It always seems odd to be painting holiday specific or seasonal art that really isn't in season, but so goes the life of an artist in the licensing world!  But, I don't mind in the least, I enjoy breaking out of the ordinary and mixing it up, and I did just that last week and this weekend with 5 new collections for Christmas and winter :)

One of the top requests for new art I received at the Surtex Licensing Show last month was to create more, more and more Christmas art!  I don't think I will ever have enough, but I will certainly try. Coastal and inspirational were the next two top requests, I've created a couple of inspirational and will be working on more coastal as well over the next few weeks and months, so stay tuned!

In the meantime, here are the new collections just created, all of which are available for licensing across all product categories.  And...I also have poinsettias painted and ready to create new designs with, so this will be available shortly.  To see all of my Christmas images click here.  Have a Wonderful "Christmas in June"!

Surtex 2014 was a success!  And by "success" I am very, very pleased with all of the great contacts with new, and current manufacturers I've wanted to work with and have previously or currently worked with. It was also a fantastic opportunity to meet so many artists I know from online groups and social media!

Now, the most important part of the show is upon me, the Follow Up.  The whole reason I went to the Art Licensing Surtex show was to put my art in front of manufacturers who might not be aware of my art.  Now that I have made those contacts, it is of the utmost importance to connect with them and provide them with more information about me and my art and how my art can be beneficial to their products and company.  And if needed, create new art for new product lines and/or work with current designs I already have.  

At this earliest stage after the show I am focused on organizing my contact list and prioritizing everything. The VERY first thing I am doing is taking all of the notes from my little book and backing them up on my computer, if something were to happen to my book the whole show would be in vain, all of my contact information would be gone and I cannot, will not let that happen!!

I hope the show was a great success for everyone who exhibited and attended.  I made notes during the show of things that worked for me and of things I can improve upon next year, and will write a new blog post once I'm caught up on all of the current demands from the show :)

Everything seems to have fallen into place and almost all the details are finalized before the big Art Licensing Surtex Show in New York this Sunday.  Finishing up my press kits today; I ended up going with something a little different and hope the media will enjoy :)  On the front of each of the folders I actually hand drew a fun, whimsical design, that can be enjoyed as is or used as a coloring page.  Fun for me and fun for them!  Yes, a little time consuming for sure, but my daughter Aroon is helping out with the final pen outlining and putting all the folders together.  Thank goodness for some help, it's a lifesaver!! And my daughter will also be accompanying me to New York and helping to (wo)man the booth and also share in some of the attention as we collaborated together on the New Inspirational "Happiness Is..."™ line.

I have a couple of days left to soak it all in and double, triple check my list and packing and make sure I have everything I could possibly need, and more!  But, it's also important to take these last few days before such a big event and business decision, to relax and not stress too much, it's supposed to be a fun and enjoyable experience, and to go into it with a positive relaxed mindset is key!  Make sure to take some time for yourself the next few days, whether it's to get outside and exercise (going for a run myself today :), have a spa day/massage, get your nails or hair done, take your dogs for a long walk in the park and/or anything that customarily relaxes and rejuvenates you.

Here's to everyone having a very successful and FUN Surtex!!

Press Release ~ MADART Studios

Surtex Booth #217

Brighten your life with "Art that Colors the Soul"™ from contemporary, licensed artist Megan Aroon Duncanson. Megan's art sends a positive message with unique, colorful and inspirationally uplifting art and quotes to guide you through life with positivity and hope.

Megan is the creative force behind MADART Studios™ that features her work along with collaborative designs with her mother and daughter. Three generations of creative women working together to design art that is uplifting and fun for everyone. In addition to the inspirational collections there are also designs in many categories from coastal, Christmas to kitchen art. The creativity of three generations has its first beginnings in the tiny little Alaskan Bush/Fishing village called Meyers Chuck, just 40 miles North of the Alaskan Gateway City of Ketchikan. Megan was raised in the wilds of Alaska where she found inspiration in the beauty of Alaska and was encouraged by her mother's own creativity. The youngest of the three, Aroon duncanson, was born in Alaska and spent several years growing up in the same village as her mother and creatively inspired by both her mom and grandmother.

Megan is experienced with art licensing and currently has licenses with 25 different manufacturers from Deny Designs (home decor) to Gango Editions (prints). Nine of these licensing deals were signed in 2014, many procured by Megan's licensing agent "Art Licensing", with plans to hopefully add more partners from the Surtex Art Licensing show. The majority of designs are hand painted elements that are then collaged into a final image in Photoshop; this retains the unique hand painted feeling to the art but at the same time allows the designs to be manipulated to perfectly fit a variety of products. New images are created daily with thousands to currently choose from, including a new line of designs specifically created for Greeting Cards that will be debuting this year.

