Pizza Girl Pins!

I am getting back into work mode, and am very excited to have a new product up on my website, introducing Pizza Girl pins! She has turned out so great, and I'm offering a discount till the end of January, use the code PIZZAPARTY to get one for only £5, plus p&p!

Manchester Craft and Design Centre has reopened, come and get a Pizza Pin in person, and shout out, 'Pizza Party!' to claim your discount.

I aim to be more organised this year, and am busy scheduling tweets, and working my way through the Design Trust DREAM|PLAN|DO planner. I still haven't quite figured out my goals for the year, what are your favourite planning tips? Here's to a happy and prosperous 2017 for one and all!

Etsy Made Local at People's History Museum

I will be selling my wares alongside 40 other talented makers at the Etsy Made Local market at the gorgeous People's History Museum on the 3rd and 4th of December. It runs from Thursday to Sunday, with loads of fantastic locally produced gifts, come along and support local businesses while you do your Christmas shopping! If you can't make it along, don't worry, my etsy shop is here!

Family-friendly Christmas event at Manchester Craft and Design Centre

We are getting excited for our annual Christmas event at the Craft and Design Centre!

Come and join us in our beautiful Victorian building, away from the stress and frenzy of the high street for some relaxed shopping, music from Levy Uke Up, and free mulled wine and mince pies!

There will also be free craft activities, no booking required, just come along from 2-5. All studios are open as usual from 10 - 5:30 too, with the region's best designer-makers selling their wares!

#memoriesaremadehere

Women in Print

I was super excited to be invited to take part in the exhibition Women in Print by Jane Bowyer, illustrator, designer and all-round good egg. I'm exhibiting alongside some top-class female artists, so I feel very flattered to be asked to contribute. The launch is tonight at Rudy's Pizza Place, one of my favourite pizza joints in Manchester. It runs til the 30th of August, so get yourself down and buy some prints, all proceeds go to Manchester Women's Aid. Prints, pizza and beer, what's not to like??

Children's Book Illustration

Since March I have been doing an online course called Make Art That Sells, with the hope of improving my portfolio for freelance illustration work. It's been really fun responding to various briefs and challenging my digital skills. I'm still not sure I have entirely found 'my style', but I will keep on drawing, filling sketchbooks and developing as an artist. This month is the last brief, after which I will be updating my website and contacting some agencies!
So far I have made a cover for a colouring book, designed a Christmas ornament and illustrated a tarot card.
Last month's brief was to draw characters for a children's book, based on vicunas. So fun!

I think the colouring book assignment was my favourite, I absolutely loved drawing women's faces and hair, so I will keep on trying to improve my portrait skills. Next up is flowers and lettering, here are my sketches so far:

It's been a good opportunity to practice brush lettering, after the ace workshop I attended with Artsy Nibs. I would really recommend Joyce's classes, really fun and good value for money!

The Website is Alive!

Hurray hurray! I've just had my first order through my new website, nellsmithprints.com! I'm super excited and happy that it works. I've also set up a newsletter, which I've been meaning to do for YEARS, so that's exciting for me too. As a thank you if you sign up, I'll send you a code for 20% off plus free shipping. I'd really appreciate any feedback you have on the site, too!

I am crafting a website!

Hello! I am currently working away on a new website, wrangling with SEO, Meta titles, branding and all that jive. It's really stressful and overwhelming!

To add to my stress and overwhelm, I am taking part in Art Battle Manchester tomorrow night! It sold out in 4 hours, ohgodwhatamidoing?? I might just draw a pizza with legs. I must now return to the Internet mines. Have a lovely Easter, everybody!

Product Photography Improvement

Hello! The first post of the year! I've been working on improving my product photography, I've noticed a drop off of my online sales, which is a bit worrying, and when you're competing against so much lovely stuff online, it's a good idea to look your best!

So I've had an overhaul of my alphabet risograph prints. The old ones are taken against a white background, using lights, which I thought were great at the time, but natural light is so much better. It was fun to do a bit of styling with props too, I think the new shots have a much warmer feel to them. What do you think?

I used the Crafter's Guide to Taking Great Photos by Heidi Adnum, I'd really recommend this book if you're keen to learn a bit more about product photography. Of course, there are loads of online guides, but I like having a book to refer to! All my prints are available online, and from my bricks and mortar shop at the Craft and Design Centre, which is also having an exciting face lift!

Work in Progress Wednesday

Inspired by my travels this summer, I decided to do a little mountain and tree design, which I've made into lino prints and screenprints.

It's a beautiful day, I wish I was up a hill, but it's playtime in the studio to make up for it. #experiment #wip #linoprint #outsideisbest

A photo posted by Nell Smith (@iamnell) on Aug 30, 2015 at 3:23am PDT

Gougin'. #linoprint #makeanything #faldous #wip

A photo posted by Nell Smith (@iamnell) on Aug 30, 2015 at 4:48am PDT

Inked up. #linoprint #wip #printmaking #process

A photo posted by Nell Smith (@iamnell) on Aug 30, 2015 at 6:39am PDT

I used my lovely block printing kit from Fred Aldous to make the lino cuts. If you have something you're working on and would like to share, join in with the hashtag WIPWednesday on Twitter and Instagram!

