Where is that Coloring Book for GrownUPs?

Several people have been asking about the status of the coloring books. I've decided to make the Alice series two books instead of four. It only makes sense to have one coloring book covering one whole book in the set of Alice's Adventures. Also my life has become more complicated lately which means that I've just been trying to fit in the editing of book one for weeks now. Time wise, the entire next month is not looking any better. I'm one of those people, agree with me or not, who feels like things happen in their own time and you can't rush that process. When I have roadblocks in life, instead of going around them, I work through them. All of my time and energy at the moment is devoted to working through a landslide. Book one is finished except for designing the cover and insert pages but I want to do it right and it wouldn't be right to rush that process because of other obligations. So, I promise that the first book is coming and it will be bigger than planned (twice as many pages) and better than planned (rushing causes mistakes and cuts down on quality so.....) I appreciate your patience as much as I've appreciated your support and encouragement and I will let you know as soon as book one (of two) is published and posted to amazon.com. Thanks for understanding!

Moon Hanger

I'm still at least a month away from being back in my studio and workshop. Honestly, just getting started today on the task path that will lead to my new studio space and since I tend to over estimate what I can do time-wise, it might be a wee bit longer. I'm hoping not too long though since I would love to be back in the workshop by the first of September so I can get out some of these beauties in time for Halloween decorating.

#witches, #Halloween, #WickedLadies, #SandeElkins

Since many of my Halloween fans are like my Christmas fans and leave their decorations and art work out year round, it might not really matter that much that I meet that deadline for them but for me and my mental health, I think it is essential. I've got to get back on track and have my physical activity catch up with my brain activity, lol....you all know that I already have not only the studio space and workshop designed in full in my head but many of the sculptures and other art work I want to do as well. But, as THEY often say, time will tell. Let's just hope time tells its tale quickly!
I have a new personal blog that really goes hand in hand with this one, https://moonhanger.blogspot.com/. Yes, some of you may have noticed the name change. A week ago...well, actually, yesterday...it was Dream Hanger but I titled a post Moon Hanger and there was that spark of magic again!

New Website!

My New WeBSite!

I just realized that I hadn't written about my new website yet. If you found my blog through the website, this post is redundant but I will cover some new material or at least, lengthier explanations.

I've had so many websites before that I've lost track....I also have more blogs than I can keep up with but let's not talk about that. As for the websites, there has been: S. E. ~ Folk Art, Gray Horse Designs (mainly for my equine photography and graphic design stage), Sande Elkins ~ Photography, Sande Elkins ~ Artist, Sande Elkins Art....and probably a few more I've forgotten.

So, I'm sure you're asking, "Why did you choose to name this site Ginny Pearl ~ Sande Elkins Art (.com)?" Well, this question has a rather complex answer. First, I wanted to name my entire business just Ginny Pearl in honor of my late mother, best friend and biggest fan, Virginia (Ginny) Chrisman-Jones....as for the Pearl, my mom hated her middle name so she is probably yelling at me from on high right now. I think she would forgive me that one and not just because she loved me beyond measure but because everyone I've talked with loves the name. Second, why then did I include, Sande Elkins Art, in the domain name? That was so that people who've known me and my work for years and those searching for me on the web would not be confused by the Ginny Pearl. And finally, thirdly, why did I not include the entire title as it appears in my banner, Ginny Pearl~the Art of Sande Jones-Elkins in the domain name? That would just be too much for anyone to have to type.

An Idea

I haven't done any woodblock printing in a long time but it is a process I enjoy since it involves carving, wood and in the end, a great textured print. I was checking the links from my website to my Etsy shop this morning when I came across an artist's shop that offered..."original ink and colored pencil" art. Their prices were low for original work especially work as detailed as what they were doing. I asked myself how they could possibly do that? Either they are a lot faster than I am at drawing even small work that is so detailed or they were happy making 5 cents an hour. Then I realized how they worded the posting. I came to the conclusion that they were either doing hand made prints such as wood block or linoleum printing and then coloring it in or they were printing or having printed in some form the black line base and then coloring it in... still would be considered "individually handmade." There was no other way that I could see that they could duplicate the drawings so closely especially without adding that each piece was individually drawn and so would have variations from the one pictured.

This is an antique piece from India which was/is used to print on fabric. I have several of these that a friend gave me as a gift. I post this image to give you an idea of what a woodblock carved for printing looks like. You can either press directly to the surface you want to print like you would with a rubber stamp or you can use a brayer to roll over a piece of paper which is lain over the inked woodblock.

Anyway, enough about their business practices or at least, my guesses about their business practices and truth in advertising. What intrigued me was a way of replicating a drawing exactly each time but doing it entirely by hand...without the aid of personal or outside printer. And I remembered the old woodblock prints that I used to make my Christmas cards for several years. You get the rough textured quality of the wood...which I happen to love....but you still have great detail and each piece would be unique and original. I would love to offer these on cards again. That way, they wouldn't be too difficult for me to manage without a press and doing them by hand and the buyer could still frame them. It would work economically for me also. Offered as original and as is and considering the work involved in carving the woodblock, printing and coloring in (where applicable), I could ask a bit more for each card than I would with a card I had an outside printer do. I'm not talking "take a loan out" pricing. I mean they would probably sell around $8-$15 depending on whether they are colored in or not. I don't think that would be too high for a small original piece of art. This idea has me even more excited about getting back into my workshop and studio soon!

A New Beginning

It's been a very long time since I've posted and there is an explanation. From the time of the last post until finally having surgery mid-February of 2017, I was very sick. The final diagnosis, uterine cancer. The prognosis, excellent....the cancer was caught in the very early stages and was contained. At 61, recovery took longer than I expected but the good news is, I'm back. During my downtime, I worked toward my first ever coloring book for adults. It is based on Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and will be a four book series covering both books of adventures for Alice and friends. I will be posting updates here soon along with some of the illustrations included. I will also be adding some drawings with color added. The first book in the series should be published in the next two weeks. My intention was to publish before the end of June but life interfered with living once again. There were too many interruptions, too many family and friends needing my help, too many mini-disasters in my life. But all is good and I've always been a firm believer in things happening when they are suppose to happen. So, I'd say, my first book is suppose to be published in the next two weeks. haha

Here's a little taste to whet your appetite.