Back Better than Before for 2019 :)

I am not really sure what to start with here, I have been absent off here for awhile. Instagram has been a lot more simple for me to upload new work, so that’s where I’ve been active (at least I’ve been art-alive somewhere). Additionally, I’ve been trying out a new style look as I head into being a new mom of a infant-toddler stage girl who loves her books to bits (as it, of course, she chews on some but she really does flip them and read the pictures).


Here is some new work I’ve done already in the first 1.5 months of the year. I feel like this is quite something compared to last year. Having a cluster-feeding newborn and being confused about babies, I really didn’t do much for a while. It was at least nice to have an excuse to just sit and play through The Last Guardian on my PS4 while she napped on me after nursing. Plus the winter blues.

Over the past few months, I have been contemplating my new art career direction. I had just found a local Illustration meetup group, and it’s helping me feel more inspired and accountable for pushing myself with the real career-orientated setting, having access to field information and seeing what others have been working on.

My goals as an individual have been always leaning towards Environmentalism and Conservation, contributing to but just unsure in which way. As an artist, I feel I am more ready to step into finally walking there. One of the other things that has recently greatly affected me of late, was attending the Artists for Conservation’s art show teaming up with what is called the Ornithology Congress for a big event of bird sciences and art together. I felt like I had a place to belong, kind of, even though I didn’t really meet anyone or talk to people a whole lot. But just being there was something that seemed to remove the self-doubts and the lack of support I’ve been feeling within my own circles. I just feel kind of misunderstood I guess?

Another Chinese New Year theme like my last post it seems
This work here is what I am aiming to do more of besides the cutesy book art :)!
It started out as a challenge to draw sketches of the bird, but I managed to complete even a background. Very inspired by my visit to the Ornithology Congress and Nature Art festival, in addition, the Hornbill I saw at Taipei Zoo for this particular piece. I will make a feature blog for this one soon.

In any case, now that my silly baby is more active, I kind of got the pros and cons of it—I don’t really need to hold her up, but she sure knows how to get my attention with her voice if I’m trying to get other things done, so I have to be realistic with my projects.

Oh, the other reason I am being more pushy towards goals now: I am turning 30 this year! UGH! What have I been doing to make life go so fast? I need to finish writing and start checking off items in my 2019 bucket list.

Remember, life goes so fast!

My Patreon if you wish to support my work:

https://www.patreon.com/Mirrortail

European Festival and Barriers as a Young Artist

Yikes…..I realized officially there has been no blog posts since 2015, despite swearing I had made one not that long ago. Either way, I’m finally more active here again, right now re-doing the look of the website, some of it seemingly a simple, easy thing, yet refuses to do what I want it too…..(I’m no coder or web developer but like to think I’m at least intermediate at computers).

 

me with gerdra

On May 28th & 29th I attended the European Festival 2016 here in Metro Vancouver as an artist, which was exciting. Unfortunately on the first day, it was raining like mad, literally, it was the hardest raining day of the entire year so far, the sky decided to just drop it all. I actually did make one sale that day, and thanks to some cheery accordion makers playing their instruments in the next tent, it wasn’t all so down for most of us. The next day it stopped raining with some sunlight yet, and all considering I think I did better than I do at the geek conventions. Possibly because a wider set of audience, but either way, who at a Euro culture fest doesn’t appreciate dragons? ya?

 

Besides finding a resemblance to dragons and Europe, I have grandparents from Norway so it is quite relevant to me….and it is so hard to find anything of real European nature in Vancouver.

Since my last update, I’ve been plugging a lot of older and recent art into being die-cut stickers on my new Redbubble shop:

http://www.redbubble.com/people/mirrortail

Also I gave in to Instagram, not a place I feel I ‘fit in’, but suppose I ought to at least get my art presence there.

More notably, I have a Patreon account, which I seem to update more than my website lately…

https://www.patreon.com/Mirrortail

 

(Above) Me wearing a German-inspired top I bought in Taiwan last year (2015), and my shoulder dragon buddy I haven’t named. Speaking of shoulder buddy, I have the cutest little pet bird who loves to sit on my head. Because I’m either weird, have too much time on my hands or clever, I made him his own Facebook page called “Finchy Life” (it’s really for all 3 of them, but the other 2 are camera-phobic and basically untamed, so getting good photos is almost impossible), because why not? how many girls got a hand-tamed little finches that likes to chase string? not many :D. Do note they are Society Finches, I did not steal them from the park. Anyway, so off topic…

 

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Aside my usual prints, I had  a few test stickers and also some samples of other items from my online Redbubble shop, such as the t-shirt. I was situated in what seemed the Hungary-representative tent next to my table, so I constantly had people asking me for country stamps, much more than those interested in buying artwork really, but I guess it did bring people not looking for artwork by my table as they waited. I’m not exactly an addict of it, but I wanted to get it over with and say “Westeros” and draw some silly stamp thing resembling something in GoT. I do however wish I was Khaleesi with three dragons and my own personal costume maker, but that’s besides the point.

 

 

Some new artwork:

 

Wolf's Paradise

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Wolf’s Paradise” done with watercolours and ink. 11×14 inches.

