Attention world: Jill Howarth is here!

We’re pleased as can be to announce that a charming new illustrator has joined us here at Jennifer Nelson Artists. Just take one look at Jill Howarth’s work and you’ll see why.

Jill Howarth has a background in children’s design for the toy industry, and you can see she has a real knack for it. There’s a palpable joy to her work along with that child-like sense of wonder that makes her illustrations perfect for a wide array of products. Now that Jill Howarth is on board I’m eager to start making deals for greeting cards, wrapping paper, bedding, and so much more.

One in a series of Old Maid Cards

One in a series of Old Maid Cards

Join me in welcoming Jill Howarth to the fold! You may have noticed that I’m using her full name rather than just “Jill.” That’s because we already have the amazing Jill McDonald working with this small agency and I want to avoid confusion. It’s like a first grade class that has four Jennifers and everyone is called by her first and last name. (Actually, we have two Jennifers here, too!)

Although the name’s the same, both of our Jills and all of our other artists create artwork that’s delightfully different and equally great. Each illustrator has a unique vision that sets her apart and brings sheer joy to every project.

Who will be the first to commission a piece of gorgeous illustration from Jill Howarth, or to license one of her lovely existing works? Will it be you? Contact me to see more! - Jennifer

Everything I hoped the internet would be!

Hurry quick for a giveaway TODAY! Jennifer Orkin Lewis (aka: August Wren). Jennifer is giving away this lovely print on her Instagram today!

Good luck! - (the other) Jennifer

Enter To Win A FREE Workshop!

The big day is coming. My three-day workshop on Modern Thrive entitled “How To Get An Agent (And Do I Really Need One?)” will be here before you know it. March 16th to be exact. It’s going to be a lot of fun and I’m really eager to share a ton of useful information with you. If you haven’t signed up yet, click here

Although I have included every bit of important info I can think of, there are always questions. So I’m leaving a few minutes in each session to answer pertinent questions about the topic. To make this even more fun than it already is, I’m giving away one FREE workshop (a $97 value) to a lucky winner. To be automatically entered, just post a relevant question in the comments section below. I’ll choose the winner at random on Monday, March 7th. It’s so easy. (One question per person, please.)

Have you already signed up? Don’t worry! If you’re randomly chosen as the winner I’ll simply refund your payment.

I’m looking forward to reading your questions. And I’m anticipating a great three days giving you the benefit of my knowledge and experience. See you on March 16th! - Jennifer

Hello! My name is Anisa.

WEEK ONE: Flow Magazine has asked me to blog for them on Wednesdays all month.  We thought it would be fun to share these posts over here too! 

I was born in Lansing, Michigan, and I was a very creative child.  I was always interested in sewing or painting, or anything that involved colors. I studied printmaking at Minneapolis College of Art & Design.  

After college I just wanted to travel the U.S.  so I funded my trip by sewing hand made dresses, and selling them at music concerts, It was a great way to see my country.  It also started me into a business printing, sewing and later manufacturing my own clothing. 

I made clothes and sold under the label Makool for many years.  When I gave birth to my son 5 years ago, my love for travel and adventure won again and we decided to move from Portland, Oregon to Amsterdam, NL.  

Anisa at work.

Anisa at work.

While living in Amsterdam I fell in love with the canal houses and the bicycles and I began painting and drawing. I started taking classes in illustration, and before I knew it I had a new career.  

Last year we moved back from Amsterdam, to Portland.  Portland is on the West Coast of the U.S. right above California.  It's in a temperate rain forest.  It rains a lot here, but the rain makes it very green.  

The city is covered in moss, ferns, fog and old growth trees.  It feels good to live here, the city seems to glow green, it’s very healing.  I missed this living in Amsterdam. 

I’m excited to share my creative process as well as some of my inspiration over the next few weeks.  I hope you’ll visit my website and follow me on Instagram.

Enjoy! - Anisa

WEEK TWO: I thought today it would be nice if I gave you a tour of my new studio. Part of the incentive for me to move to Portland from Amsterdam was that I would have a new house. Our house was finished last June and we were able to move in after a long wait. My favorite room is my studio, it’s open with concrete floors and floor to ceiling windows facing the south. It’s a L shape so it’s hard to photograph, also on the day I took these picture we had some unexpected sunshine in Portland, it’s very rare.

You can see my cat “Happy Kids T.V.”, showing you the butterflies I did for this month’s issue of Flow. She’s a Devon Rex cat and she likes to come to my studio and find things she can attack. 

