I'm baaaack!

I'm home from my 10 day vacation with my husband, parents, sister, and brother-in-law. We went to England, The Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. I am very jet lagged and now trying desperately to get back on track with exercise, sleep, and resuming a normal diet. Traveling and eating out every day is fun, but it can really take a toll on you.

I'm sure you guys will be happy to hear that I actually got a bit of sketching done on my vacation. Most of it is really quick gesture drawings. We were on a lot of coordinated tours, and were mostly rushed from site to site. On one hand, I am so lucky to even have the opportunity to see some of these places and works of art. On the other hand, it absolutely broke my heart to have a mere 45 minutes in the (very crowded) Van Gough museum or have to go running past a wall full of Rembrandts in order to meet the bus. Oh well. The point is that it was a good trip. I'll start posting images from my sketch book this week as soon as I can. I'll be working two jobs this summer, but I'm hoping I'll be able to find some time to blog regularly.

I am a little bit frazzled with all I have to get done this week, so I was happy to come home to find a message from my friend Karen telling me that my Iggy Inferno plush character had been featured in Etsy's Storque Spotlight. It's nice to see that even when I'm not able to maintain my site for a small period of time, people are still finding my work. (o:

Anyway, I feel like I need to do a lot of catching up. If any of you have news or updates for me from the last 10 days, please post! I'll be anxious to read them.

What next?

In typical Libra fashion, I'm having a hard time deciding what creative project to work on next. I'm good with a commission and a deadline, but if I don't have either, I tend to freeze up. It would be soooo easy for me to waste my summer, I'm afraid. But since you guys are so good at giving me a motivational kick in the pants, I figured I'd reach out for suggestions.

Should I create more items for my Etsy shop or potential art fairs? Should I create more bee ornaments? More stuffed animals? More little illustrations? Should I brainstorm new products? Or should I work on some "serious" paintings? My children's illustration portfolio? Arg.

Maybe I should take the advice of my SCBWI crit group, and just start with the "21 Day Challenge". (I think it was Anne Marie who put the challenge to me at our last meeting...? I know Gina's been working on this. She posted the results of her exercise on her blog, which you can check out here.) From what I can gather the challenge is to make the time to draw for 15 minutes every single day, for 21 days--no excuses. Maybe it'll jump start my creative process. I hope. /o:

The Actual Honeydew Studio

I practically live in my studio. It's where I paint, sew, and do my homework. It's where all my art supplies are stashed, as well as my favorite books. I would post pictures, but it's currently also a disaster area. (And anyway, the whole nation will get to see it on HGTV in the 500 series of That's Clever.)

It may be a mess, but it's mine. We moved into our place nearly 3 years ago, and it was the first time I'd ever had a room JUST for my artwork. In my studio's past incarnation, it was a little girl's bedroom. On our arrival it was covered in a too-sweet shade of lavender paint, complete with pink carpet. Then I took over. I slapped a can or two worth of Behr paint in a shade called "honeydew" and moved my stuff on in. (My shop and blog name aren't so mysterious anymore, huh? Lol.) You've never seen a more gorgeous paint color than when the morning sunlight brightens that room. I spend more time there than anywhere else in the house.

The only problem is that it's on the top floor. That's fine for most of the year, but when the humid New England summer finally hits it's unbearable. Especially since all I have are two skylights in the ceiling which aren't air-conditioner friendly OR that helpful with any sort of ventilation.

Last summer, I had 4 commissioned paintings to complete. Could I work comfortably on my drafting table? Of course not. I had to abandon my studio for a TV tray in the living room where at least we had an air conditioner. I've put fans up there; I bought a massive dehumidifier. I've even tried aiming an air conditioner up the stairs. To no avail. You feel like you're trying to fight your way out of scorching hot (damp) plastic wrap up there. It's a sauna. You're guaranteed to be sitting in a puddle of sweat after even so much as a 5 minute venture up those stairs.
In the last couple years, we seem to have gone straight from winter into summer with no real spring to speak of. I'm hoping that, this year, I'll actually have a break before summer kicks in. All I want is some studio time after my classes end and before it becomes impossible to work up there. That's not too much to ask, is it?
It's a love/hate thing. I adore my studio. I hate that it's sort of a seasonal room. What's your working space like?