Interview with Lisa Snyder of Dead Tree Art

 Lisa Snyder of Dead Tree Art




Rico:
What's Your Name?

Lisa Snyder

Rico:
List your shop(s) -

Lisa Snyder :

Dead Tree Art

Dead Tree Art doesn’t really have a theme. It is just kind of a mishmash of the different kinds of artwork that I like to do. My interests change so often that I have a little difficulty sticking with one thing in particular. I might possibly have AADD or something. Why Dead Tree Art? Well, I had a really hard time coming up with something that wasn’t already taken. My husband insisted that I have my own domain, so we did a lot of research and settled on Dead Tree Art. No, you won’t find many dead trees in my store. Maybe one, but that’s about it. I do have this fascination with dead trees though. I wonder if that had anything to do with it.

Rico:
How long have you been at Zazzle?

Lisa Snyder :

I have been with Zazzle since June 2011, about 8 months now, and I am love, love, loving it!  

Rico: Are you a ProSeller?

Lisa Snyder :

I am not currently a ProSeller, but hope to become one someday.

Rico:
What's the best advise you got when you were starting out?

Lisa Snyder :

Someone told me to mingle in the forums, talk to people, and get myself out there. Someone else told me to make sure my storefront images had a res of 100 instead of using images I had on my products, so that my storefront would load faster for people.

Rico:
What medium/tools do you use to create your designs?

Lisa Snyder :

I use whatever medium happens to float my boat at that particular moment. My designs are a combination of traditional art, photography, and graphics created in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. I also found out about this fractal flame thing, and have been playing with it. It is so cool! I haven’t posted any in my store yet, but plan on doing so very soon.

Rico:
Who or what inspires you?

Lisa Snyder :

My family and my pets are what inspire me the most. They make me laugh. What more could I ask for?

Rico:
How much time a week to you spend on Zazzle?

Lisa Snyder :

Just like the mediums I choose, the amount of time that I spend on Zazzle varies. I usually work on my store, and designs full time. That is when I am not busy being a wife and mother which is a full time job all by itself.

Rico:
What's the best advise you can give someone just starting out on Zazzle?

Lisa Snyder :

Have patience, and make sure that you enjoy what you are doing. I haven’t made a ton of sales yet, but the reason I keep doing it is because I enjoy it so much. I would still do it even if I didn’t make a single sale. I love developing my store, and my style.

Rico:
What do you like to do when you are not creating art?

Lisa Snyder :

I love spending time with my family, and playing with the cats. I love watching horror movies (the ones I haven’t seen five hundred times already), and I like to put things together. I get this weird sense of pleasure when I get the opportunity to assemble a piece of furniture. I know right?! Really my whole life revolves around my family, and art.

Rico:
Tell me 5 random things everyone should know about you?

Lisa Snyder :

I met my husband on the internet (back in the old days when they still charged per minute)!

I have a teenage daughter (and it sucks! The teenage part, not the daughter part.)

I like pickles

I drool when I sleep, I drool when I’m awake, and I have two cats, two hermit crabs, and some fish. There used to be a hamster in there, but she died, and actually they are my daughters, but she’s a teenager, so I take care of them.

Oh, I know I’m only supposed to put five, but I stink at punctuation too. In case you didn’t notice.

Rico:
List 3 of your favorite designs you want me to feature. Tell me something about each design.

Lisa Snyder :

Rocks Laptop Computer Sleeves

Rocks by DeadTreeArt
Shop for other laptop computer sleeve designs.

I had originally intended this to be something else, but it didn’t work out. It was created with the gradient mesh tool in Illustrator. I think it looks really cool.





White Orchid Flower Iphone 4 Cases

White Orchid Flower by DeadTreeArt
View more iphone cases

This flower was shot at the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens in North Carolina. I took it in raw, and then cropped it until it looked nice. I love orchids. They are really pretty flowers.





Astra Ipad Skin

Astra by DeadTreeArt
Browse iPod touch covers

This design was actually done by my 14 year old daughter. She loves anime, and she likes to draw these little cats. I thought it might be good for her to hear that other people like them too, because she doesn’t think they are any good. I thought they were adorable.

Rico:
This is one of my personal favorite designs from your shop





Art Cat Ipad Case

Art Cat by DeadTreeArt
Browse cases for the iPod touch

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the studio! Art Cat is a black and white vector drawing with a multicolored painting and... PAW PRINTS!! Copyright © 2011-2012 Lisa Snyder “All rights reserved”    Rico: I just love this. It mad me smile and think this is something my cat would definately do.

Rico:
Where else can our readers find you online?

Lisa Snyder :

Facebook

Twitter

Interview with New ProSeller DRCrafts

 DRCrafts

Rico:
What's Your Name?

Our name is DRCrafts, and we are a family of three that create and design. Our avatar is our family dog who passed away years ago. Her name was Lady Dumpling Dog, or "Dumpy" for short. I've attached her pic.

Rico:
List your shop(s) -

DRCrafts :

We currently only have one shop DRCrafts. We have a wide variety, from humor to animals, graphic design, photos, etc.

