Archive for April 2011

Rate and Review on Google

Did you have a good experience with a service provider or business? If so, take 3 minutes and write a review for them on their Google Business Place. This not only helps them get feedback, but also helps improve their Google rankings and helps new clients be reassured about their choice.

1. Go to Google Maps and type in their business name and/or address (if they sent you a link, you can just follow the link and skip to step 3). If they have a Google Business account, their business should appear. If they don't, recommend that they get one and that you will be their first testimonial.
2. Their business name will appear. Do not click on the title; click on the "more info" link below it.
3. Once to their page, scroll down to the middle and you will see a list of reviews and an area to sign in to make a review. You must use your Google account to log in and review. If you do not have one, you can create a free one with the prompts.
4. Add your testimonial and click "submit."

If you have a Google Business Place account and want to send a link to a client who wants to provide a testimonial, go to your business account and get the link from the right hand side:

If you have used my services and would like to provide me a testimonial on Google, you can use this link and then follow step 3 and 4 above. (Thanks in advance!)

Tips on Greening Your Business

As a tribute to Earth Day, here are a few tips and resources for making your business a green business:

• Use a high recycled content paper in your fax and printer. When one side is printed on, use the other side for scrap paper, notes, etc.
• Have a recycling container next to each trash can and desk.
• Turn off your work station lights when gone for longer than 5 minutes.
• Replace work station light bulbs with energy efficient compact fluorescents.
• Carpool, take public transit, walk or work from home.
• If you eat take out lunches from nearby restaurants, either eat there or bring your own recyclable take out containers.
• Bring a reusable water bottle versus using one-time water cups or plastic water bottles from vending machines.
• Look at any products you offer and investigate ways you can use recycled/reclaimed content in the packaging or in the product itself.

These are just some ways that you can make a small impact in your everyday business life. For more ideas, here are some resources:

• Eco Natural
• Global Stewards
• eBay Green Team

Custom Painted Belly Mask

I had the fun opportunity to paint a belly mask. A belly mask is a plaster mask that is formed on the body of a pregnant woman in her last stages of pregnancy. The belly mask is a reminder to both mom and child of this important stage. My client asked me to let loose and have fun. I sent her a quick sketch and she said "go!" (my favorite!). The surface had been diligently prepared by her husband, making it very easy to work with. After a handful of coats, the end product became fun and light. I am now inspired to finally finish my own from my pregnancy.

I'm an official Green Business

When I was in UCSC, I received my bachelor's in Environmental Studies- a degree which was known then as the most depressing one around. I learned a lot about the theory of making change and reducing our carbon footprint. But then I got married, had a baby... and we all know how it goes from there. It takes a concerted effort to reduce, reuse and recycle and I am doing my best to incorporate these ideas into my art and design business. To lessen my impact, I recently switched over to biodegradable bags for my prints and 100% post-consumer waste backings for my greeting cards. I use reclaimed cabinet doors as canvases when possible, and do as much as I can electronically to cut down my paper waste. I am happy to announce that my efforts in my business have been recognized by Keep the Sierra Green as a Green Business Leader! I have a long way to go- there are so many ways to change. What simple things can you do to make your business green?

Come see me at Truckee's Earth Day 4/23

The Tahoe Truckee Earth Day celebration is a great festival for all ages. The event is entertaining and educational and this year, I will have a booth. I will have a booth set up with prints, greeting cards and shirts plus smiles for everyone. Come by the booth, located in the smack dab middle of the event to say hi from 11-5 this coming Saturday, April 23rd at the Village at Squaw Valley. See you then!

