Illustrationink

Unusual Setting, Compelling Art

2008-02-23T06:17:00.000-08:00

A one-woman show! Friday, February 29, 2008, details below.

I'm working every single day now, no exceptions. Even when I'm out of town, I have my work bag with me with two or three ongoing pieces. The stipple work is going faster and faster, and now I've delved into acrylic painting again. I'll have a 3x3' landscape I've toiled over on display at the show, to exemplify what a commission piece can look like. It's lovely, and time-consuming, and I wish I'd started painting again earlier.

Chicago plans continue...

Unusual Setting, Compelling Art.

Hosts: Donna Gierman/Brian Ousley
Location: Birdcage Salon
13431 S. Blackbob, Olathe, KS 66062 US
When: Friday, February 29, 6:00PM
Phone: 660-354-3261

Donna Gierman is showing her stuff! 18 new pieces of art: Pointillism, line, color. All gallery-framed and ready for sale in a wide range of prices and styles. Pieces that take anywhere from 40 to 300 hours to create.

~Says one buyer: "I received your drawing yesterday. I can't say enough. LOOOOVVEE IT."
~Says another: "I'm so proud to have this piece hanging in my home. It's amazing!"
~Says just about everybody: "You're crazy."

Dots and lines and color, sizes ranging from 7x7" to 3x3'.

Cocktails, pupus, music, art, all in a hip salon. Check out the services while you're there. It's a cool place.

You can't get much more of a weird, interesting Friday evening.

workworkwork hello girls

2007-04-10T06:42:00.000-07:00

Excellent, my unsold art's back from its show in Chicago, and I can get prints made and start touching things up for the two shows I have planned this year.

New stuff up on the Fine Art page, including "Crazy Leaves" and "Lily #3":

"Crazy Leaves"

"Lily #3"

Also, since I'm not right in the head, I've started "Crazy Path":

There are FIVE other pieces in various stages of completion, not including a set of SIX line pen nudes in a series...Yay! I've got new pens, new color pencils on the way, a bunch of empty cut board and I'm not scared! Much.

I'll be putting up a way to subscribe to this Atom feed later today.

Okay, off to get the art and finish working on a grant application.

new doin's

2007-04-04T20:30:00.000-07:00

The website's under heavy construction. The "Fine Art Gallery" is open, and the rest should be finished by 4-5-07. Entirely new website, with a new look, easier-to-navigate art galleries, new ways to purchase the art and products. There will be a new section in "Fine Art" of line nudes. Also soon to be added, Altered Art pieces I've been working on and ACEO's. A bunch of funky Ready-To-Fill scrapbook pages will also be available for purchase, and I'll be sponsoring twice-monthly scrap and craft newletters/online demos. These days, I'm also applying for shows and grants...busy times here at Illustration Ink.

process

2007-03-21T07:53:00.000-07:00

On being an "artist." What it means for me, in a practical sense.

It goes like this and you're honored when somebody "gets it" when it's done and looks the way you intended.

From choosing photo to uploading final to site: 270 hours

From choosing photo to uploading final to site: 125 hours

Find the right picture, or take the right picture.
Decide on medium(s)/technique: painting, stipple, line or colored pencil piece. Will it incorporate more than one of those mediums/techniques? (Try to keep at least one of each technique going on several different pieces at once, to go back and forth to them so you don't get burned out/bored. Remember to go heavier on techniques that your portfolio is light on, for full representation of range.)
Decide how large piece should be.
Make sure to have all the materials needed on hand.
Cut board, sharpen pencils, clean pens.
Make initial sketch, deciding on placement of major elements. How much white space? Do I make it a piece featuring only one major element? If so, which one and where in the space?
Begin execution of chosen technique. If stipple, plan on 200-300 hours of dots. If line work, plan on 40-120 hours of lines. If placing color, add 10 hours. If only color, plan on 40-100 hours of work.
When piece is finished, clean up pencil marks and any other random marks, trim and scan to computer.
Do sizing and color corrections for online display. Make four sizes of each image
Decide price and title.
Upload to website and start marketing (again, like every day, only extra push because of new work).
In the meantime, work on the other pieces started, chipping away at the stones.
Every day/week, make sure you check your forums, fiddle with your website and portfolio, check member sites for stats, check art supply sales (fliers and online), check site stats, contact galleries, contact potential buyers, list on ebay and Etsy and CafePress.
Restart process.