Saturday Sketchbook

Here's a page from last night's super rough sketching times. I'm intending on making a new screenprint for the Buy Art Fair, which is rapidly approaching. Genius me thought it was in October, whoops...I've always been a big fan of shield bugs, they come in many shapes, sizes and an incredible array of shimmering colours. I've seen a few around this Summer that have captured my imagination. Here's hoping I can get the print done in time! Set up is the 23rd September, wish me luck.

An incredible shield bug visited my tent. #Greenman

A photo posted by Nell Smith (@iamnell) on Aug 24, 2015 at 3:29am PDT

More shield bugs! Love these guys. #inspiration #nature

A photo posted by Nell Smith (@iamnell) on Aug 27, 2015 at 3:35am PDT

A photo posted by Nell Smith (@iamnell) on Jul 22, 2015 at 3:28am PDT

Back to Skool

I've had such a lovely summer, full of friends, fun times and adventures. I'll be blogging more about what I've been up to over the coming weeks, this is part of my back-to-school plan. I went to a Creative Business Development session yesterday here at the Craft Centre, run by the very lovely Pete Mosley. It was a very inspiring day, I feel ready to make some Big Plans and get myself into gear!

I'll leave you with some things I've been working on, some Shit Portraits of some of my favourite people! Can you tell who they are?? (portraits aren't my forte, but they're lots of fun to do!) As always, there's more on my instagram

Can't get enough #shitportraits. It's Amy Johnson! #feminist #icons #drawing #sketchbook #strongwomen

A photo posted by Nell Smith (@iamnell) on Aug 29, 2015 at 3:03am PDT

Bummed out staying in on a Friday night, cheering myself up with records and some shit portraiture! It's Frida! #fridakahlo #shitportraits #drawing #sketchbook #fun

A photo posted by Nell Smith (@iamnell) on Aug 28, 2015 at 12:47pm PDT

It's KISS! #shitportraits #drawing #fun #sketchbook

A photo posted by Nell Smith (@iamnell) on Aug 16, 2015 at 10:19am PDT

How is everyone getting ready for the new season?

Blog Every Day in May

I'm attempting this challenge for the second time, and have decided to start off with 10 random facts about me as an introduction.

I'm a printmaker, I've been running my own business for nearly 7 years, making and selling my stuffs.

I don't like small talk. I prefer big talk or being completely ludicrous.

I say I'm not a fan of routine and repetition, but actually I really need it to stay focused.

My favourite food is probably the noble avocado.

I'm pretty good at hula hooping.

I was once sick in a bin under the counter at work. I carried on serving customers afterwards.

I have a lot of stories about massages. Ask me about them if we meet!

I'm at my happiest when drawing and listening to music, preferably in sunshine.

I sing in an all girl choir, She Choir Manchester. We're really good, come see us if you get the chance!

I love creative swearing.

There you go! Hope that's not too boring a start. I'm looking forward to reading everyone's  posts and writing some more of my own. Happy May everybody!

Got some flyers made feat. avocadude! 👌

A photo posted by Nell Smith (@iamnell) on Apr 30, 2015 at 6:02am PDT

Work in Progress Wednesday

Yesterday I did a large scale dotwork drawing on the window of the Craft Centre, which was very enjoyable, and a bit of a learning curve! I drew an heptagon measuring about half a metre across using 0.7 mm Posca markers. This was my first error. I've never drawn on glass before and using a nib so narrow made the ink kind of slide around, and of course it took a VERY long time to build up enough colour to make an impact. I wish I had drawn a larger shape, as it gets a bit lost in the window, and next time I would use fatter pens. I've got lots of ideas for my next window, so I'm really glad I've made a start on large scale work outside of the studio. I felt pretty nervous before I started, then I popped my headphones in and all was well. My arm really hurts today.

Vinyl stickers for the window.

Poscas in the pouch, plus makeshift measuring devices (i.e string)

Tiny, tiny dots.

CMYK

 Pretty much impossible to get a decent picture from the outside, but I like the layers of shapes behind my drawing.

Oslo Adventures

I went away for another little trip last weekend, this time to Oslo for my friend Laura's 30th birthday, I had such an amazing time, we managed to cram in a lot of japes in just a couple of days!

First things first, we'd heard how expensive everything is in Norway, so we decided to stock up on Duty Free at the airport. Cue much bewilderment about what we were allowed to take with us. Turns out Norway is NOT part of the European Union. Who knew?? Fiercely independent, it turns out. This was good news for us.

I hadn't really done much research as it was quite a last minute thing, we had originally planned on going to Berlin, but the flights were too expensive. So I hadn't really realised how beautiful Norway is, I fell asleep on the plane and awoke to amazing icy vistas!

Birthday girl Laura

We got the train from the airport to Oslo Sentral, more beauty to feast our eyes upon. Snowy scenes! Our apartment was near the Opera House, which is an amazing building, I was very excited as you can see into the costume department and there were wigs and models aplenty.

