Interview with Barbra of Barbra's Artist Pad

Barbra - Barbra's Artist Pad








Rico:
What's Your Name?

Barbra

Rico:
List your shop(s) -

Barbra :

Another Peaceful Venture
Barbra's Artist Pad
Artist's Pad

Rico:
How long have you been at Zazzle?

Barbra :

Wow according to my records I've been with Zazzle since 2007. To tell you the truth in 2007 I put some artwork up on Zazzle and forgot all about it. Then in 2009 I received an E-mail saying I made 25 cents. Well this made me think and I started adding more artwork and product to the site in 2009. Truthfully I feel my official Zazzle experience started in 2009!

Rico: Are you a ProSeller?

Barbra :

Yes I am a ProSeller a Bronze Proseller. It took me just a tad over a year to become a Pro seller. I'm sure I could do better and move up the ranks if there was more time in my day. I work full time and than dabble with my art on the side. Plus believe it or not I'm a wife and mom as well. Although I must confess my daughter is an adult now and doesn't need me as often as a young child needs their mommy.

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

Barbra :

The seasoned Zazzlers would always remind me about good tags and quality products. I heard repeated over and over less is better than more if the quality is there.

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

Barbra :

I mostly create my designs by drawing with pen & ink. Quite a few of my designs are just black and white. Althought lately I've been experimenting with color via pen & ink as well as other mediums. I also create some commercial looking products with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop (these designs are usually color).

Rico:
Who or what inspires you?

Barbra :

I receive my inspiration from many different sources. Just two years ago I received my inspiration from children who asked me to draw animals and mythical creatures for them. Sometimes the inspiration comes from nature via my long bicycle rides. Let's just say my inspiration is born from the beautiful world surrounding me.

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

Barbra :

The time I spend on Zazzle really varies from week to week and sometimes month to month.

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

Barbra :

The best advise I can give to someone just starting out is to follow your heart and don't give up!

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

Barbra :

When I'm not creating art I like to spend time with the family, bicycle ride, hike, read, see music, and the list goes on....

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

Barbra :

I think outside the box
I'm passionate about peace and diversity
You can figure out the rest.

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

Barbra : 

 

Melodic Enchantment T Shirt

Melodic Enchantment by IArtist40
Learn how to make money as an artist online at Zazzle.

The Melodic Enchantment design was originally drawn as a present for my daughter. She is a musician and takes after her mom when with her passion for diversity. My daughter and I have had many discussions over the decades about people accepting one another for what they are. I love the design because it share this feeling without using words.

Mum's the Word Artwork Iphone 4 Cases

Mum's the Word Artwork by BarbrasArtistPad
See other iPod touch cases

I have a fascination with owls and this summer I started to experiment with applying colors in different ways. This mum & young-ling is what evolved from one of my experiment. I've gotten to see this IPhone case product off-line and in real time and I'm impressed with the results. Due to this I will be experimenting more with color.

Midnight Owl Ladies Keds Shoe

Midnight Owl Ladies Keds by IArtist40
Browse Slip on Shoes

Midnight owl is a surrealistic drawing I did about a decade ago. This has always been one of my favorite owl drawings. It was interesting playing with the artwork and cutting it apart to make it work on the Ked's Ladies Slip-ons, and I'm please with the results. In fact the Ked's Midnight Owl design has become one of my most popular products.

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

Lucky Traveler Ipad Skin

Lucky Traveler by BarbrasArtistPad
Be a iphone affiliate with Zazzle.

I chose this design because my wife loves elephants and black and white art. It reminds me of her and she would love this stunning work.

Rico:
Where else can our readers find you online?

Barbra :
Facebook
An Artists Pad Blog
Twitter

Interview with Liz C of Cartesian Bear

Rico:
What's Your Name 

Liz C

Rico:
List your shop(s) - 

Liz C:

Cartesian Bear
Cartesian Bear's Steampunk Emporium
Knit Suite -
(this store is very new, and is intended to complement my iPhone apps, currently in Beta Testing. )

Rico:
How long have you been at Zazzle?

Liz C:

Since late 2007. I started putting my images up at Cafe Press, then, as their policies changed, moved to Zazzle and Printfection. I'm much happier working with my current POD companies, and put my new work up on Zazzle first.

Rico:
Are you a ProSeller?

Liz C:

I am.

Rico:
How long from the time you open a shop until you made it to ProSeller? 

Liz C:

I just made Pro Seller status this summer, when the guidelines changed, but I was very close to making ProSeller under the old system.

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

Liz C:

Two things:
1. Put in a little time, make a little money. Put in more time, make more money. This is not a get rich in your spare time scheme.

2. Quality images are important, but marketing is critical. [I need to remember this one ... I don't much like marketing.]

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

Liz C:

I use my Macintosh exclusively, with a variety of art software. Most of my work was done in GIMP, with Omni Graffle for some text work, however, I recently acquired Photoshop and will use that as well. I enjoy working with fonts, and compiling images from all over. [Everything I use in my work is public domain, I will not knowingly violate copyrights.] I consider myself more of a graphic designer than an artist, though the two fields overlap a lot.

Rico:
Who or what inspires you? 

