I'm a Horrible Procrastinator... :O ...

You know that sketch I blogged about a couple of posts back? Yeah, I haven't started that one yet... :) The main reason being is that I'm going to do it in oils, and I haven't worked in oils in years...I'm kind of a perfectionist, so I'm, uh...putting it off for a little while...(soon though, I swear)! :) ...

The painting shown here I am finally starting. I began this sketch a few years ago...(It's basically about losing your mind-- something many artists can relate to right?-- here's to you Van Gogh! :)...I think I'm going to call it "Pickle Head"... Get it? The head looks like a pickle, kinda...and also it's a refererence to your brain getting pickled :)...Yes, screwey but true :) It may look quite different by the time I finish it...I will most likely put a wallpaper background in it, like some of my other surreal paintings. I'm attempting to creat a "cohesive" body of work, or so they call it... :O (we'll see how it goes-- I have a bit of artistic ADD or something)...

In honor of my procrationation, and the many ideas I have in my head, I bring you this fun and quirky video by The Foo Fighters! :) I love this song/video. This song, called "Big Me," was big in my late teen years. I've decided to do a Mr. Chicken based on this video...Mr. Chicken Eat His Mentos (perhaps?)...I think Mr. Chicken might have to sport some Dave Grohl braids :)...(Remember those fun and dorky Mentos videos?) Of course though, since I procrastinate and am working on 10 differnt things at once, it may be a while :)
..sorry I had to post the link insted of the video-- I couldn't embed it for some reason! :O

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhfWzCPRPtg

To Have a Sale...or Not to Have a Sale...

Not to get all Shakespearian on ya or anything people! (Sorry, I couldn't resist, I'm kind of a dork :)...anyway, I am having a 2 week sale in my Snitterdog shop as part of the birthday bash for Etsy For Animals...(I'll get back to that later in the post).

Right now I would like to talk about the pro's and con's of having a sale on an ecommerce sight, in particular, Etsy. If anyone has anything to add, please feel free to comment! :)

I think some of the pro's (obviously) would be making some sales, particularly at a time when the economy is not in good shape, and sales are slow. I also wonder if it may draw in new buyers looking for a bargain....Once in a while I will do a search for "sale" to see what's out there...I wonder if others do this too :) Another benefit is the possibility of repeat business-- getting new buyers who maybe become repeat buyers, or previous buyers who may come back for more :)

Drawbacks-- will people just wait for "your next sale?"....This is something I wonder about...I had a new customer once tell me how much she liked my work and that she was happy it was on sale. This made me happy of course, I was thrilled she liked my work, and also happy with the purchase. It made me wonder though...do people wait to purchase sometimes, hoping for a sale?....particularly if you have sales a lot?...

I don't have sales a LOT...I do have a tendency to participate in group sales though...I did the Yart Sale (which was a great one)! and also a sale that a bunch of us in the ACEO Bounty Challenge participated in-- that was a good one too :)

Anyway, I thought I would do a post on the topic of "having a sale" because I'm trying to figure out the best way to do it-- how often, what kind of sale, etc...I was toying with having a sale at my other shop, The Greene Fairy, but I haven't decided yet...Will having sales too frequently reduce the value of my items?...I wish I would have taken some business classes in college :O...

As for the sale I am having: I'm part of the efa, also called Etsy for Animals. There are about 120 Etsy shops participating in this. We're animal loving types who often donate to animal charities :) The shops participating are doing a 20% off sale-- all you have to do is leave a message in "notes to seller" at checkout...my coupon code is SNITT (can ya guess where that comes from)? ... :) The code you can use at any of the participating shops is "MEOW"...The seller then refunds the 20% :) Here is a link to find all the participating shops! :)

http://efaartistshelpinganimals.org

Anyway, I may have to do some "research" about marketing and sales :)...I like to be informed...(I try anyway)! :)

Ah, Pricing Dilemmas...

You know what I'm talking about right, my fellow ecommerce people?...Etsy people in particular?....Pricing an item is tricky, particulary when the price point on your particular sight may be lower than out in "the real world."...and when I say the "real world," I'm referring to a store, or gallery-- a place you can physically go to :) ...

Over the last few months I have been S-LO-W-L-Y raising my prices on Etsy because I have really been lowballing them. Also, I know I can get more for them in my studio, and in stores and galleries if I pursue that route...I feel my prices in my studio need to be comparable to those on my Etsy sight...(I would feel kind of icky if people bought something for $40 at my studio, then logged onto my Etsy sight, only to find they could get it there for $20 )...

So how do we deal with these pricing issues?...I'm still trying to figure that out...One thing I've thought of doing is offering larger pieces in my studio, to sell at a higher price point...(many of the other artists who have studios near me have prints in the $40- $50 range-- they are shocked that I sell my prices for such a low price-- $20)....I've also had customers who were shocked at the low price of my prints...which makes me wonder if I should raise the price in my studio, and at Etsy...ah...but the price point there is lower...so what to do?...hhmm....

For now, I think I will continue my current price for prints on Etsy, but also offer some larger versions at my studio. I may also yank some or all of my originals from Etsy, but I'm kind of wavering on that-- not quite sure...most of my ACEO's take 5 or 6 hours, so I'm not even paying myself minimum wage on those little guys...I really like having a full shop though! :) ....Maybe I could list the print, and note that the original is also available-- (for example say something like, if you're interested in the original, contact the seller :)

These decisions are kind of tough and kind of screwey! We'll see what happens! :)

The Latest Round of Wierdness...