This is where I spend the majority of my time. I like to draw with pencils or calligraphy pens, and paint with gouache, ink, or acrylic. I mostly don’t keep sketch books unless I’m traveling. I prefer to make a bunch of drawings, and tape them to the wall. I work with my drawings in photoshop and I find that having them taped to the wall, lets me see everything I have without toggling through folders. 

Thanks for stopping by my studio. Next week I’m going to introduce you to some of my friends. - Anisa

WEEK THREE: 

This week I wanted to show you how I stay creative and social.  Having creative social outlets helps me to stay inspired, by thinking about making art in different ways. 

Portland is a very creative city, I feel fortunate to be a part of the art community.  Last year a group of women artists started an event called “Ladies Drawing Night”, it a private group,  when I was asked to join I was very excited.  The group meets once a month, we get together to sit around a table, drink wine, share snacks, and make art.  This has connected me with some amazingly talented local women, whom I admire, and it’s been a great resource.  Last month I brought my camera along to share a picture with you. 

(pictured here, from the right around the table is  Lena Podesta, Adrienne Vita, Vera Brosgol, Peg Serena, Tara Lilly, Kinoko Evans, and the little blue person on pink paper is by Rilla Alexander) 

(pictured here, from the right around the table is  Lena Podesta, Adrienne Vita, Vera Brosgol, Peg Serena, Tara Lilly, Kinoko Evans, and the little blue person on pink paper is by Rilla Alexander) 

Another project I do with friends is “Stamp Art Club”, once a month we each make a postage stamp based on a theme.  There are four of us, and we make these images to share on  Instagram.  We have a hashtag #stampartclub if you’d like to view the whole project. 

The artists are Tara Lilly from Portland, Oregon, Monika Forsberg from London, and Kate Mason from Australia.

One great thing about stamp art club is that it keeps me in touch with friends who live far away.   We are doing a project together so we can’t fall out of touch, also it insures that I have one playful assignment every month that’s just for myself.  So much of what you do as an illustrator is making work for clients, constantly thinking about what the client wants can get tiresome. 

I hope to encourage other creatives out there to begin some sort of “creative playground”, someplace where there’s no pressure just connecting with other artists in fun ways.  It can help to get you out of your own head, and the connections you'll make are priceless. - Anisa

WEEK 4: I used to think I couldn’t draw, but now I think drawing is like a muscle if you don’t use it’s not very strong and the more you use it the better it works.  

When I was in college, I always got C’s in drawing no matter how much energy I put into the class. This was discouraging for me and I only took the required amount of drawing to graduate art school.  I ended up studying photography and printmaking.  

After college I went on to teach myself how to sew and design patterns for clothing.  I did some screen printing on the clothing, but not very much.  I spent the next 10 years building up a business, selling hand made clothing designs.  Meanwhile I always felt something was missing.  I noticed myself spending time on the internet admiring the work of artists and illustrators. 

It was when I moved from Portland to Amsterdam that I stopped the clothing business it just wasn’t possible to move it.  I had a lot of time to be alone with my creativity which was really nagging me.  I felt lost not having a creative outlet.  One day when I was on Amazon shopping for books a suggestion caught my eye. It was Lilla Rogers “I just like to make things”, the title alone spoke to me and I ordered the book.  Shortly after, I began taking her classes, and things just snowballed from there.  Today I couldn’t imagine not drawing and painting every day, it feels like I’ve been doing this my whole life. 

Here’s a suggestion to get into drawing.  Give yourself an assignment.  I used to tell myself I’m just going to draw an object 50 times.  I discovered if you draw a chicken 50 times it’s not possible to have 50 bad drawings of a chicken a few of them will be interesting and pretty good. It’s a great way to get yourself into drawing and to discover your style. 

Thanks you for spending the month with me, I loved blogging every week.  - Anisa

The irony of being too busy to write a blog...

There’s something ironic about writing a blog explaining how you’re too busy to write a blog. So be it!

The past few months have been ridiculously busy here. And that’s a good thing! But I miss having the time to chat with our clients and artists friends.

December is a busy month for most people, with holidays and shopping and family. For us, it’s even busier as we exhibited at our first trade show: Blue Print NYC. We had a great time being in New York City, meeting people in person we had only spoken with on the phone, and doing quite a bit of business right there at the show. Our wonderful artist Jennifer Orkin Lewis brought her watercolors and was painting portraits of attendees live and in-person. Such a cool experience! We broadcast some of it live on Periscope while posting photos to Instagram and Facebook right from the event. 

