New! Cat Yoga!

I've been easing back into yoga after my recent knee surgery.

As my cat watches me suspiciously, I imagine how a creature who spends most of the day sleeping would interpret each yoga pose — no doubt with as little energy as possible.

Those musings led to my newest Dogwood Street illustrations — Cat Yoga. Starting with Cat/Cow, Upward Facing Cat and Pigeon, I kept imagining new poses — and had so much fun drawing them that I ended up with fifteen different poses.

I'm pleased they've just been picked up for kitchen towels. They won't be out until next year, so in the meantime, there's fabric available on Spoonflower and art prints in my Etsy store. And maybe a desk calendar down the road.

If you're a fan of cats... or yoga, I think these will make you smile.

Are Collections Overrated?

Lately, there's so much buzz about the need to design in collections.

But here’s the thing: lots of companies license standalone prints. They don’t need collections.

I recently read that Jennifer Nelson — a well-respected licensing agent — doesn’t ask her artists to create full collections. Instead, they present trios to their clients: a main print, plus a dark coordinate, a light coordinate, and a spot illustration where it fits. That’s it. Simple and efficient.

When I’m coaching newer designers, I often see collections with a strong hero print, a couple of good coordinates… and then they run out of steam — with patterns that veer off theme or feel a little uninspired. Those so-so prints can quietly undermine the strength of the whole collection.

Creating a professional collection is a skill all its own. If you’re just starting to build a portfolio, I’m not sure that's where you should be putting your energy.

Let me offer a different perspective: The more patterns you make, the better they will become. I think a portfolio with 50 strong standalone patterns plus a collection or two (just to show you understand the concept) has more licensing potential than three or four full collections with 8-12 designs in multiple colorways.

When I bring this up during coaching sessions, there’s often an audible sigh of relief. That tells me a lot of artists (me included) are not big fans of working in collections.

That said, if you’re designing specifically for quilting or stationery, collections might make sense. But even then, four or five designs — or even a trio — is probably plenty. You can always expand a collection once there's interest — and do so according to the client's needs.

So as you develop your portfolio, here are three things to keep in mind: there are no set rules for what's in your portfolio, there's no perfect roadmap for success, and surface design is a wide-ranging industry where some companies are simply looking for one great print.

A Glimpse into My World

Last week I stepped way out of my comfort zone — twice.

I did my first podcast interview, plus a live presentation to a group of artists. Both were on the topic of color — in conjunction with my new Color Recipes class.

Public speaking is my biggest fear. I’m much more comfortable jumping out of an airplane than getting up in front of an audience.

But I know it's good to stretch yourself. Thankfully, I was in good hands with Delores Naskrent moderating both sessions, so I think they went pretty well. I’ll let you know when the podcast is available.

Also, save the date: June 12–14 is The Profitable Artist Summit—another Delores Naskrent project with 20 well-known speakers offering free sessions. I’ll be presenting about pricing strategies and how chatbots can take some of the drudgery out of your art business.

More details to follow.