So long 2011... ★

well, it's been a funny old year hasn't it! Some ups, some downs and as my blog will tell you, lots of colour!

I figured that a little look back over the year was in order, i don't normally fuss too much with New Years stuff but this year i'll be home alone, cooped up watching TV all night so i thought, might be fun to have a look back at it all!

2011 has been kind of a busy year for me, i've been working as a freelance illustrator and designer for just about 3 years now but 2011 has been my busiest year ever commission wise!

i've also altered my work style a little bit this year. this time last year i could barely scan an image to edit digitally and now almost everything i do is digitally edited/coloured/finished whether it's based on a scanned drawing or is drawn directly into photoshop or illustrator.

i'm still in college, which is evident from a lot of my posts, shots of my messy college desk and board frequently pop up over the year, but running the blog as a student helps me tick off units for my course as well as being able to share some of the more mundane parts of my day with you all!

i've always been a fan of all things cute, girly and kawaii, but in 2011 my work went to whole new levels of sweetness (i think it has anyway!) and everywhere you look on my blog there are sweets, cupcakes, princesses and lots of pinks, blues and reds!

other than college, it's been a quiet year for me! from time to time i do like to post about my family and friends but although this has always been first and foremost a personal blog, i try to keep family posts to a minimum, however i hope the ones i have posted haven't been too tedious for you all!

it's been a fab year networking wise as well and i'm fortunate enough to have made many creative new friends via Twitter (mostly!) as well as lots of new clients and contacts. oh and thanks for the kind words, emails, tweets and comments from all of YOU over the year as well! 

time for a list! i love lists and to try and cheer myself up i thought a sort of '2011 achievements' list might be a good idea!

so, this year I have...

• gotten some of my pieces and merch stocked in a local shop here on the Isle of Man

• been included in an exhibition at the Isle Gallery at Tynwald Mills, with my artwork hung up the rest of my HND class from college as well as alongside some of the islands best artists, sculptors and photographers.

• completely re-designed my website (along with the help of a local web designer) and set up an Etsy shop to sell my handmade stuff + merch

• designed a winning t-shirt design for 'All Tropical'

• set up POD shops on RedBubble, Artflakes and Society 6 and sold lots of stickers, prints and t-shirts + nearly 60 iPhone cases! i don't who's been buying them but thanks all the same!

• designed quite a few logos, flyer, poster, banner and advert designs for various clients both local and international

• built up my paid commissions portfolio (and subsequently spent most of my commission fees on business cards, postcards, prints and merchandise... i may be addicted!)

• learnt a lot more about 'professional practice' + how to gain new clients and network with artists, galleries, collectives and shops.

so what are my plans for 2012 I hear you cry?

Well next year I intend to...

• finish my HND and get a move on with my last year of the BA at college so i can finally achieve my degree in Fine Art

• produce more' fine art' so that i actually live up to my course guidelines!

• finalise the characters and story for a little children's picture book or maybe even FINALLY finish the pages for 'Where's Charlie?'

• get more merchandise items featuring my work produced to sell in my online shop, in local shops + at local craft fairs

• learn to use my bamboo tablet and further develop my digital illustration skills and techniques using photoshop and illustrator

• learn to drive! 

and i think that's about it! if there's anything else... i've forgotten it so oh well!

thank you for visiting the blog, whether you stop by to read about my artwork, my boring life or even if you just check in to see the pictures i post, i'm glad that you visit at all so THANK YOU!!!

all i have to do now is wish all of YOU + all of my friends and family a very HAPPY NEW YEAR 

may 2012 bring you everything you wish for!

so until next year, i guess that's all folks... ◕‿◕ ★ xX

Christmas Cards ★

so it appears to have been over a week since i last did a blog post... i probably should have announced my mini hiatus but i forgot to so, sorry for that! i haven't posted for a couple of reasons...

