Please Help Me

Hey Guys~

I know I don’t get a lot of traffic through here but I’m in a bit of a tough situation financially and if you could, please take a look at my gofundme page. I need to come up with $1000 in the next month to secure my wedding venue and I can’t do it alone. I’ve set up a gofundme page and if you could please donate, whatever you can, it would be greatly appreciated! Even $1 is a step in the right direction and I’m offering some pretty awesome prizes if you donate. . . everything from drawings to jewelry to hand painted housewares! I wouldn’t ask for help if I didn’t really, truly, genuinely need it so please, even if you don’t donate, could you help spread the word to more people who might?

http://www.gofundme.com/ciz7zg is my campaign. Please help me out!

My Christmas Wish

I know I haven't written in a while, I've been busy with work and moving and whatnot but I have a Christmas wish and I would love for you, Dear Reader, to help me fulfill it. My facebook page, also called Bonefish Designs, has 142 likes. I would love, love, LOVE to reach 150 by Christmas! I'm so close! Only eight "likes" away! Won't you help me make my goal? It's not a ridiculous request and I'm not asking for money or goods to be exchanged. Just a few moments of your time and a few clicks of your mouse! Please help!

http://www.facebook.com/BonefishDesigns OR search: Bonefish Designs

Scottsville Fall Artisans Festival

Sorry I haven’t written in awhile, I was so busy between work and craft show preparations.

The Scottsville Fall Artisans Festival was yesterday. It was the big craft show I’ve spent every spare moment of my time preparing for for the last 3 months.

Set up began at 9 AM, we were supposed to open at 11 but we had people start trickling in around 10! I hadn’t even gotten any of my stuff put out at that time! I made my first sale around 10:30.

All set up and ready to go

It was the first time Scottsville had ever hosted a festival like that and I’m glad I got to participate, there was a huge turnout! I’d say it was quite successful, at least for myself! I was the only jewelry booth in the whole show and I was front and center in the middle of the pavilion, my booth was the first one people walked past as soon as they entered the show! Talk about prime real estate!

For the most part we were busy clear through until break down time. Even if people weren’t buying, they were still looking. I had people stop by two and three times before they actually bought something!

My little top hat fascinators were pretty popular, as were my cocktail rings and the button earrings I had made.

My fiance helped me handle the money and he got to get his tech-nerd on with the Paypal Here app and card swiper. We did a lot of cash business and quite a bit of card transactions too. I think people were more willing to buy when they realized I could take card because I had several people who had made cash purchases come back and make even bigger purchases on their credit cards!

hair fascinators, I sold half of them 

The show was supposed to wrap up around 5 PM but we still had people coming in to shop and we ended up keeping open until almost six and it was after 7 before we finished breaking down, cleaning up and returning borrowed supplies.

I met some lovely people yesterday too. Quite a few members of my fiancé’s church and family came by to shop and to meet me and a few of them purchased stuff. I saw friends from high school that I haven’t seen in years, many of whom are married with kids now. I even saw some of the ladies from the pool where I work and even my 7th grade art teacher stopped by!

Overall it was a good day. The weather was perfect. The people were really nice and business was brisk. I will definitely participate should the festival be offered again!

Teaching Workshop

Hello Dear Readers~

Today I started teaching a sewing and jewelry design workshop for a preteen summer camp. I'm no stranger to teaching, I do teach swim lessons and I teach several art classes but this was the first time I've had to entertain the same group for TWO (2) straight hours!!! Talk about a workout!

I had to split the kids up into two groups, one would be sewing while the other would be making jewelry. It was rather tricky to instruct on two different artisan crafts when it was just me trying to teach them!

It seemed to go okay, several of the kids had prior knowledge of the sewing machines and some basic fundamentals so I at least didn't have to hover like I sometimes find myself doing.

This was the first time I taught a jewelry design workshop so it was quite an experience trying to explain it in terms that a group of kids would understand. I had the added difficulty that 4 of the kids were from Nepal and didn't speak English, though they understood it. I seriously needed a thesaurus! I kept having to back track to simplify instructions even further! It was hard but surprisingly, I wasn't too frustrated or frazzled by the end of it.

The kids were really nice and very well behaved, they even helped me clean up when we were done! I'm supposed to go back again next week, I'm supposed to do this camp every Tuesday and Thursday for the month of July and I can't wait!

I know it's supposed to be "sewing and jewelry design" but I think I'll also introduce them to some no-sew projects they can do at home with their families since not everyone can go out and buy a sewing machine.

As for my own art, I promise, I'm creating, I'm working on a "To-Do" list so I can set specific goals and meet them.

Oh, I also got asked to paint faces at a friend's kid's birthday party later this month! I'm kind of excited since it'll be some quick cash and cake! And it'll be the first time I've been hired to do a birthday party! I've done some street festivals for people at work but this'll be my first independent face painting gig!

The Future Mrs. Critzer

Hello Dear Readers~

I'm thrilled to share some most wonderful news with you. On Sunday, 23 June, 2013, my boyfriend of nearly 8 years (we are high school sweethearts), proposed!

