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

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

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

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

Happy New Year!

2015 was an banner year for us. We opened our doors to a welcoming community of clients and artists, international publications, our very first trade show, press beyond belief and client work dreams are made of. 

Jill McDonald's gorgeous lettering

Lauren Lowen rings in the New Year with hipsters

Bee Brown's charming bear greets the New Year!

Anisa and her studio mate send warmest regards (and stunning lettering) for 2016

Jennifer's florals greet 2016 with high style.

And Jessica's fabulous lettering and pinky oranges!

Here's to a even more stellar 2016! - Jennifer

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! 

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

BLUE PRINT: Young Designer Competition announced

I am delighted to be selected as a judge in the BLUEPRINT competition! 

The competition is for two up and coming young designers to win their own booth space at next years Blue Print III show in New York. The venue for this show is the Metropolitan Suite, 2nd Floor, 123 W 18th Street, New York 10011, and the show is running from the 12th - 16th of May. This venue is in a fantastic area with lots of exciting shops and restaurants, and is well known to the artwork buyers that regularly visit New York. The show will give the winning designers the chance to exhibit alongside some of the best studios and designers in the world ! 

The other judges include:  Izzy Matthews at Peagreen, James Hartley at Gather No Moss, Abby Zweifel at Pomelo & Pomelo + Andrea Turk at Cinnamon Joe Studios.

I hope you will consider entering! Details on how to enter are here!

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.

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

That "warm and fuzzy" feeling...

Of course, it’s always nice to get publicity and it helps generate awareness for our eight talented artists and the wonderful work they do. That’s a given.
 
More important is the satisfaction in being recognized by our peers in the industry. Knowing that all of our hard work building this agency over the past few months has not gone unnoticed gives us a great deal of pride, both personally and professionally. We’re feeling all warm and fuzzy inside to see these gorgeous spreads in such a prestigious magazine.

Perhaps the best part – the warmest and fuzziest aspect – is the validation of our approach to art, to business, and to life in general. We’re nice people, we work with wonderful clients, and our artists strive to do their best. What we have created here is more than an agency, it’s a community. Artists working with agents serving clients with the most beautiful artwork we can deliver. We truly feel that we’re making the world a better place, just by being here doing what we do.

The thing is, we’re all in this together. (You can take this to mean the licensing industry, the art world, or just being alive on Planet Earth in 2015.) 

A very happy me!

Next week, we add our 8th artist to the agency - and once again, I can barely contain myself! Tune in on Wednesday to help us celebrate!

Finally, thank YOU for being part of this community. Your continued support is what keeps us going. Magazine articles like this one only confirm what we already know – we all have art in common and we’re overjoyed to have you here with us.

My fondest regards, Jennifer

News about a New Newsletter

Would you be interested in a JNA newsletter that goes directly from agent to artist? Can you agree to keep it just between us?

And maybe you could benefit from some of my coping skills. You might like to hear how I deal with insecurities, celebrate victories, and create balanced life. (Life isn’t just art. There must also be pancakes!)

So, if you are game (and I really hope you are), please sign up here and be sure to check the “I am interested in: representation +/or advice for artists” box.

Hope to hear from you! - Jennifer

As you probably know, we send out a newsletter every few weeks which goes to thousands (yikes!) of folks in the art world. Most are art buyers, some are business associates, some are graphic designers. And some are artists just like you! But I realized that there may be a need for a newsletter that goes to artists only.

After all, there are some inside tips I can offer to artists that I don’t necessarily want everyone to know. When it comes to how to negotiate a contract, how to market your work to art directors, how to promote yourself through social media – that’s information I would like to share only with the artists themselves.

I am hoping to share some practical tidbits on licensing, reveal how art buyers search the web, and coach you on how to get the most out of your online hours.

This is the kind of thing that happens during my Advice For Artists sessions, where I do one-on-one coaching with illustrators over Skype. It has been very helpful to artists and for me too!

