Gypsy chic magazine issue 13 editor lorraine stylianou x

the magazine dedicated to greeting card publishing and entrepreneurship

Gypsy Chic

magazine Issue 13 - 2017

DO YOUR HOME WORK!

INSTA spiration

gee arcés, Helen Ma G y il m E h it w s iew d INSIDE!!! Interv of 1790 Cards an s ri or M a d in el ,B of Hairy F ruit Art mer twin Arthouse m li G e h T of er Dawn Lard

EARN MONEY

THE SHUTTERSTOCK WAY

BOOK NOOK

CONTENTS P.4

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

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INTERVIEW WITH... EMILY GARCÉS

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COMPETITORS´ FOOTPRINT

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INTERVIEW WITH... HELEN MAGEE

12 MAD FOR MONOCHROME 14 INTERVIEW WITH... BELINDA MORRIS 17 EARN MONEY THE SHUTTERSTOCK WAY 18 HOMEWORK

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19 INSTASPIRATION 20 INTERVIEW WITH... DAWN LARDER 23 BOOK NOOK

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P.12

P.20 2

LETTER

from the Editor

B

oy has February flown in – and I’m so grateful!

The long dark days in these Northern climbs make everything so dreary but the increasing sound of birdsong helps to uplift one’s spirits – Spring is not too far away. So how will March treat us I wonder? (In like a lion, and out like a lamb?) Storm Doris has been here quite long enough – and I’m topping up on Vitamin D to make up for the lack of any sunlight.

I’ve been beavering away behind the scenes on three new ranges – all coming together slowly. One is based on my architectural sketches around the UK, another features my folksy bird designs, and a third is typography based. For my sketches I’ve treated myself to a multipack of V7 Hi0Techpoint pens – lovely liquid ink - as well as some fine Sharpie pens. Can’t resist a multipack deal.

Those cheap add-ons from Amazon are fatal, don’t you think. Pop them in your shopping basket, and then you realise you only have a further £17.99 to spend to qualify for free shipping. They get me every time.

Art supplies aren’t the only thing I’ve treated myself to this month – I’ve been tuning in to some really interesting paid webinars from the US to keep up to date

with the American stationery business from both a buyer and publishers’ perspective.

Self-development costs are an allowable expense right?

My trip to Liverpool (on nongreeting card related business) was pleasantly uneventful but seriously sleep deprived – After a day driving in a hired car to meet back to back appointments it was great to see some interesting city card stores, and crash with a £7 bottle of gin from Tesco Metro. Getting to the airport to make a 6am flight after four hours sleep is a whole different story – we went round and round in circles while the Sat Nav sent us down a road closed to traffic.

In this Issue, it is my pleasure to bring together a magnificent mix of 2 x card publishers [Belinda Morris & Helen Magee], an artist [Emily Garcés], and an illustrator [Dawn Larder]. As usual, my contributors have been very generous with their time and information, forwarding on responses and high res photos in record time, despite being very busy themselves with post-tradefair activities, and client commissions. Thank you all!

Happy Reading x

Lorraine www.lorrainestylianou.com

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Interview with .....

Emily GarcĂŠs

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my formative years were spent there.

I got used to a culture that embraces spontaneity and spent time with people who were willing to take risks in order to follow their artistic dreams. I spent time sitting cross-legged in parks with street artists learning the tips of their trade and discovered that lack of money can be an aid rather than an obstacle to creativity.

1. WHAT IS YOUR NORMAL DAILY PAINTING SCHEDULE IF YOU HAVE ONE, AND HOW DO YOU KEEP YOURSELF DISCIPLINED AND MOTIVATED TO KEEP PRODUCING NEW IMAGES? lll I think that having a nice space to create in is key. My studio is at the bottom of the garden and overlooks a small lake. Finding time to get into the studio can be hard as my kids are home educated, but once I’m there it is easy to be creative as there are no distractions.

