Friday, November 25, 2011

Black Friday/Cyber Monday Deals at O'Reilly Ink!



I'm having a Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale over at the shop! Don't worry, you don't have to stay up 24 hours straight and wait in the cold for these deals. From Friday, November 25th to midnight on Monday, November 28th, just use the coupon code FREEBIESHIP when checking out to receive free shipping. :)

Happy shopping!

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

A Fine Thanksgiving Day to You!

It's Thanksgiving time here in the US of A. Headed back home to see my fam, yay!
Here's a drawing of a turkey that I got carried away with...



And also this little colorful sketch about wild horses.


Have a spectacular Thanksgiving all! Hope you eat too much and see all those you love!
I'm thankful for having truly the very best family I could ever ask for, to have a husband that puts up with me, for my stinky but well behaved dog, for still having a roof over my head despite my money woes, for not have to sell my car yet to pay bills, for being able to hang around horses, and for peppermint mocha flavored coffee creamer.

What are you all thankful for?

Friday, November 11, 2011

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

New prints: Animals in Sweaters








(Look at all these blog posts! It's a record..)

I enjoyed my polar bear Christmas card illustration so much that I have decided to make him into a print, and give him a couple friends. If these do well, there will be more joining in. And I will take suggestions! :)
They are all for sale now in the shop.

On a side note, I'm going to be creating a 'Last Chance'-type section for a number of my prints so I can create a less-overwhelming list of products. So, if there are any you've been putting off buying, you have until at least Christmas to buy them. I'll post here again and on FB/Twitter when the section is created.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Hoilday Cards are here!



I just put my holiday cards in the shop. :) 2 designs, sets of 6. I enjoy them. I hope others do as well.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

The 2012 Calendar is in!



I just listed my annual calendar. I hope it's as well received as last years edition. You can find it in the shop here.

Friday, November 4, 2011

Notes to myself...


Peter Gibbons said it best.


Note to self: Set some goals.

In an effort to make my goals seem slightly more official, I'm putting them on this blog for all to see. And just for fun, here's the story leading up to this need for goal-getting...

On Nov. 1st, a little over one year ago, I was told by my boss that I was going to be laid off along with another three designers. Well, I was given the ultimatum to commute/move 2.5 hours away to keep my job OR get laid off. I took the latter. The job search begins.

January 28th, last day at my job. Had one phone interview so far that didn't go any further. Unemployment compensation begins soon thereafter. I quickly land another interview for a 2 month gig close to my house that could potentially be full-time. I am offered the job, but weigh my options and decline. I am afraid of being laid off again in 2 months time.

Months pass...more interviews, I get offered a couple jobs but decline as it's early in my job hunt and I think I can land something better. But then I don't. After so many dead ends, I start emailing area horse barns, offering to lend a hand. Many answer and say thanks but no thanks, but one offers me a part-time gig. Ta-dah, and we are here.

Now, in these months and months that feel like YEARS, I toy with the idea of trying to just take charge of my work and try to squeeze as much profit as I can from it. Unfortunately, depression is an ugly beast that steals the passion you have for anything and smothers it. Art was a chore to me and that was bad. I literally just stopped caring. I just wanted a job that would help me pay my loans and give me some health insurance. Easier said than done.

I miss being excited about my work. I miss being excited about anything in my life. This year has been the hardest for both me and Lee. I've realized that the way this economy is, no one is going to throw me a rope. Unfortunately. In the words of actor/director/hockey fan/writer Kevin Smith "I have to go where the puck is going to be, not go where it was."

I'm done dragging myself behind everyone hoping that someone will slow down the bus and let me on. I'll just build my own bus. It may not look pretty at first, and it will probably break down several times, but it's my bus and I can drive it the way I want. And I can bring Lee and Cherry with me for the ride.

So, the goals? Debut new products/work at the CCAD show and see if it's well received or not. Keep creating things that I find exciting and interesting. Read up on other artists I admire, see what they did, where they started. Working through depression and stress is a big, big challenge. That's for sure.

Sorry for such a lengthy and insightful post, my dear readers. But thank you for listening.