This month I thought I’d share with you a  feature on another artist whose blog I follow, the lovely Nina Seven… and this is what she had to say…

What do you make/design?

I’m primarily an illustrator. I illustrate greeting cards, art stamps, decorative paper and children’s books.

 

Describe your work in 2 words

fun and whimsical

 

 

Where can we find your products?

 

My stamp designs and decorative papers can be found at a wonderful craft supply company called A Muse. www.amuseartstamps.com

I also have my own greeting card line called n7designs www.n7designs.com All the images there are coffee related. I live in Seattle, WA (USA) and we are known for our coffee culture! Starbucks Coffee Company is based here and the partners that work there are my main customers.

My 1^st illustrated children’s book, Theodore the Tree is available on Amazon.com. You can find it by clicking here

 

 How did you come up with the name for your company?

My illustration business is just nina seven illustrations. I think most illustrators just use their name for search purposes. It makes it easy for people to find you.

Why did you decide to start

I started my business when I left a full time job after my 2^nd child was born. I previously worked in retail as a display designer for about 15 years 

 Tell us a little about your blog, and what you get out of the blogging process?

I started my blog about 5 years ago, so I could participate in a weekly illustration challenge, called Illustration Friday. Every Friday, a new word of the week is posted on the site and illustrators create a piece based on that word and post it along with a link to their blog. It’s so much fun and great practice. I still participate almost every week. I love the community of creative people I’ve met through blogging. I often email my online friends for advice and tips, from marketing ideas to techy questions. From doing the weekly challenges and seeing what everyone else is doing, my work has improved, I’ve learned new skills and gotten more confidence. As a creative person, you have to put yourself out there, you can’t work in a bubble

Advice you would give to someone thinking of starting up a creative business

First of all, do what you love. Then, keep growing and learning and honing your craft to be the best it can be.

Where do you get your inspiration from?  

I get a lot of inspiration from other illustrators by visiting blogs and websites, but I’m careful to not look too much. It can make you feel inadequate, if you try to compare yourself to others. I also am inspired by things I see in everyday life-packaging designs, children’s books, stationery, magazines, etc.

What would your ideal collaboration project be?

I would love to design a greeting card line for a company like Hello Lucky or Madison Park Greetings. I’d also like to do some children’s illustration for Mudpuppy, I love all their products. And, I’d really love to illustrate another children’s book, the 1^st one was so much fun.

 

 

What are you goals for the coming year?

Over the next year, I’d like to get another children’s book contract and I’d like to start working with an awesome company on a greeting card line. That would be a good year

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 29th, 2009 at 2:07 pm and is filed under Featured Artist, Q&A. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.