Don't mind me while I go off on a little tare

I was looking at the hits on my store the other day and not to brag or anything but I’m getting quite a lot. For a small store that has only been around for 2 years I was feeling very good about the amount of people checking out my store. But despite all the traffic I am getting my sells aren’t doing too well. And when you measure the hits against the sales it makes you wonder why the merchandise isn’t moving faster. I was thinking maybe I was charging too much for my work, but when you put money and a great deal of time into something you can’t just give it away. I set my prices based on my effort, and my effort certainly hasn’t changed. Then it occurred to me that it wasn’t my work or the pricing it was more that people just aren’t spending money right now. Everyone is having hard times and when that happens, “unessential” items such as art, are some of the first things people cut out. Not that I’m blaming them, I understand full well that if money is tight, you have to cut the little pleasures out occasionally. But that can really hurt an artist that is just starting out. And I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s sales have been affected. I’ll be fine, I have a nine to five that pays my bills, but I feel sorry for the artists out there that are trying to live off their art. But unfortunately there isn’t much you can do about it. So I am going to continue to put my art out there and hopefully it won’t be too long before the economy picks up and people begin their spending again.
Good luck to all my fellow artists out there that are trying to share their work with people.

Thanks for listening,
~Caralyn

All Work and No Play Makes Caralyn a Dull Girl

Hiya!
Oh Boy, I’m so excited about a new picture I started sketching at work when I was supposed to be taking calls…don’t tell my boss. It started out as just a doodle but as I was drawing, the idea came to me. It’s nowhere near ready for scanning so I’m not going to ruin the surprise by telling you what it is…Okay no need to twist my arm I’ll tell you :)
It’s my rendition of Arwen and Aragorn from “Lord of the Rings”. I drew an Elf woman in a silk looking dress and a rugged man with a cloak. He is sort of embracing her. At first I was just drawing a girl but she turned into an elf. My sketches usually end up taking on a fantasy/si-fi feel because…well because, who doesn’t love si-fi and fantasy! Then I added the man, I went through a few different drafts with him. I thought about making him a vampire but I’ve already done that with my Vampire & Nymph drawing I did a couple years back. I try not to duplicate too much. After a few moments of pondering is when I got the idea. I really think it’s coming along nicely. I still have a few more details to add before I can ink it and my work always seems to turn into something else, so when I’m finished it probably will be completely different but for now it is a human/elf couple.
Well I’m going to add it to the pile of things I’m working on…that never seems to get smaller… cause I keep adding to it.

Back to work…or not,
~Caralyn

Words are coming out my mouth but I'm not saying anything

So I’m trying to get a few more things done this year, I have been working on Myxies a lot lately and need to spend a bit more time on my other art. I have had a few sketches that I have been planning to finish for months now. They are just a few ideas I had while I was supposed to be working. I jotted them down but then got caught up in other things (being lazy) and just never went back to them. So that is what I plan to work on this week. I’m going to dust off my drawing board for an evening of just me, my pen and probably some Alanis Morissette blasting in the background. Jagged Little Pill Baby!
I have one picture I’m working on that I am pretty excited about. It is of an elf girl and her pet baby dragon. She has a confused look on her face and behind her is a person with a long black robe. It is supposed to be sort of a death like creature. It still has a long way to go since I am only at the sketching stage. After that comes filling in the details, inking the picture, scanning it onto Photoshop and lastly adding color. The whole process will take a few days…mostly because I can’t work on it for too long cause my fingers get tired. :/
Well time to get to work, these pictures aren’t going to draw themselves…too bad, that would save me a lot of time.
I’ll keep you all posted on my art, because I’m sure you are all just DYING to know :)

Talk at you all later!
~Caralyn

Myxie bo-byxie banana-fanana ro-ryxie fe-fi-fo fyxie MYXIE!

Ello Friends.

It’s everyone’s favorite part of the day…the time when you read my blog and find out there are NEW MYXIES ON ETSY!!! I know, it’s just too wonderful for words. :D
But it’s true, I have finished two more Myxies, Indigo and Scarlet. The newbies have been posted on my Etsy store. Check them out!

Cheerio!
~Caralyn