Dash of Inspiration: Goodbye 2014
A Dash of Inspiration, A Cup of Creativity by Doreen
Goodbye 2014
This will be the last Dash of Inspiration for 2014, as I prepare for the big kickoff of your Monthly Challenges coming on January 5th.
I’ll leave you with some great finds in case you’d like to treat yourself to a good design deal before the year ends:
Isabella Script (40% Off)
Silhouette Font ($16)
Kathya Script (40% Off)
Remember to tune in January 5th for the kickoff for our first Dash of Inspiration Design Challenge! I wish you all a joyous holiday and may 2015 bring many card sales your way!
So until January 5th, 2015 … Learn … Create … Inspire!
Share this:
Tips and Tricks: Season’s Greetings
Which is less likely to cause controversy—Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas?
It’s a question that has continued to plague retailers and businesses who would prefer not to alienate or offend any customers during the holiday season. In the past, they’ve resorted to remain politically correct, but have times changed?
If you’re designing Christmas cards next year for people to send to family and friends, the answer is obvious: use whichever greeting suits you best. If you’re designing cards for commercial customers, should you keep your options open with Happy Holidays or should you go ahead and use “Merry Christmas?” What about Season’s Greetings?
Of course, a clever artist can avoid the controversy by being creative with their text.
Here are some articles with advice that will help inform your decision.
Should People Say Happy Holidays Instead of Merry Christmas?
Some interesting comments here.
Happy Holidays vs. Merry Christmas: The Last Thing That Ever Needs to Be Said About It
Like the title says, this article will provide food for thought.
Should You Say Merry Christmas In Your Retail Store?
Although this pertains to a brick and mortar store, it still has relevance to greeting card sales.
Share this:
Happy Hanukkah
A very Happy Hanukkah to all who celebrate this joyful holiday!
Share this:
Tips and Tricks: Free Christmas Sweater Patterns
Spoon Graphics is offering 4 Christmas Sweater Patterns free for personal or commercial use (see comments at the end of the post for the designer’s clarification of TOU).
Remember to always include a link to the graphics page + a link to the TOU (or instructions for finding the license) in your Notes to Reviewer. And double-check the TOU … don’t take my word for it. Designers can change their minds and their terms from one day to the next.
These patterns can be used in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, or as tileable PNGs. A bit late for this year, but there’s always next year’s holiday cards to consider. Be creative and have fun!
Share this:
Dash of Inspiration: 2015 Challenge Teaser
A Dash of Inspiration, A Cup of Creativity by Doreen
2015 Challenge Teaser
A New Year is an opportunity to try something new and that’s exactly what I’ll be doing for the Dash of Inspiration blog postings in 2015 – something fresh to inspire all of you to push the boundaries of your creativity and to awaken your imagination.
The first Monday of every Month (starting on January 5, 2015) I will be announcing a new Design Challenge. These challenges will be very different from what we’ve done in the past, here’s why …
- Each new challenge will ask you to create a NEW card which will express the theme and specifics spelled out in the challenge (don’t worry fast track will be allowed for your submission to each challenge).
- Voting of entries will be done by a panel of Judges, selected by Mindy, to represent GCU. No popularity voting for these challenges. These ‘competitions’ will be handled much more like a true Juried Art Competition – only they are not open to the public, only to GCU artists.
- Each month’s challenge winner will receive some really great exposure and promotion by GCU.
Over the past 3-years, Corrie, myself, and a handful of guest artists have offered the GCU artist community a vast array of fabulous tips, tutorials, and freebies – all in the hopes of inspiring you to learn something new, expand your skill set and step outside of your artistic comfort zone. Don’t worry, these offerings will continue!
These challenges are a way for you to push your imagination to think outside the box, to expand your skills so you grow as an artist, and to have an opportunity to WOW team GCU so they will want to promote you, your winning card and your store!
I hope you tune in and participate, it’s going to be great fun!
Great message courtesy of: MysticEmma at Zooll.com
So until next week … Learn … Create … Inspire
Share this:
Design Spotlight: Seema Hooda
Our Design Spotlight falls today on Seema Hooda of Singhroha Art, a new artist who joined GCU in October of this year. Let’s all say “hi!” to this talented artist!
_________________________
Hello fellow artists! My name is Seema Hooda and I’m a watercolor artist from India. For me, painting is synonymous with self-discovery. I was in teaching profession for the last few years. I quit that to pursue my artistic dreams.
Since childhood I have been very passionate about painting. I have worked almost in all media, but watercolor is my favourite medium. I simply love the free flow effect created by the blending of colors, each time producing a unique pattern. I believe I have an obsessive compulsion to paint something new every time. As a matter of fact, it is good because that’s how creativity is retained.
I enjoy making greeting cards. And I feel that sending and receiving cards is an emotional affair as lots of thoughts go into the process of selecting an appropriate card.
You will find that most of my artwork and paintings are mainly florals. Actually, flowers fascinate me! I just can’t resist painting florals as I’m constantly intrigued by their beauty. Flowers are the most wonderful creation of God.
Please visit my blog to see more of my artwork. Have fun designing!
Share this:
Tips and Tricks: Promoting with Twitter
In business, many small, independent concerns (like GCU artists) often use social media to promote their products and their brand. Twitter is one way to draw attention to your greeting card designs so you will, in turn, increase your sales. Here are some helpful articles to get you started.
How to Use Twitter for Business and Marketing
A good break-down of the basics with comparisons of other social media sites.
How to Promote on Twitter Without Pissing People Off
The don’ts are just as important as the do’s.
41 Ways to Promote Your Twitter Account
Once you get started, you’ll need to develop some visibility.
Using Twitter Hashtags
(Video) Learn about the importance of hashtags.
Share this:
Font Frenzy: Jasminum on Sale
n need of an elegant script font? You can pick up the lovely Jasminum + a dingbat font in the same family for less than $15 until December 13. This font’s beautiful, perfect for formal designs, and definitely worth putting in your toolbox. An example is below. Have fun!
Share this:
Dash of Inspiration: Best Card Making Tips of 2014
A Dash of Inspiration, A Cup of Creativity by Doreen
Best Card Making Tips of 2014
As we get ready to leave 2014 behind, I’ll continue this week with a review of some of the Best Dash of Inspiration articles from this past year – today’s review will focus on the Card/Design Tips from 2014.
Tips for getting those age-specific and/or relationship-specific series uploaded, error free.
… GCUniverse will not tolerate the copying of another artist’s creative work – no copy cats, poachers, no “borrowing”, no stealing. If it’s not your idea, artwork or unique verse – Don’t use it!”
When creating vertical text, keep these thoughts in mind:
Text needs to have some alignment, both with other text and with the elements making up the flow of design.
Do your own research before you use/submit a design which may contain a song lyric, poem, quote, bible verse, slogan, clip art, photographs, and the like …
There is no doubt that if writing verse for the inside of your greeting cards does not come naturally, it can be frustrating. We also know …
So until next week … Learn … Create … Inspire!
Share this:
Tips and Tricks: Greeting Card Trends 2015
The Fall issue of Stationery Trends Magazine has an excellent article on Design Trends that will give you the heads-up on what styles, colors, etc., will be hot in 2015. Savvy artists, check it out!
In other news, retro/vintage and hipster styles will remain popular. Think mustaches, pipes, bowler hats, monocles, bicycles! For weddings and formal occasions, super elegant Art Deco is a growing trend, particularly in metallics like gold and silver.
Be creative and have fun!
GCU Community 