I am a naturally adventurous person, so coming up with new ideas and trying new things is never hard.

3. MY PARTICULAR FAVOURITES ARE YOUR BIRD AND ANIMAL PAINTINGS. WHICH SELL BEST E.G CATS, FOXES, AND HOW DO YOU MARKET YOURSELF? l l l I have had many ‘periods’ including ‘animals on chairs’ and ‘birds on teacups’ but instead of seeing what sells best and sticking to that, I am an advocate of variety. This means that there is something for everyone. We all have a special animal that has symbolic meaning to us. However unusual, if you F

2. TELL US HOW YOU CAME TO LIVE IN ARGENTINA AND IF THE COUNTRY HAS INFLUENCED YOUR ARTISTIC VISION IN ANY WAY? lll I went to Argentina for a gap year which got extended to several. Many of

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keep following my work it won’t be long until I paint it.

I get told off a lot for pricing my work too low. But I deliberately set my work at a price that doesn’t discriminate anyone.

A price which enables them to sell well means that I am constantly painting this work ethic helps me dedicate time to improve my technique, plus the sheer volume of my work makes it visible to many on social media.

7. WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE THE EMILY GARCÉS “BRAND” IN THE NEXT 2 YEARS. l l l I tend to see myself more as a person than as a brand. Maybe I should put my name in lights outside my front door, but I’m not sure what the neighbours would think of that.

I would like to spend more time teaching others that my uninhibited brand of painting is something that can be accessible to all. I would like my work to become more inclusive rather than exclusive, and to take as many people as I can along with me on this journey.

I would like to have a better system that makes it easier for people to purchase prints. I would like to see my work reproduced effectively on household objects. I would like to paint more murals.

Last night it occurred to me that it would be fun to paint shoes... So many ideas, so little time.

4. DO PRIVATE COMMISSIONS MAKE UP A PERCENTAGE OF YOUR WORK, AND HOW DO YOU COST THESE WITH A CLIENT? lll I often do private commissions as long as they fit well with my style and ethos. I don’t usually charge more for a commission than I would for a more autonomous painting, unless the piece is particularly tricky.

5. IS YOUR ARTWORK LICENSED ANYWHERE, AND DO YOU PUBLISH GREETING CARDS. IF SO, WHERE ARE THEY STOCKED? lll I sometimes sell through society6, but mostly I sell originals. I have sold cards myself in the past, but in the end it was too time consuming. I will of course consider any offers that could simplify this question for me.

EMILY GARCÉS

Web: www.emilygarces.com Email: Emilygarces1@gmail.com Society 6: https://society6.com/emilygarces

6. DO YOU LIKE EXPERIMENTING WITH MIXED MEDIA, AND WHERE DO YOU SOURCE SOME OF THE PRETTY SURFACES YOU PAINT ON. lll A new material can inspire a myriad of ideas. I like to recycle as much as possible. I have done a few paintings on old doors recently. I would love to produce work that is fully from found objects.

Though at the moment, for reasons of practicality, I paint mostly on canvas.

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DO YOU KNOW YOUR competitors´ footprint?

3. What words do they use to describe your cards? And what are they searching for. This can be part of your SEO strategy.

Deciding on a theme for each month of the year is one way to not get overwhelmed.

We know from trending sites that certain colours, and themes are all the rage – 2016 was the year of foiling, cactus plants, and pineapples. 2017 is already establishing itself as the year of cheese plants, hand lettering and cartography. Pad out blog posts, facebook posts and tweets with themed content, linking this to a short video too whilst hashtagging and @mentioning as you go. Product swaps, and competitions are useful too.

