Tuesday, December 29, 2015

ANNUAL FAMILY AND FRIENDS CHRISTMAS GREETING CARD DESIGN FOR 2015 REVEALED

Hey guys...it's Loren here.  Christmas has come and gone and everyone has received their card. Now it's time to reveal this year's Annual Family and Friends Christmas Greeting Card Design for 2015!
This year's design was a difficult choice because I was not up to the task. Usually, I have a little bit of a hard time feeling like I can get the design done in a short amount of time.  I feel the pressure to do it every year even though I always say, "I don't feel up to it this year or I say " there is just not enough time to compete it!" 
I started the design with a drawing and idea that I had created from a few months back.  I decided that I was not going to use the idea because I wasn't sure I could make it work out, so I began working on other ideas.  Eventually, I came back to this idea over and over and in the end, the Santa with his butt hanging out at the chimney was calling to me to create it. 
Creating this design began with ink drawings and pencil drawings.  I decided that I did not like the pencil, so I went with the ink. I drew about three or four different ink drawings and settled on one.  I wasn't feeling so confident about the drawing but plowed ahead.  I scanned one drawing intro the computer and I cleaned it up some.  Then I cropped it at the right angle and popped in some colors.  I printed it out and created a prototype to make sure it worked right.  Next, I created my layout to go to the printer with one card and another with the 'butt' shape that would go on top. I cut out the card on my guillotine cutter and hand cut the 'butt'.  Then I folded thin strips of card stock and glued them onto the card and 'butt'.  There are two paper folds and each one is folded in a different direction.  This made the 'butt' cutout pop out and shake a little.  The design is a pop-up of sorts.
 
I hope you enjoy seeing the design and reading about how it was created for 2015?  Happy New Year to everyone and see you in 2016!
Cheers,
Loren
 

Thursday, December 17, 2015

IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN






Hello guys...it's Loren here. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to everyone.   It's been a long year and I have lots to talk about.  But for now I wanted to announce that it is that time of year again and you know what that means?  Well, it's time for Loren's Annual Family and Friends Christmas Greeting Card Design for 2015!   This is a tradition that I have been creating every year for over 22+ years!
I have created fold up cards, ornament cards, tin ornaments, foam snowflakes, pop-up cards, hanging cards and so on. There is a wide range or theme's and materials.
Most of the cards are completed and some have been shipped out.  I have posted this snippet photos because I don't want to reveal the design until everyone receives theirs.  This years design was a difficult one to choose and I went back and forth for a couple of weeks before I settled on one.  
Every year, I say this will be my last but I inevitably feel compelled to keep the tradition going.  It now has a mind of it's own and more people are added to the list every year!
I struggled with a creative idea and every so often, I believe I come up with a good one. Most of my friend's and family love receiving their card and wait for it to arrive.  As my brother Ken says, "it's not Christmas until Loren's card arrives in the mail.  It's just like the windows in Macy's in New York City.  It prompts the city to start celebrating.  That's what Loren's card does!"  Nice compliment from my bro.  Anyway, coming up with a unique design every year has been a real challenge.  Every year has to be better than the last year.    I hope this one is!
So for now, you can see the snippets of the design and I will post the front and inside of the card when everyone receives theirs.
Cheers and Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to everyone!
Loren

Oh, P.S.-- I will be carrying all of my card design's online and for sale for next Christmas. There will be a great bunch of designs that are unigue and clever, too.  I will post them here on my blog when they are ready for sale.  Take a peek back to see all of the designs I have done over the years.  Possibly, you will find a design that suits your taste perfectly?  Then you can head to my etsy shop to purchase them.  ENJOY!!!



Sunday, April 19, 2015

ABOUT CLEARING THE WAY


Hey guys.. it's Loren here.  I want to share a painting I have done recently.  It is called 'Clearing the way'  24 x 36 and acrylic on canvas.

'Clearing the way' is something we all have to do at different points in out lives when life just takes up too much space in our mind.   It also is necessary to do when we feel overwhelmed or bogged down with the 'stuff'  we take on even though we don't want to.  For me, it means moving things out of the way that are not important or needed to live a rewarding and fufiling life.  Getting things into focus is another way for me to clear the way.. Finding the right path or the right journey to take helps me to get rid of the things I don't need anymore, It also feels good to have a laser like focus that just makes all the stuff on the sides no longer to be important. I think that's what this painting is about for me. 

What about you?  Do you need to move things aside that are bogging you down?  Leave a comment if you would like to?  Cheers