Tag: threadless

Bundle of bunnies, bags & such

March 27, 2019

A few updates on the Ruby Charm Colors project…

It’s been a busy past few weeks in the studio and I’ve been diligently working on a coloring book filled with funky insects (and a few other smaller projects), but I also put together a Bunny Bundle for the RubyCharmColors Etsy shop to help my coloring friends usher in Spring and celebrate Easter. And truthfully, I could use a little Spring magic myself as there’s still snow on the ground here in northern Michigan. Will winter ever end? At least the robins are returning, so there is hope.

The Bunny Bundle on Etsy consists of two coloring pages with bunny designs: one in a circle with a few happy bumblebees, and one in a patch of fiddle-head ferns and flowers. There are also two different greeting cards that can be printed and colored—one with a “happy Easter” greeting and one with just the bunny in the circle design. I also included a full color copy of the bunny in ferns I colored just for kicks.

I had the help of colorist Betty Hung (who is one of my coloring team members) to test out the design for the bunny with bees in the circle. I am always amazed by the illusion of brushstrokes she manages to create using colored pencils, and by her stunning, playful use of color. This girl is on fire!

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Betty also colored the bunny in the patch of fiddle-head ferns not too long ago (which is also included in the bundle). If you haven’t followed Betty on Instagram yet, be sure to check out her account as well as her website.

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Yesterday, while working on my Etsy listing, I printed out a card and did a fairly quick coloring of it using first, a layer of Karen Spencer‘s beautiful handmade watercolors.

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Karen’s mica paints are truly a joy to work with and they provide a stunning, rich shimmer to any piece of art. You can find Karen’s paints in her Etsy shop, and she is known as @indigoartgb on Instagram.

I’ve been storing my pans in Van Gogh “Starry Night” tins which I found on Amazon not too long ago. Nice tight-fitting lids that will help keep the paints semi-soft when not in use.

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I started charting out all of Karen’s paints in my copy of the Creative Companion but need to add a few more and do a little reorganizing. Warning: these paints are addictive. You will eventually want them all! And Karen is so terrific to work with as an Etsy Seller.

Did you know she designed a beautiful ruby red mica and named it Ruby Charm? Be still my heart!

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In addition to mica paints, Karen has flat watercolors, too, which give me a nice base layer to use under my colored pencils. This often gives my colorings more depth.

Unfortunately, the card stock I used to print this card was a little too toothy (not crazy about Staples 67 lb card stock for coloring). And since I was in a hurry, I was not totally satisfied with my results. My printer was misbehaving, too, and spat out inky black blotches on my page) but I managed to finish it all up with a mix of Caran d’Ache Luminance and Irojiten colored pencils, plus a few Sakura Souffle gel pens and UBRANDS metallic pens that I picked up at Target. Decent pens and economical (a pack of 30 for around $13) but they take forever to dry and are prone to smudging.

What I like best about my card is the mica paints I used for the orange flowers, the “dark blue DA” background, and the “Blanco” I used for the wings of the bees on this card. Hard to see the shimmers in photos, but in person? Wow! In anticipation of the insect book coming out, I would suggest grabbing a few of Karen’s micas—the Blanco and some of the lighter colors can be absolutely magical when it comes to painting and coloring insect wings!

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If you purchase the Bunny Bundle, you can print and color a few cards and then make copies of them to send to friends and family for Easter, or just to say hi. Or, send out your original coloring! In this time of endless texts and email, it’s always nice to get something handmade through good old snail-mail. Sorta romantically thoughtful and personal, yes?

In addition to including my coloring of the bunny in the fiddle-head patch in the Bunny Bundle, I also used  for a few products through my Threadless shop.

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In addition to stickers, a zip pouch (2 sizes), a tote bag (3 sizes), and a cute drawstring bag, I also put the image on pillows. I am hoping to have coffee mugs and maybe even coasters available soon, too.

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The nice thing about having Threadless take care of my products is that All Threadless items come with the Threadless Happiness Guarantee!

If you receive something from them that you aren’t happy with, just send it back and they will refund or replace your purchase, no questions asked!

 

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I ordered a pillow and stickers and hope to have them in my hands soon. I’ll let you know how they turned out!