Growing your Instagram following is no different. a) Follow your competitors’ followers. b) The better content you post the faster your account will grow c) See if you can find out your competitors’ location, their interests and the hashtags they use. d) Be responsive – reply to as many comments as possible – don’t ignore them (unless they are spam comments) e) Post exciting time lapse videos, quirky quotes, and pop your logo against any original designs you are revealing so nobody else can take credit.

l It’s almost a year ago now since I started my business accelerator funded by a well known bank and in that time I compared lots of card companies social media output to get a better idea of what they were doing that I was not (and vice versa). I looked particularly at the content they put out, how often they posted, who was following it, and the comments received. It’s really helpful to know what is being shared, and fan’s reactions. Even if you only spend 10 minutes doing the same you will gain valuable insights.

Compare a minimum of 5 other publishers’ social media output and compare it with you own (see table below). Notice any gaps? If you see things you can instantly improve, or stop doing as a result of this, then you are helping to gain a competitive edge. Competition doesn’t need to be cut throat – it can be fun, and constructive.

Of course if you want to go deep, there are tools all over the internet to help you with analytics, calculations on demographics, unique users, impressions, incoming messages, new followers, page likes, and fans.

To really get an edge there are some things you should bear in mind: 1. Know what your customer is saying about the cards you design – have you tried to get their feedback?

2. Communicate these comments and observations in tweets, as quotations on Pinterest…

COMPETITOR NAME

POSTING FREQUENCY

FOLLOWERS

You will soon establish the best type of engagement on your profile and what content is working the best.

CONTENT TYPE TWITTER

MON TUE WED THUR FRI SAT SUN

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LINKEDIN

INSTAGRAM

FACEBOOK

PINTEREST

SNAPCHAT

Interview with .....

Helen Magee

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Hairy Fruit Art

want to waste their own time or indeed the exhibitor’s time.

I am happy to be stocked in some gorgeous shops around Ireland thanks to Showcase.

There is no way a small creative enterprise like mine would get to meet these buyers without attending such an event. In both years doing Showcase I have met up companies who have multi stores, one of which I am meeting up with this week so fingers crossed and watch this space!

Interesting things can happen in Showcase. For example, last year (the Centenary year of the 1916 Rising), I was excited when Shannon Heritage ordered my Dublin illustrations for the GPO Witness History shop on O’Connell Street.

It is great to have my work in such an historical place at such an historical time in Ireland’s history.

1. HOW DID YOU START YOUR CREATIVE JOURNEY? lll My background is in fine art, in particular oil painting. Throughout my lifetime I have painted many oil paintings and sold them privately or in exhibitions locally in County Wicklow and in Dublin.

In 2013 I was on a creative jag and started working in a more illustrative capacity.

I have a passion for print design and wanted an outlet to explore and develop my own designs and create my own products. I chose the name Hairy Fruit Art because it was colourful, whimsical and fun and I let everything evolve and take it’s own legs which it has done so far.

2 . TELL US HOW MANY TIMES YOU’VE EXHIBITED IN DUBLIN AND WAS YOUR TIME AT THE SHOW PRODUCTIVE? ANY EXCITING NEW LEADS, OR STOCKISTS? lll 2017 was my second year exhibiting in Showcase Ireland in Dublin. When I first exhibited I had really no idea what to expect but was happily surprised.

It is a valuable experience for someone in my shoes to display products to wholesale buyers for the first time getting realistic feedback from the people who count.

You have no idea beforehand what people will think, so when buyers take an interest you know it’s genuine. It’s a busy show and you know they don’t

3. YOU HAVE QUITE A VARIED STYLE BETWEEN RANGES WHICH GIVES BUYERS A LOT OF CHOICE. (MY FAVOURITE IS YOUR SHINY AUBERGINE PRINT). WHAT IS YOUR BEST SELLING PRODUCT/DESIGN? l l l My first print collections for Hairy Fruit Art were my Organic (vegetable) collection and my Cupcake collection. After this I began my ‘Revealing Collection’ which was more personal featuring illustrations of iconic images combined F

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with my own surface pattern designs.

It’s called Revealing because the images themselves are revealing the patterns.

The backgrounds of these prints feature my favourite contemporary colours. The first of these designs was my Love Tree which is still one of my best sellers today.