DRCrafts

Rico:
How long have you been at Zazzle?

DRCrafts :

We've been on Zazzle since late 2008.

Rico: How long did it take you to become a ProSeller from when you started?

DRCrafts :

It took roughly two years, but we didn't have a lot of products for the first year.

Rico:
What benefits, if any have you personally seen since reaching ProSeller status?

DRCrafts :

I didn't see any change immediately following the ProSeller status, but I had just opened a Facebook page to promote our products, and traffic increased after I started posting up our pictures of products.

Rico:
Has becoming a ProSeller change the way you market you shop? If so please explain.

DRCrafts :

I put the ProSeller logo up on our DRCrafts site at Zazzle and in the profile pics on our Facebook page, but otherwise, it has not effected the marketing.

Rico:
What's the best advise you got when you were starting out?

DRCrafts :

I read somewhere in the forum that the most successful stores had a lot of products, not just a few. A lot, meaning, thousands, not just hundreds. Plus, to make sure the image you put on something looks good, otherwise, don't use it. Don't try to put every image on every product. I think I did that to begin with, and it looked terrible. After awhile, I designed more and deleted the ugly ones.

Rico:
What medium/tools do you use to create your designs?

DRCrafts :

Primarily Photoshop and Painter IX. I've used Bryce for some pics.

Rico:
Who or what inspires you?

DRCrafts :

Humor, such as dressing up my dog (the German Shephard). I don't really dress her up, I do it all in Photoshop, but she's a good model. I took pictures of my clothing and furs and "dressed" her up just for the fun of it. It still cracks me up every time I see the products. Also, I like pretty things, and animals.

Here's the link to the page with both our dogs dressed up, and my Shepherd in furs is at the bottom. Dogs and puppies

Rico:
How much time a week to you spend on Zazzle?

DRCrafts :

It varies. I'm also a full time student, and my daughter and her husband also work full time, so they design as they are able with their schedule. I design usually on and off all week long for about ten hours total.

Rico:
What's the best advise you can give someone working toward ProSeller on Zazzle?

DRCrafts :
Keep making good designs and either promote them on Facebook or another social media site. It takes time, but if you keep working at it, the sales finally add up.

Rico:
What do you like to do when you are not creating art?

DRCrafts :
My first preference is to go to the casino, but if that's not possible, sometimes painting.

Rico:
Tell me 5 random things everyone should know about you?

DRCrafts :
1. We all live out in the country, in two separate households, but both surrounded by horses, cows, donkeys, miniature horses, etc.

2. I took 18 months of digital imaging classes at college only to find out I couldn't find a job doing what I wanted to do, so I opened our Zazzle account instead, and now get to do it.

3. I'm working on my Master's degree, while my daughter already graduated with hers years ago and now teaches.

4. I always love looking at the new designs on Zazzle, which inspire me to create things more and more than I would have previously thought of. I may see lighting techniques or shading that inspire me.

5. And, I know a lot of people don't think it rains or gets cold here in San Diego area, but where we live, it not only pours, but it gets down to the teens or low 20s during winter. Very cold!

Rico:
List 3 of your favorite designs you want me to feature. Tell me something about each design.

DRCrafts :


All dolled up t shirt

All dolled up by DRCrafts

Browse other t-shirt designs made on zazzle.com

"All dolled up and no place to go." This is my German Shepherd dressed up in furs and pearls. I get a lot of comments and laughs about this one.

Snowy Owl on canvas Posters

Snowy Owl on canvas by DRCrafts

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Snowy Owl on canvas/poster print. I made this right around the latest Harry Potter movie came out because we've gone to see all of them and sorry they are ending.

 Reflection Lake Gallery Wrap Canvas

Reflection Lake by DRCrafts

See other Reflection Canvas Prints

Reflection Lake. This is one of the digital paintings I did with Painter IX. I just thought it came out really pretty, and it was the first time I tried doing such a large picture digitally.

Rico:
This is one of my personal favorite designs from your shop

 Just Hangin' Out Canvas Print

Just Hangin' Out by DRCrafts

Browse Seascape Canvas Prints

  Para gliders sailing over the deep blue sea with a vibrant sunset unfolding.
Rico:
I love the colors in the print! It reminds me of a relaxing summer day :) Beautiful.

Rico:
Where else can our readers find you online? 

  DRCrafts :

Facebook

Interview with New ProSeller Scott Ruhs of Scott Ruhs Photography

Scott Ruhs of Scott Ruhs Photography

Rico:
What's Your Name?

Scott Ruhs

Rico:
List your shop(s) -

Scott Ruhs :

 
Scott Ruhs Photography

This is my main store which sells a variety of products featuring my photography and digital artwork.

Atlantic Dreams

This store features the photography and artwork both myself and my Wife, Darlene. Most of the images have a nautical theme.

Look for more in the near future as I plan to create some stores that will specialize in specific products.

Rico:
How long have you been at Zazzle?

Scott Ruhs :

Since 7/20/2003. I only joined at that point to create some T-shirts for my band. Around 2007 I decided to take another look and started to create products for sale.