1. i've not been very well over the past fortnight, i went to college for the first time yesterday in over a week so THAT is why i haven't posted anything

2. i've been finishing off some commissions, trying to get stuff done before Xmas

3. i've been working on new character designs for college

4. i forgot... ok well i didn't forget about the blog i just kept forgetting to get off my bum and write a blog post! but i'm here now so that's all that matters right?!

i'll stop rambling and try to get on with the post!

first up, you may have noticed the Festive new banner at the top of the blog

well, there's also a stack of Xmas Cards to match it! 

the cards are appropriately festive with their little poinsettia patterned plates full of Xmas biscuits

each one comes with a red envelope + has 'Merry Christmas' printed inside

now available in my Etsy Shop

+ if you fancy getting one to send to someone, now's the time since i'm still offering 15% off ALL orders in my shop when you use discount code FESTIVEFUN

but it's only valid until the 15th of December so don't leave it too late!!!

(international customers only really have until the 8th or 9th to get their orders in for delivery in time for Xmas)

* * *

as well as the Xmas cards, some more stuff arrived today including some funky new candy coloured business cards!

i may have mentioned before... several times, that i am a bit of a business cards addict! but then again they ALWAYS come in handy and i'm always running out of them so it's ok for me to get more, that's how i always justify it to myself anyway!

* * *

so i've been working on some new commissions stuff lately as well as stuff for college! 

i had a new Vintage Home Show flyer to whip up for Keeley 

then Jared over at Design Juices asked me to have a go at a festive e-card design for the blog, this was the result...

it was great fun to draw! i especially liked doing the xmas lights!!! i also designed a Facebook banner + Twitter icon/background to match!

oh and remember the Irish pin-up girl tattoo?!

well this is how she's looking so far as Emma's actual tattoo! (+ loving the tattoo artists tweaks to the shamrock + the tiny triskelion/3 legs of Mann on the pinup's  thigh! the perfect mash up of Manx and Irish)

i'll keep you posted on it's progress!

also, if you're local and stuck for something to do this weekend, head to Groudle Glen Railway on Sunday for the first day of their fab annual Santa Trains! 

(i wish i could go but i'll be in Birmingham instead!) 

oh and you can book your discounted tickets online now via the railway's official website - GGR

* * *

that's it for today

over the next few days i'm hoping to make it over to Coventry, Birmingham and Manchester to visit family, drop xmas presents off + do some shopping! 

however, the weather here is so dire at the moment all of the boats keep getting cancelled! fingers crossed i don't get completely trapped here...

i'll also be posting some of the new character designs i'm working on so keep an eye out for those!

until next time, that's all folks... ◕‿◕ ★ xX

The Peculiar Princess ★

so i've been a very lazy blogger lately, i'm sorry! it's the usual excuse as well, college work/commissions etc

so it's just a quick post today i'm afraid! 

you see, i have a few new Princess designs to show you all. those of you that follow me via Twitter or Facebook might have glimpsed a WIP screencap i posted one evening, well this has something to do with that...

you see i drew out a design the other day, then i added in some stuff from a previous design... then i faffed around with colours and such, so there are actually 3 versions of this girl at the moment!

ok so she can't make up her mind as to how she should look, but as you'll see, she likes to read!

(All images featured in this post belong to Jade Boylan© do not claim, use, distribute, reproduce or trace ANY of my work without my express written consent. All Rights Reserved.)

right so, there's... a sort of colour blend type one...

a strange, bright, pop-art type one...

and a calmer sort of Rococo type one...

i really can't decide where to place her colour-wise! it's been fun going through colour cycles though, there are about 6 more different variations littering my desktop but these 3 are my faves so far. 

not sure what you\ll all think! which one do YOU like???

* * *

in other news, i'm still offering 15% off everything in my Etsy shop (in case you didn't know...) 

the discount code FESTIVEFUN can only be used until the 15th of December so if you fancy treating yourself or someone else to a little candy coloured something, try not to leave it too late!

postage dates for the UK are fine but if you live over the other side of the world it might not arrive before Xmas if you order it later than the 6th or 7th of December!

so... you know, just saying :)

and that's it i think, like i said, lazy blogger! although today i did manage to get over half of my Xmas present shopping done in town! so not so lazy in that respect...

i'm going to head off and work on some more commission stuff now! i have CD covers, book covers, flyers, e-cards and postcard designs to work on, busy busy busy!

so until next time, that's all folks... ◕‿◕ ★ xX

Galleries and Gingerbread ★

so yesterday, before i headed off to the gallery times (more about that soon) i spent some time stitching and sewing at my college desk, so here's a snap of what i've been working on lately...