In January we were back in NYC for Printsource. Once again we had a booth and enjoyed meeting and greeting both artists and art buyers in a sometimes hectic but always friendly atmosphere. If you didn’t make it this time we’ll be back again in August. Send a note to say you’re coming so we can plan to meet there. It’s a terrific show for the surface texture industry.

We barely had time to catch our breath before we had to be in the air for a trip to Atlanta. (Less than 24 hours between getting home from Printsource and boarding a flight to Georgia. Yes, I managed to squeeze in a shower.) I met our amazing artist, Lauren Lowen there. The Atlanta Gift & Home Show is not only a wonderful show, but Atlanta is my home town. That meant spending quality time with my folks in between doing business at the show. It was fun, but exhausting. The very cool thing is that last year (the week before we hung out our shingle) - Lauren and I first met at this very show. JNA had no products, of course.... well, this year we are so pleased to say we have over 50!

With all that travel behind me, I have been working like mad on the mountain of follow-up. There are still calls and emails to return, and literally hundreds of inquiries to answer. But I’m not complaining! I love to be busy and I love my job.

I’ll blog again when I get a break. Meanwhile, feel free to get in touch when you need illustration for whatever project you have. I’m sure we can make you happy. – Jennifer

Happy Birthday to US!

We’re celebrating – it’s our first birthday! Yes, it was just last January that we launched Jennifer Nelson Artists and got to know all of you. The Little Agency That Could is now nearly one year old and there’s no better way to share the joy than to give one lucky winner a nice prize.

Anisa Makhoul's YAY! Cake

Anisa Makhoul's YAY! Cake

As you may know from our newsletters, we have almost daily sessions with artists offering information on all kinds of business issues. Done by Skype, I spend an hour with an artist giving advice on portfolios, contracts, marketing, even getting an agent. I answer whatever questions you may have and leave you better equipped for success in the art world.

Masthead design by Victoria Johnson

Masthead design by Victoria Johnson

You can win a FREE one-on-one Advice For Artists session with me,  just by entering.

Post a comment below about what you’re interested in learning for 2016. It could be about illustration marketplace, how to negotiate fees, what to look for in an agent, or how to read the fine print on a contract. Whatever interests you most!

I’ll select a winner at random on January 20th and we can schedule an hour-long session together. It’s that easy.

Even if you’re not the lucky winner your input still helps me to decide what to discuss in future Advice for Artists newsletters so please participate.

Happy Birthday to (ALL of) us! - Jennifer 

Jennifer Nelson Artists + Heart 2 Art Talk!

This past Tuesday, I had the privilege of wonderful Periscope interview with Ann Was Here and Jeanetta Gonzalez, both illustrators, surface designers, very clever teachers & co-hosts of #Heart2ArtTalk.

It was so fun (even though I was a tad nervous)... we talked about newsletters, agents, treating your business like a business, building a client list and so much more. Click here to watch the Heart-to-Art interview. 

Anne Bollman, myself + Jeanetta Gonzalez

Anne Bollman, myself + Jeanetta Gonzalez

If you need advice on a personal basis, schedule an appointment with me for one of our hour-long Advice For Artists sessions. 

Off to BLUEPRINT, with PRINTSOURCE close behind!

Whew, running a small business is loads of work! Good thing I LOVE it! 

We are ready for BLUEPRINT! The prints are sorted and packed in pretty folios, the banners are ready to pop up, the forms are ready to be filled, the postcards are all tucked into Monika's beautiful ZÜCA bag. I even have a few giveaways for lucky clients! Hope to see you there! 

sport_plantoneonme_closed_rgb.jpg

 

SHOW DATES:
December 2-4, 2015

SHOW TIMES:
Wednesday Dec 2nd - 10:00-6:00
Thursday Dec 3rd- 9:00-6:00
Friday Dec 4th: 9:00-4:00

LOCATION: 
404 Tenth Avenue
(between 32nd and 33rd Streets)
NYC

Next stop, PRINTSOURCE! Send me a note to schedule an appointment for either (or both!) shows. - Jennifer

Jennifer Orkin Lewis is a Smart Creative Woman!

I am so happy to share Jennifer's interview with the multi-talented and infinitely fascinating, Monica Lee this week on her podcast, Smart Creative Women.

Jennifer Orkin Lewis (aka August Wren) at work in her studio.

