How to Explain Your Artistic Process

I know that beginning any new project can be daunting! But after stumbling around for a bit {4 years} and encountering all kinds of projects, I've finally got it nailed down {to a point} so that my clients aren't too overwhelmed by all the back and forth emails that it takes to draw a home! My architectural clients are a bit easier because we've been working together for a while. I know what they like and they know my style etc. Just getting that to translate on Etsy is what I'm working diligently on now! That way folks know my style a bit better and have a better idea of what they will expect. My drawings are actually quite simple. I try to make my watercolors bright... and I love to add the character that makes a house... a home.

almost finished with this client! just a few more details to tweak, like adding the brick texture. i have omitted their address for privacy.

Some clients are very straight forward and their homes can be drawn quickly. Other homes require more detail etc. But, the process is pretty much the same. I've finally taken the time to type this up and add it to my about page! It also helped ME to understand my process and explain it to a prospective client. The biggest help to me was listing out exactly what steps are the most important for me to be efficient, how to prioritize my projects, when and how to communicate with my customers and also how I would package and send the drawings.

When I did my first drawing, I got it all finished and then I almost had a heart attack... Wait... OH NO! I have to ship this!?! How will I do that!?! Do I have anything to put it in so it won't get folded or crushed? I researched online for some good packing materials... and how to make sure drawings make it through the mail flat. I didn't want to roll these because the watercolor paper could get creased.

Check out my little process biography below and feel free to comment or even take what text you might need for your own use. This stuff isn't rocket science. But it can be difficult to begin - I certainly researched a lot of other people process to be able to explain mine. Even when you do this everyday you may not be used to writing it out. I am not the only person doing this job {obviously!}. There are a lot of great artists on Etsy that are extremely busy working away drawing houses, pets and people! All kinds of super talented folks. That is the great part about art. Everyone has a style and can market it. When your prospective client comes across your art, they will love it, appreciate it, or hate it! LOL!

Dita Von Teese said it best - 

"You can be the juiciest peach in the world, and there will still be people who don't like peaches." 

How to have a house or building portrait done!
Email me at rebekahkik@gmail.com. Please include your name, contact email and what size print or package you would like to order. House and building illustration packages I currently offer are: 8”x10” ($125) and 11”x14” ($150).
I also offer note card packages. These packages include 8 (4x6) cards of your illustration as well as an 8”x10” or 11”x14” original drawing. The 8”x10” greeting card package costs $150 and the 11”x14” package is $195.

I will contact you right away to let you know what my workload is like and how soon you can expect that I can begin your portrait. As soon as we are ready to begin, I will follow up with a link to the Rebekah’s Valentine Etsy website to your personal reserved listing. Once you purchase that listing, we can move forward to complete your house portrait!

Please send reference pictures to me at rebekahkik@gmail.com. I recommend sending a picture that is straight on of the whole house, then also including detail shots of the door, windows, house number, or other small details you'd like included. Please note, I only include landscaping directly on the house and minimal trees in the back of the house to keep a subtle framed look. I don’t include people, cars, power lines etc. in my house portraits.

Once I have all the necessary reference photos, I will get to work on your custom house illustration. You can expect an email with a PDF file of your illustration for review within a few days. At that point, You will have a chance to share any thoughts or suggestions. It may take a few days to make your requested changes but we will keep in touch and set solid deadlines. The overall process can take up to three weeks with excellent communication and editing. Keep that in mind if you are giving this as a gift!

Once the illustration & color palette is approved by you, I will watercolor the house on 80lb. bright white Aquarius II paper. My house portraits are drawn and painted completely by hand. These are NOT digital prints. You will receive your original drawing, unframed, and packaged in a clear sleeve within a stiff envelope and mailed to you USPS First-Class Mail.

Love: Custom Home Portrait Stationery

I painted these cute little houses for a client over the summer and I've been thinking... why not make a set of stationery for realtors, a housewarming gift for new homeowners or maybe you've moved your office into a sweet new location?? As an architect... I could get working on one of my OWN home. This would be a nice gift for architectural buffs that love their home! 