That’s all I’ve got for today! Thank you for supporting an independent artist, and I hope you all have time to do a little something fun and creative. Get some paint under your fingernails and spill a few pencil shavings on the floor.

Art is messy and healthy and good for your soul!

Sun and Moon lounge pants and tote, pants, pillow and shirt from the Ruby Charm Colors collection

Love That Sun & Moon

February 28, 2018

I spent a part of my day putting a happy Sun & Moon design on a few items in my Threadless shop, so if you love the play between these ever beautiful celestial bodies, check out this new collection!

SunMoonTshirtIn addition to a men’s and women’s shirts in a variety of colors, sizes and styles (long sleeves, scoop-neck, tanks, hoodies , etc.),  lounge pants and totes (in three sizes), there is also a cute throw pillow, a drawstring bag, zippered pouch (in two handy sizes), and even a few items for kids and babies.

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More designs will be added as time goes on, so bookmark this page and check back now and then!

purchase here

All Threadless items come with the Threadless Happiness Guarantee!

The black & white illustration this design is based on was originally drawn by the artist, Susan Carlson, for the Ruby Charm collection of coloring pages and books for coloring enthusiasts.
Learn more about the artist’s process
Color Your Own Totes from the Ruby Charm Colors collection

New Color Your Own Tote Bag Designs

February 17, 2018

I am happy to announce two new designs in the Ruby Charm Colors “Color Your Own” Tote bag collection!

The Sun and Moon (a Ruby Charm icon) as well as the Circle Horse have been added to my six existing designs (Cicadas, Paisley Fox, Bo Dog and the Moon, Beetle, Three Birds and Botanical Butterfly with Spheres) for your coloring adventures.

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In the coming days I plan to post a tutorial on how to color these bags with Sharpies and acrylic paints. This way, you’ll know what to expect if you decide to order one and give it a try yourself.

The totes can be colored with your favorite permanent markers, like Sharpies, or with fabric markers, fabric inks and paints, or acrylics. I am using Liquitex and Golden acrylic paints on the Beetle bag, and so far so good. I’ll show you my progress once I finish my tutorial post!

 

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These sturdy tote bags are super handy for daily errands, shopping, hauling art supplies, or taking to the gym or even the beach. I use a few of them myself and have all three sizes. I use my 18″ Beets and 16″ Tomato bags (from my Garden Goods collection) for trips to the grocery store. They are roomy, light, and easy to stuff inside one another so you can carry as many as you need. I’ve gotten quite a few compliments on these colorful bags–far prettier than the generic reusable grocery bags I used to carry.  The “Color Your Own” totes are of the same size and materials as the Garden Goods bags, though instead of full color, they are printed mainly with black on white so you can add your own colors.

I also have the 13″ Little Bird tote and small zip pouch (a great catch-all for loose change, lipstick, pens, and my business cards) and they are always at the ready for errands. The tote is small and flexible enough that I can roll it up and put it into my leather bag if I want, but most of the time, I just grab the bird tote and go. The zip pouch moves from bag to bag as needed. And yep, both look really cute with my old leather biker jacket.

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The “Color Your Own” totes would be fun to give as a special gift bag that could be colored by you especially for the recipient, or the recipient can color the tote. The illustrations are printed on both sides of the 100% spun polyester bags with strong cotton web handles that will fit over your shoulder. They are lined with black fabric and, as mentioned before, sturdy yet also lightweight.

Totes (and matching notebooks) are manufactured and delivered directly to you by Threadless, and all designs are based on illustrations originally created for the Ruby Charm Colors coloring books and printable pages.

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‘Color Your Own’ Three Birds tote bag

Even more designs will be added as time goes on, so bookmark this page and check back now and then!

IMPORTANT REMINDER: Please be sure to test the paints or markers you plan to use on a small corner (or bottom) of the bag! Applying paints or markers will affect the washability of the fabric, so consider hand-washing in cool water and hanging to dry once you have worked your color magic!

purchase here

All Threadless items come with the Threadless Happiness Guarantee!