It was so unexpected! We spent the weekend at the beach and he proposed on the beach on Sunday before we left!

I shook, I cried, I said "holy shit" then I said "yes!"

We haven't set a date yet but we're not in any hurry. It's just so exciting to finally be making THIS step!

I keep looking at it every few minutes to make sure it's still there, that it's not just a dream, hahaha.

An Artist's Gotta Eat

Hello, Dear Readers~

I'm so sorry there's been such a delay between my last post and this one. I've been exceedingly busy, not just with my art but with life in general. Recent events though, have prompted me to write a new blog (not that I haven't attempted to write several only to trash them).

Recently, I shot a lovely couple and their grandkid. It was one of those impromptu things, I just happened to have my camera and it was a special moment. They asked me to have prints made, and that they would pay me.

I was more than happy to oblige. It's been a long time since I've used photography to create art and not just as a tool towards the end product.

I wanted to impress them, not just give them a CD with a bunch of photos on it. By the time I turned over the photos, they got:

1 photo book
4 8 x 10" enlarged prints
25 4 x 6" prints
1 CD containing all the photos

This cost me $50 even to produce. When time came to pay up, they didn't want to. Said it was "too much" money, that it was "extravagant", and they had no idea I would "spend so much".

First of all, $50 USD for all of the above is NOT A BAD DEAL!!! Second of all, having not had the opportunity to shoot people since I converted to a DSLR last year, I wasn't going to charge them an exorbitant amount. I figured they'd get some great keepsakes and I'd get some valuable experience. Boy, was I wrong.

To put it in perspective, typically when I do commissioned work, it breaks down like this:

hourly rate ($$$/hr) x amount of hours worked + cost of materials + shipping/handling OR delivery (gas)

Had they gone to a so-called "professional" photographer, they could easily spend $300+. Had I wanted to, I could've charged them my usual commission rate and they threw a fit because all I wanted was reimbursement for the cost of actually printing their photos.

Saying I was livid is an understatement. I was also incredibly angry and indignant. It's also incredibly frustrating when people think that an artist's work is "only" worth x-amount.

When you commission me, regardless of whether it's for a painting, jewelry, photography, WHATEVER, you are contributing to my ability to keep producing art, you are helping me pay my bills, you are ensuring that my degree- which cost me thousands of dollars and many years of my life- is put to use and it's an insult to me, my hard work, and my craft that you would think $50, JUST the cost of materials is "too extravagant".

In the course of my career as an artist I have bled for my work (stitches, twice), I've burned and blistered myself for my work, I've broken nails, singed hair, I've broken equipment and had to replace it, I've gotten sunburned and rained on, I've gone days without sleep, been exposed to harmful chemicals and materials, I've sacrificed so much that you thinking I'm asking "too much" is an insult to all the work I put into your commission that I did NOT charge you for.

Every commission I take on and complete puts me one step closer to being able to live on an artistic career, not just a weekend hobby. It puts me closer to achieving my dreams. If you're going to commission an artist you need to understand that you are contributing to our livelihood and understand just WHY something is so "expensive".

Also, don't forget, when you're commissioning an artist, you are also paying for a one of a kind creation. You can't just go to Wal*Mart and find something comparable.

Eventually, they did pay up. I had to threaten legal action. Unfortunately, this experience has prompted me to change how I do my commissions. How so, you ask? I don't make the same mistake twice.

Should you seek to commission me:

1. you WILL sign a contract. 
2. It WILL be notarized. 
3. You WILL pay half of the commission up front. 
4. If I'm mailing it to you, you WILL pay in full, up front. 
5. If you live locally and are going to pick it up or have me deliver it in person, you WILL pay the other half of the commission upon delivery. 
6. If you do not pay, I WILL keep the commission for 7 days and you have 7 days to pay up. 
7. Should you fail to pay up, your commission will go up for sale on my website. 
8. I will keep the half you already paid. 

I hate that it's come to this but I cannot afford the run around I have experienced. I'm trying to run a business so you're commissioning of me will be treated as the business transaction that it is, regardless of means/income or relationship to me. 

I know the above image pertains specifically to jewelry but it's true of any commission. 

Art Block SUCKS!!!

So I attempted to start several new paintings last night and earlier this morning and while I know what I want to do, I'm having the worst trouble getting it out of my head! It's been a long time since I've struggled like this and I don't like it! Especially when I have a deadline to meet here in the next two weeks!

My process usually involves:

- thumbnail sketches
- larger sketches, fleshing out the details
- a scan into photoshop for tweaking and resizing
- print
- trace enlarged version
- transfer to intended surface
- pencil in more details
- flesh out back ground
- ink lines
- base colour
- detailed colour
- painting

it's a very long, drawn out process that I've whittled down to a science but I can't seem to get past my thumbnail sketches and even those, I'm not so thrilled with any of them that I'm wanting to move on to bigger and better and it's really frustrating. Really. Really. Frustrating.