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New illustrative designs for tees

I'm working on some fun illustrations lately with the thought to expand my tee line. Getting out of winter and back into climbing shape has inspired many of my new designs as well as has resurrected some older ones. If you haven't seen any of these hand-drawn surface designs for tee shirts, you can view them in my illustrations' gallery slideshow and even purchase some through my shop. Here's one of my newest called "Crack Climber."

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Colors inspired by the Bishop Buttermilks

Wow, wow, and more wow! The Buttermilks climbing area on the East Side of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range near Bishop, CA is so incredibly beautiful. Nestled right below snowline are the most picturesque boulders littering the sage and sparsely-pined hillsides. The boulders themselves are pure gems for climbing and considered some of the best in the world. The view, however, can be appreciated by those beyond the climbing folk. Here's a quick shot I grabbed facing the west (opposite of the stellar boulders) after sunrise. Though the colors are muted, there is still a lot to be seen. Here is a palette I created based on inspiration from this tremendous place.

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Collectible Earth Day t shirts available

I had such a wonderful time working with the Tahoe Truckee Earth Day Foundation in creating their tee illustration, website, and all of their marketing materials. The event was a huge success with hundreds of attendees, fabulous weather and fun to be had by all. If you weren't able to make this epic celebration at the Village at Squaw and want your own collectible t-shirt, I am selling both men's and women's shirts through my store. 75% of the proceeds goes to the wonderful Tahoe Truckee Earth Day Foundation.

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Illustrations make you get noticed

Ever go to a job fair, chamber of commerce, bulletin board, or coffee shop flier stand? What do you see there? I typically see is an ocean of cookie-cutter marketing materials strewn about, hoping to catch the attention of a potential client. Unfortunately many of these businesses, events, or  people hoping to catch a break are only contributing to the mess. They spend countless hours, and hundreds, (if not thousands of dollars), hiring a designer to create a look and a printer to deliver that message so they stand out from the crowd. Yet, when using the same ol' fonts, colors, and layouts, how unique can one be? That's where hand-drawn elements can make your dollars (and time) count. Illustrations, either hand-drawn or painted, can make your business, event or project really POP! They can add that personal flavor that visually represents the person behind the project. And surprisingly enough, it doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg to do so. If you don't have the budget to recreate an entire website or full identity, you can often spice things up with just a few hand-drawn flourishes, icons, or hand-painted textures, etc. Illustrated design may not be for every business or everybody. For instance, if you are in financial consulting and appeal to a more conservative, middle-aged crowd, then a streamlined, corporate look will most likely be best. However, if you are hosting an event or creating a fundraiser t-shirt for a Gen X/Gen Y crowd who loves the outdoors, pets, music or art, then a hand-drawn theme may be the exact way to catch the attention of your market. In a world of over-stimulation and constant eye-candy, it seems impossible to make your materials stand out from others. However, offering the alternative from the standard will most likely gets heads turning, and eventually clients and customers coming your way.

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Inspired by the lichen of Joshua Tree boulders

I recently returned from a climbing vacation in Joshua Tree National Park. If you haven't been there, it's a definite must. The Joshua Trees themselves have so much personality as they lean and twist in the desert sky. I'm personally attracted to the rock formations for more reasons than just that they provide 5 star climbs: they also provide creative inspiration. On a rest day, my family and I ventured out past Echo Tee to find some shade and take a rest. We came upon this beautiful boulder. The shape of the boulder was magnificent, however the multicolored lichen added some brilliant, colorful flare. The bright colors of this boulder in the desert heat really inspired me. Here's a color palette that I created based on just the lichen of this boulder (above). This is a great way to find colors that work together when planning your next design project. If you don't know which direction to give your graphic or web designer, think of an area that really speaks to you, or better yet, dig through some old photos. You will be bound to find some colors that can proudly represent the feel of what you are trying to do. (Nature really inspires me in general. Check back for more nature-inspired posts in the future).

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April projects

Hi Everyone! I'm currently taking reservations for projects in April. If you have an existing project and have already spoken with me about it (and have all of your components for the project submitted), then I already have time for you reserved. If you are interested in a new look for a logo, identity, illustration or website, let me know and I can get you scheduled. I'm going to be away from my desk for a week and then will be back on April 5th. Please email me or leave a message and I will get back to you then. In the meantime, if you are trying to prep for your project, here's some info on helping you get your project components together, especially if you are on a budget. Thanks and looking forward to working with you!

