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!!