Etsy shop!

I set up my etsy shop January 2013... Finally one year later I started to list items!

I've been looking into it a lot actually-- how to promote, what I should do to get more views, sales, etc.
It's actually a lot of work. But it's been keeping me busy so I'm hoping to keep this to motivate myself to create even more.

Valentine's Day is coming up so I put up all my Valentine's Day cards!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/HarukaIllustration

check it!

I also updated my twitter and blogspot.  Finally refreshing things since the new year and feeling really good!

How do you motivate yourself?

Seeing people work so hard to achieve their dream is really inspirational.. but it's so difficult to force myself to do something. Not everyone can wake themselves in the morning and work on art at home.

I know it sounds pathetic because I am trying to freelance yet I'm too lazy to do so. So maybe freelancing isn't my "thing"?

But I want it to be.

I have some friends who went to art school and is failing to get themselves in a career based on art (or basically do what they really want to do) and I think we all go to art school thinking we're going to love our jobs in the future. Thats why we pay so much money to go.. yet why is it so hard to motivate ourselves?

I'm still struggling with this. I noticed when my schedule is tight I'm motivated to do so much but I have no time.. but when I have like 3 days off in a row I'm too lazy to do anything.
But if I have a deadline I'll make myself work. So if it's deadlines that makes me work, how do I make myself believe everything has a deadline?

This is pattern design I rushed when I saw that spoonflower was giving out free swatches..
I always think "Well if I had more time..." "If I didn't rush it.." "If I started earlier..."

A little more melancholic of a post but... I guess I'm tired of feeling frustrated... yet I still can't figure out what to do so... 

How do you motivate yourself?

Corgi box!

      I really enjoy the idea of handmade gifts.  I love getting them and I definitely enjoy making them!

      My friend told me about a site called spoonflower that prints fabrics, stickers, giftwrap, etc with your designs so I had this idea to print a fabric and make a box out of it. (I originally wanted to make a bag but plans fell through and it became a box instead haha)

     My friend reaaaaally likes Welsh Corgis so I made a pattern based on corgis:

After I received the fabric I made this!

It printed very accurately! I was so happy with it.  :) (also quite proud of my level up on my craftsmanship!)

Farewell 2013, Welcome 2014!

2013 has been SOME year. 

       I finally figured out my own "style" and figured out what direction I really want to go with art wise.  Life is still kinda taking detours but I think I'm figuring it out slowly but surely.
I graduated PCA&D in May.  Successfully had my senior show and displayed my 16 greeting cards that I worked so hard on.
     Moved back home with my parents and slowly learning how to motivate myself to do art without school forcing me to.  (I'm still working on that!)

        For tax purposes, I was looking at all the stuff I bought for Haruka Illustration and it's been an expensive year.  But I feel like I finally laid the foundation to really begin as a freelance illustrator.

       I'm going to start 2014 with a fresh start.  I'm going to really make my move as a freelancer and make money doing art.

       2014 is the year of the horse (and I was born as the year of the horse!) so I feel good luck/vibes coming! I'm really excited to make something great happen.

I want to consume myself with positive spirit and be inspired as well as be inspiration to others!

Welcome 2014!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! 

Since school ended, I'm back home so I was able to spend Christmas with my family again.  We basically just eat all day long and do nothing. 

I did decide to bake cookies today.. and had a LOT of fun.

(sometimes I wonder if I should start a food blog)

I never got to do stuff like this as a kid because my mom hates baking.  And since I had an entire day off, I thought why not.  I was feeling extra festive. :)

Hope everyone is enjoying their holidays! :)

Happy Halloween!

A year passed since I started blogging!  It only seemed like a few days ago...

This year I decided to challenge myself on making a full pattern since I've never done that.  I always get discouraged because I never knew how to go about it.
So I forced myself to go through it this time and I struggled but I had a lot of fun!

I started with traditional media for this one:

Inked on coldpress watercolor paper and water colored in each character.

I actually didn't have a specific pattern in mind when I drew these characters.  I just thought of anything Halloween and just drew them out.

Then I took a photo and erased each background for every character in photoshop

Then the hard part: arranging them on a canvas so they flow nicely as a pattern.  I'm glad I finally made myself do it because it was kinda fun and I'm so happy with the outcome.  I'm sure if I practice enough, I'll get better at it!

A few variations:

I made this one for fun earlier:

This is what I really enjoy about patterns -- That you can take each character and make a whole new pattern with it. :)

Overall, I'm pretty sure I'm going to make an entire portfolio with patterns.  This will be addicting.


I also started a spoonflower account! http://www.spoonflower.com/designs/2537972

Pet cards!

Here's more drawings of dogs! I can't get enough of them.

I've been forcing myself to draw my friend's pets so I'll actually get myself to practice.

 This is Julius's dog Leon, the miniature Aussie

This is Lynne with her dog Yeou, the super skinny Shiba Inu