Yikes…..I realized officially there has been no blog posts since 2015, despite swearing I had made one not that long ago. Either way, I’m finally more active here again, right now re-doing the look of the website, some of it seemingly a simple, easy thing, yet refuses to do what I want it too…..(I’m no coder or web developer but like to think I’m at least intermediate at computers).

 

On May 28th & 29th I attended the European Festival 2016 here in Metro Vancouver as an artist, which was exciting. Unfortunately on the first day, it was raining like mad, literally, it was the hardest raining day of the entire year so far, the sky decided to just drop it all. I actually did make one sale that day, and thanks to some cheery accordion makers playing their instruments in the next tent, it wasn’t all so down for most of us. The next day it stopped raining with some sunlight yet, and all considering I think I did better than I do at the geek conventions. Possibly because a wider set of audience, but either way, who at a Euro culture fest doesn’t appreciate dragons? ya?

 

Besides finding a resemblance to dragons and Europe, I have grandparents from Norway so it is quite relevant to me….and it is so hard to find anything of real European nature in Vancouver.

Since my last update, I’ve been plugging a lot of older and recent art into being die-cut stickers on my new Redbubble shop:

http://www.redbubble.com/people/mirrortail

Also I gave in to Instagram, not a place I feel I ‘fit in’, but suppose I ought to at least get my art presence there.

More notably, I have a Patreon account, which I seem to update more than my website lately…

https://www.patreon.com/Mirrortail

 

(Above) Me wearing a German-inspired top I bought in Taiwan last year (2015), and my shoulder dragon buddy I haven’t named. Speaking of shoulder buddy, I have the cutest little pet bird who loves to sit on my head. Because I’m either weird, have too much time on my hands or clever, I made him his own Facebook page called “Finchy Life” (it’s really for all 3 of them, but the other 2 are camera-phobic and basically untamed, so getting good photos is almost impossible), because why not? how many girls got a hand-tamed little finches that likes to chase string? not many :D. Do note they are Society Finches, I did not steal them from the park. Anyway, so off topic…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aside my usual prints, I had  a few test stickers and also some samples of other items from my online Redbubble shop, such as the t-shirt. I was situated in what seemed the Hungary-representative tent next to my table, so I constantly had people asking me for country stamps, much more than those interested in buying artwork really, but I guess it did bring people not looking for artwork by my table as they waited. I’m not exactly an addict of it, but I wanted to get it over with and say “Westeros” and draw some silly stamp thing resembling something in GoT. I do however wish I was Khaleesi with three dragons and my own personal costume maker, but that’s besides the point.

 

 

Some new artwork:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Wolf’s Paradise” done with watercolours and ink. 11×14 inches.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Making the most out of things in my home and seeing trends, decided to try out some new mini-projects with my acrylics.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This here is my first project following the adult colouring trend, but sticking closer to home with a Canadian postcard design. I got several printed, but have to finish a set before some shops will take them. So far I do have one local store testing them out in downtown Vancouver at Kim’s Prints. Finding out the hard way that most tourist shops around the area don’t support local work nor help promote local artists…a shame. Because I’m still new in name to the art scene I guess, it is really tough to get past the barriers. Some think I’m too young to have my work shown (I’m not talking about prestigious galleries, either).

 

Below is a link to a Indiegogo funding project to help me complete the postcards (planning for 4-5 more to call it a set…featuring Canadian wildlife).

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/canadian-themed-colouring-postcards/x/13519697#/

 

 

 

 

After talking around about making (and printing, of course) colouring book products, I realized how expensive it can be and wondering how one can compete with the influx of big names pushing them out at increasingly low costs. Since I’m currently working part-time min wage jobs, I have to find creative ways around it, or to just let it go and work on something else without a lot of upfront costs (especially since it is already so hard to get my stuff into shops as it is). Even if I do as much as possible at home without an official print shop, still again, will it actually sell as well as I hope or think it will? certainly as I go along, and have learned many times,  that things often don’t go as planned. Also, sometimes things go better, of course.

 

While I do have more art to show, I’ll hold off for future posts. Most of which are probably already on my Facebook, Patreon or Deviantart. I sound incredibly organized…….but really, it is so much simpler to update on those more regularly, especially since they were more designed for that purpose.