Liz C:

People, books, special interests ... I read a lot of science fiction, so many of my designs are based on science fiction themes. My ex-husband was an engineer, and a bit mad, thus the Mad Engineer design. I came across a set of 19th century woodcuts of animals, so I turned them into art. [The Herder of Drama Llamas in this section came from my daughter, who seems to be the one her "drama llama" friends turn to for help.]

My favorite inspiration though, is a good friend's insane spelling checker. It corrects her spelling in some very odd ways. When it corrected "astro-physics" to "gastro-physics", my Mad Sciences line was born. I just have two designs there now, but I'm always looking for new ideas!

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

Liz C:

It really varies. At first, I'd spend about 10 hours a week on my PODs, then I had a long period when I almost completely ignored them, but now I'm back, spending 5-10 hours on Zazzle.

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

Liz C:

Don't expect to make money immediately, and don't expect to make much money without putting in the hours. The hours are fun, but it does take time.

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

Liz C:

Other art! Seriously, I knit, build furniture, and make chain mail, plus I design knitting patterns and teach both knitting and chain mail. I am full-time mom to two busy kids.

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

Liz C:

I look younger than I am
I like Morris dancing
I live in a tourist town in New England
I attend science fiction cons
My daughter is a blue-haired fiddler

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

Liz C: 

Pharaoh-Dynamics

Pharaoh-dynamics Kid's Shirt by CartesianBear
View more Science humor T-Shirts

One of my Mad Sciences designs, and features an ancient Egyptian pharaoh flying through the air with a dashed line indicating his trajectory. Underneath, the word Pharaoh-dynamics is written in a font from the (wait for it) Egyptian style group. This design is a play on the science of Aerodynamics, or the study of how things behave in flight. I really enjoy visual puns.

Charles Darwin

Darwin Shoe by CartesianBear
Design your own shoes at zazzle.com

This is one of my more popular images. It features an old engraving of the biologist, Charles Darwin, with his name and birthday below, in a font common to the time when Darwin was alive. I have a series of shirts with scientist portraits and their birthdays, this is the most popular. For some reason, the necktie sells very well.

Evan's Pi #2

Evan's Pi 2 by CartesianBear
See more Cartesian bear T-Shirts

Pi Day is celebrated every March 14 (3/14), in recognition of the number Pi (3.14159...) Pi is the relationship of the diameter (line across the middle) of a circle to its circumference (line around the edge). Lots of people who love math, including teachers, like getting Pi Day merchandise, especially stickers. I have several Pi Day designs. This one was made at the request of a small boy who loves rainbows and the number Pi. It is also a top seller.

Rico:
Where else can our readers find you online? 

Liz C:

I can be contacted through Zazzle of course.

I have a Twitter account for my company, Polymath Solution, and you can follow me at @Liz_PolySol
 
I also have a FaceBook page, Polymath Solution
 
And, I'm building Knit Suite, a set of iPhone applications for the knitting community. There almost ready for sale. You can find out more about them at Knit Suite
 
My company website, Polymath Solution is running, though not quite complete yet.

Printfection: Cartesian Bear

Interview with Christina - Great Gifts Store

Great Gifts Store








Rico: What's Your Name?

Christina

Rico: List your shop(s) -  

Christina:

Great Gifts Store

Rico: How long have you been at Zazzle? -

Christina: April 2011

Rico: Are you a ProSeller?

Christina: Not yet!

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

Christina: To keep plugging away even when it seems like I'm not getting anywhere..

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

Christina: Picasa and Sumo Paint

Rico: Who or what inspires you?

Christina: Sandra Bullock has been my main role model for the last 16 years.

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

Christina: Varies between 20 and 40 hours.

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

Christina: Maybe to practice a few designs on a private store before starting on an open store.

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

Christina: Bicycling, watching movies or playing with my dog, Jojo.

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

Christina:

1) I'm an aspiring filmmaker
2) I love Twitter
3) I'm a coffee-o-holic
4) I dream of traveling to different countries and experiencing different cultures
5) I'm a big music fan and always have a song rolling around in my head

Rico: List 3 of your favorite designs -
 
Christina:

New York Chrysler Building Shoes!

New York Chrysler Building Shoes! by GreatGiftsStore
Design your own customize your own shoes at Zazzle

This picture was taken on a trip to New York in 2009 with my Mom and my Best friend and is very close to my heart. I think it makes for a great pair of shoes!

I'll Be Home For Christmas Men's Shoes

I'll Be Home For Christmas Men's Shoes by GreatGiftsStore
Learn ways to make money as an artist on Zazzle.

Though I was inspired by the Military when I made these shoes, these are actually for anyone who can't go home for the Holidays. I think this concept makes for a very special pair of shoes and is probably my favorite design.

Sunlight Peaking Through the Trees Art - Poster

Sunlight Peaking Through the Trees Art - Poster by GreatGiftsStore
Join one of the largest artwork affiliate programs

My friend and Photographer, "A.D.B." is allowing her art to be displayed in my store and I think this particular photograph makes an amazing poster.

Rico: Where else can our readers find you?

Christina:
 
- Find the Great Gifts Store on Twitter