 quintillion to one.

There seem to be a quintillion places for me to be and only one of me to go around. I've got to tweet about it, post to Instagram, update my Facebook status, share pictures and articles and witty little tidbits, post listings on Etsy and eBay, share from these sites back over to Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, favorite and retweet or quote retweet, blog about it all, keep up on who is following me and who has decided to unfollow me. Oh yeah! I also need to do artwork in order to have something to tweet, post, update, share ... you get the picture.

With my mind running through all the places to to help bring visibility you can see how it could start to feel a bit like the image below.

BUT: What good does it do for me to avoid this environment? You can avoid the turmoil or enjoy the ride. The road to success is to jump in, hang on, and enjoy the ride! Find the silver lining and realize that in the end all of this brings visibility and gets my artwork in front of more people than just keeping it in an extra room in our house.

It's a labor of love and so rewarding to see everything come to life and out there as a "Shop" on Etsy, a listing on eBay, a commissioned piece on the new owner's wall. It's all so exciting.

Facebook: ArtByLarina
Instagram: larinajo
Twitter: ArtByLarina
Etsy: ArtByLarina
Blogspot: (you're already here)
Pinterest: Larina L'Etoile
... Google me: Larina L'Etoile
Flickr
Tumblr
StumbleUpon
Vine
Pheed
eBay

Reproduction: A test of talent?

Reproduction of a masterpiece ... is this a true test of talent? Once upon a time I was tasked with duplicating a masterpiece. We used a grid approach and I was praised for the likeness from the original to my version. Looking back I realize the underlying ability perhaps recognized by the professor, however what does this reflect in my own artistic talent and style?

 

The true master brought light and evoked feeling. I wasn't there and the version I was working from was a copy of the original ... at some point a copy of a copy reflects the deteriorating likeness of the original.

 

Do you remember that child-hood game "telephone"? Where a group of kids, usually around a table, pass a message one to the next, whispering it in each other's ear. By the time the message gets from the first person to the last the message becomes so distorted that the recipient is left with a puzzled look and complete confusion as to what was just whispered in their ear. I've whispered this image upon your eyes and am confused as to what it is trying to convey.

 

A lesson learned many years down the road as I pulled this out and blew the dust off: Share my own style directly with the world. Remove the layers of confusion and claim my spot as the first person in the game of "telephone".



 

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Little River: Print copies available!

This has been a long time in the making, and I'm excited to see this one come to life! Previously this was available as an eBook only, but James L'Etoile jumped into the self-printing world and here we are today with a final version of the cover with my artwork!

 

The book is available for purchase on Amazon and I'm looking forward to holding a copy of my own; a great read and it'll look great on your coffee table, end stand, or book shelf.

 

Whimiscal 3-Panel: Final and delivered

I'll admit it, it was a little sad to say good-bye to this one. I enjoyed working on it so much and the person who commissioned it was kind enough to provide me lots of inspiration and guidance. We had a great color palette. We had music for inspiration. We had a general concept with a "whimsical tree" to be within the content.

Beyond that she gave me free range to create the world that this whimsical tree would live in. Here is the environment that poured from my mind onto the canvas, inspired by the music and direction she provided.

The wall color looked great and we only messed up with one nail while hanging.

 

 

Here are some detail, close up shots of the panels. I really love the details and texture that was achieved in this piece.

 



    

 

 

Bucks for Ducks 2013

 

While wrapping up work on the children's book illustrations for Debbie Fike and the Whimsical 3-Panel for Christine Austin, I was also working on 2 donation pieces for the Bucks for Ducks 2013 fundraising event.

 

Being from California, I thought this would be a great opportunity for me to do what I love (artwork) while capturing an area that is close to my heart (home). It's an honor to produce art for any reason and what better reason than for a good cause. I hope that the two pieces I did will bring in a pretty penny during their silent auction.

 

Beyond that, here they are for all of you to enjoy :) Both pieces are 8"x8" acrylic on wood panel. This was the standard for all pieces donated to the event. I can't wait to see what other artists provide for the auction.

 

 

Counting Creatures: Awaiting Publication

The handoff occurred over coffee at a quaint little shop the author and I have made our regular meet up joint, Rayner's Chocolate and Coffee Shop. Amidst the aroma of fresh chocolate croissants and between sips of fresh coffee, I flipped page by page as Debbie and I pictured these illustrations soon becoming the visual counterpart to the story she had written.

I was delighted to hear she had already started the self-publishing process! We spent time chatting about business of course, how we might market the new book while re-marketing the previous (My Sweet Lady Dog), etc. It's always lovely chatting about the potential with Debbie. She has such fun stories to be told. I can only hope to continue this relationship with Debbie so that I can bring these stories to life just a little more with illustrations.

I don't have a publication date, but will keep you all posted on when we expect to have copies and when it might be available to order online! In the meantime, here are the final images:

[This illustration served as the cover and the last page]

 

Beyond sketching, painting, consulting, and fine tuning, an artist has to be somewhat up on technology. I've got a long way to go to be "up on technology", but I understand the importance of having quality images of my work for future reference.

 

I thought you all might enjoy a quick little clip as I work through scanning 9 of the illustrations. Once I have finalized all 11 illustrations I'll post all of these nicely scanned images. Until then, enjoy this short show and the photos of my progress on the last two illustrations and keep an eye out for the blog of final work coming soon!

 

Goodnight my S's ... until tomorrow

I ended the night with final touches on the sorrels and some progress on the background to the snakes. More to come this evening after a day of work :)

 

 

Here is a preview of the images in the order of the book. Those six snakes are almost home...

 

                       

 

 

Snakes and Sorrels

Two of the last three illustrations are coming along nicely. I've started six snakes and seven sorrels. Sorry for the fuzzy pictures ... here are progress shots nonetheless:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Counting Creatures Continues



Here are progress shots for each one that I have finished so far, which I'm happy to say is almost all of them!!! I have #6 and #7 left of the individual creature illustrations and then the 11th and final illustration which will be a compilation that has one of each creature around the outside edge of the canvas sheet. Enjoy :)

 

To start we have the pieces at my work station so you can see them progress at that point. Then I have separated them out individually so you can see each one progress on their own.

 



1 red-eared turtle initial images:

and the final image:

2 hippos initial image:

and the final image:

3 little blue birds initial images:

and the final image:

 

4 camels initial images:

and the final image:

5 ferocious fish initial images:

and the final image:

[6 snakes - no photos (yet)]

[7 sorrels - no photos (yet)]

8 eaglets initial image (sorry these are blurry):

and the final image:

9 narwhals final image (the only initial image I have is up in the work station photos):

10 tigers initial images:

and the final image:

[11 - compilation reflecting one of each creature - no photos (yet)]

Final photos will be of higher quality. I'll post them once I've finished all 11 illustrations :)

                        

 

 

 

Soon enough author Deborah Fike's story will be added to these images and published! We are projecting a December publication (sooner if possible) so that this can be a great holiday gift for all the special little ones in your families!

 

This will be Debbie's 2nd publication with me as her illustrator. See her previous book My Sweet Lady Dog on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Lady-Dog-Deborah-Fike/dp/1479351008/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376282601&sr=8-1&keywords=my+sweet+lady+dog