Rico:
How long did it take you to become a ProSeller from when you started?

Scott Ruhs :

I only became a ProSeller this Summer, so a long time. I don't put in as much time as I would like to, but life can be busy. I'm not complaining though. It was a great honour to reach the ProSeller status.

Rico:
What benefits, if any have you personally seen since reaching ProSeller status?

Scott Ruhs :

I haven't really seen any changes. Sales have actually been a bit slow in the last few months, but I think that has more to do with the economy than anything else.

Rico:
Has becoming a ProSeller change the way you market you shop? If so please explain.

Scott Ruhs :

I've added the ProSeller logo to my store banner, but I haven't used it as a marketing tool. I like to believe that if people are going to buy my products it's because they like the products. I don't think being a ProSeller really matters to customers.

Rico:
What's the best advise you got when you were starting out?

Scott Ruhs :

Create lots of products, try to be unique, know your customer's needs, and make your store visually appealing and easy to navigate.

Rico:
What medium/tools do you use to create your designs?

Scott Ruhs :

Photography is my main medium of choice. I also create some digital composites from my photos using Adobe PhotoShop CS5.

Rico:
Who or what inspires you?

Scott Ruhs :

Anything can be an inspiration at any given time really. Whenever I see the work of others, or read/watch a tutorial on a particular subject it can inspire me to try it on my own, and make it something unique to me. I like things that have an emotional impact on me, and that is what I try to do with my photography and artwork. It is up to the viewer to decide whether or not I was successful in doing so.

Rico:
How much time a week to you spend on Zazzle?

Scott Ruhs :

Not enough, LOL. Because of my full time job and a daily commute of over 2 hours I don't get in nearly as many hours as I would like. I do at least visit Zazzle everyday, and try to spend an hour or so on there.

Rico:
What's the best advise you can give someone working toward ProSeller on Zazzle?

Scott Ruhs :

Be persistent, create lots of quality products, and have fun doing what you are doing. From what I've seen the people who do really well have a dizzying number of products.

Rico:
What do you like to do when you are not creating art?

Scott Ruhs :

I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, playing music with my classic rock/blues band, and my wife and I love to go out and explore with our cameras.

Rico:
Tell me 5 random things everyone should know about you? 

Scott Ruhs :

 
I love my Wife,
I recently found out I have a half Sister,
peanut butter and jam sandwiches are still a favourite snack,
I'm left-handed,
I want to some day record Ozzy Osbourne's Crazy Train in an Elmer Fudd voice.

Rico:
List 3 of your favorite designs you want me to feature. Tell me something about each design.

Scott Ruhs :

 

The Yellow Dory Of White Point canvas Print

The Yellow Dory Of White Point canvas Print by sruhs
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This yellow dory sits on the lawn of the White Point Beach Lodge where my Wife and I stay during vacations in the Summer. We love this place, and it isn't really that far away. I took a number of exposures of this and created an HDR image.



Truck Stop Sky fine art print

Truck Stop Sky fine art print by sruhs
Browse other Hdr Posters

When Hurricane Earl came through Nova Scotia we lost power at least three times. When the worst of the storm was over the power was still out so I went outside to see what I could see. Across the street from my house there is a parking lot for tractor-trailers, and I saw how the light was hitting this particular truck. The sky behind it was quite dramatic as well, so I got down low and took a shot of it. I was actually contacted by the company that owned the truck and they bought several copies of the image. One of them was to be a gift for the driver of the truck . I thought this was very cool, as would never have known to whom this truck belong.



Good Times Bad Times fine art print Print

Good Times Bad Times fine art print by sruhs
Browse other Sruhs Posters

This image is also related to a storm. When my Wife was a young girl her Father was a lobster fisherman and she used to go out to sea with him. This shed belonged to her Grandfather and she used to get locked in to cut bait while her Father went to get the fishing boat and she would get on the boat from the waterside of the shed. Well in 2007, when tropical storm Noel came through, this shed was damaged and started to fall into the ocean as seen in this image. When I first published this image I was naming my images after famous songs. I thought that "Good Times Bad Times" was fitting for this image as this old shed had seen some good times, and had now seen some bad times as well.

Rico:
This is one of my personal favorite designs from your shop 
 


Surfer Triptych Posters

Surfer Triptych by sruhs
Browse other Surfing Posters

Surfing at White Point Beach Wipe Out - This is a three part colour photographic image known as a triptych. This depicts the progression of surfing. The first image has the surfer up and doing well. The second image shows the surfer starting to wipe out. The third image shows the tip of the surfboard coming up out of the waves. The background in this image is of a big wave.  Rico: I love the ocean and surfing and this print is perfect!

Rico:
Where else can our readers find you online?

Scott Ruhs :

 

Facebook page

Facebook

Twitter

RedBubble ( Scott Ruhs)

RedBubble (Atlantic Dreams)

Tumblr

NAPP

Model Mayhem

ReverbNation

Atlantic Dreams Blog

Google+

YouTube

Big Stock

Crestock

Fotolia