Tag: diy

What is a Mandala and How to Draw One

~ Julie ~ 1 Comment
what is a mandala and how to draw one

What is a mandala?

The word mandala literally means “circle” in Sanskrit, but they are so much more than that. Mandalas are beautiful geometric images that represent the circle of life, the universe, divine power, synchronicity and more.

Evidence of mandalas date back to the first century B.C. However, they are likely much older than that. Mandalas have been found all over the world, from India to South America. They are a common symbol in many religions including Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity.

Christian Mandalas Rose Window Sainte Chapelle Chapel in Paris
Rose Window Mandala in Sainte Chapelle Chapel in Paris

Today, mandalas are used around the world as a meditative art practice. They utilize a combination of radial balance and abstract patterns to mesmerize the artist and viewer alike.

Why draw mandalas?

Drawing mandalas can be a tranquil and meditative experience. They are often used in Art Therapy as a way to disconnect from stress and anxiety. They help the artist concentrate on being present in the moment.

Drawing intricate patterns is also a great way to improve hand-eye coordination.

Drawing mandalas is easy and fun, and the end result is unique and beautiful.

How to draw a mandala

There are many different ways to draw mandalas.

You can draw them completely free hand, or use a template. You can create your own template by using a compass and a ruler, or you can download the templates I created here.

Generally when drawing a mandala you start from the center and work your way out.

mandala drawing template
Drawing a mandala using my template

Incorporate different geometric patterns into your mandala as it expands outwards.

You can use many different materials to create mandalas. Pen and paper is the most obvious. However, people create mandalas from sand, rocks, leafs, crochet, yarn, and many other materials.

yarn mandalas diy craft project kids
Mandala made with yarn. aka Ojo De Dios or “God’s Eye”

It’s a good idea to keep a sketchbook or even a Pinterest Board with different patterns to refer back to for future mandala drawings.

Learn more about the history and religious uses of mandalas here.

I hope you’ve enjoyed learning more about mandalas, and how and why you should draw them!

Cheers,

Julie

Motivational Quotes for Entrepreneurs

~ Julie ~ 5 Comments

Hey guys! Anyone else feeling a lack of motivation today? I needed a little pick-me-up so I decided to put together some motivational quotes in Canva.

This goes out to all you entrepreneurs and small business owners out there who hustle hard and need a reminder to keep doing what you’re doing!

Motivational Quotes to Inspire You

I love this quote because it reminds us that wherever we are in life we can always keep working toward our goals and dreams.

start where you are, use what you have, do what you can. Motivational quotes.

I recently read the book Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and this quote of his really resonated with me.

the hard road often becomes easy, and the easy road often becomes hard - motivational quote robert kiyosaki

Sometimes taking risks pay off, other times they don’t but we’ll never know unless we try.

Be brave, take risks

People will always be jealous of your success and some will try everything in their power to tear you down. Don’t let that get to you. Just remember, if you have haters, you’re probably doing something right!

if you have #haters you're doing something right. #quotes

When all else fails, sometimes we just need a reminder to not give up. Take a break, step away from something, but always come back and try again.

when all else fails just don't give up quote

I hope you’ve enjoyed these motivational quotes! I’m already feeling a little better after creating these.

Let me know which one you like the most by leaving a comment below!

More quotes to inspire you:

What to do When Sales are Slow in Your Print on Demand Store

~ Julie ~ 2 Comments
What to do when sales are slow print on demand stores

Hey guys!  Today I’d like to share with you my thoughts on what to do when sales are slow in your Print on Demand shops and online stores.

In retail, whether online or brick and mortar, there are sales cycles.  This means that sales slow down at certain times of the year and peak during other times, like at Christmas.

It can be frustrating and confusing to go from making several sales in a month to barely any, but that is totally normal and just the reality of retail. It does not mean you’ve failed, so don’t get down!

Think about how you personally shop. What times of the year do you spend the most money and when do you save? You will most likely find this reflected in your sales.

Here you can easily see the cycle peaks and lows during the year from my Redbubble analytics:

sales cycles on print on demand online retail stores

You can see my sales peak in November and December and drop down in the spring. Then they steadily climb back up until August when people shop for Back to School.