Megan will be at Booth #217 for the Surtex Show in New York on the 18-20th of May, stop by and see all the new designs perfect for a variety of products!

http://www.madart-studios.com 
http://www.artthatcolorsthesoul.com 
http://www.madartdesigns.com

FINALLY feeling like I'm getting things accomplished for the Surtex Art Licensing Show in New York in less than two weeks!  Banners completed, ordered and on the way, ads placed in various publications, miscellaneous things I will need to set up my booth purchased and sitting in piles ready to be packed and many more check marks on my to do list, it feels good!

I am now just working on creating more tear sheets of collections with some mockups, borders, patterns, etc. to show how different designs and collections can look on future products.  And of course organizing all the files on two tablets to show over a thousand different paintings, designs, patterns, borders and icon elements.  Whew, I should actually go through and count exactly how many images I've created over the past 6 years when I first decided to make art my career, there are A LOT!  

Here is a collection I just put together utilizing my mom Romi's "Hot Cuppa"© cup icon elements and my backgrounds and borders, it's called "Tea Party"©.  Now back to the computer to create and organize some more art licensing collections for the big show!

Tara Reed of Art Licensing Blog is always a wealth of information for art licensing newbies and veterans alike.  I've learned so much from following her blog to purchasing her mockup templates and audio replays of art licensing artist interviews; she knows what she's talking about!  

She posted a blog article, and it has a video too, with advice for artists who want to walk the Surtex show and learn what it's all about.  There are some very important pointers that are worth paying attention to and following if you have decided to walk the Surtex show as an artist thinking of potentially exhibiting in the future.  You can read her article here and feel free to stop by my booth #217 and say a quick hello, while of course following Tara's "Do's and Don'ts" :)

I wanted to try out some online printing companies for my banners this time around and chose two based on recommendations and personal experience.  The first one I chose to go with is Smart Press, I've ordered oversized canvas prints from them in the past and have always been very happy with the quality and accurate colors.  I had never ordered a banner from them before and figured it was worth a try, especially considering the competitive pricing!  I created a plain 3'x7' banner without any grommets, hems, etc and the cost was only $26.14 plus $12.22 for ground shipping.  I chose the plain banner because I will be using Command Poster Strips for mounting (you can purchase in bulk on Amazon).

The second option was All State Banners based on an online recommendation for banners used at Surtex in the past that I read about online somewhere, don't remember offhand where though.  I chose the same product/size, etc. and the pricing was almost double but still competitive, and half of what I paid last time I went to Surtex (I used a local printer).  Their price was $49.35 and shipping was $11.95.

Busy, Busy Busy creating sell/tear sheets for art collections to show at Surtex next month in New York. As I was creating the sheets I actually ended up designing some new images as well, which is a nice little bonus, it gives me that many more options to show for possible art licensing on different products.  

Here is one of my coastal collections with two new sea shell designs created today.  I love the soft, elegant feel of the new designs (shown below), perfect for a bathroom or any coastal themed home decor in addition to being a great fit for stationary, or coasters or any number of products.

Still a lot of work to do before the Surtex show, but I'm knocking off a little each day and so far feel like I should be able to accomplish all the "artwork" and "grunt work" I would like to get done before I fly to New York.  At least that's what I'm hoping, wish me luck, haha!

A little over five weeks to go!  I've accomplished a lot, but still have ton's to do in preparation for the Surtex Art Licensing Show May 18-20 in New York.  I have one banner completed, 8 to go; hmmm...I better get going on those, but I'm doing a test run with a new banner company to see how it comes out, crossing my fingers the quality is good.  I've sent out two rounds of postcards to prospective manufacturers and will start making phone calls to set up appointments in the next couple of weeks.

One of the more time consuming things, that I have yet to do, is setting up folders and files of collections on my tablets as well as creating tear sheets to showcase my designs on different products and shapes. So much to do and it seems as though I'm almost out of time, but I refuse to panic, I'm just going to knock off items on my "To Do" list every day and hopefully have a couple of days to spare before I leave for the show...wishful thinking right?

In addition to the collections I already have, I also started a new venture of creating uplifting, inspirational greeting cards and colorful holiday/occasion cards last month.  Here is a sample of this new line that I'm really excited about and literally have hundreds of ideas for more cards!!  It's always so exhilirating to be inspired and creative, I LOVE my job :) :)

I've been busy creating new art for the Surtex show as well as for my agent "Art Licensing".  I also decided I wanted to create a new collection/line of inspirational art in conjunction with a blog to inspire people to live life full of happiness and joy.  The new blog is called "Art for the Soul"™ and hope that these new designs will inspire people to live life to the fullest.

I'm creating each design in a 5"x7" ratio so that it can easily translate onto greeting cards, and I also offer in 8"x10" and square ratios as well to apply to different products and offer as fine art prints.  Each design is created with hand painted elements and than collaged into a single design in Photoshop, perfect for applying to any size/shape product imaginable. 

Please visit my new BLOG and I hope you are inspired by the art and message ~ "BE Inspired".