The black & white illustration this design is based on was originally drawn by the artist, Susan Carlson, for the Ruby Charm collection of coloring pages and books for coloring enthusiasts.
Learn more about the artist’s process

 

Bo Dog and the Moon design by Ruby Charm Colors: totes, shirts and more

Bo Dog and the Moon

February 7, 2018
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Bo Dog and the Moon, colored pencil

“Bo Dog and the Moon” is based on an old pencil sketch I did of a canine companion I had years ago. He was a floppy, bumbling (150 pound) Anatolian shepherd. Bo lived with me in my car for a summer while I collected data for research on birds in the Sleeping Bears Dunes National Park. Yep, I’ve had my share of odd (but always interesting) jobs!

Bo (Mr. Bojangles as he was originally named when I adopted him) loved to swim in Lake Michigan, and sometimes at night we’d hear the coyotes yipping.

The artwork above is a piece I colored with a mix of watercolor pencils and colored pencils–mostly Staedtler Aquarelle (a very old set I bought in Gaborone), Caran d’Ache Museum and Luminance (I only have a few but wow do I love both of these pencils), another favorite, the Faber-Castell Polychromos, Prismacolors (tried and true) and Irojiten (beautiful pencils made by Tombow). This piece is about 8 x 10″ on card stock. I almost always  do what I call a “color test” on each one of my designs created for coloring books because I want to make sure there are no issues that can trip up a happy coloring experience for those coloring my art. A black and white illustration of Bo Dog and the Moon is included in my first coloring book for adults, and I also created a downloadable, printable page for coloring as well.

The design, now digitized and modified a bit using the Procreate app and Photoshop, has found a home on a number of different products through my Ruby Charm Colors Threadless shop. There are spiral notebooks, pillows, blankets, water bottles, bags and lots of shirt designs.

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A “Color Your Own” version of Bo Dog and the Moon is also available as a soft-cover, 120 lined page, 6” x 8” spiral notebook that can be colored with your own favorite colored pencils, pens or markers.  The tote bags, great for daily errands, shopping, hauling art supplies, or even using as a special gift bag, can be colored or painted by you or others as well. Bo Dog and the Moon is printed on both sides, constructed of 100% spun polyester with cotton web handles, lined with black fabric, and available in three sizes: 13” square, 16” square and 18” square.

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This past summer, I transferred my Bo Dog image to the back of a denim jacket and after painting blocks of color in acrylics, started embroidering and a sewing on beads and metal studs. The jacket is almost finished (just need to add a few final touches and sew in a cotton lining) and it’s ready to wear. Here’s a close-up of part of the jacket:

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Lots of options if you are interested in adding “Bo Dog and the Moon” to your home or wardrobe!

purchase here:  Ruby Charm coloring book   coloring page   home goods, clothing & accessories

All Threadless items come with the Threadless Happiness Guarantee!

The black & white illustration this design is based on was originally drawn by the artist, Susan Carlson, for the Ruby Charm collection of coloring pages and books for coloring enthusiasts.
Learn more about the artist’s process

 

Ruby Charm Colors Garden Goods Fruit and Vegetable Pillow Collection

entering the product design arena

December 15, 2017

This summer and fall, I’ve been putting all of my energy into creating new drawings and paintings. I’ve let a lot of things go (including my hair and my badly neglected garden) to pursue my art, but I have no regrets. We only live once. But we still have to make a living, and this is partly why I decided to dip my toes into the product design arena. That, and I have to be honest–it’s really exciting to hold something you have created in your hands, drink from it, see it on your couch or a wall, or even carry your groceries in it.

I had completed a series of six paintings of vegetables and fruits for a delicatessen in the Traverse City area and, based on positive reactions to them, thought “why not put these images on tote bags?” And prints. And why not coffee mugs and notebooks, too? Of course, I didn’t plan far enough ahead to take advantage of the 2017 Christmas shopping season (I am very new at this and though I have plenty of cheerleaders, I have no helpers), but that’s okay. I needed time to pull all the pieces together, research “print on demand” companies, and then photograph and digitize my work to fit a variety of product shapes sizes. And begin the arduous process of uploading big files to websites that don’t always work as well as you want them to. This all proved to be excruciatingly time consuming. I am still tinkering with not only the products I plan to carry, but also with several companies trying to find the best fit for me, and for my current and future customers.

April 23, 2019 UPDATE: My Garden Goods Collection can now be found exclusively through the GardenZeal website!

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Ruby Charm Colors "Garden Goods" Collection of paintings