It's all in the details

There is something about the cute stuff that Japanese create that makes them so endearing. Japanese tend to be a little dark at times and it shows even with their cute characters. Recently my favourite series is the sumikkogurashi gang. It literally translates into 'living in corners'. So all the characters like huddling in a corner. One is an end piece of a tonkatsu, so he's 99% fat and 1% meat and the other characters don't like him too much because he's kind of greasy.

It's these little quirks that make them cuter than than a boring ol' plain cute character. I try to have a little twist in my cards as well by adding some details or having poems that are a little morbid at times but hopefully entertaining nevertheless.

There are so many talented people on Etsy, I still get really inspired when I look around at other people's shops. Often times it makes me wish I was equally as talented in other mediums so I can do what they do. There are certain styles I like but I know it is out of my ability to emulate.

Checked out an artists' market of sorts the past weekend. Was very crowded and felt like I couldn't properly soak up the atmosphere and enjoy myself. I think craft fairs need to feel very relaxed and spacious. Having people shoving against you and trying to shuffle you along is not my idea of a leisurely time. Almost wish I had an army of porcupines to keep everyone out of my way.

4 new designs for August!

Am very pleased to have gotten 4 new designs out this month. I still have quite a few designs that I'm keen on and hope to get some of them out in September. I tried a different style with the kitty themed ones, so they look a little different from my usual postcards. The 'Donut Resist' postcard is also a first for me, I didn't use any pens or markers to design it but it was all done on the computer. I had a lot of fun learning new tricks on gimp and refining it. I worked on it for quite a long time, a really long time actually. It was interesting to see how different designs look without outlines. I felt like maybe it would make my designs look more polished/professional but I realize I still like drawing and scanning them. Still like the good ol' pen and paper. Though that makes me a tree killer. I try to recycle as much as possible.

Popped over to Dulcetfig to stock up and when my display corner started getting crowded with too many cards, it was a reminder of how far I've come. I still remember opening the Etsy shop with all of 6 or 8 designs. I think it was 6 and thinking it was really bare but slowly building it up. Though it's a lot more than where I started, the store still looks like it needs more cards. Wish I could add new cards every month but it's hard to juggle the time and my creative wind seems to come in spurts.

Received a really nice email from a happy customer recently. I don't think anyone can ever get tired of hearing good feedback from a happy customer, it's very satisfying and makes keeping the store open worthwhile.

Here's a snapshot of the new cards, with a reluctant cat model. Hoping to take good pics tomorrow after my camera is charged up and good to go. Can't wait to list them up on Etsy.

C'est La Vie

Unfortunately this post is nothing remotely romantically dramatic sounding as the French title suggests. I just found out that my regular printer has decided not to have office hours on Saturday. They've also shortened their working hours. Both of which bode badly for me because now I will have no chance of going down to have stuff printed, short of taking leave just to have stuff printed, which is not an option at this point. Super bummed because I have new stuff ready to be printed and I need to reprint some old cards that ran out of stock.

Took me a long time to scout around for a printer that suited my needs. Now I'll have to scout around for others which I am not looking forward to. I remember walking into some printers and I asked whether they printed A6 postcards, the guy just looked at me blankly and said "....Ayyy-6 ? ... ?" That was more than enough to tell me I didn't want to have any business printing with them.

So my routine's been shaken. grrr. Will have to drag self to walk around and suss out pricing and find a place that is within budget and produces good prints.

Cat Crazy Convention

Went down to check out purrzaar with the gf yesterday. Seeing pictures of cats from different countries with the familiar 'can't be bothered with you' look or goony look never fails to make me laugh. The type of cat I like best is described by the gf as the 'no eyes no nose' type. Basically it's like a very dirty looking calico cat where their markings make it hard to distinguish the eyes and nose on its face. I also like brindle coloured dogs so go figure. My mother said I always had a penchant for ugly-cute things. Possibly an extension of myself, hurhur.

There weren't very many vendors but there was a lot of cute stuff on display. There are so many talented people out there that whenever I make a sale, I'm glad that someone liked my product. It must feel strange sitting there, waiting for people to walk up to you. As a participant checking out vendors, I don't know whether to engage with the stall owners or to just look until I actually see something I want to buy then talk to them. Trials and tribulations of a socially inept gorilla. I suppose my unapproachable demeanour doesn't help things.

We got free samples of fancy feast for the furballs and they had a nice dinner and very rich breakfast this morning too. Those cats eat like they've been starving their whole lives, the meowing pre-feeding time is so dramatic.

Was nice to wake up to light rain this morning. Rainy mornings are the best way to start the weekend. Been spending time lounging around at home doing some reading and working on my cards. I'm trying a new style and hoping it turns out good. It also mean spending more time trying to figure out how to use GIMP in ways I'm not used to. GIMP is pretty damn awesome for a freeware, I'm still very impressed with its functionality to this day.

Looking forward to printing out my new postcards. The pastry themed ones sell pretty decently in the local store that stocks my cards but it hardly moves on Etsy. I'm pretty sure it's the tagging because who ever searches for 'cute bread cards' or 'cute pastry cards'. Can't think of any other better keywords to tag it with though.

Back to work on the cards.

Practise make Perfect

And no practise makes your creative juices dry up.

Between my new job and trying to settle into a new routine, I find that there's hardly any time to really sit down to do any serious doodling. I'm not the sort that can just sit at a cafe or whip out a moleskin on the bus and start doodling away. I need to consciously have time set aside, with the desk laid out with my pens and markers and paper before I can start doodling. Don't ask me why doodling requires such preparation, I don't think it should either but that's how I work.

Last night I managed to set some time aside to draw out some ideas that have been swimming around in my head the past week. I have to make a note of my mental note to remember to scribble these ideas down somewhere before I forget them. My short-term memory is shot.

I finished my last project where I made decorations for the home, perfect as house warming gifts. But I held off because I found that it was lacking. It didn't feel good enough to be put in my shop. I quite like how it turned out but I feel more can be done to improve it. Hopefully I can figure something out so I can list it in the shop, quite excited about seeing how it will be received.

Looking forward to the long National Day weekend, so I can spend a good amount of time just doodling and surfing the net for inspiration.

New Cards and Postcards are up!

Just added 3 postcards and 2 cards to my Etsy store, check them out!

Murphy's Law

As luck would have it, I was able to print out my cards pretty quickly on Monday. But whenever I try to take pictures of my cards, the skies would be grey or it would be raining. I've had to postpone taking pics of my cards for days now and it's getting aggravating. Looks like I'll have to DIY my own small photo box studio so I don't have to dependent on the weather for good lighting.

Time to dig up that post with the link to the DIY photo box studio...