Trying something new!
This week has been lots of fun due to the white stuff….we seem to have been inundated with it.
Didn’t manage to get the sledge out or even build a snowman, but we have enjoyed lots of days together since the snow has closed the school several times.
Art wise I decided a little while ago to try my hand at some upcyled artwork, obviously last week I posted the ACEO I had done. This week though I have gone slightly larger and produced an A4 piece.
“Note”
Coloured pencils on an old music sheet.
This adorable Husky puppy artwork is available through my Folksy store.
I have also had great fun putting my artwork on a wooden sign, and am hoping that diversifying and adding my artwork to more usable items I can increase my customer base.
Double sided with original artwork on both sides, varnished to protect against damage.
Approx size is 26.5cm x 8.5cm x 0.9cm and is made from real wood.
Brighten up your garden/home with this great wooden oval cat sign.
On a more personal note my brother got engaged on Christmas day <3
This week the invitations have arrived they are getting married in March, I can’t wait (Of course it’s a great excuse to purchase a new dress!)
I also decided this week I would introduce my four legged friends.
Here are my Chihuahua girls Cinnamon and Guinness. (they look like butter wouldn’t melt!!)
Checkers half asleep, for once he’s not causing chaos!
Lastly my bunny Magic, who’s a dwarf lion head and soo cute.
Enjoy the rest of your week.
Not a great deal
Well as the title would suggest, I haven’t a great deal to report!
On Sunday I collected my artwork from Clumber Hotel as unfortunately my representative has moved away from the area, and since I had originals hanging and it’s a long way to travel I decided the best option was to bring them home. I am in the process of trying to find a local gallery to hang my work so watch this space.
Whilst there we ventured into Nottingham and went to the castle (well what’s left anyway) I have to admit it was a fun day out especially since we all like history.
Other than that I have been stocking my Folksy store I currently have a few one of a kind items, Keyrings, Fine art prints, Magnets, and ACEO prints. More is being added daily so remember to check back.
I have also listed 2 new original ACEO Cards on eBay.
“Bee still”
“Define”
Both are available by clicking on the links, well that’s about all for now hopefully I will have a little more news for the next post.
Photoshop & Dreamweaver eBay listing template
I’m doing well so far this is my second blog of the year!!
Which is an achievement for me, and I will en-devour to continue from now one.
As I mentioned in my last post I have been assessing the financial implications of the different stores I have and trying to keep my monthly costs down.
This means changes so I have decided my eBay store will now only stock ACEO prints and have the Original ACEO auctions, this means my overheads are dramatically cut, Oh no I hear you cry but where can we purchase you’re other items from, I will have all my Keyrings, Prints, Magnets, ACEO Prints, Original art, and some handmade bespoke one off items in my Folksy store.
Since I was removing and adding stock I decided to give the store a face lift!
To do this I used Photoshop to begin with (I am sure there are other programs capable of this but I am unsure of them so feel free to leave comments)
First I created a blank page my size was 1000 x 2372 pixels, I then placed the images I wanted on there and adding text where I wanted it to be non editable (basically an image) I am moving through this bit quickly as I assume you know how to place images on Photoshop, If not please leave me a comment and I will do a post on this!
Anyway here is the finished template (I am fully aware eBay doesn’t allow external links but I have a business to run!)
Now is the time to smile take a deep breath put the kettle on and get ready.
The next step is to create slices for each image and the areas where you want to add editable text, why because you need to host your images for the web (Otherwise they won’t show) more about that later.
On with the slicing!
To do this right hand click where the crop tool is this will bring up the slice tool.
Now drag the slice tool around an area the same as you would do for cropping it will show as below, the orange line is your slice.
Here is my template sliced and ready to go all the images are sliced and the editable text areas as well (It’s like a giant jigsaw each piece has to slot together) don’t miss any of your image or overlap your slices. Mine are blue as it’s a saved file please ignore this.
As you can see a large amount of my template is images we don’t need to do anything to them as the the default slice is image. We do however need to change the editable text areas so we can input text, this text will be editable in Dreamweaver so if you made a spelling mistake etc you can change it then.
Here’s how to tell Photoshop we want text, and of course put that text in, Right hand click your slice the below menu will appear.
click on the edit slice option and the below menu appears. We need to change this to no image, click the slice type and choose no image.
Now input your text into the next menu as below, as I said this is editable in Dreamweaver.
Once all your slices are edited we need to save it, go to file – Save as web & devices. Ensure the settings save format HTML and Images as shown below.
Right now is the time to put the kettle on again and get ready.
Open Dreamweaver and open your saved document, it should show as ……HTML.
Ensure you have the template on split, so you can view both the HTML and the image.
