More Great Shop News! Sketchy Cat Pajamas on CafePress

Sketchy Cat Pajamas by artbygenxster

Aren't these pjs cute?  I just sold a pair on CafePress. Many thanks and Merry Christmas to the lovely Maia Peck from Ohio!

Another Zazzle sale!

I sold another Saw Whet Owl design on Zazzle the other day. I find it so gratifying that out of all the zillions of products there someone found one of mine and loved it enough to buy it. I'm so pleased that this design is so popular. I think it's one of my better drawings for 2011.

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Just sold! Saw Whet Owl Necktie

Many thanks to Sabine from Leipzig, Germany.  I'm so pleased that this owl design is so popular. Read more at genxster.posterous.com

 

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New Blackberry Cases Zazzle

UPDATE: Save 25% on all mobile phone cases. That includes cases for iPhone, iPod Touch, or BlackBerry Curve or Bold.  Just use code CASEMATESALE at checkout! Hurry coupon code expires Sunday, 10/16.

English Bulldog Puppy (Black) by genxster
Make your own blackberry curve cases

Zazzle now has BlackBerry cases available!  How cool is that?  When I saw them I went right to work adding some to my shop. The designs shown here are for Blackberry Curve 8520/9300.  These lighweight cases cover the back and corners of your phone with a thin, but sturdy plastic shell.  Even though the phone is covered you still have access to all of the ports and buttons.

If you don't like any of my designs, you can always design a Curve case yourself.

It's easy and fun to do.

One thing to consider is that unlike most other items on Zazzle which are shipped within 24 hours, these cases are made in 3-7 days.

English Bulldog Puppy by genxster
See more Bulldog puppy Casemate Case

I've just added this new owl design.  I was making cards for an owl swap and I loved how this little owl drawing turned out.  I cleaned it up a bit and added it to my shop.  I hope to have a whole section for bird designs someday, but for now this is the first.

Cute Little Saw Whet Owl by genxster
Make your own blackberry cases 

New Tabby Cat Items on Zazzle

Tabby With Yellow-Green Eyes Note by genxster
Browse other Tabby Cards

I've been spending most of my free time working on the Zazzle shop.  I've decided to use this cat artist trading card that I made in Hood River to make a line of note cards, key chains, and coffee mugs. I'm proud of the drawing. I was so inspired by all the great new friends I made last month.

Tabby Cat with Yellow-Green Eyes by genxster
View more Tabby Keychains

This tabby cat drawing was created with colored pencil, watercolor pencil, and gel pens for highlights. I was so excited when I finished! It's the best cat drawing I've made to date. I'd love to know what you think!

I have more designs on the way so stay tuned!

And That Was August...

I can't believe that August is practically over. Many of my friends, teachers and students, are back in the classroom already. I've had a wonderful summer and I'm sorry to see it come to a close.

The best part of my summer was my trip to Hood River Oregon to meet up with some folks from my favorite mail art trading site: ATCsforall.com. The event was called the Oregon Live Gathering and it was a regional meet-up for members from Oregon and Washington to get together, do some live trading, and trade tips and techniques.  I'm the one in the baseball hat.

There were about 28 of us in all.  It was fun to meet artists I'd traded with for a couple of years and I enjoyed watching people work, whether it was drawing, painting, collage, or mixed media. 

While I was there, I made this card. It's by far the best cat drawing I've done. I traded it at the event, but at least I have this picture. I think it might make a good design for my Zazzle shop.

Now that fall is here I have swap cards to make, a sketchbook to fill for the 2012 Sketchbook Project, a bit of travle and some Christmas gifts to make. Winter will be over before I know it too.

Cool Sunglasses Iphone Case

Sunglasses Ipod Touch Case by genxster
Browse iphone 3 cases

Zazzle is now offering Ipod Touch Cases for sale, so I added a few to my Genxster's Studio shop. I was pleased to see that my Sunglasses case has been featured on Sandyspider Gifts Blog. Thanks Sandy! You are a star! 

My Latest Post at See. Draw. Share.

I've been working on some cat sketches. This is my favorite so far.

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Pen Sketch: The Cat Next Door

© 2011 Mellanie Collins Read more at genxsters.wordpress.com

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Sketchy Kitty Design on Zazzle

Sketchy Kitty Hoodie by genxster
View more Cat T-Shirts

I've been working on some simplified cat drawings and this is the one I like the best so far.  I used a dip pen on paper.  I thought I'd try it out as a design for products in my Zazzle shop. I'm hoping to add more cat designs to the shop soon.

May Was A Blast

I've been have a great time this May.  I made a trip to New York to visit friends and to see the musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying starring Daniel Radcliffe and John Larroquette.

It was a great show. The choreography was great and John Larroquette was so funny as Mr. Biggley the company president. I'm glad he won a Tony for his performance. It was well-deserved. Daniel Radcliffe as J. Pierrepont Finch, the uber-corporate climber was cute, but it took me a while to warm up to his odd accent. He seemed to be working so hard on his American accent and then working it into the odd character voice he used for the show. I found it distracting at first, but he looked so earnest and performed so well that by the end I had let that initial feeling go. I was impressed by his dancing ability. In the Harry Potter movies he generally looks uncoordinated and a bit, well, flopsy. But in this production he keeps up with the dancers very well. The audience loved him and I thought he was very charming. I loved the period costumes, it looked like it was set in the late 50's or early 60's and the simplfied set. The choreography was excellent. If I didn't live on the other side of the country I would love to see it again.

 Me In front of  Hirschfeld Theater trying to look like a skeptic : )

A week after we got back from New York we got to see Tony Bennett.  But I'll leave that for another post.

My First Lens - My First Earnings

I made this lens in March and I found that not only will I receive earnings for April, but someone made a purchase a few days ago.  My first affiliate sale!  I'm finally seeing how this whole Squidoo thing works. I'm having fun, learning a lot, and now I'm making a little green stuff on the side.  Now to make more lenses and try to apply all of those keyword research tips I've been reading.

Amplify’d from www.squidoo.com

Great Gift Ideas for Hedgehog Fans

Having trouble finding a gift for a hedgehog lover? Even though these adorable little critters have millions of devoted fans, they aren't exactly in the mainstream. Finding a gift featuring one of these adorable critters isn't as simple as taking a quick trip to the mall. image credit: goldersbug from Golders' Stuff on Zazzle.com

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Working on My Zazzle Shop: Bulldog Mug

English Bulldog Mug by genxster
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 My poor Zazzle shop.  Is there anything sadder than an abandoned storefront?  I'm working on some redecorating and adding some new products.  Here is the first of many.  I drew this bulldog originally as an artist trading card by request.  The English Bulldog image I used as a reference was a public domain photo so I figured I would edit little multi-media painting and put it on some Zazzle products.

I think it turned out pretty well.  Now I only need about another 200 products, a banner, update categories...(sigh)

Where to Begin?

© 2011 Mellanie Collins

Self-Portrait in style of Matisse

pen and ink on paper, 2.5"x3.5"

For about four years I have been blogging on See. Draw. Share. posting drawings, talking a little about what inspires me, etc.  I was doing okay until I lost momentum last year.  I just never  felt I could truly write satisfying article to go with my images.  As much as I wanted to write about my drawing process and what inspires me to draw, I could never feel that anyone would care.

So I decided to start over with a new blog.  A blog about me!  I do other things besides draw.  I'm a bit of a reader.  I love classic movies.  I have hopes and dreams.  I hope that as I express myself more effusively here,  I will find a new voice, a real voice, and I will be able to improve my drawing blog.

So, you have been warned...