Each card will be an original watercolor! I will draw then print the image... but watercolor each one separately. Because I love to paint... and printing just takes a little away... Each set of 8 will come with a stationery box and white envelopes. Check out the images below for a little teaser... Simple and bright is my style preference... I can go into more detail on fancier architecture. These are just for an example!!

Go to my Etsy site for full details!!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/174281551/5-x-7-stationery-set-8-cards-custom?ref=shop_home_active

Holiday Brightness. The rainboot.

A new card set at my Etsy shop. I'm giddy with these colors. Maybe it's a reaction to my killer bright christmas tree... the stark white needing a POP. I don't know! But I'm having fun and these cards make me smile. I hope that they will bring a little smile to you too.

The white tree and color lights circa 1968/70, silver tree skirt 1980 and ornaments from 1930 to 2013.

Smiling is my FAVORITE!! {buddy the elf}

DIY Holiday Cards: Watercolor Paper Testing/ Review

Just a little post for those who paint watercolors, especially cards... The watercolor paper that strathmore makes "pre-made" cards out of is HORRIBLE! DISGUSTING! CRAP! {of course that is my humble opinion - maybe I'm a bit harsh} I have been cutting my own paper because I had a nice stash of it and thought... huh. Maybe I will make my life a little simpler and order some pre-cut stock that even comes with envelopes! What a disappointment :(. I knew it was going to be a lot heavier than what I was using... and a little textured. But the worse part is that the paper is like 4 ply card stock and feels like it's been covered in wax. The color can't even saturate the paper because NO water can get to it. There's no layering to be done because the paint sits on top. It's just frustrating. My brilliant red looks like a weird pink. Glad I only bought one pack. I will need to find another craft for those things.

I'm back to cutting up my pretty sheets of Aquarius! Might be time to invest in a paper cutter... or see if a local shop might cut it for me?? My Christmas cards will hopefully get out on time this year! But this might cramp my style for the Etsy shop I'm trying to start! I am a stickler for quality... and I need a lot of these. {just in case right?!?!}

So, let me, let you {other watercolor artists out there} in on a little secret for pretty cards that feel like letterpress... I was introduced to Aquarius II by a former employer. It is amazing and it runs through your printer like butter. I typically sketch in ink, scan it in, clean it up a little in photoshop then print the drawing on my watercolor for painting. It's my process mostly because I still have that fear of making a mistake on paper I paid a lot of money for! It also allows me to sketch anywhere... in a book or on a sheet of paper and still turn it into a watercolor. Many of my fellow architecture colleagues already know these secrets... but hey... now YOU are in the circle!

If you haven't tried the Aquarius II. I highly recommend this paper. PLUS, if you want to do a huge-o-mungus painting (22x30 let's say...) you don't have to wet and staple this paper. Get a nice flat surface and tape it down! Magic. It is also bright bright white so your colors pop immediately. I went to two classical schools that worked on Ivory 140lb. Strathmore or the like. I've got the same stuff from Italy... but as I paint more for clients and my little cards... I like BRIGHT! It looks great on the web too.

Painted on Strathmore "card paper", scanned at 300dpi, saved as jpg high

Both of these cards are the same scale. I painted each of them on a 5x7 piece of paper. I did not retouch either photo! Promise! The red on the trailer {tried to do three passes, the base just kept coming up} actually looks a tinge better on my screen now. It looks terrible in person though... alizarin crimson is what I used straight out of the tube. I usually throw a bit of Sepia in to tone out the blue, but I wanted a striking red to feel Christmasy! I did two passes on the car and it looks solid and lovely. I suppose it is what your after... but I love this bright white paper. I don't have to retouch and can put it right up on Etsy. The green is SO different as well... but my sketches turned out pretty nice.

Painted on Aquarius II, scanned at 300dpi, saved as jpg high

Anyway, I'd love to hear your thoughts on watercolor papers and such that you love to use. I will keep posting my holiday images I've got a retro theme going this year. I think I'm going to do

I don't know what you're talking about. But it sounds illegal.

I've been making a ton of cards for Etsy, for gifts, and just having fun painting lately...

If you've seen the Fantastic Mr. Fox as many times as I have... you know this scene completely. If you haven't seen it... watch it. Immediately!! I will post some fun DIY christmas things soon.