Card Coolness

Last year I was contacted by Papyrus to design a Father’s Day card for this year’s line. It was so exciting! Of course, when we work on projects that far in advance, we tend to forget we did them. Yet, in the last week or two, I realized that Father’s Day was approaching and figured I should check online to see if it’s available yet. I wasn’t even totally sure they had printed it! I was commissioned to illustrate the front, the inside, and the envelope liner. Plus, it included two colors of foil embossing. Once we had an illustration established from the text they provided, it went pretty quickly. I made color choices and finished everything up, sent off the digital files and that was that!

Today, I found it online! And I’m thrilled with how it turned out:

The foil embossing turned out even better than I had hoped...And I love the colors! I know if my dad were still with us, I’d be giving it to him for Father’s Day.

Overdrive

Have you ever worked, like CRAMMED, for such a long stretch and then you make your deadline and then you can’t unwind? I feel like my brain is now on overdrive. Of course, I’m physically and mentally exhausted BUT I just can’t wind down. I keep wanting to do all this stuff but my body and mind just aren’t capable right now. It’s crazy.

And I can’t believe how tired I am from this last deadline! I was talking with my mom about it today on the way to the restaurant for our Mother’s Day dinner. She told me in her motherly wisdom that it’s a symptom of getting older. You just can’t burn the midnight oil anymore. You can’t go 10 rounds anymore. When your body says stop, you stop. But of course, when you’re on a deadline, you can’t stop until it’s done. That’s why it’s called a deadline.

Friday night Hubby and I went to get dinner and all I could do was stare. I stared at everything I looked at. Because I was SO out of it!

Yesterday I worked on something for a client and then tried to art journal last night and just didn’t have the heart. I collaged a couple things and that was that.

This week I’m back at it. Back to the grind, back to the salt mines, back to another deadline. This time, it’s two weeks and I have to have the rest of my next book done. I feel like it’s all good, though, because I have a look established, I’ve designed the front matter (which I usually leave until the end) and I feel good about it. But I do have to worry about the cover, which is usually the first thing I design for clients, but I tend to have more difficulty with it when it’s my book. Yes, the self-loathing thing again. And I need to get ready for my classes at Create. And I have another book I’m contributing to. And....

Here’s hoping you have a great week. I will be popping in from time to time!

Teaching at Create

This weekend some of the Create Irvine teachers decided to participate in a blog hop. Not only are they a talented bunch but some good friends of mine and their classes are not to be missed. Make sure you go on over to their blogs and check them out!

The Create Mixed Media Retreat’s Meet the Instructors Blog Celebration Weekend:

• Dea Fischer: thestarbook.ca
• Helen Shafer Garcia: agavelatte.blogspot.com
• Jacqueline Newbold: djnewbold.blogspot.com
• Jane LaFazio: janeville.blogspot.com
• Jeannie P. Moore: Jeanniemooresblog.blogspot.com
• Jen Cushman: http://jencushman.wordpress.com
• Joanne Sharpe: joannezsharpe.blogspot.com
• Jodi Ohl: sweetrepeats.blogspot.com
• Leighanna Light: Thingmakerstudio.blogspot.com
• Lisa Engelbrecht: lisaletters.blogspot.ca
• Orly Avineri: oneartistjournal.wordpress.com
• Pam Carriker: pamcarriker.com
• Robin Dudley-Howes: robindudleyhowes.blogspot.com
• Sandra Duran Wilson: sandraduranwilson.blogspot.com
• Sherrie Drummond: sherriejd.com
• Sue Pelletier: suepelletierlaughpaint.com
• Tiffany Teske: tiffanyteske.com

And Cloth Paper Scissors Editor Jenn Mason!

As for me, I’m teaching four workshops! You need to sign up soon as seats are filling fast. Below is a sampling of what I’m teaching:

The Down-and-Dirty Paintless Journal (6-Hour) Date: Wednesday, May 30 Time: 9:00am-4:00pm Technique: Bookmaking & Art Journaling Instructor: Dawn Sokol Using an old book as a base, we will construct our own “mash” journal. We will personalize our journals with spare bits of papers, overlapping to create a visual feast ready for fodder and doodles. We’ll discuss how to incorporate everyday items as embellishments for pages. Bring photocopies of family pictures (b&w) to make your book your own. We’ll focus on doodling, writing, and collage. No paint allowed in this class—just some down-and-dirty art journaling with scraps, pens, markers, and adhesives! Students Should Bring: Scraps and bits of paper, some for collage and some large enough to serve as pages in your book (these don’t have to all be same size; we’ll be working in a 6 X 8 in. book, so think at least 12 in. wide, paper grocery bags, watercolor paper), glue stick or roller adhesive (such as Tombow Mono), gel medium, a couple of foam brushes for gel medium, masking tape, decorated tapes (if you have), pens you like for doodling (I use Microns), gel pens, Soufflé pens, a set of Crayola Washable Markers (Pip Squeaks are same thing), jar or cup for water, a basic art journaling kit: ruler, scissors, bone folder, exacto knife, awl, heat gun, spray inks such as Adirondack or Radiant Rains, if you have them I'm also teaching Doodle Camp on Thursday, May 31, Doodle Soup: Jambalaya (Wed., May 30), and Tie-Dyed Doodling (Thurs., May 31)

This Week’s 10 Min.

Mother’s Day is Sunday here in the U.S. and that means flowers, taking Mom to dinner or breakfast, and generally letting her know how much you care. The last couple of years have brought my mom, me, my husband, and my mother-in-law together for Mother's Day dinner. It’s easier since my mother-in-law lives on the way to L.A. and my mom lives in the other direction.

With this impending “holiday” coming up, I thought we’d concentrate our 10-Minute Journaling on our moms this week.

So, I ask you this simple question: What do you want to say to your mom? Whether she’s with you or not...whether you love her or not. One thing that you could say to her...Write it in your journal somewhere and maybe adhere a pic of her next to it if you have one. No, this doesn’t have to be a rosy thing. If you have a beef with her, air it out now. All it takes is 10 minutes!

By the way, I’ve been asked by some of you if you can use the 10-Minute Journaling button on your blogs to link to it here. Of course! Link away!!!

Dry Spell

So it’s a blogging dry spell. Because I can’t show you what I’m working on right now: my next book for Abrams. It’s difficult for me to not show SOMETHING because I like to inspire you if I can. But I can’t! It’s difficult and frustrating.

I don’t want to sound like that author/artist who complains because she’s doubting herself but I’m struggling. I know, I’m SO lucky to be publishing a fourth book, no less publishing AT ALL. I DO feel SO fortunate. I’ve taken hold of opportunities when they seemed to appear, and also pushed for them when they didn’t. Yet I’ve had my share of failures and rejections, too. That’s what needs to happen in order to succeed.

In the midst of all this goodness, I’m struggling right now because I worry about:

1. Making my deadlines

2. Living up to others’ expectations

3. Living up to my own expectations

And I think number 3 is where I get in trouble the most. I tend to judge my work so harshly when it’s my own books. I don’t marry myself to book design for other clients. I keep my emotions out of that, for the most part. If a client wants to reasonably change something I’ve done, I say have at it.

BUT when the project is my own book where I’m writing it, illustrating it, and designing it, well...I get a bit hard on myself. We always judge ourselves more harshly, don’t we? Why do we do that? Our expectations for ourselves are always so much higher. And when you work at home, pounding away by yourself on an upcoming deadline, it can get a little scary.

Anyway, I’m babbling. Just wanted to touch base with you and let you know I’m still alive, just buried. And overthinking.

Have a great day!