JNA artists in FLOW!

Wow, wow, wow! I am SO HAPPY to see the artists featured in FLOW this month! If you don't know, Flow - check them out here. You can subscribe to the magazine, Flow Weekly, find inspiring blogs + articles + great links to illustrators worldwide, and more! Design delights abound!

Both Jennifer and Anisa are featured this month!

Jennifer Orkin Lewis's (August Wren) gorgeous feature!

Complete with stunning postcards to mail!

This is one of Anisa's pieces that first caught my eye.

More exciting work to share in future issues and a book! Enjoy! - Jennifer

Advice for Artists gets results

Shortly after I launched Advice for Artists, the amazingly talented Flora Chang contacted me! Flora needed help with a book project. The client had been in touch with her directly, but there were many hurdles to be cleared in finalizing the deal.

Flora at work on the book

First the terms of the offer needed to be completely understood: How many illustrations did the client need? Where would the book be distributed? What was the earning potential on the book? What terms did the client require? What was the deadline? What was the financial offer? A flat fee, an advance on royalties, or royalties only?

With that information clear, Flora and I had several conversations about other issues. Could she deliver that amount of work according to the deadline? Did we think the offer was fair for the amount of work she would have to do? Did she want to do this project? She did!

Pages 1 + 3 from the book

Once we formulated our game plan, I contacted the client to begin the negotiation process. I outlined our response to the offer, our agreements and our points of inquiry. The first draft of the contract came. As luck would have it, the contract was a short 7 pages – but loaded with legal details and fine points to be thoroughly understood such as grant of rights, delivery of manuscript alterations, publication, marketing, royalties, copyright and infringement, kill fee… the list went on (and on). I went back and forth with the client's very smart attorney several times before we reached an agreement we all felt good about.

The result: a happy artist + a happy client = a tremendously rewarding and lucrative project! If you don't have an agent, and you have a project you need help with – call me!  - Jennifer

You can find Flora in her delightful Happy Doodle Land here and on Instagram here. The book is available for pre-order and, after January 5th, for purchase here + here + here!

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

Stamps by Monika Forsberg

As a member of Jennifer Nelson Artists I enjoy the work of the other illustrators but I don’t often get to see them or work with them. Here’s what happened when we had a rare chance to collaborate.

One night at dinner whilst doodling with some fellow artists, I  noticed that some of us have a tendency to fill up every available space in a drawing, while others (like me) tend to use a lot of negative space. So I thought I’d try switching it around and experimenting with adding art to every inch of the page.

I met Anisa Makhoul  my fellow artist at JNA for the very first time this summer. We met by the sea in Brighton when she was travelling around in Europe with her family. Anisa and I enjoyed a couple of days together and our sons Oslo and Reginald became friends, laughing, eating ice cream and getting up to mischief. I love Anisa's work, she is a fantastic girl and so funny. We had a blast and we said “We need to find a way to collaborate.”

What we came up with was to make stamps, because its a way to travel the world without getting on a plane. Being an illustrator gets rather lonely sometimes and projects like these are a brilliant way to communicate and spend time with like-minded people.

The first theme chosen was horses so I indulged in a bit of pony homage and drew some chubby horses. Then I got sidetracked into making motorcycles as my mind raced away with a made-up word association game. Horses - Horsepower - Motorbikes.

Anisa chose the second theme: love. I got off to a rocky start but then I started drawing little tiny Mexican tin hearts and soon... my love stamp was born. That’s the true story behind my new stamp art. Enjoy - Monika

Victoria's Autumn Project

This past autumn I decided I wanted to do some designs that would work well on fabric. You can't get more autumnal than squirrels so I started by sketching a few. I had a lot of success with my Give Thanks fox and sunflower fabric designs a while ago but didn't want to repeat myself. So I spent a happy evening building myself a mood board inspired by something I love that is quintessentially autumnal - tan leather and heather grey knit. I'd also been quite taken by the grey pumpkins that kept popping up all over Pinterest. They contrast beautifully with the usual orange ones.

