"What do you do?"

I am attending a wedding this weekend. I know there will be a lot of old friends to catch up with and a lot of new people I will meet. I am kind of dreading the inevitable question, “What do you do?”

It’s not because I don’t love what I do, it’s just that I don’t really know how to exactly put it in words.

How do you explain that one day you are laying down grass for a movie star to lie on, while the next day you are suspending a rock star by her ankles from the ceiling. Do I go into detail about my one day jaunt up to Alaska to create a tea party for a certain political family?

“Set Designer, Prop Stylist, Art Director” Unless you are in the business it’s hard to really explain what it all means. And now I have new job titles to add to my list like Artist and Entrepreneur. How does "Purveyor of eco friendly art for children" sound? Maybe I will use this wedding to test out different answers and see what feels the most comfortable.

In the meantime if you would like to know more about what I do when I'm not printing and imagining new and brilliant Skårt designs , check out the videos below for a little behind the scenes footage of some of the most recent shoots I’ve worked on.

Choosing Colors

One of the biggest and unexpected challenges I am coming across is choosing the colors. Once the design is completed I will often spend hours on the computer playing with different color variations to try and decide which color to do my first prints in.  And of course, often what looks good on the computer screen will look completely different on wood.  The possibilities can be endless.  Pink on pink, pink on yellow, green on espresso wood, green on natural wood, lime green, hunter green, seafoam green ...   So many choices.

I chose the color combo for my dancing Robots of a lime green and baby blue on dark wood. When I delivered the Robots to one of the stores, the owner loved them but then suggested I do them in yellow with glowing red eyes.  "Well, that might look cool", I said.  And the color door reopened. Hustle-bot might also look good in Aqua, or, what about Aqua with yellow eyes, or red eyes? 

When choosing colors I  have to consider what is "in" right now in kids' decor.  Tiffany Blue is IN, Purple is OUT?  What will match the hot new bedding?  What is Pottery Barn Kids or Land of Nod highlighting for the season?  

I have found a big help in choosing my initial color scheme is matching to fabric.  That is how I came up with the Pastel and Vibrant versions of my Safari Baby series.  I chose to match the colors to Alexander Henry's 2d Zoo Fabric.   By using the colors in the fabric it gives me a basic palette to go by.  Of course custom color requests are also always welcome.

And if you are looking to decorate a room in this theme you should check out Etsy because there are many other talented artists using this fabric to create wonderful decor accessories.

Custom Crib bedding by Fingers and Toes

Mobile by EvenEden13

Canvas Growth Chart by Giraffes and Stuff

Chenille and Flannel Baby Blanket by The Red Pistachio

Little Hooter Owl by Cut Sew Repeat

Nursing Pillow cover by MollyAnneMake

Everybody Loves Babies

In honor of mother's day I thought it appropriate to spread the word about this little documentary getting a lot of buzz.  The film is called Babies.  The premise is to simultaneously follow four babies around the world from birth to first steps.  The children come from Namibia, Mongolia, Japan and the US.  It looks like a fascinating peek into the trials and tribulations of motherhood around the world.  All you mothers who think you have it so tough where you are, try washing your baby while there is a goat drinking the bath water!  

You can find out more about it here.  Happy Mother's Day! 

And you can watch the trailer below (the goat scene is at the very end): 

The new face of Skårt

I am learning that good pictures are even more important than having a good product. Although I've known this all along, I am still finding it hard to capture the essence of my art. Everyone says that the pieces look better in person.  The subtleties of the wood grain and texture in my work seem to get lost in a picture.  I am not sure if there is a solution to this. Perhaps more professional photographs would help.  Selling in stores rather than online is another solution that I am exploring.       

One thing I have noticed in my Etsy store is that the one picture I have up with a "model" gets more hits than any of my other items.   It makes sense.  Louis Vuitton doesn't just put up pictures of their bags, they have celebrities modeling them.  Nike doesn't just show a pair of shoes on a platform,  they put them on Athletes.    

While on a trip to Montreal I borrowed a friend's baby to do a little photo shoot.  I would like to introduce you to baby Ella -- The newest face of Skårt.  

I've also asked  friends and clients to send me their pictures (and/or post them on the Skårtshop Facebook fan page).  

Here are a few more of the Skårt Angels.... 

Next step is to find a celebrity baby ....  Any suggestions? 

creative chaos - aka: a tour of my studio

This is my studio.  It's located in the back of my friend AL's house -- in what some people call a "garage".  Yes, she is a VERY nice friend to let me take up  10' x 18' of valuable storage space to pursue my art.  In case you are not quite sure of what you are looking at in the picture above, let me take you on a quick tour: 

Social Networking

How do you keep up? I don't think I can.  I need to hire someone full time just to network. Don't get me wrong, I love my FB -- It's great to keep up with old friends and I am finding it's also important for making new contacts.  I've hesitated on bringing Skårt to Facebook.  I didn't want to force my friends to become my fans.  So before I take it to the feed, I'm blogging here first, this is to get my already fans to become FB fans.... 

Click on the link below to become a fan and then pass it on to all your FB friends.  If you have any of my art in your house I would love for you to upload some pictures to the site. 

I'm still learning and figuring it all out so please leave your comments with any helpful hints or suggestions.

New Skårt: Football Reception

Football reception is for your future Sporto --- colors can be customized to match your room or your favorite team.  Click here to view options.