yaaay Gingerbread plushies! now it really must be nearly Christmas!!!

i spent my day at college making them. it was lovely to get back to some stitching! i think i've missed it!

even if my desk was a mess of felt, ribbon, embroidery floss and buttons all day...

some of these are already available in my Etsy Shop (on a made to order basis)

so i also realised yesterday that i'd completely forgotten about the 'Xmas Giveaway' i promised you all! i've just been so busy lately i honestly haven't had chance to gather up some goodies for it! (i haven't even started my Xmas gift shopping yet either!!!) so i've decided to postpone the giveaway for a while...

instead, i'll be holding a mahoosive NEW YEAR Giveaway Extravaganza! i promise!!! so keep your eyes peeled in early 2012 for some fun giveaway times!

so to make up for this (sort of... i hope!) + because today is Thanksgiving and tomorrow is 'Black Friday' i'm offering 15% off EVERYTHING in my Etsy Shop until the 15th of December 

all you have to do is type in the coupon code FESTIVEFUN when you make your order

so you know... Merry Christmas :)

* * *

right so, as i mentioned in my last post, some of my work is currently on display in a groovy group exhibition at a little local Gallery in Tynwald, and last night was the exhibition preview night!

 it was a fab exhibition but it was kind of weird to me, getting to display my work alongside some of the islands top artists and photographers! weird but brilliant :)

my best pal Courtney tagged along to keep me company and we had a laugh wandering around the gallery + the Tynwald café and shops all night

all together i had 7 pieces in the show. my 4 sweet canvases...

2 lovely framed giclée prints of the sugar skull and matryoshka

(+ some pretty mounted/bagged prints for sale as well...) 

and my 'un-domestic Goddess' canvas which miraculously... is the piece that sold :)

i didn't manage to snap too many photos but it was a brilliant night! and best of all, like i said... i actually sold something!!!

crazy awesome times! thanks to all those that popped along to have a little peek at all the work! the Exhibition will be running right through Xmas so if you live local and head to Tynwald to do any Xmas shopping, be sure to pop in and have a look!

* * *

so not much else to tell really, here are a few of the fun colouring/maze pages i've been working on recently for a lovely local commission

these have been sooooo much fun to work on! i can't wait to do some more stuff for 'Imagination Station' in the New Year

to find out more about Imagination Station + to download your own copies of the colouring sheets, check out the official Facebook page here - Imagination Station

and on that note, i'll say goodbye for now!

so until next time, that's all folks... ◕‿◕ ★ xX

cupcakes and postcards ★

so i've been busy, busy, busy again today working away on commissions stuff! (which i'll tell you more about in a moment) but first i want to share a recent logo design with you all...

it's for a very groooovy Cupcake Business in Coventry... run by my lovely big sister Simone!

i did various logo, banner and blog designs for her before i popped over to Coventry the other week

she really does make truly scrumptious cakes and treats! 

anyway, while i was there i ran up a design for some business cards! she sent me a few in the post so i can put some in my logbook for college

don't they look fab! i'm very proud of her for doing all this and she's soooo good at baking delicious cakes and sweets that i've always said she should be selling/making them professionally!

you can see more of her cakes on the Facebook Page - Foxy's Fancies

+ be sure to check out the blog too - Foxy's Blog

there's also a Twitter page - @foxysfancies

* * *

something else arrived in the post as well, some brand new promotional postcards for me to hand out at craft fairs and the like

these aren't to sell though obviously, the idea is that if anyone buys anything from my etsy shop, they get a nice sugar skull sticker + one of these with their order, so that's the ONLY way to get hold of one! :)

anyway back to commissions, last week i was asked to design an Irish Pin-up girl tattoo for a lovely local client

it was great to get back to drawing a Pin-up and was especially awesome since she had to be Irish themed!

this is the finished (coloured) design for the tattoo artist to work from. i can't wait to see what it looks like tattooed properly!

* * *

a separate commission has had me drawing all manner or vintage type things recently as well, here are some caps of how the flyer is currently progressing...

shame i STILL can't seem to draw guys! but oh well!

* * *

i can't think of anything else to tell you all, i'm back at college tomorrow morning then i have a business meeting in the afternoon so lots to be getting on with i guess!

so until next time, that's all folks... ◕‿◕ ★ xX