Jennifer Orkin Lewis (aka August Wren) at work in her studio.

Here is how Monica sums up the interview: 
"Jennifer is a hot new artist that has been around for some time.  After graduating from Rhode Island School of Design as a textile stylist designing prints for children’s clothing and lingerie, she raised her family, designed textiles and worked away. Fast forward several years she started a daily sketch book project that reignited her career in a huge way! I love her story and how she is such a hot ticket after working as an artist for the last 20 years (that’s pretty much the best kind of story).  Tune in and listen to  her journey,  it’s a refreshing one! Her  work is inspired by the everyday small things,  a bird in a tree, a garden, crowds of people, a beautiful table with luscious food and her clients (like Kate Spade home and Abrams Books!)  are eating up her style, her voice and her point of view. Can’t wait to see what she does next!"

I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did. You can find August Wren at her widely-followed Instagram, 30 minute painting a day. Enjoy! - (the other) Jennifer

Welcome Jill McDonald!

What agent wouldn't be delighted to have the renowned Jill McDonald join their already stellar roster?  I am absolutely gleeful to represent Jill starting today!

Jill brings a portfolio rich with decades worth of stunning illustration. Her color palette and cut paper/paint work is striking and unique. I adore her lettering and the whimsy she finds in the very smallest detail of her work.

Jill's archive is crammed full with sugar-plum-wonderful Christmas illustrations, florals like you have never seen, and narrative composition that makes for the sweetest dreams. You'll notice that Jill also has a particular knack when designing for boys - a rarity in this corner of the market.

Oh, and did I mention - stunning florals for grown ups too?

Please join me in welcoming Jill to JNA. We are so very pleased to have her with us! To see Jill's brimming archive, just send me a request. Enjoy! - Jennifer

Recap of Amazing Show in NYC

Yesterday I participated in a show at Dixon Place called The Secret City (a little theater on the lower east side in Manhattan). Its a variety, cabaret, service celebrating the arts. One of my lovely followers, Maritza is involved in the production and sent along an email to see if I'd like to be involved. It sounded a little different, weird, odd but fun. It was one of those times where it felt right to just say yes and see what would happen. And the theme was COLOR!! I decided to do 9 22x30" monochromatic paintings in a rainbow show of color, I chose mainly a table top theme so I would know what to do each time I went to work.

I painted these in acrylic and gouache, It was fabulously fun, I've been wanting to paint larger for some time but just never seem to get to it. But in reality 3 weeks wasn't enough time to paint so many, I got 5 done. Here are 4 plus a purple one...

But the wall behind the stage where I was going to hang my work was huge and I wanted impact. So I chose 13 pieces of art from my sketchbooks and blew them up to 30x43" and had them printed. I scan all my art at 400dpi, for this I used an app called alien skin blowup that converts the art to vector for a sec, blows it up to whatever size and then returns it to pixels, It WORKS!!

At home on Saturday my husband and I put command strips on the back of each piece so when we got there we could just hang it up. It still took over an hour, there were singers, and musicians and dancers all practicing at the same time. But it happened. Everyone was so welcoming and fun. When the show started, the MC, Chris Wells came out, who had been in jeans and a very plain button down shirt like this:

What a hoot! He was funny and interesting. There was great music, poetry, stories and meditation. A dancer from American Ballet theater danced a gorgeous blues piece, we laughed and and really enjoyed ourselves. Everyone involved was so professionaland creative. They brought me up to ask questions, which I have a video of but cant seem to upload, If I can figure it out I will add it later. Thanks for looking! - Jennifer

Please see my whole sketchbook project here

The Portland Chimney Swifts

I recently got a really great commission and I wanted to share it with you. 

Portland hosts North Americas largest concentration of Vaux’s Swifts. Every September the birds nest in the chimney at Chapman Elementary School.  Vaux Swifts normally nest in hollowed out snags of old growth trees, but we have lost a lot of our old growth trees, and the largest population now nests in this chimney here in Portland.  In the 80’s when the birds began nesting in the chimney the school stopped using it’s heating system during the weeks of roosting.  Students and teachers wore sweaters and jackets until the end of September.  In 2003 the Audubon Society donated a new heating system to the school. Now the chimney is maintained sorely for the Swifts.  

You can imagine my excitement when I was approached to illustrate this beautiful scene.  The Swifts are a beloved Portland event, hundreds of folks gather every night in September to watch the show.  Enjoy - Anisa

August Wren meets Maira Kalman

Last winter, I went to the Julie Saul Gallery to see some of Maira Kalman's work from her new book and MEET her! For me it was like meeting the most famous movie star ever, I was in heaven!! 