As you can see all the images show as <img src=”images (this is the folder saved from Photoshop with your images in)/the name of your document_the number of the image.jpg”
What we need to do is make the image visible online to do this you need to upload the number image (for example images/name_01) to a photo host, I used Photobucket but there are many more.
I clicked upload and choose image one I then grab the code starting with http:// (on the right hand side on Photobucket) and pasted it in between the first “and the last ” as shown below, please be aware that the code from your photo host can only be inputted in the code part at the top not the image view.
Once you have done that for all the images, they will now be able to be seen on your template.
To edit the text you can use the view of your template (you can change the code but it’s easier to use the design view) here you can use format to align and change the text if you wish and of course change the text itself.
You can then make images and text links simply by clicking on the item you wish to make a link and then using the link section as shown below.
Remember to start your link with http://
Once complete simply save as, you can now copy the code and paste it into your eBay template using the HTML tab as shown below.
It’s also handy to know that when in standard you can still edit your text this is helpful if you wish to just click sell similar item on eBay.
This is just the way that I create my templates, I am sure there are many other ways of achieving the same results!
you can view the finished template in my eBay store Dreamwever and Photoshop eBay template.
Please feel free to leave comments if you would like more details, have another way of doing this, etc.
Have fun!
A New Year!!
Yet again I have to apologise for not updating my blog for a long time, I have made it a New Years resolution to be more organised and update my internet items more frequently.
Well where to start really so much has happened since I last wrote a post so I shall try and remember as far back as I can (Those of you that know me realise this isn’t an easy feat with my memory)
In August we went to Italy for a well deserved holiday we stayed at Lake Garda in a beautiful hotel right in the mountains I was so impressed with the service and we had such an amazing time, the people we met were all so friendly and I wouldn’t hesitate to go back again.
This is the view from our balcony across the Lake, it really is a stunning place to be and the food is out of this world!
We were also very lucky to have a tour of Verona and visit the stunning Arena di Verona a Roman Amphitheatre still in use!
Who could resist a trip to Juliet’s balcony I was shocked at the vast amount of locks and messages (and yes I am aware that there is no evidence to support this being Juliet’s balcony), although I found scribbling on walls of rare buildings wrong, we did invest in a lock and attach it to the grate shown…well when in Italy!!
Of course you can’t go so close to Venice and not go…..I loved the atmosphere and couldn’t believe how big the city actually is.
Although I am not a religious person the architecture of Venice is just stunning.
Look what I found in Venice for those of you who don’t know I’m a big F1 fan and couldn’t resist a sneaky peek.
Whilst visiting Sirmione we noticed different animal sculptures all with numbers, presumably these indicate how many of these majestic animals are left in the wild, even on holiday I am reminded of the plight of animals every where.
After reviewing my accounts this year I decided that my Artfire shop was not creating enough sales to continue to keep it, whilst this is obviously sad news it is also exciting as it has given me the opportunity to review other sites and indeed choose Folksy which seems to be much more productive.
As the cost implications are much lower, all of my items will be available and I have started to add one of a kind bespoke handmade items of course you can still purchase my other animal art items through Folksy as well, and you can still purchase my art online via the website.
The next and last piece of news, I decided to have a bash at SEO for those of you who aren’t aware SEO is Search Engine Optimization.
Basically the idea is that when someone searches for a specific thing i.e animal art you want your website to be on page one preferably number 1.
What does it involve, well firstly a headache lots of coffee, some up beat tunes, and a feeling of being overwhelmed.
As you can see I managed it although the results seem to depend on your web browser?!
I found that the biggest help was the SEO site checker using this I was able to increase the security of my website using htaccess, using this method I was also able to ensure my that both majestikart.com and www.majestikart.com were the same (I’m sure I’ve lost a few peeps now!)
Basically your htaccess is a folder on your webserver that you can add code to, to edit the way your site behaves.
Canonicalization describes how a site can use slightly different URLs for the same page – for example: if http://www.example.com and http://example.com resolves to the same page. If this happens, search engines may be unsure as to which URL is the correct one to index.
I was also able to add a sitemap, A sitemap is an XML file that lists URLs for a site that are available for crawling. Additional metadata about each URL is typically included (when it was last updated, how often it usually changes, and how important it is, relative to other URLs in the site) so that search engines can more intelligently crawl the site. I created my sitemap online using a very helpful website.
The last thing I came across was Google’s keyword tool this handy tool allows you to view how many time a search is entered daily.
