Studio Note 04/25

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Hello friend!

I hope March treated you well. It was the first "normal" feeling month of the year for me. I can't believe Q1 is already over, though. Time is a weird beast, isn't it?

Art Notes

I felt like studying some very old and very twisted trees, so I spent a few days in my sketchbook with them. The tall, skinny one on the right is by far my favorite. Somehow I managed to capture light when I was really focusing on shadow! Painted in gouache with some color pencil accents. I've done several gouache-based studies at this point and feel much more comfortable with the medium than before!

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I want to paint many more trees now (I already started on a book inspired piece for some self-indulgent fan art). They are SO MUCH FUN to paint and draw! Read more about these trees on my Patreon!

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I'm happy to announce I'm on the Grumbacher Artist Team now! I've used Grumbacher watercolors and brushes in my mix of tools for years now, so I'm excited about this opportunity to promote their products that I already know and love.

Save 15% on your order when you spend $20 or more at chartpakstore.com when you use my affiliate code CATHERINE at checkout.

Check out more of Grumbacher and Chartpaks full line of artist supplies to learn more!

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Social Notes

Maybe this is coming a little later in the year than it should, but I think it's never too late to take charge of your planning and organize yourself! I've broken down what I do to achieve maximum work/life balance in this new video. There's a blog post, too, if you prefer to read rather than watch.

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Shop Notes

Remember the tree studies I mentioned? I scanned them and turned them into mini prints! Receive one for free for every $10 spent. Spend $30 or more and get all three prints!
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They were produced in house on Red River Aurora White 300 paper with an Epson Ecotank printer. Sized 4" x 6" with a .25" border and hand trimmed.

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I have very limited quantities of these, so first come, first served! They look so cute, though, I'd love to have more made to continue giving out as freebies for shop orders.

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A while back, I shared a shop update poll where I asked my community what they'd like to see most in the next shop update. So far, I've only received three responses, and I'll be taking the poll down soon. If I had to base product priorities on the current results, new stickers, bookmarks, and notepads or other such stationery items would be launching in the next shop update. I'm aiming for the end of April for that! So if you'd like to share your thoughts, now's the last chance to do so!

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My limited edition prints are on clearance! The geometric succulent trio was recreated from scans of the originals (sold) originally painted on wood panels in acrylic. They have been hand-embellished with reflective gold paint, signed, titled, and numbered on the front and measure 12" x 12".

A Note about AI

Since hearing about the massive amount of books pirated for the sake of AI training, I've been reflecting more about AI and its impact on creative fields. As a book designer, I've had many instances of authors submitting their own generations as cover samples they're interested in seeing as the final on their own book. As an artist and designer who has spent over 25 years honing my skills without shortcuts, and as an artist who has had my work scraped, it's hard to put into words how violating and demoralizing it feels to see your life's work plundered and reduced to data to feed a monster.
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AI isn't going anywhere, unfortunately. I think it's akin to Pandora's Box - you can't put it back now that the box has been opened. I don't feel threatened, though. In fact, I feel reassured every time I see a post about an author seeking artwork for their cover or characters and being adamant that no AI will be used in creating it. They're right to do so - more and more readers are becoming vocal about not reading books with AI-generated covers, because if the cover is AI generated, who's to say the story isn't generated as well?

If you're a fellow artist and creative reading this, and you're worried about AI, I know it's hard not to be worried, but...try not to be worried, anyway. Redouble your efforts in honing your skills and talent. There is something intrinsically HUMAN about anything made by human hands and people WANT IT, so keep your hands active, your mind focused, and continue creating. We need you now more than ever.