There weren't too many people there so I got a bit over enthusiastic and talked a lot, maybe too much... But whoa, she is really lovely and kind. It made my week! - Jennifer

August Wren (right)  talking with Maira Kalman (left)

August Wren (right)  talking with Maira Kalman (left)

Her observations on life and her painting really speak to me. I found this interview with her on The Great Discontent, it's a fabulous read, she has a great story!

Truck, Truck, Bus!

Tomorrow we will be hosting another great giveaway over on our Facebook page! Monika's amazing Truck + Bus game for eeBoo!

monika_forsberg

Pop on over to our contact page today to sign up for our mailing list! Contest begins tomorrow @ 10amEDT! Hope you win! - Jennifer

It is time to celebrate!

It’s our half-birthday and we’re doubly excited! Even though Jennifer Nelson Artists is just six months old, so much as happened in that time it seems like two years. We’ve worked with so many wonderful clients, worked on so many terrific projects, and met so many delightful people – it’s hard to believe we just opened the business in January. 

Artwork courtesy of Bee Brown.

Artwork courtesy of Bee Brown.

With six months under our collective belt, it’s time to celebrate! And how do we celebrate the company’s half-birthday? By kicking our heels up and committing to another six months of dazzling illustration and design from our awesomely talented artists. In other words, it’s business as usual. But even though we’re calmly going about our day-to-day activities we’re secretly jumping for joy on the inside. If this is how our first half-year went, we’re positively giddy imagining how great the next half will be!

Thanks to all the artists, clients and friends who have been with us for this incredible six-month journey. You’ve read our blog, licensed our art, posted on our social media sites and supported our efforts all the way. Happy half-birthday to you too! - Jennifer

This was a very BIG week for our little company.... and tomorrow brings another great chapter.

SURTEX 2015 was 100% complete success for us! We were very kindly received by clients and artists alike. At every turn, I felt the warmth of smiles and fond gazes from so many of you. One sweet Texan, said she could tell with every comment I share, every post I write that I love my job, that I truly desire success for the JNA artists and I am committed to being a positive force in this community. My eyes pricked up a bit, as I could not have conveyed my sentiments better in my own words. Here are a few photos from the show... see our Instagram (right) for even more! We warmly welcome our new manufacturing licenses in baby layette, greeting cards, wallpaper, children's books, bedding, journals, cake decorating, balloons and more. The artists have lots of work to do and I have loads of contracts to solidify! Mark your calendars, next year SURTEX is 15-17 MAY 2016!

Not to be outdone by all the SURTEX woo-ha... TOMORROW, we announce our newest artist and I can hardly wait! Check this spot and our newsletter to find out who I am lucky enough to represent next! - Jennifer

Victoria's expressive, lyrical work spins the world on a new axis.

This week, I am counting down the (2!) days until SURTEX by featuring sneak peeks of each artist's work.

Victoria is becoming world famous for her color palettes, her keen design eye and her expressive lyrical quality. (Victoria's work is like happiness in a bottle.) Our clients are working with her on children's bedding, growth charts, Christmas paper goods, and a line of gifts and bolts of fabric so dear you will swoon at first glance! I reckon, I am the luckiest agent in town! You can find Victoria (and me) @ Booth 518! Enjoy! - Jennifer

This last one is SPECIAL thanks to ALL of you who have supported us as we launched the agency, licensed or commissioned art and continue to make us feel so very welcome in this wonderful world of art!

Jennifer graces SURTEX 2015 with her sublime beauties.

This week, I am counting down the (3!) days until SURTEX by featuring sneak peeks of each artist's work. Hold on to your horses, Jennifer is a knock out.

I fell in love with Jennifer the instant I saw her work. Great painters are few and far between and this one is as special as they come. Jennifer's work evokes joy, delight and a unique perspective on this world.  I am so fortunate to receive a painting from her nearly every day. Can imagine a more lucky inbox? Jennifer is currently working on her second (self-authored) book, a commission for hope chests for 3 lucky CT girls, loads of cards, and repeats for children's clothing in Brazil. Keep your eye on Jennifer, she is flying to high places... and I am SO LUCKY to be along for the ride!  Come meet Jennifer and see her jaw-dropping work @ Booth #355 or contact me to see hundreds of her images in our archives.- (the other) Jennifer