One of the things suggested was to use typos on your website as believe it or not these can bag you valuable viewers, so I used a typo generator (because I coudn’t imagine how you would tiss mype anything!) here’s some of the suggestions:
nimal, aimal, anmal, anial, animl, anima, aanimal, annimal, aniimal, animmal, animaal, animall, naimal, ainmal, anmial, aniaml, animlaqnimal
rtist, atist, arist, artst, artit, artis, aartist, arrtist, arttist, artiist, artisst, artistt, ratist, atrist, aritst, artsit, artits, qrtist, wrtist, srtist, xrtist, zrtist, aetist, arftist, adrtist
ortrait, prtrait, potrait, porrait, portait, portrit, portrat, portrai, pportrait, poortrait, porrtrait, porttrait, portrrait, portraait, portraiit, portraitt, oprtrait, protrait
og, dg, do, ddog, doog, dogg, odg, dgo, sog, eog, rog, fog, cog, xog, dig, d9g, d0g, dpg, dlg, dkg, dof, dot, doy, doh, dob, dov, sdog, dsog, edog, deog, rdog, drog
at, ct, ca, ccat, caat, catt, act, cta, xat, dat, fat, vat, cqt, cwt, cst, cxt, czt, car, ca5, ca6, cay, cah, cag, caf, xcat, cxat, dcat, cdat, fcat, cfat, vcat, cvat, cqat, caqt
oloured pencils, cloured pencils, cooured pencils, colured pencils, colored pencils, coloued pencils, colourd pencils, coloure pencils, coloured encils, coloured pncils
wildlifre, wildlitfe, wildlifte, wildligfe, wildlifge, wildlivfe, wildlifve, wildlicfe, wildlifce, wildlifwe, wildlifew, wildlif3e, wildlife3, wildlif4e, wildlife4, wildlifre, wildlifer, wildliffe, wildlifef, wildlifde,
In the end I decided this was a step too far for me the though of intentionally spelling something wrong and compromising my site just wasn’t for me, I want my website to be of the same principals that my artwork is, quality!
It did however make me smile at how many typos there were, of course we all do it but you don’t realise that the numbers soon become hundreds daily.
What did I learn well mostly that when it comes to SEO I have no idea how it works and that it makes my brain hurt, and I’m much better at drawing than sitting at a computer!
Well that’s it really wishing you all a prosperous New Year, I certainly intend on making the most of every day.
New outlet
Just to prove I really haven’t dropped off the face of the earth, here’s a second post in the same week!
I have some good news you will now be able to purchase a selection of my blank greeting cards, mounted and framed prints as well as my originals at Clumber Park Hotel.
If you haven’t yet visited this stunning hotel then you really must!
http://www.clumberparkhotel.com
Whilst you are there you should visit the beautiful Clumber Park
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/clumber-park
Enjoy the rest of your weekend
Not dropped off
No I haven’t dropped of the edge of the planet just yet!
I have been busy beavering away, firstly you can now purchase my items through The Little Dog Rescue.
Every time you purchase an item through the charity you are helping fund the good work they do, the Little Dog Rescue has been formed by a dedicated group of people who between them have hundreds of years experience in the dog rescue world, they aim to help dogs who through no fault of their own find themselves in need of new homes, working through a network of approved foster homes where all of our dogs are assessed and receive any medical attention required before they go to their forever home, They are happy to take in dogs from homes, pounds, puppy farms or other rescues, and furthermore have a non-destruction policy and will always endeavor to train or treat every dog.
So make yourself a member of the forums and please help me help them by purchasing items from them
http://www.littledogrescue.co.uk
Recently I attended a craft show at the stunning Rufford Abbey in Nottingham, although it did rain considerably the atmosphere was amazing.
This was my second craft show (such a newbie!) and I have to say I really enjoyed it, as you can tell from the photograph I still need to refine my table display, but I like to think of it as a work in progress!
Thank you to all of you that made a purchase, I hope you had a wonderful day and enjoyed your purchase, well who wouldn’t with the below setting?
I recently started reading a certain book with the tile 50 shades……which is far too addictive and I am already on the last book, however that being said the second books cover inspired the below piece (Funny where inspiration comes from)
Title:”Guardian”
Size:8″ x 10″
Ground Quality:300gsm Arches Watercolour paper.
The original is for sale here
I have decided to challenge myself (just for a change!) and I am going to attempt to produce an ACEO of every breed of Dog contained in my reference book….wish me luck on this one as I may need it the book is approximately 255 pages, I will update you as I progress through the challange!
I’m super excited as it’s my Birthday tomorrow so keep a look out for a special offer on Artfire.
Be sure to check Twitter and Facebook for updates!
I’m going to have to end this post with “Laters”
Just what the doctor ordered!
I’ve been so busy lately what with entering art competitions and stocking my stores (I am convinced my to do list is having babies!) so on Saturday I had half a day off to spend time with my poor neglected family.
Although there was snow on the ground we decided to venture to The Chestnut Centre we had a fantastic time ( I will admit I did take flyers along for the shop!) we got so close to the deer, and one otter kept coming right up to the edge of her pen to say hello (At least that’s what the squeaking sounded like to me!) anyway I though I would add a few photos of the day.
