New Projects for the New Year

I’m starting off the New Year like I ended 2011, by working. After a great weekend with the Hubby, family and friends in Del Mar, Ca, I am back in my office working on new artwork. January 10 will be the anniversary of my decision to delve into the world of art licensing. It’s been a fun and educational year for me, culminating with my agent, Jan, from Painted Planet Licensing taking my portfolio to the Atlanta art licensing show for the first time.

After a lot of trial and error I finally feel like I am slowly defining my style after a year of bouncing all over the place with no direction. I’ve never thought of myself as an artist. I’ve always related more to the title of designer so it’s hard for me to think of my work as art. I guess I see myself more as a decorative artist or product designer. Trying to compete in an industry filled with amazingly talented “real” artists is pretty daunting but I am no stranger to rejection and failure. They have been my constant companions throughout my various careers and I have always somehow come out ahead. Probably because I am so stubborn and just work myself to death until I get it right. Practice makes perfect!!!

My next huge project for this year is the illustrating catalog for the Helser Brothers Jackie Von Tobel Collection catalog for my signature drapery hardware line!!!!

I am thrilled to be working on this and we plan to launch the line at the IWCE show in Chicago in April. I can’t wait to see it all finished. This has been a huge undertaking for Helser Brothers and they have been fantastic to work with. I can’t wait to show you all the finished product line – it is Fabulous!!!!

I hope you are all working on fabulous new creations in your lives for the new year. May 2012 see all of your dreams and aspirations come true………………………………….

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Happy Thanksgiving

copyright Jackie VonTobel 2011

I know he's not a Turkey but he's as close as I could get! I'm on the road tomorrow to San Francisco with my Hubby to spend the holiday with two of my kids who are in college there. We will be having a scrumptious take out meal courtesy of Whole Foods and lots of fun trying to eat in my daughters itsy bitsy apartment. See you after the weekend.

Have a Happy Holiday!

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Birds Outside My Window

Fall in Las Vegas is really more like a second Spring. The temperatures dip to about 70 degrees and everything turns green again after going brown during the crazy heat of the summer. October and November are two of my favorite months with crisp fall air and fabulous weather. I love to sit in my office and watch the birds in the trees outside my windows.

My little window birds are not this colorful. They are small and brown but I imagine them dressed in bright feathers.

My only complaint about my little friends is that they tear apart my window screens for fibers for their nests. My screens have been completely dismantled from the bottom up to about 3 inches. In the spring the little birds swarm the window sills to pull whatever loose fibers they can from the remaining screen material. It a bit like a mini “Birds” movie. I would replace them but I think I would just be providing new material for the birds to destroy. I love my birds anyway and watch them almost every day doing what they do. My little tiny bit of nature in the desert.

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Seashells in the Fall?

 

I’ve been fighting the flu or a cold or bronchitis or something crappy for the past two weeks and have passed the time working on a collection featuring watercolors of seashells.  It seems like a subject matter better left for the summer months but when the mood strikes you I guess you should just go with it.   

One of the wonders of Photoshop is being able to paint individual motifs and then arrange them in different configurations, colorways, and combinations to create multiple images. 

So far this grouping includes a monochromatic version on silver leaf background, a pseudo vintage collage version and my favorite an old world collection in silver urns.

I want to try a sepia version of the urns so I can hang them in my library. 

I think these would make great tiles. 

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Choose Happiness

Like many people my personal life and my career have changed so much in the past few years that I hardly recognize myself.  I’ve gone from running a demanding business with employees, lots of clients and a retail showroom to working at home by myself.  I’ve had fabulous opportunities come my way that have enriched my life in ways I could not have imagined.  I’ve also had difficult challenges arise that have worn me down and caused me to wonder if I had made the right choices in my life and career.   Over all its been a great journey that just gets more exciting and challenging every day but I have found that at times I wonder why I am doing what I’m doing and why I am always working so hard. 

Many years ago I was facing some really tough life situations that had taken a serious toll on me and I was forced to make a critical decision that would affect the rest of my life. I had to choose whether I would spend the rest of my life  being happy or miserable.  I chose happiness.  It sounds like an easy choice but it is not always easy to be happy.  You need to make that conscious choice every day and stick to it.  It can take more discipline and effort to be happy than to lay around and wallow in your misfortune or apathy. 

I have found in the past couple of years that my idea of happiness and the things that make me happy have changed dramatically.  My kids aren’t home anymore, I’m older, more wrinkled, and less energetic.  Life is very different and I need to reevaluate what really makes me happy.  So for the next year I will be posting my monthly Happy List of random stuff that makes me smile now in this new chapter of my life.  I want to be sure that I am paying attention to my happy moments and not just rushing through them.  Take some time to enjoy your happy moments with me. 

 

1.   Crisp Fall air and the ability to wear long sleeves again

2.   Giving an all day seminar on Friday in Phoenix Arizona with the lovely ladies of the WCAA chapter and then going to Helser Brothers to preview my new drapery hardware line!

3.   Thanksgiving in San Francisco with my wonderful hubby and two of my great kids

4.   Pretzel Thins – OMG they are the best snack food ever   

5.   My twin nieces will be turning two this month

6.   Small dogs who sleep flat on their backs with their feet up in the air while snoring

7.   Photoshop - my skills are slowly improving and I am learning how to do fantastic things with it by watching a million tutorials on You Tube

8.   Cable DVR and not having to watch commercials

9.  All of my skinny jeans from last Fall still fit me!

10.  Velour covered hangers, what a genius invention

11.  Left over Halloween candy

12.  Not having to live in a cocoon with all of my blinds closed all day long to ward off the crazy summer heat – let the sun shine in

 

I hope you have many reasons to be happy today  :)

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Vintage Florals

 

 

I’ve been busy working on custom projects lately so I can’t show much of what I have been drawing.  One of my projects called for some vintage florals.

I did these in color pencil

 

 

Flowers always brighten my day – even if they are only on paper.

I hope these make you smile.

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Halloween Perfection from Alexander Henry Fabrics

Alexander Henry has a bright and happy new website ( here). I was checking it out and ran across this brilliant collection perfect for Halloween or for the Goth inclined.

I love it!!

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