Monday, October 07, 2013

It'll be here before you know it

Christmas, that is. 
I do love a good argyle, so did up this Christmasy one to make cards and 'stuff'. I'm a little late, actually, but hoping I'm just under the wire to at least sell cards in my etsy shop(s).


Etsy has changed their policies (again), this time to make it OK to use outside manufacturers for all sorts of things. They maintain that things should be your own design, but decided its OK to get a little help with the making. Well, you know how people are. People are afraid this will open the doors for all the "China sweat shop" people to flood etsy with their stuff. Some of the handmade super purists are up in arms, and some are even leaving etsy for zibbet or artfire. Some are just leaving.

I, myself, am relieved to not feel guilty anymore having someone else print cards for me. I make my own prints, and will continue to do so, but for some reason I REALLY HATE MAKING CARDS. There, I said it. Actually, I don't mind making the little 2" square ones - and I'll still do those myself. I think. But the full sized greeting or note cards I will definitely "have done" from now on. I already make a lot of products with my art on Zazzle and CafePress, but have never even considered putting those in the etsy shop. Now, maybe I will - just small things, like a few magnets maybe? I don't know. I'll have to figure out what 'feels right'.


So back to the art here. I did this with Polychromos, Pablos, and some Dick Blick red. I wasted half a Prismacolor Permanent Red in the pencil sharpener before I gave up. I still cannot get my Prismacolors to behave, and still don't know if its just my sharpener, or bad pencils. They're the only ones that break every time. Grrrr.

If anyone has thoughts about a good sharpener (I'm using an Xacto School Pro), Prismacolors, or the etsy thing, please leave a comment!

** One other thing - Facebook is being very bad! I can't see my own PaulaPertileArt 'page' (http://www.facebook.com/PaulaPertileArt). Other people say they can see it fine. I can't - not from here, not as my 'regular self' on FB, not from anywhere. I can see the newsfeed for it, and can still post a new update from there, but then can't see the actual page! I get a 'broken link, or the page has been removed' message, the one with the bandaged thumbs up graphic. So so so so SO frustrating! So, if you happen to leave me a comment on there, or a message, or anything, I won't be able to respond until it gets sorted - if it ever does. Apologies in advance. 

**Update - FB is working now, yay!

2 comments:

Unknown said...

You are such a great source for all this internet stuff! I didn't understand the new etsy policy unti you just explained it. The drawing is fantastic! That's going to be a great card, regardless of who prints it! I think it's a tradeoff using prismacolors. If we want that soft creamy waxiness in our pencils, we have to allow them to get eaten up by the pencil sharpener once in a while. I just bought a Bostitch "Glow" and it's the best sharpener I've ever owned. (This coming from a 30-year classroom schoolteacher, AND a pencil artist.) I'll go look at your facebook page. :)

Anonymous said...

Have you tried using a knife? It works really well for me as I, too, hate aeeing my pencils get eaten in a greedy sharpener, and I can make both wide & sharp points with a knife. And the knife leaves nice rustic looking marks too.