Inside the Sketchbook

Today I thought I would share some of the sketches I did while working on the new line of prints, from preliminary drawing to final print. Some designs take several tries to get them right, and some go straight from first sketch to final carving with no revisions. Below are some original sketches and the prints they turned into:

 Half of the watercolor painting that was the basis for the 2013 Calendar

A few sketches that haven't yet made it to print form.

The sketch and final print of this card

The preliminary sketch for this scarf, this card, and these journals

The sketch for this card, these journals, these coasters and this tea towel

A second sketch for this scarf

The first idea for this card

The final drawing for this tea towel and this tote bag

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Minted Wedding Invitations

Voting for the Minted wedding invitations started yesterday, and this time I submitted nine different designs. I did four block printed designs, but also tried something new and did four painted designs as well. I really like the way the painted ones came out; it's so nice to be able to see the brush strokes in the image. I think I might have to add some painted cards to the line in the future...

As you can tell from yesterday's post, your votes make a huge difference, so head over there and vote for your favorites! You can go here to see all the designs, or click the invitations below to go straight to that design's voting page. Thank you!

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Holiday Photo Cards

I had a lot of requests for Holiday Photo Cards last year, but as you can imagine it is difficult to block print with photos. There is now a solution to that, with photo cards available at Minted! Minted is an online stationery company, you order directly from them and the digitally-printed cards are sent straight to you. They are fully customizable, so you can change to photos, text and colors to get exactly what you want.

Thanks to everyone who voted for the card, as you can see it made a huge difference as the cards were chosen and are now for sale!

As a thank you to everyone, Minted is offering 10% off to my customers and readers with the code 10WATSON, just use that when you check out to apply the discount (only valid on cards I designed).

You can go here and here to see the designs and order them online!

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New Journal Designs at Minted

I have two new journal designs over at Minted, and the voting round just started. The first design is a repeated block print pattern, and the second one relates to my earlier travel announcement.

The journals are completely customizable, so you can add your name, photos or any other titles you want! They are coming out just in time for Christmas, and would be perfect personalized presents.

Your votes made a huge difference in the Christmas card challenge (being released this fall!), so will you head over and vote in this round?

To vote for the block printed design, go here.

To vote for the customizable map travel journal, go here.

Thanks so much, every vote makes a huge difference!

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Carving Away

I'm in the middle of getting ready for the National Stationery Show right now, and I have a few more designs to finish to debut at the show. I'm working on four new blocks, and thought I would give you a little sneak peek.

I'll give you a sneak peek at the other ones in the next few weeks!

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New Prints

Happy Monday! I had the most relaxing weekend ever, which involved a lot of lounging, popcorn eating, and A Little Princess watching. I did do one productive thing though: last night I made ricotta cheese using this recipe and it was so easy! I always thought cheese making would be a long and complicated process but it took half an hour, a half gallon of milk and some lemons to make delicious fresh cheese. I think I just found a new obsession.

To start the week, I've added new prints to the shop! They are available in turquoise or indigo right here.

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Here We Go!

2011 is off to a great start! In my head I was thinking that January would be slower because nobody wants to shop after Christmas, but the universe has proven me wrong. There's plenty going on behind the scenes right now: finishing custom pieces, a new print almost finished, new stores and markets coming up, and a new studio! Last night Joe and I stayed up late and rearranged our apartment, so my studio is now in front of the window. I no longer have to stare at a wall all day! I feel better already.

I will put up pictures as soon as I'm done organizing. As part of my goal to stay organized this year, I am sorting through every scrap of paper and tube of paint and making sure I don't have to fight through the chaos to find what I need.

And, a sneak peek of the new print:

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Inside the Sketchbook

In order to make one new design a week, I am going to spend a lot more time sketching. When I come up with a new design, I usually spend time looking through books on textiles, painting, and motifs to get ideas, and make a lot of little sketches while I read. Then I put the books away and do something else, and let those images mix around in my head for a bit. Then I'll come back and draw out some of my new ideas. This rarely happens when I'm near my sketchbook, but I'll have a great idea in the middle of the night or while I'm at the grocery store, scribble it down on a scrap of paper and tape it into my sketchbook, so it ends up looking more like a scrapbook.

You might recognize some of these designs from finished products, and hopefully there will be a lot more to show in the next few weeks.

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It's Freezing Out, Time for Christmas Cards

Now that it is November, Christmas decorations are popping up in stores and the temperature seems to have dropped overnight. So in preparation for the holidays, my Christmas cards are finally ready! You can see them all right here in the shop!

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New Peony Print!

Yesterday I found out that my Christmas card designs blew off the roof of my car somewhere on the Pennsylvania interstate. To deal with it, I curled up in a ball and watched old episodes of 30 Rock (while wearing a snuggie, just to stay with a theme). After an hour or so of self indulgence I snapped out of it, grabbed my sketchbook and started again. So today the first of the new prints is ready! It's not very Christmas-y, but it is a new print that I'm very excited about: the Peony print! Next time I will make sure to keep it secure while my car is on the highway.

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