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Client testimonial - Tahoe Trucke Earth Day 2010

I had the best time working with Lisa Cashel and Emily Williams from Tahoe Truckee Earth Day 2010. It was fun to play with raw designs and be encouraged to be weird and whimsical. Here's a client testimonial from Lisa:

"Sara was the obvious choice for Tahoe Truckee Earth Day design work. Her spirit and her talent combine to produce original art that fits our values of community, stewardship, conservation and education. Sara was able to design a new website, marketing and advertising materials, as well as our T-shirts. Sara has been a good friend to our small non-profit and has been open to our ideas, which she then combined with her own vision to generate fantastic materials. We hope that as a result of this project, we can help spread the word about this great local artist." ~ Lisa Cashel, Tahoe Truckee Earth Day 2010

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Client testimonial from Summer Wood Skin Care

Summer Wood of Summer Wood Skin Care recently hired me for a full logo, identity and website package. Summer is an ideal client who clearly explains her expectations, finds examples of work she admires, and trusts me to add design flair when necessary. Summer recently gave me a wonderful testimonial:

"Sara recently completed a logo, website and cards for my new business location (summerwoodskincare.com). She is a breath of fresh air to work with! She is creative, timely, thoughtful and professional and a gem of a woman. I highly recommend her to anyone in need of a fresh image for their business!‎"

Thanks, Summer! You rock and I am happy to recommend you for your fantastic skin and hair removal treatments.

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The Adventure of Web Design

Phew! My new website is finally done. You'd think as a designer that it would be easier to create your own site. However, I tend to prioritize everyone else's projects and mine sits on the sidelines. Funny how that works. Anyways, after weeks of sitting second string, my site is finally up. Yahoo! Take a peek and look around. I have many galleries of artwork, illustrations and designs so sit down and enjoy!

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Art Marketing 101: A Review

I wrote this article when Art Marketing 101 had first come out. Since then, there have been updates. I highly recommend this book to any artist serious about making a hobby into a living. Here's the older article I wrote about one of the first editions.

Art Marketing 101: A Review

By Sara Zimmerman, copyright 2005

The greatest aspect of being an artist is having a passion in life that is tangible. Many people are blessed with this gift and choose to create art as a hobby. The difficulty arises when some of these talented artists choose to fulfill their dream of becoming a professional artist and cannot find the means to do so. Often they have the zest to promote themselves, but find the tasks to becoming a professional artist confusing, creating obstacles. Fortunately, there are many wonderful guides that help set the stage for artists wishing to take this leap, such as Constance Smith’s Art Marketing 101: A Handbook for the Fine Artist. Art Marketing 101: A Handbook for the Fine Artist is a wonderful handbook that breaks the barrier of art marketing in a step-by-step program. In Art Marketing 101: A Handbook for the Fine Artist, Smith touches on everything from goal setting, to artist legalities, to portfolio creation, to art reps. She lays out each subject with a brief overview, a breakdown of tasks, and a reference for more information. Included are several anecdotes about her clients and other successful artists that provide appreciated insight.

Pricing:

One of my favorite segments in Art Marketing 101: A Handbook for the Fine Artist is the pricing segment, which I have found to be very helpful. Smith integrates your time and overhead costs (studio rent, utilities, organization fees, supplies, etc.) with the market value. She explains the formula in great detail and notes what area to add or subtract from. By creating this formula, Smith helps us to see how to appropriately assign a price to our work (and commissions) without the guesswork. (I am very grateful for this formula because it gives me a solid answer when asked how I decide to price my work). Other wonderful segments included in Art Marketing 101: A Handbook for the Fine Artist are Changing Your Vision, Navigating the Art market, and the Print Market. In her Changing Your Vision section, Smith talks about how one must embrace calling oneself as an artist if that is their dream: “Once you start calling yourself an artist, you’ll be surprised at how many other people will start referring to you as an artist, too. Hearing others call you artist creates an inner image that reinforces your aim,” (Smith p. 21). She continues by “setting the stage” in her Navigating the Art Market portion with a “Making Sure You’re Ready” checklist. This checklist has asks all the appropriate questions including: “Do you have a body of work ready to sell? Are you able to produce artwork of a consistent quality and style? Are there any legal considerations in selling your product?” (p 154) These are fairly obvious questions that are easily overlooked when swamped with marketing tasks and the urge to create art. Lastly, in Smith’s Print Market piece, she relays the pros and cons as well as the ease of reproducing your works. Some artists do not want to promote themselves to galleries and feel more at ease at fairs and other events. Selling inexpensive reproductions such as greeting cards and small prints can help alleviate booth and entry fees as well as provide a supplemental income. Since being a working artist requires so much thought in business and marketing, having a clear-cut guide takes the frustration out of it (I know I find this book extremely helpful when I feel like I’m in over my head!). If you feel like you want to take the next step to becoming a professional artist, I highly recommend picking up a copy of Constance Smith’s Art Marketing 101: A Handbook for the Fine Artist from your local bookseller for under $25. Good luck and happy artwork!