Oslo sunset

There was a spectacular sunset across the water. Absolutely amazing. After finding the apartment, and spending around a thousand Krone on snacks, we found our way to Grunelökke, which is a cool, independent area in Olso. We went for cocktails and burritos, and immediately had to take a cavalier approach to spending, as it was too depressing to work out how much everything actually cost.

The next day we took the tram to Frogner Park to see the Vigeland sculptures. Everything has a bit of a retro, slightly 80s vibe to it, but the actual park is incredible, and we were super lucky that the weather was bob on, cold and clear and crisp.

Tram chums

Hands in the air like you just don't care

Vigeland sculptures

After checking out the sculptures we decided to walk to the museum quarter. It took quite a while, and we were all desperate for an open sandwich and a sit down by the time we got there.

Viking ship Museum

The Viking Ship Museum was brilliant, really interesting and a very cool building. We spent about an hour there before getting the bus back to Grunelökke to refuel. We got beer and burgers from a place called Munchies, which was absolute 100% hunk central. Ridiculous.

Show me you're tough.

Oslo Opera House

Egg custard of dreams

On sunday we went to try and find the Oslo flea market via a scamper up the Opera house building. Unfortunately we had to carry all our bags, which was a little arduous. The market wasn't quite where I expected it to  be, but we went to Godt Bröd bakery and coffee shop for the World's Most Amazing egg custard and cinnamon bun, which lifted our spirits into the sky! We found the flea market, but it was a bit disappointing, some great furniture, but that was just a pipe dream when flying with Ryan Air. We made our way to the bus station after a delicious hotdog. The bus journey to the airport was really beautiful, I wish we had more time (and money) to explore the countryside more! Can only imagine the wonder of Summer in Norway.

In summary: the men are insanely handsome, the dogs are amazing, and there's not a wallet in the world big enough for the amount of Krone you'll need. I would love to see more of Scandinavia!

Studio Shake Up

It's all change at Studio 25, as we sadly say bye bye to Lily Greenwood, and hi hi to Kathryn Edwards.

Butterflies on red by Lily Greenwood

Liz (aka Lily Greenwood) has been a resident at Manchester Craft and Design Centre for nearly 9 years, and has been an inspiration, friend and shoulder to cry on at various points since I started in 2008! She encouraged me to apply for my first studio, and helped me with my business plan and application, so I would like to say a massive THANK YOU and good luck to her! She will carry on with her creative business, you can still buy her beautiful work direct from her website.

Kathryn is returning to the Craft Centre after some time out to get married, move to London and back, and have a baby! We are super excited to welcome her back, as she is a total good egg, and produces wonderful illustrative work, focusing on landmark Manchester buildings, such as Victoria Baths and The Star and Garter. Check out her work here!

Star and Garter by Kathryn Edwards

And last, but not least, the very lovely Jane Blease is off on maternity leave soon too! Must be something in the water, I'd best watch out. Taking over her days at the craft centre is recent graduate Daisy Lee-Overton, who makes beautiful sculptural jewellery. We look forward to welcoming her to the Craft Centre!

Print Workshops

On Saturday I ran a couple of print workshops for Ministry of Craft, screen printing in the morning and lino print in the afternoon.
They were both great groups, I love seeing what people come up with , all such different designs! My next workshops are on the 4th of April, you can book here if you fancy giving it a go!

Printmakers help each other!

Split fountain experiments!

Avocadude. This was my design!

Lino cut card designs

Experimenting with overlaying colours. Looks amazing!

Work in Progress Wednesday

This year I want to push my 'other' work more, as it's a good stretch for my brain, and part of what I really love and excites me is coming up with new ideas, the ping ping ping of working on something new. I don't necessary love the 'end product' or even really producing something to sell. I keep thinking I should start a new blog and website for this separate part of my practice as it might be a bit confusing for people as it is so different, so far removed from my craft business.

I am also trying to blog more and writing does help me to think about things more clearly and deeply.
Apologies if this post is a bit of a mind splurge, I am trying to be more honest, not everything is great in the land of craft, it is  a struggle sometimes, lots of doubts creep in, especially this time of year, it's quiet, cold and cash flow is a nightmare! (aka, I'm skint).

On the plus side, I've just booked flights to Oslo for my friend's 30th birthday! Never too poor for a bit of adventure!

So, my WIP (work in progress for those uninitiated into the language of the maker) today is for the window display at the Craft Centre. Some of the resident makers are going to take it in turns throughout the year to dress the window. I thought this was the perfect opportunity to produce some larger-scale geometric work. I loved making my giant paper wreath at Christmas and doing something for the window feels quite low-pressure, rather than producing work to 'exhibit'. So, still along the lines of geometry, colour theory, spectrums, looking at shapes within shapes, heptagons, RGB, CMYK, the number 7...this will take form over the next few weeks, but I really think this line of work my constantly progress and change.

Work in progress: circle, heptagon, triangle from tracing paper. 

Handmade massive papercut wreath - about a metre square. Enjoyed making something 3 dimensional for a change.

I went to see the Liz West installation at the weekend at Federation House, which was really beautiful and inspiring. An amazing spectrum of coloured light, that looked different from each part of the building. I love Federation House, such a great space and ace for the art scene in Manchester!

Liz West installation