My Revealing Collection designs have lent themselves well to greetings cards and my cards are proving very popular. This year I have plans to grow my greetings card collection adding plenty more designs and fill in some missing categories.

4. WAS IT A BIG LEAP AS A SMALL BUSINESS TO BRANCH INTO KITCHEN TEXTILES AND DID YOU CARRY OUT A LOT OF RESEARCH BEFORE CHOOSING A MANUFACTURER? IS EVERYTHING MANUFACTURED IN IRELAND? l l l In 2016 I felt there was a ‘gap’ in my designs. I had very few Irish themed products for the Irish gift market. It was always a dream of mine to produce my own kitchen textiles using my own designs so with this in mind I began designing surface patterns that might

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work for textiles. I knew it would be a big financial step for my small business because of the initial outlay and the minimum order quantities.

I soon learnt that I couldn’t afford to produce my kitchen textiles in multiple designs so I had to choose one design only, which proved to be quite a difficult task.

Putting all my eggs in one basket meant the design had to tick every single box.

I always thought the shape of the map of Ireland was cute, like a little teddy bear, so I cautiously began designing a repeat of our little country ‘Hairy Fruit style’, basing the colours loosely on those of the Irish flag with a contemporary twist. I thought it turned out so sweet I decided to stick with it and called the design ‘Cead Mile Maps’, 100,000 maps- a play on the old Irish saying Cead Mile Failte, 100,000 welcomes. I liked the concept of bringing Ireland ‘home’ and into the kitchen, in this case lots of little lrelands in a repeat pattern. I sell aprons, tea towels, tea cosies, napkins and oven gloves, very sweet and cheerful Irish themed gifts on 100% cotton canvas.

I did loads of research into manufacturing these textiles in Ireland and would love to be able to say that my textiles were manufactured here, but sadly they are not.

As far as I can see there is nobody in this country printing fabric and manufacturing these type of products at a price that makes it worthwhile for wholesaling.

Please somebody prove me wrong on this one! But I’m happy to say that my prints, notepads and greetings cards are manufactured in this country.

5. DO YOU CURRENTLY EXPORT AND IF SO WHERE? lll I enjoy exporting my products to customers on my online stores www. hairyfruitart.com and my etsy store www.

etsy.com/hairyfruitart. At Showcase this year I received some wholesale enquiries from retailers in Europe and Canada so I look forward to what the future holds for me in the wholesale export market.

6. SHARE ANY BIG PLANS YOU HAVE FOR HAIRY FRUIT INCORPORATED BY 2020? l l l Except for the manufacturing I do everything myself. So much time goes into every aspect of my business and I wear a lot of hats! My bookkeeping hat, my artist’s hat, my website manager hat, my graphic design hat, my packaging hat, my researcher hat, the list goes on. So many hats and only one head!

Every ounce of my time is spent juggling my daily family tasks with my work. They say women are good at multi-tasking and I have truly put that statement to the test combining Hairy Fruit Art with wife-hood and motherhood. It’s fun juggling my work with laundry, housekeeping and day and night taxi driver to two active teenagers... it can be fairly nuts sometimes!

My business has been evolving since 2013 and I have been experimenting with new products during this time. Some products may stay, some may go, depending on how well they work out over time. I love the stationery side of things so I hope to have more products in this range in the future e.g. writing paper sets, boxed stationery etc. I have an interest in wedding invitation design also but right now there aren’t enough hours in the day! I also hope by 2020 I will be doing more licensing of my designs and last but not least, designing scarves is a big one on my bucket list so heigh-ho heigh-ho it’s off to work I go!

HAIRY FRUIT ART

Web: www.hairyfruitart.com/ Email: info@hairyfruitart.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/HairyFruitArt/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/helenmageehairyfruit/

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MAD FOR J

I’ve gone on a diet in 2017 – stopped using

one) is striking, eye-catching, bold and dramatic.

colour and resorted to monochrome. It’s not a permanent change – just an experiment in

Could my style change have something to do with personal circumstance I ask myself?

different styles and effect.