Now this sales cycle is totally normal and something you will need to get used to and prepare for, especially if your sole income is through online retail shops.

Instead of getting frustrated and throwing in the towel, there are lots of things you can do during these low times to get your shops ready for when the sales start to rise again!

Here is a list of ideas:

  • Work on your website or blog. Start one if you haven’t yet.
  • Continue creating and adding new designs to your shops.
  • Find new ways to promote your shops. Start using Pinterest for example.
  • Grow your social media followings.
  • Go through your stores and fix or delete under-performing designs.
  • Go through your designs and update keywords.
  • Enable new products you haven’t offered before.
  • Do a brand overhaul: new logo, banners, etc.
  • Promote sales. If your sales are slow, so are the websites you sell on and they will often have really good sales during slow times to get people to buy.
  • Ask others for feedback. You could ask friends or other Print on Demand artists for feedback on your stores and/or designs.
  • Network. Find and join support groups with like-minded individuals. There are lots of Print on Demand groups on Facebook.
  • Learn new business and marketing strategies through YouTube or other sources.
  • Take a break. Sometimes we need some time away to replenish our creativity.  Go on a holiday or spend time with friends and family and come back with new ideas.
  • Open a new store. There are lots of print on demand sites out there, perhaps there is one more suited to your style. Here is a list of Print on Demand sites to try.
  • And most importantly don’t give up!

Looking for more? You can find lots more tips about selling your art through Print on Demand websites in the resources section of my blog.

Happy selling!

Cheers,

Julie

How to Design for Print On Demand Websites

~ Julie ~ 7 Comments
how to design print on demand websites

If you’re just starting out selling art and designs on Print on Demand websites it can be overwhelming!  How do you decide what kinds of designs to make?  How can you optimize your artwork for all the different Print on Demand sites?

Below I’ve compiled a list of tips to make it easier for you.  I’ve been selling my art through Print on Demand websites for over 4 years now, and I’ve learned a few things in that time.  I use Photoshop and Illustrator mainly, but these tips can work with whatever software you use.

So, read on if you need help with designing and optimizing your artwork for sale on Print on Demand sites such as Society6, Redbubble, Zazzle, Teepublic and others!

(Here is a list of 10 print on demand websites I recommend)

Designing for Print on Demand Best Practices

  • Research trends. Use Pinterest or a search engine to see what kind of art is currently trending, then use this for inspiration to create something in your own style.
  • Start with a large file size (10,000 pixels covers most products).
  • Keep your designs in layers to easily make changes or re-use elements later on.
  • Design with the products you want to sell in mind.  For example, most Print on Demand sites offer products like t-shirts, throw pillows and cell phone cases.  Keep these products in mind while you create your designs.
  • Keep images crisp (300 DPI), and colours relatively saturated (more saturated colors tend to look better when printed on fabric).
  • For drawings, use a scanner if possible (rather than photographs) and use the available settings to scan a large, high DPI image file.
  • For line drawings or black and white drawings, use Illustrator to make your lines crisp.  Check out my tutorial here for instructions.
  • Don’t up-size your artwork if possible, this leads to a pixelated fuzzy look on the final product (this is why you start with a large file size in the first place).
  • Depending on what kind of artwork you make, you may need to adjust the size or medium you use in order for them to look good on the computer. Play around.
  • Don’t use copyrighted images, text, logos or anything else, or you risk the image being taken down, or even your account being suspended.  Some sites allow “fan art” but make sure you follow all the rules.

Now that you have some designs to work with…

Optimizing your Designs for Print on Demand

  • Each website has it’s own file size and type requirements so make sure to check that before you start uploading.
  • Curate designs for each platform. Some designs might work better in different stores depending on their audience.
  • Save layers separately if you sell on Zazzle because you can layer different images and text on that particular POD site.
  • Create the same design in different colors and variations, especially once you have an idea of which designs are popular with your audience.
  • Adjust designs for individual product types. For example, use a transparent background for a t-shirt or sticker, use coloured background or make the design into a pattern for tapestries and pillows, remove text for leggings and apparel where it doesn’t work, etc.

Extra

Here are some more posts to help you sell your art online:

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you’ve found these tips helpful.  If you have any other ideas or questions feel free to post in the comments below!