I love taking picture, especially of animals, I use them as reference for my artwork, but other than that they tend to just get filed away. I decided that although I don’t want to branch out into photography I do want to do something more with them, so I decided that I would open another Zazzle store (An additional branch from Majestik Art as it were) so I introduce (Drum roll please!) Majestik Photography (Hey if it’s not broke don’t fix it!!) it’s still very much in the early stages but I wanted to see what you all think so far so here’s the link Majestik Photography any comments welcome as always.
On the art front I have been busy beavering away on competition piece’s I plan on entering the BBC Wildlife artist of the Year, the SAA Artist of the Year and also the Derbyshire Open, so please keep your fingers crossed for me.
Well that’s about all really, hope you all had a fantastic weekend.
A new printer
I finally took the plunge and bought a new printer I decided on the Epson R2880 the quality is amazing especially on my Somerset Enhanced Satin Paper I can’t wait to purchase some rolls of the paper so I can offer archival (Guaranteed for 65 years) prints in my stores, so keep an eye out for them!
I haven’t really been up to a great deal online this week as I have been concentrating on completing my piece for the David Shepherd Wildlife Artist of the Year Competition I can show you the piece but I can tell you it’s a Mountain Gorilla and is named “Fading” I will show you it as soon as I can.
Now that is completed and entered I should be able to continue stocking my stores and finishing my seemingly never ending to do list.
I do plan on entering a few more competitions but I have left myself a better time scale so I’m hoping to continue other projects at the same time.
Well that’s about it really!
Have a fantastic weekend.
A New Year
Well this year has to be the year that my artwork finally starts to make enough money to support me, as I’m struggling with being a Mum, Part time receptionist and an artist!
I decided that it was time to get organised in order to achieve this, so armed with my new iPad (Thank you hubby x) I downloaded a fantastic app called treed it’s super cute and so easy to use, I have nearly fully stocked my artfire store due to this app, and have now got all my projects in one place rather than on several hundred pieces of paper (which I inevitably loose!) you can view this amazing bit of wizardry (I say wizardry as I think little elves live in there it’s too clever) in the app store here
As it’s a New Year I would like to say a big Thank you to all of my customers and all those who supported me in 2011, I would also like to toast to Majestik art as this December it was officially it’s first Birthday!
As a way of giving back to all of you lovely people I have decided that this year I have also planned some competitions so be sure to check back often as these will be started very shortly, for your chance to get some freebies!
I currently have a New Year Sale in my artfire store, all items have 10% off and selected lines are free shipping, so plenty of bargains to be had!
I have finished and listed “Spellhound” and I am very happy with the way it turned out, the Corgi is very cute and I really have to say I enjoyed this piece both this and “Black magic” are more towards the fantasy side than I tend to venture but I think I may stay there awhile, or until the Art Competitions I plan to enter draw me away ( No pun intended of course). Anyway without further ado here is the finished piece.
Title: “Spellhound”
Medium: Coloured pencils and oils Size: 8″ x 10″
Ground Quality: 300lb Arches hot press watercolour paper.
Bidding ends tonight, you can place a bid here
Well I hope your New Year got off to a good start, till next time (as they say)
Sad news
I had planned on blogging once a week, but I’ve had some bad news that I wanted to share with like minded people!
My Cat Knight became unwell over the Christmas period so my Husband took him to the vets today, his Kidneys had failed just like his Brothers did earlier in the year and so we made the decision to stop his pain.
So I dedicate this blog post to the animals I have lost that were so dear to me.
Ruby the most adorable King Charles Spaniel ever, she was always there when you were upset, she was the dog that sat and waited for the ice cream van not for food but because she wanted to say hello to all the children. She would whimper whenever one of us left her when we were out walking, even if it was to pop to the loo, she was such a fun loving and beautiful dog and I miss her every day.
Kit who I’m sure would understand when I said he wasn’t the most intelligent Cat, but he was the fussiest you have ever met all he ever wanted was love. He would suck my hair never did know why or why it was only ever my hair, he tried others but they were never right. He was a huge Tom Cat and he always made the world a brighter place and he is so badly missed.
Knight the intelligent Cat of the bunch, he would always out smart his Brother Kit and loved to play, he had a thing for licking plastic bags and liked to jump on unsuspecting people’s backs. He loved toys and still managed to play with his Christmas gifts even though he was ill, unusually for a Cat he loved having his belly rubbed, I will miss him so much.
With so much to do in the world, so much hatred, disappointment and pain the one true comfort is that of unconditional love and all of my animals share or have shared this with me, and for that I am truly grateful, I will miss them all till the day I die but I am glad to have been able to call them my companions even if it was only for awhile.
I hope you all take this opportunity to hug your pet as they are so very dear.
