Otterly in love with this otter!
New enamel pin in my Etsy shop! Plus see how this otter has evolved in the three years since I originally drew it.
Back in 2016 I created a fun little pattern that I called Significant otter that featured a happy blue otter clutching a pink heart, I redid the design last year (2018) because I loved the otter but didnt feel like the pattern had a good flow to it. When I changed the pattern I also changed the color of the otter. Then this year (2019) I decided to bring my otter back into the spotlight and make it into a pin so here it is! With another color change. Now she’s white and with a touch of blue. I just love this little pin and I’m expecting she’ll be a hit in my Etsy shop. It’s fun to bring old designs back and make them new again.
To buy this pin for yourself or to give as a gift visit my Etsy shop: ShopJackieHurd.etsy.com
Small Business Saturday- Visit my studio!
Visit my Southern Pines studio located at 175 W. Pennsylvania Ave., this Saturday, November 24th from noon-5pm.
My enamel pins (they make great stocking stuffers) will be available for purchase along with a variety of illustrated holiday greeting cards.
Options for personalized cards will also be available.
Here’s a peek at some of the cards that I’ll have available with more on the way.
You can buy them in my Etsy shop now if you’d like but I will be offering special pricing for in-person orders this Saturday.
Special holiday gnome pins available! Aren’t they cute?
Will you be stopping in? Let me know in the comments or send me an email.
Downtown Studio and Jax
Read about my studio in downtown Southern Pines and our new Weimaraner Dog, Jax.
Jax keeping watch in the studio while I work
News to share: I now have a little studio that I work out of in down town Southern Pines on Pennsylvania Avenue and I love it! I’m happy to have visitors but for now I prefer that people call ahead or email to schedule a visit to discuss design and illustration projects.
Jax wearing the Halloween bandana I made him using one of my designed fabrics- available exclusively through the Textile District.
Around the same time I moved into my studio, my husband, Tom, and I were told about a 3 year old Weimaraner Dog who was surrendered to the Moore Humane Society. After meeting the dog with our youngest child, and spending an hour with him at the shelter, I just knew it was meant to be. I returned for a second visit with Tom and our dog, Lola, to make sure the two dogs would get along. The visit went great! A few days later the shelter called to tell us we were approved and he was ours. We renamed him Jax and now he’s part of our family. Jax seems to have a little anxiety and does not do well when we have to crate him- he rubs his nose against the crate until it bleeds. Because of that, I bring Jax to work with me every day and he sleeps in front of the door while I work. He’s my shop dog :)
Farm to Table's a winner!
1st place winner in Spoonflower's Farm to Tea Towel contest!
Farm to table is always the best way to go or so it seems for me. Today my Farm to Table tea towel design placed first in Spoonflower's Farm to Tea Towel design competition and now it's available as fabric and a limited edition Tea towel.
Hop over to my other website Jack&Jillo for more details and a recap of the design competition.
New Class & Halloween, I Know i'm Early!
I realize I'm a little early, but I've got Halloween on my mind. Probably from Spoonflower's Vintage Halloween contest... I started doodling for Halloween and then I was inspired to create a Skillshare class about designing Halloween treat bags, so here we are. It's September 12th, my house is decorated for Halloween, my desk is covered with Halloween artwork and my new class is all about designing treat bags for Halloween. Perhaps I am looking forward to Halloween.
I've got a new class on Skillshare!
I realize I'm a little early, but I've got Halloween on my mind. Probably from Spoonflower's Vintage Halloween contest... I started doodling for Halloween and then I was inspired to create a Skillshare class about designing Halloween treat bags, so here we are. It's September 12th, my house is decorated for Halloween, my desk is covered with Halloween artwork and my new class is all about designing treat bags for Halloween. Perhaps I am looking forward to Halloween.
Anyway, if you're into design and looking to sharpen your skills, this is the class for you. It's an introductory level class that teaches a few basic skills that can serve as a great stepping stone to more advanced projects. The class walks students through vectorizing doodles, using them to create brushes and then applying them to the treat bags they will design. Once the bags are designed, students will print them them out, fill them up and enjoy them later.. or right away depending on their impulse control abilities when it comes to candy.
This is where I'm at
I haven't published a blog post since August 5th, but I promise, I've been thinking about it. That sort of counts doesn't it? :) In all honesty I've had a lot going on around here.
I haven't published a blog post since August 5th, but I promise, I've been thinking about it. That sort of counts doesn't it? :) In all honesty I've had a lot going on around here. The good thing however is that I've still managed to find the time I needed to produce new works of art on an almost daily basis and I have been sharing them with the world, just not on my website. So as I work to update my very neglected website, I wanted to let everyone know where I am the most active right now.
I try to post at least 3 times a day on Instagram when I have an active project going on (which is almost daily). If you follow me on Instagram, in addition to my finished work, you'll also be able to see my process as I post progress as I work. My Instagram user name is @jmhurd
By the way, I am currently participating in a fun 12 days of Christmas portfolio project on Instagram so if you follow along you'll see a cheerful new Christmas themed illustration every other day until Christmas.
Redbubble
I only started actively using Redbubble about a month ago. A few days before Thanksgiving one of my designs landed on their front page and I've been getting consistent sales ever since so currently I am devoting the majority of my marketing towards my Redbubble shop. What I really love about Redbubble is that I sell my designs as stickers. This is perfect for the little characters I've been coming up with. My most popular design so far has been Let them Bee, I've sold over 100 stickers alone of my little honey bee in the last two weeks.
Society6
Society6 is a lot like Redbubble but they offer a few different products like metal travel mugs, shower curtains and comforters so I upload what I can to their site and hope that maybe someone will order something with my design on it and so far a few people have.
Spoonflower
Spoonflower is not only a massive online fabric, wallpaper and gift wrap shop, but it's also a community for surface pattern designers. I upload new work and approve it for sale monthly. When I get the sewing bug I order fabric featuring my own designs and as an artist I think that being able to make a throw pillow with my own design is just the coolest thing ever. Anyway, you can find a lot of my work in my Spoonflower shop, ready to purchase and use for your next big sewing project.
In the backyard with my chickens
Raven, a little bantam I hatched out in August.
Not exactly an art site but if I'm not working or hanging out with my family, I'm most likely in the back yard spending time with my chickens. Being around them makes me happy and I get a lot of creative inspiration from them. Anyone who knows me personally might find this a little shocking because up until a few years ago I was a major germaphobe and was never really into chickens or any kind of farm animal for that matter, but this summer we moved into a house that came with chickens, then we hatched out a few more in August and now I'm in love. I don't know what it is about these birds... they are just a lot of fun.