Rabbits of many colors

Many thanks to Brian C.,
 who recently gave this bright little Harlequin Rabbit painting a home!

Harlequin Rabbit, acrylic on wood, 8x10" ©2016 Sweet Enemy Art

Now in my Etsy shop: more Ghost Rabbit prints!

Gentle Ghost Rabbit Drifting Past the Moon (11x14 print)
and Rabbit with Fantastic Whiskers (8x10 print)

Speaking of blues... a little bird series in blue

I just realized I still have a number of these little bird drawings hanging out in the studio. So I'm putting them up on Etsy for just $25 each. There are so many little pieces that I create each year, and I simply don't have the space for them all!

Just four from the series. 

Early sketches from my 2015 Advent Calendar

Taking these in-progress shots with my phone

On the left is what I had last week. Below is a little sneak-peek of what I started with this morning.
Between getting the design nailed down, correcting the perspective and tweaking the drawing style of the reindeer to match the rabbits, this has been a loooooong slow process. Spent most of the day designing the border and background, and then painting it all in. Whew! Last week I got all of the inside images drawn and colored.

Next up: scanning it all and making it work with Photoshop, Then printing, cutting all the doors (24x3 per calendar!), carefully gluing together and packing them up. And posting them on Etsy! That's how we do it, kids. 

 

Phew! Can't believe I made it this far in one day!

Cards & Chariots

Happy New Year!  I posted a few cards on Etsy today, including the lovely Inktober postcard set featuring the first ten drawings from the challenge.

Taking advantage of some quiet time, I've been painting a series of women and their chariots.  These are all done in Acryla Gouache on cradled 5"x7" wood panels.
You can see my works-in-progress over on Instagram but here's a sneak peek of the three I'm currently working on.

Mid-way stage on three "Chariot" paintings. 

Cards, eggs, and washing chickens

After watching the chickens roaming around this afternoon, I realized some of them needed a feather-cleansing...in the posterior regions.  So I donned the rubber gloves, got out a basin and proceeded to give several VERY ANNOYED ladies a splashy bath time.  I won't say it was a great success, but it was an improvement.

After that nonsense, I got back to the main goal of the day:  photographing my greeting cards and posting more illustrated eggs for my Etsy shop.  Click on the photos to be taken to the actual listings.

I love the bird feet here.  Bird King (Detail)  Illustrated Egg, ©2014 Kristin Richland

She could be a spooky ancestor!Vampire Lady & Cyclopean Fruit (front)  Illustrated Egg, ©2014 Kristin Richland

Here's what awaits you on the back of that same egg...Vampire Lady & Cyclopean Fruit (back)  Illustrated Egg, ©2014 Kristin Richland

Five card designs uploaded today!  Headed to A Party, 5x7 greeting card©2014 Kristin Richland

Also, I've been busy making notes for my "Unlock Your Inner Creature" drawing class next month. Seven out of eight spots have been filled which is very gratifying.  I'm having fun looking through my stack of sketchbooks (and adding to my latest one) all the while paying attention to just HOW I come up with creatures.

Shop Sweet Enemy Art

Do you suffer from bare walls?  Boring shirts?
Or you need to find an awesome gift?
I can help.

Local events:  I do shows mainly in Northern Vermont, but have also sold in Portland, Maine and am looking to expand even further.  Sign up for my newsletter to find out where I'm headed next.  The form is located in the sidebar of this site.

A table full of small originals and cards greets visitors to my booth.  

Originals: I maintain my Etsy shop with artwork that tends to be small, often unusual, and easy to ship.  Ask for a custom listing if you don't see what you're looking for!

Etsy Shop:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/SweetEnemyArtsVT

How about a print!  Well, not JUST prints, this site also puts my art on a wide variety of housewares, accessories and clothing.  I love the pillows, totes and clocks especially...

Society6 shop:  http://www.society6.com/KristinRichland

Bears!

Here are a few bears I painted recently, you'll notice they're inspired by the banners I made a few months back.   They'll be going up on Etsy soon, but you can message me in the comments if you're interested in them.  Speaking of Etsy, make sure you read all the way through this post.