In interior design and fashion monochromes

I’ve found it difficult to find time to paint in the way I used to – acrylic paints spread out across my

are very versatile. They’re stylish and strong, yet

studio table, and pots of murky paint water needing

understated and subdued, encompassing a whole

to be re-filled. I’ve transitioned to pen sketches

spectrum of dusky soft grey shades that are soft,

on disposable plates for now. After multiple house

peaceful and calming in their sparsity.

moves, and another one in the pipeline, this medium

In the home I personally hate black kitchen worktops or black leather sofas as they strike me

gives me the chance to be artistic whilst surrounded by boxes, without all the cleaning up afterwards.

as being so cold and sterile but when it comes to clothing I never wear any other colour.

Monochrome, in the form of surface pattern design, or typography (the chalkboard effect being

Here’s a sneak peak of my latest designs from my “Sketch” range. The best designs have been vectorised from my paper plate doodles.

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Interview with .....

Belinda Morris of 1790 cards

xx

2. YOUR CARDS ARE BASED ON CLEAN, EYE-CATCHING CONTEMPORARY GRAPHIC DESIGNS OF ANIMALS, LANDSCAPES, AND PATTERNS. WHAT IS YOUR PROCESS FOR PUTTING A NEW RANGE TOGETHER? lll I use the camera on my phone to take shots of things which catch my attention when I am out and about and these tend to lead eventually to new card designs. I particularly love plants and landscapes. The fascination with patterns is life-long and when I doodle, it is nearly always a repeat pattern. I also capture colour combinations which I like – these can be from anywhere – and then I apply the colours to my work.

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1. TELL US WHY YOU NAMED YOUR CARD COMPANY 1790 CARDS AND EXPLAIN HOW THE OTHER ASPECTS OF YOUR BUSINESS LINK TOGETHER (1790 CONSULTING)? lll In 2014 I took voluntary redundancy from the National Railway Museum in York, where I had worked for over 16 years, heading up the Interpretation team.

I had wanted to set up a greetings card business for a while and this gave me the opportunity. Working from home is a huge advantage of running my own business. We live in a Grade II listed cottage in a village just outside York and the best estimate of the year it was built is 1790 – hence the company name. I still do some museumrelated work through 1790 Consulting, which is the other arm my business.

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of tips for exhibitors, I think it would be the same for all shows – make sure you display your products to their best advantage, know your pricing for different types of customer, wear clothes and shoes you feel comfortable in, drink plenty so you don’t dehydrate and enjoy selling the product that you created!

3. HOW DOES LIVING IN THE YORKSHIRE COUNTRYSIDE INFLUENCE YOUR DESIGNS AND DO YOU GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE ROLLING COUNTRYSIDE ON YOUR DOORSTEP - PHOTOGRAPHING ANIMALS, OR WALKING THE DALES, FOR EXAMPLE? lll I am so lucky to live where I do, with instant access to the countryside. I also have two energetic dogs to walk, so I am out and about every day. Quite a lot of my landscape designs are from around Yorkshire but my parents live in Scotland, so I also take lots of photos when we go to visit. I have a very talented, well-travelled friend who also lets me use her amazing images, as do other friends and family.

5. WHAT OTHER TRADEFAIRS DO YOU PLAN TO ATTEND IN 2017? l l l I will be at British Craft Trade Fair in Harrogate for the first time in April and making a return visit to Harrogate Home & Gift Buyers Festival in July.