Stoked on Daniel Smith's Art Products

Artist often search around to find art supplies and surfaces that will fit the need of their next masterpiece. I would love to shop locally for many of my art supplies and paints, but local places don't supply half of the items I need, especially since I live in a small town. I have searched many places online and have happily found Daniel Smith Art Supplies to not only provide quality artist materials, but provides exceptional customer service. A little about Daniel Smith Art Supplies: Daniel Smith, Finest Quality Artists' Materials has been a trusted manufacturer and seller of art supplies since 1977. Daniel Smith is committed to offering outstanding quality art supplies, products, value and savings to the artist community. We offer artists over 12,000 sku’s of watercolor, acrylic and oil paints, sticks, brushes, pastels, charcoal, inks and printmaking supplies. The key differentiator between Daniel Smith and our competition is that we manufacture artist’s paints that are recognized as the finest in the world. These highest quality watercolor, oil, and acrylic artist paints are created in the Daniel Smith paint-making lab, located in Seattle Washington. It is a world of machinery and color, where the air smells of linseed oil, and everyone’s clothes are splattered with paint. The manufacturing R&D lab is the soul of the company, a place where ideas are shared, artist’s voices are heard, and new colors are brought to life by a talented and dedicated production team. Artisans making paint for artists, we have your customer’s complete satisfaction in mind. ~ DanielSmith.com

Create Web Content that Engages

With the development of content management sites, many of us web designers and developers are now leaving the content up to the client. This can be both good a bad. The right content can have customers making instant sales where the wrong content can not only discourage purchases, but can prevent search engines from organically finding your site. So what's the key? Below The Social Media Examiner and myself outline 10 major steps to creating effective content for websites and social media platforms, which include:

1. Show, don’t just tell
2. Stoke the campfire
3. Play to your strengths
4. Speak human
5. Reimagine

The other key points that I tell my clients are:

1. Instead of using "he", "she", "it", etc., use actual nouns and words that both pertain to your content AND would be keywords people are searching for
2. Write relevant content for your blog or website
3. Don't expect people to know what the acronyms or business-specific jargon means- describe what you are saying if you want it to reach a broader audience.
4. Always remember to answer the basic who, what, when, why, where and how's.
5. If you want a reader to take action, write out the action you want them to take very clearly with very clear instructions of how to take that action

These are just a few tips to improve your site's or social media platform's content to make your readers more interested and willing to take action.

New art works for the soul

One day I was feeling down in the dumps. Despite the hugs and support from my family, I needed something else. So I painted a series of 4 cups filled with the items I needed: Nurturing, Peace, Love and Harmony. When done, I felt complete and that they could move on. These 4 pieces are now on display at  Riverside Studios along with many of my prints.

Illustrated Map for Wedding Invitation and Bag

I had the honor to create a super fun illustration for an upcoming June wedding. The mother of a bride contacted me with some fun ideas, wanting a map to feature the places wedding guests would visit. The map would be screened onto a bag as a wedding favor AND used as a directions card for the invite. The process required 3 separate artworks and some diligence in Photoshop and Illustrator.

1. First I drew the map out with tracing paper. Each revision, I sliced up the tracing paper until I had the final paper.
2. Second, I laid the tracing paper over a sheet of Saral transfer paper over Arches Cold Press paper and then traced the tracing paper. This left a light line on the paper.
3. I then used India Ink to ink the first set of lines.
4. Once that was done, I scanned in the images into Illustrator and using Live trace, I was able to outline the images. I had to go in and clean up many of the curves that didn't transfer.
5. Separately, I started another artwork using the same technique outlined in step 2. When the lines were laid in, I started in with a background wash of quinacridone sienna acrylics.
6. When that was dry, I worked in about 3 other layers of greens, tans, and blues. When done, I scanned in that image.
7. I brought that image into Photoshop and then, brought in the inked lined image. I locked that image and started messing around with the colors, blotching them and touching them up so they would match up with the landmarks.
8. In another document, I used Live Trace to outline some lined drawings of the structures. Once those were brought into Illustrator and traced with Live Trace, I then used Live Paint to fill the structures in.
9. I merged all the files together in Illustrator for the final product.

This final map was used on the wedding invitations and screened onto wedding bags as wedding favors for the guests. Needless to day this was a time-intensive project, but the end-product was well worth the time involved. Here's how it came out on the bag: