New Kitty Inspired Art Coming Soon!

So, I have to say that I think I have the best kitty cat in the whole world!  She is my baby (well, one of my babies - I actually refer to her as my furry baby).  She is just so cute and so sweet and so nice.  She snuggles with me and my husband every night (actually, she's more of a Daddy's girl, and prefers to be closer to him, but that's ok).

I've always said that I think her hugs have magical powers.  Ok, I know I'm weird.  I know that a cat cannot actually hug you, but I'm telling you, if ever I'm upset or discouraged about something, and I give Pixie a hug, I can automatically feel the negative feelings slipping away.  It's like magic.

It was one day, not too long ago, as I was enjoying one of these magical fluffy hugs, that I said to Pixie, "I think the world would be a better place if everyone had a kitty cat just like you." 

Call me crazy, but it's true.  Unless you have some intense allergy to cats, you could really benefit by having one of these furry treasures live in your home. 

So, my up-and-coming art piece is a dedication to my special kitty, Pixie.  I just did a rough mock-up the other night, and the above image is a small glimpse of what is to come.  If you are a cat lover like me, then you can appreciate this, and you're in for a treat.

Couldn't Resist the Pink

So, when I started creating my original "It's True" art piece, I had a secret goal.  My goal was to see if I could actually create an art piece that didn't have any pink in it.  I was looking at my collection of creations one day, and I thought to myself, "man, that's a lot of pink!"  Pink is my favorite color (shocker), but the thing is that I don't really decorate with pink around my house.  I don't even know where I'd hang some of my pieces, because the colors don't exactly go with my decor.

Ok, so I set off to see if I could make some kind of art, minus the pink. 

Well - yay - there it is.  I did it.  I was very happy with the results......and then, I started thinking, "hmmm, I wonder what this would look like if I turned it pink?"  (One of the beautiful benefits of working with digital art - endless experimentation).  You know, Valentine's day is around the corner.  This is an illustration all about love.  I should totally turn it pink for Valentine's day!

Oh brother, I couldn't resist!  Here it is - all pinked out:

Ohhh, it's so cute, right?  I can't help myself.  I'm just drawn to the pink.  It's calling out to me.  Any, hey, now I can use it on my Valentine's for this year.  

I still love the yellow and green one, and am actually planning on displaying it in my bedroom, because - yay, it actually matches my decor.  And, don't worry, I do plan on adding some more non-pink art pieces to my portfolio in the near future.  Until then, enjoy the pink - find somewhere girly to display it!  : )

Find Me on Etsy!

So, I did it.  I finally opened my Etsy shop! 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/upenover

I've been in love with Etsy for a long time now, and always fantasized about how awesome it would be to have my very own Etsy shop, but to tell you the truth, I was scared.  There is so much amazing talent there.  I was a bit intimidated.  I also thought that I would try and get away with selling my art through a third-party source that would take care of all the shipping and processing orders.

Well, that wasn't working out so well.  To be honest, I only made one sale.  Pathetic, I know.  At this point, I really need all the exposure that I can get, and I think Etsy will be a great way to build up my customer base.  I also like the idea of having more control.  I can actually see the product before it ships out, and package it all cute and stuff.  I am a control freak, so it works out quite nicely.  Here's a couple of stickers I designed the other night to decorate my packaging with:

Cute, huh?

Plus, did you know that you can ship out packages through the US Postal Service without ever leaving your house?  That was another thing I was afraid of - endless trips to the post office (with my 5 year old and 2 year old in tow).  But, guess what?  You can print up labels through Paypal, set up a free pick up online from the post office, and - voila!  The mailman appears at your door step and takes your pre-paid package.  Awesome!  I haven't gotten to use the system first-hand yet (since I haven't sold anything), but hopefully it will go as smoothly as they say it will on their website.

So, wish me luck!  Here's to my many future Etsy sales to come!!

I'm a Logo-Designer, too.

So, I had a fun request for a project a little while ago.  A long-time friend of the family was in need of a logo revamp and new banner for her blog.  Apparently, she likes my art and wanted something with the Upenover vibe (cool!).  I had fun whipping up a new little creation, and here it is:

Pretty cute, huh?  You can check out her blog on parenting at: www.momotics.com.

Thank-you, Danielle!

Love-Inspired Valentine's Art

Well, I did it!  I finally finished my Valentine's art piece - yay!  Here it is for all the world to see and love.  It is inspired by my wonderful husband (to read more about the inspiration, click here).

"Soul Mates"

I actually created two versions of this piece.  After I finished the above version, I wanted to see how it would look if I got rid of the tree, and just focused on the hearts.  Here it is:

I couldn't decide which one I liked better, so I decided to share them both.  Enjoy, and Happy Early Valentine's Day!

Too Late for Christmas?

Ok, so I'm the biggest slacker ever!  I start this blog, and then I ignore it for 6 weeks?!.  Whoopsy.

You see, my big plan was to create this beautiful Christmas art-piece just in time for everyone to fall in love with it and order it for everyone on their Christmas list.  So, I put off all other aspects of my art business (including doing blog posts), just so I could create my masterpiece.

Well, I'm really really slow, and the piece took FOREVER.  I finally finished it, one week before Christmas, which happened to be the exact cut-off date for the printing company that I use.   Which meant that it was too late.  : (

Luckily, all was not lost, and I was able to at least use it on the cover of my own card.   So, here is my lovely creation (a week and a half after Christmas):

If anyone wants to get a head start on next year's Christmas - here's a lovely gift idea for you.

So, I just wanted to let you all know that I am still alive and still creating art (just not as quickly as I would have hoped).  Merry late Christmas and Happy New Year!!