So lets just say I've had a creative block since 2001...I kid you not, I'm dead serious...This was the last time I planned a major composition...

I think when I finished college, and went out into "the real world" I lost a bit of my creative edge. I was no longer doing art 5-7 days per week, nor working in my sketchbook. In fact, I did little to no art at all for 4 years....I refer to those years (late 2001-late 2005) as my "lost years"....I was busy just trying to make ends meet, and often working up to 3 jobs at one time...It didn't occur to me that I could try to earn a living as an artist. (I think this is what happens when you don't think outside of the box (which I often don't) and when you have main stream parents who work in education)...

Anyway, when I say "major composition" I am referring to the surreal images in my Snitterdog shop. I started them in college, and finished them in the last 2-3 years. (they just didn't look done, so I went back to mess with them :)...Anyway, this is the type of art I am most interested in creating. This is the type of art that is also the most difficult to create -- it is very time consuming and intricate. I have not started a "new one" until recently. This is the sketch I plan to turn into a painting. (Supposedly)....we'll see what happens...

I'm trying to tell myself that I'm not any less creative than I used to be...I was just preoccupied for a few years, and my brain got lazy...(by the way, I tend to do the leaves and flowers because it' "easier"...I hope that doesn't sound horrible)...My goal is to get back into the wierd stuff-- I hope I can still pull it off! :)

Flashback in Time...#2A... Astronaut Chicken...

So I realized I had another chicken painting with no video, so here it goes..

Meet Mr. Chicken. He works undercover and takes on many secret identities. Today he is on a covert, top secret mission as a NASA astronaut. Who knows what Mr. Chicken will be up to tomorrow...

yes, Mr. Chicken (Astronaut Style) now has a video... :) I had to get this one up and running, if I am to proceed with the series )-- Enjoy the chicken solar power goodness! ;) Yeah!!! :)

My Neighbor Doggie Died :( ....

Her name was Lily and she was the cutest dog EVER!!!! (except for maybe Snitter of course )....She looked just like the dog in this photo, except her hair was graying because she was 15. She also had a fondness for chartruese doggie sweaters! :) Lily was sweet and tiny, weighing in at just 8 pounds-- about the size of a newborn baby :)... And she had the most lovely temperament too-- she just loved hugs and kisses, and was exceptionally needy and attention seeking-- my favorite qualities in a dog! :)

I had the privelege of dog sitting her for a week this winter, and we had so much fun! I would dress her up in her little sweater and drive around Savannah with her sitting on my lap. She enjoyed seeing the local sights, and going with me to pick up Matt when he was done with work. When we were at home she insisted that I hold her and comfort her at every moment, and I didn't mind at all :) One of her favorite things was to fall asleep on my lap while I sat at the computer, chatting on the Etsy forums :)

With Lily's advancing age she was having health problems, such as heart failure. I think she was having issues with her lung too. She would cough a lot, and her human had me gently pat her back and throat to help her coughing cease. Lily appreciated all the love and attention :) She was so much fun to spend time with! :)

Given that I live in an older building, once in a while since then I could hear her barking...(she did that when she was left alone and felt lonely)...I noticed about a week and a half ago, that I hadn't heard her barking in almost a week...(automatically this made me nervous)...A day or two after this thought, I ran into her human, and I asked her how Lily was doing. She said that Lily was so sick she finally had to be put down :(...

Everyone who knew and loved Lily misses her very much :(...She was so sweet and wonderful. I need to do something nice for her human, in honor of Lily :)

A Wave of Custom Orders...

Business is strange...

I can't quite figure out the pattern here...I'll have a couple of weeks of no sales, and then I'll get multiple sales in one day... The trend this week has been custom orders! :)...sweet....

I made a couple of wine colored friendship bracelets for a really nice lady on Etsy, who oddly enough is from Savannah. She somehow found Etsy through some link on the internet, and found the "shop local" section-- Yeah! :)...So anyway, I made her the bracelets, and she really liked them. Then she had me make her some Gardenia Blossom cards ;)-- this is what they turned out like :)...

I haven't decided what to do with the original painting yet...I might frame it and put it up in my studio...or I might sell it matted, but unframed on Etsy...I'm tempted to sell it on Etsy, but the price point is lower there, and I know I could probably get more for it at my studio...that depends on the foot traffic though, and the weather here is HOT right now...hhmm....what to do, what to do...

Anyway, back to the trend this for a moment...as I mentioned, I haven't noticed a major trend with my sales in particular, but I have noticed smaller trends...For instance, I seem to make more sales on the weekends than weekdays...Generally speaking of course. I used to notice that I'd get more sales in the middle of the night, but now it's all over the board...I'm just fascinated with "patterns," and love trying to figure it all out-- It's the Sherlock Holmes in me I'm sure...'cause I'm kind of dorky like that!...(I'm guessing I probably won't figure it out though-- the pattern that is)! :O.....Intruiging nonetheless! :)

PS: It's Sunday night people, you know what that means-- The Two Coreys!!!! :D