By the way:  in honor of today's British royal birth, I made a terrible joke on the last photo.  Sorry in advance.  

Bear and Honeybee  Acrylic on panel, 7"x5" $45

Bear with Honey Jar, Acrylic on canvas, 4" x 6" $40

Bear and Berries,  Acrylic on panel, 7"x5" $45

Bear has a Snack, Acrylic on panel, 7"x5" $45

Bear Apparent (get it?  Heir apparent!)  Yeah.
Acrylic on 4"x4" x 3/4" panel, $40

  Watermarks seen in photos are not on the actual work.   

Now then:  Do you follow me on Facebook?  Like my page and you'll see a way to browse my Etsy shop that is most rewarding (click the "My Etsy shop" icon once you're there.)  

I'm currently offering 10% off items already in the shop.

Why?  

Because my checkbook needs a stimulus so I can make more art!  

So follow this link and treat yourself!

https://www.facebook.com/SweetEnemyArt/app_259525164100619

Chickens, chickens, chickens

Pippa in the Garden ©Sweet EnemyArt

Close up on Sass Chicken  ©Sweet Enemy Art

Cripes!  We've had our flock of hens since June, but I've barely let them make a peep here.  Well they're making their debut in the shop, and I found some early summer photos to introduce you to a others few as well:

Little Big Red, with Big Red in the upper right

Dustbath!

goodbye garden!

UPDATE:  Arkonbey just pointed out that the way we call our chickens when they're out and about is by going "coo-coo-coo-COO-Coo" and, well, you should listen to this.  Perhaps the Canadian influence has leaked down over the border!

Super August

So many things going on in the next few weeks!
Let me catch you up:

      The August Art Auction (2011 edition) at The S.P.A.C.E.  Gallery in Burlington has already begun, and runs through August 26th.  This gallery gets a lot of mentions from me here, in part because I think they've done a lot towards making the Burlington art scene more interesting.  I'm also glad to say that it's given me a wonderful platform from which to show my art.  

Click here to see the painting that I've donated towards the cause!

       There are many great pieces in this auction, and these artists who have donated their creations are really good folk.  Did you know you can vote for the "People's Choice" artist when you visit the auction site?  I have made so many great connections, a real network of supportive friends through S.P.A.C.E., and I don't want it to end.  Help keep it going strong.   

Phoenix: our favorite indie bookshop!

       In other news, the final silkscreening class is this week, and I've been having a fine ol' time learning the basic ins and outs.  Some of the fruits of my labor will be available at the upcoming ART HOP weekend September 9th & 10th.  

       Phoenix Books will be showing a few pieces by me, my friend Karen, and a photographer (whom I haven't met yet) starting at the end of this week.  More info on that as we decide on the reception date and so forth.    

Wheeled Rabbit, 8" round ©Sweet Enemy Art

       One of my paintings on Etsy was featured in a treasury list last week!  A fun one if you like bunnies, and how could you not?

       

The shop is reloaded!

I had one of those AAAGH! moments this afternoon when I realized that my lovely Etsy shop, the one I had just directed over 90 people on my mailing list to, had gone empty.
(gasp, ack, ack, wheeze.)

Well, it's looking much better now, and in fact I'm quite pleased with the selections.  Here are a few samplings:







 Arkonbey hadn't even seen "Cat helps with the Harvest" yet.  There are always so many little pieces of art around here, it's no wonder I'm slow to inventory everything!  Etsy is actually helping me bring everything into line.  Thank goodness, that means more art for you guys.


Cheers!

Fresh Art for Etsy

It's almost Art Hop time again!  I'm cranking up my matting and framing in the studio, trying to get ready, as once again I've got a space.  Meanwhile, here are a few close-ups of pieces that just went live 
on my Etsy shop.  More to come soon...

Waiting At The Station (detail) ©Sweet Enemy Art 2010

 Waiting At The Station

Walnut ink and gouache, two great mediums that go great together!  