Squirrel sketches

Once I had my palette established I created a collection of six designs featuring birds, squirrels and autumnal foliage. I think it came out nice and had a very different (less whimsical, more collegiate) feeling to the Give Thanks fabrics.

'Give Thanks' fabrics still available at Joann's

Tan leather, heather grey knit and grey pumpkin inspired moodboard/color palette

Apparently my mom was also inspired by my color palette and knitted it into a cushion cover!!! Enjoy! -Victoria

Lauren Lowen's 3 Tips For Better Social Media

Every once in a while, I like to write about a topic I covered with my college students. One of the most relevant subjects for today’s world is social media and how to use it effectively. We discuss this for quite a bit in the classroom, but here are some quick tips for you to enjoy.

1)   Remember that Likes and Followers don’t always translate to dollar signs. This is one of the most important things to understand when it comes to social media. You start a Facebook fan page or Instagram account and suddenly have tons of followers! So why aren’t the contracts and big deals rolling in? Well, that’s because you have to realize that social media isn’t so much about obtaining followers and higher numbers. The point is to nurture contacts and network, in order to create opportunities. So even though you have a thousand people in your audience, if you aren’t taking that next step to really make something out of it, than it doesn’t matter. People are watching, so now what? Do you want to create a dialogue? Put on a group show? Offer to do some special commissions for the first lucky three people who take up the offer? Followers on social media are like tools: you can build something with them, but just letting them sit in the garage isn’t going to result in anything.

The numbers don't count - the relationships do, so socialize with your followers. 

2)   Your personal pages can be just as important as your “fan page” on Facebook. Imagine that you go to a cocktail party held by a colleague. Lots of people from your industry are there. You spot one important someone and introduce yourself. Great! Good for you. Then you stroll over to the buffet table to get something to nibble on. While there, you start talking to some friends and maybe say a couple of things that could be controversial or maybe even just downright unprofessional (because that important so-and-so is way across the room, so it doesn’t matter, right?). However, other people go to the buffet table to get some food. You don’t even know who they are at the moment, but maybe they had a good lead or connection for you. Well, guess what? Those people left the table with some sort of impression of you that may (even on just a subconscious level) determine if they want to recommend you or work with you in the future.

Lauren's tiger is not one bit shy about Social Media!

The point is, even with your “professional” or business page on Facebook and such, you can’t ignore the power of interactions that you do every day on your personal accounts. The Internet makes people way too comfortable when it comes to megaphoning every thought and opinion we may have, and whether you like it or not, your personal presence online does affect you professionally. Whether you are in a social online group with others in your industry or taking a continuing education class at your local college, handle yourself in a professional way that makes others remember you in a positive light. For myself, people that have started connecting with me online for personal reasons have flourished into some great professional contacts.

3)   Don’t let Social Media be your only Marketing tool. Social media is like the mayonnaise on your marketing sandwich: it really makes it all come together, but it can’t be the only ingredient. Make sure you aren’t ignoring the rest of your marketing campaign! This may include mailings, press kits, in-person tradeshows, or sending submissions to companies or venues you want to work with in the future. It’s also pertinent to remember that some of the best connections are still made face-to-face. Have coffee with an old instructor. Join a local sketch group. Become a member of local professional chapters if they are in your area. There are probably some great resources where you live, and these things can compliment a strong online social media presence.

When making a "marketing sandwich", use whole wheat bread for more nutrition in your social media diet.

Thanks for reading! I hope you got a few things out of these tips for social media and are on your way to reaching your goals. - Lauren

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)

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!

Jessica Swift video by Susan Roderick

I hope this video of me working + creating in my studio will leave you feeling uplifted and inspired! It was made by my talented friend Susan Roderick. Enjoy! - Jessica