Don't ask me why…
Life update, content update, new stuff in the making. As creators, time is not on our side. Sometimes, we don't have enough of it to go around doing the two thousand things we actually want to do.
After a short break, I'm super excited to be back on Substack and especially Youtube! I missed you guys over there a lot and so I'm super happy to be able to film again and catch up with you all!
I received many questions about me getting back to making videos and why I was gone. Especially, because I feel that with the current state of Instagram, Youtube and this very newsletter you're reading are the best ways I have to communicate with you all. The truth is, I really needed some me-time, and with all my illustration work, taking a short break from Youtube was the only way to do so.
So this week is a supermassive update on all the things that happened and the things to come, mostly when it comes to the content I will be creating, I believe you’ll love it!
The Menu for This Week
🌳 My First Art Market
🌳 Reimagining my Youtube Content
🌳 Finally made a Tote Bag
Selling art at an Art Market
This was a really nice experience!
Illustrada Art Market took place in the Netherlands in June and I had the pleasure of participating as a seller. Illustrada is a beautiful initiative, the only one like this that I know of happening here, in the Netherlands, and that's why I really wanted to support it. So when I was invited to join the art fair, I didn't hesitate for a second! I'm not a big art fair goer, not because I don't like or want to, but just because there aren't any art fairs happening around Amsterdam, where I currently live, which is a huge shame.
As it's been years since my first and only market experience, I had no idea what and how to prepare. Choosing and printing art prints was easy, selecting other products not so much, which is why (spoiler alert) I took with me to the market every single product I have in my studio. By the way, in case you're looking for a good printer, I've had this one for 5+ years now and it's awesome, you can check it below
Having in mind that we don't own a car and are fans of public transport, the three of us (my husband, my dog, and I) went to the market by train. There wasn't a direct connection between Amsterdam and Tilburg (a small town in the south of Holland, where Illustrada was held) and that was quite a trip carrying 3 suitcases filled with prints, books, puzzles, and colorful decorations in the company of a very energetic, small but excited dog :). Taking everything with me and in large amounts was only one of a few mistakes I made! :) As always I'm sharing everything with you in the videos, so hopefully, you won't repeat my mistakes.
Apart from printing the illustrations I also took care of getting myself a card reader, prepared handmade business cards (I nearly forgot about the business cards!), and bought display elements for my stand, and I tell you all about it in the video!
I hope you like this slightly different format of filming. I had so much fun at the Art Market, meeting you all there, filming bits and pieces of the event, and our trip there. A big shoutout to my dog Lupe, for behaving wonderfully during the market (the final barks at the end don't count)! And in case you wanted to visit me there but couldn't, feel free to check out my online store, where all the art prints I had with me during the fair are available for you!
Reimagining my Youtube Content
Making Content that’s fun!
I want to change things a bit (as I'm constantly learning, you guys probably hear me saying that a lot:)). If you've been a follower of my channel, you know for sure that I've been doing a lot of tutorials, reviews of helpful resources and tools for illustrators, and basically including anything that can help us in our field. I couldn't be happier hearing from you about how my videos have helped you and served as motivation and support when you needed it, and that's definitely something I wanna keep doing.
However, I started feeling too often like customer service, which has been caused by all the technical questions I'm receiving. And the truth is I don't know what to do if your device breaks or there's a connectivity problem between them. I also haven't tried 20 different printers to tell you which one is the best for you - I just know that I love mine and I'll keep on recommending it! Those are all the things that are easily googleable, and just because I recommend the tools I use and like, doesn't mean I produced them and know how to fix them :) This is not coming from everyone of course, but you’ll be surprised to see how many comments and DMs I get for tech support.
So what does it mean for my channel? The reviews and tutorials will still be there! Rest assured that every time I find something cool or interesting for illustrators and visual artists, I'll be sharing it with you and you'll be the first ones to know! But I've always wanted to show you more of the behind-the-scenes of an illustrator's life, the experiences, and the stories because those are also worth sharing. The good and the bad parts, the things I enjoy doing to spark creativity, rest, learn new stuff and grow my art business and professional career. They are as important as the tech or tutorials. And I would absolutely love for you to join me and share the things you love with me as well, in the video comments section.
My Eco-Friendly Tote Bag
Designed my first limited edition bag, eco and strong
I took the opportunity of selling my art at the market to do something I've always wanted, which was designing and creating my very own first tote bag! After lots of research and emails, I found sustainably made totes, that are thick fabric, well-made, and are Oeko-tex certified. I also found a model with a wide bottom so that you can fit more things in the bags, which for me is perfect, as I use totes all the time and want them to be strong and resistant.
I illustrated the relaxed happy tiger among flowers, perfect for the warmer months, and since then it's been my favorite go-to tote. The Floral tiger bag had its premiere at the Art Market, but you can find it in my online store. Finding the right bag, preparing the illustration, and testing it was so much fun and I'm very excited and happy with how it turned out! Using my own tiger tote really puts me in a good mood whenever I go out and have it with me, and I really really hope you'll love it too!
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