6. IF YOU CAN, TELL US THAT PLANS YOU HAVE FOR 1790 CARDS UP TO 2020? ANY PREDICTIONS FOR RETAIL/WHOLESALE IN THIS PERIOD, AND ARE YOU HOPEFUL THAT NEW BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES WILL DEVELOP WITH A STRENGTHENING OF TIES WITH THE US? l l l My main aim is to keep thinking up new card ranges that suit my style and I would like to diversify into different products if finances and space allow! I would be very happy to license my designs if opportunities arise. My exporting has so far been in Europe and it is certainly a side of the business I would like to grow, but I have no particular expectation that this will be with the US. I think the next couple of years will be tough for everyone and I am hoping that I can keep my nerve, carry on being creative and continue doing something that I love.

4. PLEASE SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES OF SCOTLAND’S TRADE FAIR AND LET US KNOW IF YOU PRODUCED ANY NEW SCOTTISH THEMED CARDS FOR THE EVENT? WHAT WOULD YOUR TOP 5 TIPS BE FOR INDIE PUBLISHERS TESTING THE WATER IN GLASGOW? DID YOU WALK THE SHOW BEFORE ATTENDING? lll This was my first year at Scotland’s Trade Fair and I hadn’t visited before – I would normally check out a show before exhibiting. I took some new Scottish landscape designs with me and they sold well! It is a friendly show and the set up and take down were straight forward.

I loved the riverside location – a good antidote for spending long hours in an industrial building with no natural light.

The show felt quieter than I expected, and I would have liked more orders, but I made some good contacts. I liked the mix of cards and gifts rather than just cards. This was my fifth show and the second time I had an open ended stand on the end of a row – I definitely prefer them. In terms

BELINDA MORRIS Website: www.1790creative.co.uk Email: belinda@1790creative.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)1904 448130 +44 (0)7850 984423

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EARN MONEY THE SHUTTERSTOCK WAY

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number of card publishers (both GCA and Ladder Club members) I’ve spoken to are Shutterstock contributors.

This is a great way to earn money. Using the images you have already created as cards, or from photography or videos you simply upload them to the Shutterstock site and sit back and wait. The contributor signup page is very straight forward – just have a copy of your passport saved to your PC so it can be uploaded. Shutterstock explains that their clients are looking for a variety of material ranging from High Definition imagery to video content.

So dig out your footage, vectors and designs and upload them here and let Shutterstock be your agent for a while.

Shutterstock: https://www.shutterstock.com

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k r o w e Hom YES! I’M SETTING YOU HOMEWORK!!

Now that the UK is reportedly at the front of the queue for US trade deals (wink, wink, say no more) it can’t do any harm to be looking at US tradeshows for inspiration and possible market opportunities Stateside.

ARCH: nery Show E S E R ) 1 tatio S k r o Y New Show t f i G a t Atlan rk Now t o Y w e N s Marke a g e V s La UYERS B E M A W? THE S 2) ARE ING EACH SHO ATTEND FOR M O O R G ERE 3) IS TH Y OF OFFERIN UE? IT N DIVERS IFFERENT VE D AT THE RE THE A S L A T DE 4) WHA RGANISERS O SHOW G NEWBIES? N OFFERI

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WHO ARE YOU FOLLOWING THIS MONTH? NEED SOME

INSTAspiration? l Here

are my top Instagram follow suggestions this issue – and not all card publishers.

WHY? 1. Because they come highly recommended by buyers 2. Their linesheets, catalogues, product presentation are all on point 3. We can all learn things from their marketing methods and techniques.

4. They are playing BIG LEAGUE

SUPPLIER

INSTAGRAM

YIELD

@yielddesignco

OneCanoe2

@1canoe2

Abacus Row

@abacusrow

Interview with .....

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Dawn Larder

The Glimmertwin Arthouse

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Talented Glimmertwin Dawn Larder works full time as an illustrator and designer from her studio in Spain. Her extensive portfolio of children’s book illustration, colouring books, fashion illustration, and pencil drawings of animals is impressive, and thought provoking.

1. HAS MOVING FROM THE UK TO SUNNY SPAIN HELPED YOU IN YOUR CREATIVE BUSINESS (SURROUNDED

BY THE WARMTH OF THE SUN’S RAYS AND MEDITERRANEAN FOOD)?