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Making the most out of things in my home and seeing trends, decided to try out some new mini-projects with my acrylics.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This here is my first project following the adult colouring trend, but sticking closer to home with a Canadian postcard design. I got several printed, but have to finish a set before some shops will take them. So far I do have one local store testing them out in downtown Vancouver at Kim’s Prints. Finding out the hard way that most tourist shops around the area don’t support local work nor help promote local artists…a shame. Because I’m still new in name to the art scene I guess, it is really tough to get past the barriers. Some think I’m too young to have my work shown (I’m not talking about prestigious galleries, either).

 

Below is a link to a Indiegogo funding project to help me complete the postcards (planning for 4-5 more to call it a set…featuring Canadian wildlife).

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/canadian-themed-colouring-postcards/x/13519697#/

 

 

 

 

After talking around about making (and printing, of course) colouring book products, I realized how expensive it can be and wondering how one can compete with the influx of big names pushing them out at increasingly low costs. Since I’m currently working part-time min wage jobs, I have to find creative ways around it, or to just let it go and work on something else without a lot of upfront costs (especially since it is already so hard to get my stuff into shops as it is). Even if I do as much as possible at home without an official print shop, still again, will it actually sell as well as I hope or think it will? certainly as I go along, and have learned many times,  that things often don’t go as planned. Also, sometimes things go better, of course.

 

While I do have more art to show, I’ll hold off for future posts. Most of which are probably already on my Facebook, Patreon or Deviantart. I sound incredibly organized…….but really, it is so much simpler to update on those more regularly, especially since they were more designed for that purpose.

 

 

 

Spring Cleaning for Sanity and Creativity Sake

(Well, it seems more like summer,really,….but anyways.)

I am not sure about you, but over the years of last minute moving and than more moving, I’ve hauled around most of my stuff from middle school to high school and the 4 years after that with me. My first big move with all my things was to Saskatchewan when I was still living at home after I took a class in Vancouver, with little to no time to get rid of things.

Now that I have slowly been settling more after moving back to British Columbia and hopping different neighborhoods, I am getting a grip on the stuff after my mother sent the final loads via greyhound for me to go through. If there is anything I’ve learned, is that it sure was fun to collect various things while I had a more stable life during those old grade school years, but after awhile it becomes a burden physically, financially and psychologically. I had already started to toss broken things (many dragon figurines included, sadly) and donate misc items left and right, but now that I live in an even smaller space and with less time (now that I’ve been in a relationship), it’s that real sobering time to truly confront the remainders, even some of the stuff I actually kind of like–but need to just let go of.

I suppose you may wonder why this even matters or is relevant or why one ought to even care, but I can tell you for sure that it is incredibly draining and hard to focus on your projects and keep a stable energy level when you got ‘stuff’ everywhere. I have anxiety and this honestly heightens it and adds indecisiveness, leaving me tired and exhausted, sometimes feeling at a loss as to how to even start the cleaning. At that point I can hardly think of focusing on my work. Even in the background processing of the mind there is the unconscious awareness of your environment, and while you think you are immune, you really are not…and it adds a feeling of panic and hopelessness if you are undergoing any other stress factors.

Also I have this dresser filled with art things: misc supplies, prints, filled sketchbooks and sheets, reference materials, and my general drawer for stuff I consider important or has no other place. Before I went through it, there were a lot of old drawings and just things I stuffed away. It was a bit hard at first, but I tore through some of my oldest sketchbooks and kept only the drawings that had any future usage or I felt was good enough to keep, the rest I tossed into the recycle bin. Now I can happily say it is so much easier to navigate, and the junk is gone.

After you clean up a space it feels so relieving and kind of like you found a new space in your home you almost forgot existed. That feeling of clean, clutterless room that almost instantly inspires you and is like a weight off the shoulders. After experiencing that I really don’t want to put up with the cluttered life anymore, and I plan to unclutter my mind as a result and become more focused and less prone to anxiety of all the unfinished things and crowding (after all, there is more peace at home between house members when less chores need to be done!).

I have proudly donated bags of clothing, misc household goods and other essentials to our local youth center, the Salvation army thrift shop, and things of a certain minimal value or physical condition have listed up on Craigslist (also got my fiance on it too). Some items that were never opened I decided to gift out, and I also recycle as much as possible. From now on, more quality and less quantity, and most of all, more quality of time and mental well being vs holding onto all that stuff. The hardest part is the more nostalgic items and some of my books and video games I hoped to keep for many years (when I was a kid I dreamed of having my own library in the house complete with painted ceilings).

And to put the two topics into more relevance, I recently just dropped off 20 pieces of random older art for Papergirl Vancouver to give away after their mini art show night. A good way to avoid tossing out things you think someone may still like, and declutter your pile of work that will eventually overflow by keeping it.

In summary, while it is fun to collect things, sometimes you need to let go of the idea after a certain point if you don’t own a big house and make your living space more simple and move on so you can focus on new things (certainly not ridding myself of all my video games, of course!). It also feels great to give items to people who have a greater need of it, certainly doing two good things at once—but don’t feel guilty to resell things either of course, I mean, why not re-earn some of your money back and pass it on to somebody else who will use it more often?

 

Since my previous post I completed a colouring page and did some playing around on my shiny new Painter 2015 software. Needless to say, the symmetrical mirror drawing tool is pretty fun. I’ll post some of my experiments soon.

ulamandar sketchHere is a fan art sketch I did for some spontaneous fun , based off a video game called Savage Skies for the Playstation 2..