Beautiful Art

 

*Where are you from? Tell us a bit about yourself.

"I am from England, and currently live in a gorgeous old Roman city called St Albans, about half an hours train ride from London. I am a new Mummy to my little boy whi is now 18 months old- gosh I guess not so "new" anymore! I gace up my job as a high school maths teacher when he was born, and have now returned to my love of Art, which had sadly been neglected for many years due to a hectic time at university and teaching. I love to draw, and occasionally paint. My current favourite medium is black ink on white paper, I love the crisp lines and contrast created."

*How did you decide on your shop name? Why did you start your business?

"My shop name describes my arty side. Most of the day I am Mummy- this distinguishes the other side to me! I went into business to indulge my hobby and to show the world my art. I get a real thrill from people enjoying my art, and I love that Etsy is international, sending my work abroad is so exciting!

*What are 5 things you want people to think when they see your product?

1- "Wow!"
2- "I need to look again"
3- "I've never seen anything like that before"
4- "Who drew that?"
5- "Where's my pen I want to draw!"

*What’s your supply addiction; is there a specific color or type of supply you just can’t pass up?

Stationery in general makes me go a little weaak at the knees! I guess the ultimate product for me is a pad of white paper, even better if it has a funky pattern on the front cover and a spiral to put my pen through!

*What do you do when you’re not being an artist? What activities do you enjoy?

Well mostly I am looking after my little boy- he is a full time job! We love our trpis to the zoo and play dates with our mummy and baby friends.

*Which item in your shop did you enjoy making the most and why?

My zentangle elephant- I loved the stages he went through in being created. He started as a pencil sketch, then became an ink line drawing, and then I filled him in with little bubbles and tear drop shapes. It took me hours and hours, it was like an addiction. I plan to create a giraffe next!

*What keeps you motivated?

If I ever get demotivated or feel uninspired or frustrated, I forget what I am supposed to be working on for a while, grab a clean piece of white paper and black pen, and I start a zentangle! These are the doodles where you draw some lines (called strings when making a zentangle) and then fill in the different areas of the page with whatever doodle comes to mind. They are known as being a form of meditation, as they draw your mind into the drawing and you sort of 'lose yourself' amongst the lines and patterns. There are some examples of these in my shop as this is one of my favourite techniques at the moment.

*If you could give a piece of advice to a new shop - what would it be?

I am very new myself but I feel I learned loads already- probably the most important thing I think, is to believe in yourself. If you truly LOVE what you do then it will show in your work, and whatever setbacks happen, you will find the drive to carry on.

*Are there other places on the net we can find you?

www.facebook.com/joartyjo
twitter.com/#!/JoArtyJo
www.flickr.com/photos/joartyjo/