DO YOU EVER PLAN ON RETURNING TO GRAN BRETAÑA? lll Yes, the sun certainly does help. If nothing else it helps to keep my hands warm which is pretty helpful to an artist!

The more relaxed way of life here makes for a lot more creativity too.

No, at the moment I have no plans to return to the UK.

2. GIVE US A GLIMPSE INTO A NORMAL DAY IN YOUR STUDIO – WHAT KIND OF PROJECTS ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING. l l l I am very much a night time artist and prefer to work well in to the early hours usually until around 3 in the morning. It is lovely to work at this hour in the summer when the temperature has cooled slightly and the sound of the insects and wildlife at play is a calming backdrop.

I am currently illustrating several children’s books and the one I am loving the most at the moment is for an author in Melbourne, Australia. It is a great story and the author requested a Beatrix Potter style which I love, as I am a huge fan of anthropomorphism in art, and love to draw animals personified.

I am also producing illustrations for a law enforcement manual in Tennessee. These are of a completely different style and are basically just line art, but having variety in my work helps to keep everything fresh! F

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3. WHAT DO YOU MOST ENJOY WORKING ON – ART COMMISSIONS FOR CLIENTS, THE LOGO DESIGN SIDE OF YOUR BUSINESS, OR MURALS IN PUBLIC SPACES? lll I used to love mural work as I prefer to draw on a very large scale, but I am really quite a private artist and don’t like to be watched while I am working! When I was mural painting in the UK (eg at HTV studios in Bristol) there could often be a bunch of people stood behind watching!

I love the children’s book illustration work. Firing the imagination of children is exciting to me as I used to love picture books as a child. Creating imaginary scenarios which are worlds away from reality is great for kids to escape to.

4. TELL US HOW YOU MARKET YOUR SERVICES AS AN ILLUSTRATOR AND SHARE ANY GOOD TIPS YOU MAY HAVE FOR INCREASING VISIBILITY lll Having a great website is very important. When submitting proposals to clients it forms a one-stop shop for the client to see all of your portfolio in one place and to see the different media and genres you can work in.

Social networks are also so very useful.

On completion of projects I will always

help an author as much as possible with their marketing, and share the final project on social network platforms.

5. HOW DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DIFFERENT FROM OTHER ILLUSTRATORS IN THE MARKET? l l l Hmm, that’s a good question! I think, in short, I desperately want to keep the use of traditional materials alive, yet I do entertain the notion of digital tools. I like to think I can fuse the two but whether this makes me different to other illustrators out there I don´t know!

6. HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT OF ENTERING THE GREETING CARD MARKET, AND IF SO, WHAT THEME WOULD YOUR FIRST RANGE OF CARDS BE ON? l l l Yes, I would love to enter the greeting card market. My first range would definitely be anthropomorphic, involving some weird and wonderful animals and not the usual cats and dogs.

THE GLIMMERTWIN ARTHOUSE

Web: www.theglimmertwinarthouse.com Email: glimmertwinarthouse@gmail.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/glimmertwinarthouse Tel: 0034 638 859 419

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THE BOOK NOOK OMG! I FORGOT THE CARD!: LAST MINUTE GREETING CARDS FOR EVERY OCCASION

BY CLAUDEAN WHEELER (AUTHOR), SCOTT FRANCIS (AUTHOR) l No self respecting card publisher will ever need this

“book” but it is a great concept [that we could all emulate with our own designs?]

Targeting the forgetful, it provides the buyer with a handy range of pull out cards and stickers for those senior moments when we’ve forgotten someone’s birthday/ event, can’t be bothered standing in a shop queue to buy one, or some other cheap skate excuse.

You won’t even need an envelope.

Cleverly marketed, it aims to transform us into the most thoughtful people ever!!

Nice try. 

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A window on the world of a greeting card publisher

Gypsy Chic magazine