This little guy is rather melancholy, waiting faithfully on his bench...

Gothic Reader (detail) ©Sweet Enemy Art 2010

 Gothic Reader

Walnut ink and gouache again, with a liberal dose of colored pencil and snaky hair.  

This Is My Cheese (detail)  ©Sweet Enemy Art 2010 

 This Is My Cheese

From a series of pieces I did when experimenting with some new-to-me acrylic mediums... the whole thing started off with this lovely yellow cheese-like surface, so the subject just had to reference that.

Grandma Sweater (detail) ©Sweet Enemy Art 2010 

 Grandma Sweater

Walnut ink strikes again!  And so does Grandma, with yet another bizarre sweater at Christmas. 

This piece shall now proudly take its place with the other Mode De Monstre.  

Bright Bird (detail) ©Sweet Enemy Art 2010 

Bright Bird

From a lovely day of printmaking down at the Burlington City Arts Print Studio, here is a monotype done in a technique which I always love but don't often have a chance to use.  And because I can rarely leave well enough alone, there is colored pencil and possibly some watercolor along with the dry-media and ink that the print was originally made with.

15 microseconds of fame!

Well, maybe not fame exactly, but when I checked into Etsy last night, I discovered a friendly little note from bythebead saying that one of my pieces had been picked for a treasury.  Treasuries aren't that rare, it's not like being posted on the main page or anything, but still, nice to see my work in a collection picked by someone else.

Here's the link

So what's YOUR vote for my next Etsy batch, oh internet peeps?  

Should I post more line drawings, or bigger pieces, or what? 

Until then, looking forward to this heat breaking a bit.  It's too stuffy in the studio, and we just found our awesome vintage fan needs an overhaul.  

Cheers

The shop! The shop!

The shop is alive!

Ten original pieces have made their way onto Etsy.  I feel like I've done a technology workout this evening, but it was all worth it.  Here's a few pieces that you'll find there:

Ghost Cat, one of the most recent mini-cat watercolors (1.25 x 1.25 inches) is at the top of the list.  Now that I've blown the image size up here on the screen, I don't know if I can part with him!  Excuse me while I go jack up the price.  Just kidding.

Favorite Book Bug

Celtic Pup, loose in the book of Kells

My imaginatively-named "Bird Number Two" 

At Arkonbey's suggestion, I've set Mondays aside for business-related activities.  Tonight was one of the more rewarding Mondays, even though it overlapped into Tuesday.  Next week should see a few more pieces in the shop.  Till then, Goodnight!

Bug Parade part two

More Bugs! Again, these are about 5.5"x 5" actual size.
And may I just say how much I love advance posting? Because if you're reading this at on Sunday morning, I'm not at my computer, I'm on my way to the 20th Annual Children's Illustration show with my friend KW! I need to brush up on who's going to be there, just in case, you know, I get to actually meet any of them... (I'm just a bit giddy.)

Now, back to bugs:
#3.) Garden Bug Parade


#4.) Favorite Book Bug

Please note: I'm always open to suggestions for more bugs. Or bug situations.
Somewhere in my studio there's a slow-moving bug that keeps showing up this time of year, I'll have to do a portrait of him sometime. Most recently this bug was crawling all over Purple Easter Man while I was working on his portrait. But perhaps I should first find out if he's a good bug or bad.

Bug Parade part one

Here are a few small (5.5" x 5") drawings I plan to either put in the local library show, or post to Etsy. Once I've matted them I'll know where they're headed...

#1.) Gentleman's Stroll

#2) Walking the Beetle

Time for some Minatures

Miniature cats! The first group are mainly one-inch squares. And I went through an astounding amount of tape when doing these. Still, a good use of scrap watercolor canvas. I have a few scraps left, but I certainly have to be in the right mood to work this small. All pieces in this post were executed in watercolor & gouache on watercolor canvas.
This guy (?) is just SO happy. And wants to hug you.


Still working on a title for this group. For now, here are "The Comrades."


Once my Etsy store is up, I may post these guys there.