one two caribou!

"Courage and willingness to just go for it, whether it is a conversation or a spontaneous trip or trying new things that are scary - it is a really attractive quality"
(Alanis Morissette)

So it begins! I have just opened my first ever online shop!

Introducing.....

one two caribou - Original Prints by Lou Endicott

Here is a screen grab of my little online shop:

 













 
A few months ago I was asked by a Facebook friend if I sold prints. My answer was "Not yet" - which sounded better than no! I had for some unknown reason had the phrase "one two caribou" stuck in my head over the last few months. I love a good rhyme and a bit of nonsense so the catchiness of the phrase stuck. So when it was time to name my shop the words just fell out onto the screen.

It's been a little bit of a challenge to open this new store. On a student budget, test prints and paper are worth as much as my weekly shopping bill - so it was a risk to put the money forward before having an actual sales.

But I decided that it was worth the risk. I have belief in what I do and have had such incredible feedback from friends and strangers alike since starting this illustration journey. It was time to step it up a notch and to see myself as a professional and begin to play in the market place. 

So far, I have sold five prints. FIVE! This may not seem a lot to seasoned shop owners, but to me (only three days in) it's a cause for celebration. My best seller so far is my Back Stroke Maiden (whose creation I shared some months ago here on my blog). She has remained a favourite with me - and obviously others like her two :-)

Here she is on her side, just enjoying the water....

I go back to college on Monday after a 3 week break (which has been heavenly!) I am excited to be learning new things again but also a little nervous as this term my design course heads into the direction of multi media and coding. Not my strong point. 

But I have to trust that if I don't know how to do something I will have the courage to just ask for assistance.

Recently I decided to be a little brave and contact a Melbourne illustrator for advice and tips on working in the industry. You can check out her beautiful work here:Laura Wood Illustrations  

She most graciously replied to my email with lots of advice and even gave me the name of her printers (which I have used for my shop). I subscribe to her blog and a few days ago received a blog entry that mentioned she gets contacted by students from time to time and she wrote up even MORE tips and advice. Legendary. I hope that when I am working full time in my field my door will always be open to share what I have learnt. 

Among her pearls of advice on her recent blog posting was this one:
Where should a person start if they want to pursue this career?

Regarding starting out, my first tip for someone that is about to get out of college is to not wait until you finished college to promote yourself or find the first commissions. An art degree doesn't make any different in the illustration world, so my advice is to start now, immediately, do not wait any more time to actively start behaving like an illustrator and look for work, commissions and possible clients to contact. 

I would highly recommend you to get a proper professional website (behance is good to share stuff with other peers, but not so much as a professional window for your work to show to a client). Having one helped me enormously. 

Then you could start emailing the clients you would like to work with. A nice brief email introducing yourself with a link to your new shiny website will do. 

Most of them might not reply but some will do! And those might become your first clients...

I particularly resonated with this as it is on the same track that I feel I have been on the last few months. Apart from this blog I have a professional portfolio on The Loop, a Facebook page, an instragram account and even Twitter (though this last one is still a little confusing!)

I am feeling like I am on the right path. It's a bit rocky and the going is uphill, but the view is exhilarating and every bit of encouragement from my friends and peers helps.

I hope that wherever you are today the going is easy and the view is a delight.

- Lou

ALL THINGS CREEPY AND CRAWLY

FEELING THE FEAR - BUT DOING STUFF ANYWAY

"Knowledge is the antidote to fear"

(Ralph Waldo Emerson)

So here is my latest drawing challenge. Again I find that this one isn't an "official" challenge (as listed in my first post). But it is one I couldn't resist as it came in the form of a cute little boy Luke, on my doorstep selling raffle tickets with his sister Ella.

I had met these lovely kids before. They had come to my door before selling raffle tickets to raise money for a scout group. I was tickled pink with the last visit as the little boy said "You could win a car - and other stuff!" I asked him what the other stuff was. ""Um... don't worry about that.... Keep looking at the car!" What a top salesman! Needless to say, I bought two tickets. I didn't win the car, but I think I won the affection of some of the youngest members of my neighbourhood community (and that's even better in my books).

Apparently I also met these two on Halloween as well. I put a sign up on my letterbox saying "Trick or treaters welcome" (I think that this helps parents and kids alike). I am not sure who the kids were though as I had them ringing the bell by the dozens. So many masked and costumed little kids (and big kids!) ringing the bell until all my glow sticks and sweet treats were gone.

So today the doorbell was rung again today by these two little sales people. 

I was sitting at my desk when my partner answered the door. The little boy Luke looked past my partner and his face lit up when he saw me. He waved wildly at me. So to the door I went. Today Ella and Luke were selling tickets to raise money for a netball team. We bought tickets (of course). Then we stood in the door way talking as one does. Troy went back inside. We talked about bikes, holidays (it's the first day of school holidays here in Melbourne) and then of course - drawing. 

"Would you like to see some of my pics?" I asked them. They were both keen. I brought a couple of my journals to the door and showed them some recent pictures.  They were both suitably impressed. I said "A lot of these are from a drawing challenge. I asked people to challenge me to draw things - so I did!" At this point I saw Luke's eyes light up. "A challenge? Could you draw a tarantula?" 

At this point blood drains from my face. I don't mind spiders. As long as they are out of sight. And out of mind. And very small. Very very small.

"And could you draw a bushmaster snake too?"

I grabbed the doorway. Snakes are in the same category as spiders with me. Even behind thick thick glass in the zoo is not to my liking.

"And you could put them in my letterbox and then when I get them I will draw you a picture!"

How could you refuse a bargain like that?

I asked Luke to tell me what they looked like. He explained them both in great detail. I promised I would give it a go...

So I spent the last couple of hours looking up pictures of snakes and tarantulas and trying to bridge the gap of understanding and learn about why a little boy might find them so appealing. Also trying to overcome my fear of even just LOOKING at these creepy crawlies...

I learnt some really cool things about tarantulas such as they are quite docile, they often wont survive a fall and they can regenerate lost legs. Here's a few more cool things: Tarantulas - 10 cool facts!

As for the bushmaster snake. Well, they are one of the most lethal snakes on the planet. BUT, they are rarely seen. So that's a cool fact too!

Drawing them both I decided to make them a little more cartoon like to enhance their "friendliness". 

Here they are....