Cheers,

Julie

Painting a Mandala on my Wall

~ Julie ~ 11 Comments

This is a video I created showing the process of painting a large mandala mural on the wall of my apartment!

mandala large scale paintings

I already had this beautiful turquoise colour on my wall so I just used silver acrylic paint for the mandala.

Before I started painting, I created a template using string, a thumb tack, and white pencil crayon which easily wiped away with a damp cloth after the paint was dry.

Some of you have asked me to explain the process of creating the template so I will attempt to describe this below.

You will need:

  • 1 thumb tack
  • string or yarn
  • pencil or pencil crayon
  • ruler

Steps:

  1. Place the thumb tack where you want the center of your mandala to be.
  2. Measure out a piece of string from the thumb tack to where you want the largest circle of your mandala to be (this will be the final size of your mandala).
  3. Cut the string and tie one end to the thumb tack, and tie the other end to the pencil crayon.
  4. Keeping the string taught, draw a circle all the way around, with the thumb tack in the center.
  5. Cut off the pencil end of the string by a few inches.
  6. Re-tie the pencil to the new end and draw another circle inside the first.
  7. Repeat the process until you get close to the thumb tack and cannot draw any more circles.
  8. Remove the tack, then use a ruler to draw lines across and diagonally from the middle.

You can use my Mandala Drawing Template as a guide for how your final template should look. Let me know if you need any more clarification!

It took me about 8 hours to complete this painting.

Check out the video and let me know what you think in the comments below!

Would you do this to your wall?

Cheers,

Julie

How to Sell Your Art Online in 5 Steps

~ Julie ~ 16 Comments
5 steps to sell your art online

Step 1. Build your portfolio.

In order to start selling your art online, you should have a decent sized portfolio for potential customers to choose from. Aim for 10-25 artworks.

sketch book designs feathers pug painting watercolour

You can either make a bunch of new artwork, or dig up some old pieces that could work digitally or physically to sell.

Step 2: Decide where to sell your art.

Next, you’ll have to decide where to sell your art and that will depend on your medium, style, and goals as an artist.

Identify your audience and how you want to sell your art.

  • Are you going to sell primarily prints? (many avenues)
  • Are you going to sell physical work, such as paintings? (Etsy, or Fine Art America)
  • Do you create sculptures, jewelry or something else tangible? (Etsy)
  • Are you interested in designing t-shirts and/or home decor products? (Society6, Zazzle or Redbubble)

Check out my blog post about Where to Sell Your Art Online to help you decide.

For even more help on deciding where to sell your art online check out these posts:

Step 3. Optimize your artwork for sale

You’ll have to optimize your art digitally, or take a nice photo of it in order to sell it online.

  • Scan or photograph your artwork
  • Make it a large file size
  • Try to get sharp lines and true colors
  • Post process in a program like Photoshop to fix colors, or clean up scans.

Here is a an explanation of how I clean up my drawings using Photoshop and Illustrator

Step 4: Upload and enable as many products as possible

Upload your art to your chosen platform.

If you are going the Print On Demand route,  only add to products that look good and work with the design.

mermaid cell phone case example

Step 5: Market your products

This is where a lot of artists struggle because, well, we’re artists not business or marketing professionals!

  • Share your products and artwork on social media. 
    • Create an Instagram, Twitter, and/or Facebook page dedicated to your art.
    • Ideally, choose one you use frequently so it’s not a burden to learn or use daily.
  • You may consider building a website, which can be a hub if you sell on multiple platforms. It could be a blog or just a portfolio of your work.
  • Check out my pages for inspiration:
  • To dive deeper into marketing, watch tutorials on YouTube or try Skillshare to hone your business skills or even artistic skills as your business grows.

There is a lot to learn on the business side, but don’t neglect your art!

Consistently create new designs so you can figure out what works and what doesn’t, and go from there.

Consistency is key!

For more tips on selling your art online check out these posts:

Social Media Marketing Tips For Artists
Blogging for Your Art Business
How to Increase Your Sales on POD Websites

I hope you’ve found this guide to selling your art online useful.  Feel free to leave any additional tips or questions for me in the comments below!>

Cheers,

Julie