It's not easy. It's not particularly difficult, either. It's just something that I have a talent for, have gone to school for, have been doing professionally for 25 years and have to do to stay sane.

Finally, a real update for Illustration Ink

2007-03-20T10:36:00.000-07:00

Blog update, finally.

You make the art, you hope someone likes it. That's how it is for me. I am constantly creating something, be it four drawings in progress (at Illustration Ink's art page), or crafting a scrapbook page (for PersonalTales), or writing in my journal (Lacyunderall) The pointillism pieces take me out of my own head and places me in a meadow, or standing in a field...just adrift and thinking of really anything but what I'm laying down on the board. It's the most cathartic experience one can have, short of actual meditation or doing mind-altering drugs.

The next step is to let it go, as if it were a child. To that end, I'm also promoting and marketing at least 10 hours a week. This week, I've updated my store, joined its Affiliate Program, and joined My Expose. By the end of the week, I'll have my Etsy Shop up for crafty stuff. I've submitted to two local galleries; my goal is five by the end of this week.

Work in progress:

"Crazy Leaves" - Stipple botanical interpretation in India ink on illustration board:

"Arrangement" - Colored pencil and ink on illustration board:

Buy buy buy! That's what I hope you'll do if you like it. If you can't afford it right now, contact me and make payment arrangements. I can take payments via Mastercard, Visa, American Express or Discover via PayPay.

If you just like it but don't want to buy, I totally understand. If you'd like to give the site some kudo's, please respond here. I could use the boost.

Love,

Donna

2006-09-02T10:25:00.001-07:00

"Helenium" done proud

2006-09-02T09:10:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm a big fan of my own artwork and "Helenium" is absolutely one of my favorite pieces, but COME ON, who knew it could look this good?

.

This is at my friend Lori's house in Florida. By assembling this lovely tableau, you can tell she's an artist in her own right.

You too could own a slice of heaven! Ha. Illustration Ink. You know you want this. My eBay auction on "Bird Landscape" ends in an hour. The reserve is one-third of what it should be, because I do indeed need the money so very desperately. After today, it goes back to the regular price on my website and for the gallery show in Chicago.

representation

2006-08-28T13:02:00.000-07:00

Seriously, how hard should it be to find a decent rep/manager/agent in this goddammed town? There are plenty in St. Louis, but it seems there are NONE in Kansas City. For a city that prides itself on its gallery scene and quality of the arts, I'm finding more and more that it is indeed a cowtown that will never be respected.

I have a quality product. I have a quality product that I have neither the time nor the resources to adequately market and sell myself. I spend roughly TWELVE HOURS A DAY just drawing. When exactly am I supposed to make time to get the emails out to the galleries, follow up with them on their submission guidelines, adhere to said guidelines, meet with gallery owners for portfolio presentations and then do more follow-up? Is there NO ONE IN THIS TOWN who wants to make some money? I'll give up (gladly) 20% of my sales. Gladly.

A fucking break, that's all I need.

show

2006-08-22T08:59:00.000-07:00

I've got a show in Blue Island, Illinois (essentially the southside of Chicago) starting Friday and running through October 7th.

This is my first group show and I'm pretty excited. A lot of it's because my art is among the better stuff there and I think I'll do pretty well with sales. My stepsister set it up for me and is showing as well (also a talented artist, who has a woeful website...Ugh.) I've offered roughly a million times to build her a decent site and she's resistant...don't know why.

I'm mailing to her today my "Bird Landscape" pointillism piece and sales cards for each of the pieces she currently has. Which I'm only like two weeks late with. Which makes me a ne'er-do-well flake.

Cripes.

first post, new site

2006-08-15T12:58:00.001-07:00

This is my new blog for the website, Illustration Ink. I rebuilt the entire site over the course of yesterday and today, and will be tweaking it for weeks to come.