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I woke up early today...I ran out of sleep. I had a dream that I was going through my big box of canvases to take inventory; I kept pulling out glorious finished works that I never recall painting. Every time I took another out, there were more, and more stacked up behind. The box became deeper, and larger...with yet even more pieces building up inside.
The paintings were not like what I had done in the past. These new ones were more emotional rather than cerebral in design.
I feel that for many, many years, medications have hobbled my creativity, to the point that I have become stunted. It has been maybe 6 months at most since I have been off all those drugs. looking back, I'm sure they achieved their purpose in reality...if I were an "Average" person. They were designed to "normalize" my brain to function outside in this world at a job, education, and in social situations.
Creatively, it "dulled" everything. They made my life "Dull" as well.
The struggles I have shared on occasion here, were just the beginning.
Now that I realize that I am no longer bound by those pressing requirements to keep a job, complete an education, and be socially acceptable (ie: needing to nurture, and maintain an expected impression from others points of view), I am free to just "Be".
I think the veil is lifting, there is still more "lifting" to be had. I wonder what another 6 months will reveal...
Bad News, my dear clients, and fellow artists:
Because of a certain unscrupulous "seller" on Etsy, I am now forced to watermark all my designs, in my color charts - that are on my Website. *Frowns* I know that watermarks are ugly, but these days they are necessary. :( All my clients still can get a decent view of the colors/designs, even in spite of the distraction that the watermarks cause. I am sorry, but I have to do it. I got at least the most important ones done, and I will continue to get them all done as soon as I can.
Also, of Note: I no longer offer Casting Kits to go along with my tutorial, on eye casting. I took a chance offering them, but these days...the risk is too high. I am sorry for that as well. They will not even be offered by request either. This means no molds, and no color sheets.
It is going to be a real bummer for those who want them, or to other artists like myself, who want to make their own using my designs. There are too many people out there that will "RIP" My hard work for their own re-selling benefits.
You can blame this all on the people who have done exactly that...Yep even the price increase due out for 2015.
I was afraid that this day would come, only that it did all too soon. "No good deed goes unpunished"
I have news, folks!
I have just invested in some new supplies for my studio in hopes of bringing back full globe, and paperweight type doll eyes. I got some UV curing resin, along with the UV light, and have loads of Glass, and acrylic Globes on order.
For years, I have been experimenting with different methods of trying to make some of these type eyes within a reasonable range of costs. I think this time, I can make them possibly as efficiently as my Flat backs.
Sizes will be limited though. So when custom order requests open again in mid-January, I can only make the Globe types, and paperweight types in those specific sizes. (fortunately they are popular, and common sizes).
The sizes are as follows:
4mm, 6mm, 8mm, 10mm, 12mm, 16mm, 20mm, and 25mm.
Now,...the larger sizes (10mm-up) will only be available in Acrylic. The smaller sizes (8mm-down): Glass.
The eyes will be limited to White Scleral banding. Which means: No HR treatment, or colored banding. If you want those, you will have to stick to my Flat-Backs.
Depending on what kind of stem wire I can use, will dictate whether I can offer loop backs, or not. You can opt to not have stems at all if that is your choice. Pricing will reflect that option.
The Acrylic eyes will be available in paperweight style. However... the glass ones naturally cannot be safely cut, or ground into a paperweight kind of shape.
Pricing:
Yes, dear clients...Prices will go up next year. It is unavoidable. Supply must meet demand, and vice-versa. I cannot keep up with the most popular sizes, with the demands for them in my studio. I have to take into account inflation too. It is not just happening in the food, and utility departments, also shipping costs have gone up as well, especially when shipping overseas, and across borders. (Canada, and Mexico). Even Alaska, Puerto Rico, and Hawaii.
I will be simplifying 2015 price points:
A number, or group of common sizes will be priced in a certain per pair bracket, instead of based on Millimeter size. Super small, and larger sizes will still be priced separately per pair.
I plan to offer batch quantities like sets in the shop, for those who say, for an example like a particular color series. I will list some as sets of 3, 6, and 12.
Final note: I will no longer offer 3mm sizes in an AD2, and AD3 type format. (Detail, and color is impossible). I can only make them in standard AD ratio, and AD4 ratio, also of course as irises only. I will only cast them upon special request. They will also cost more per pair.
Why?... Because (1): I cannot handle such micro sizes like I used to. (2): If they drop...They are gone...They fall in between the cracks of my hard wood flooring.
And (3): Yield is horrible! I have to cast at least 4 pairs, just to get 1 acceptable quality pair. I throw away more than I can sell. "You can do the Math."
Well...That just about covers everything planned for the new Year 2015. If anyone has any questions, I'm here...Drop me a line! ;)
Very first thing...I really must apologize to any followers still left here of this blog. I seem to have forgotten about it completely. ...I am sorry about that. A year is a long time to let things lapse like this.
This year, was super busy with casting orders for doll eyes. every year it is even more so than the last. (A good thing I suppose). A lot of things have happened in my life, but I will keep things relative to this Blogs purpose.
The casting season has closed, and I am booked up completely. There will still be listings going up in the Etsy shop, as well as the Artfire shop. (One is solely for eyes, the other is for everything else, more or less.)
links here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/dreamingtreestudio
And here: http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/studio/DreamingTreeStudio
I still do not know what I plan to finish, and/or work on this half of the season, as my motivation, and muse are coming to blows. I have several unfinished projects just laying around, and I have to also worry about my own physical health as well.
I never was any good at multi-tasking. :/ I have A purple needlefelted 'Owlie' to finish, three-no four 'Foos' to flesh out, several unfinished wooden boxes to pyrograph, three 'FyreFlytts' that need their wings finished, and a Windstone PYO Keeper Dragon only begun, that has been sitting patiently inside his cloche watching the years go by. ("Yes...I said YEARS!") And those are only a sparse few things I have going on.
I can state I am overwhelmed, to say the least. When I began to make doll eyes, I had no idea of how much of my time they would consume. It can be burdensome at times, But I understand the need.
My health has been becoming more important than ever, now that I am already 40. "My,...has the time gone by!" I need to carve out time to exercise, and lose weight. I hope that the Cross-Country Ski Trainer Poles come soon. (Thank you my love, for that birthday present!). I am hoping they help take the stress off my back, and knees while walking. It is a small step on my road to wellness I suppose.
Because of Fibromyalgia, I have better days than others. It can be so difficult to keep up a schedule in any shape or form. Sleep has been lacking, and weather can really mess stuff up as well. The thing with FM, is that it does not just affect you physically, but does so mentally as well. "I'm not talking in specific with things like depression, although it is common...but more for me focus, and memory." (They do not call it "FM Fog" for nothing, ya know.)
I have learned to take things one day at a time. I have accepted that I cannot get everything done that I would like to, and I still feel guilty for being lazy at times. It helps knowing some of it is not my fault.
It shall be a "Wait, and see" sort of year I guess. :)
Please like my studio page on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dreaming-Tree-Studio/259992160699999?ref_type=bookmark
And follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CozmicDreamer74
To see most of the wonderful things I have done already, please visit my Website:
http://dreamingtreestudio.com/
Thanks again!
Amanda Martin of Dreaming Tree Studio
Lately, I have not found the joy and wonder in my work. I realise that in effort to try and earn money, I have allowed my skills to weaken. I need to revisit pressure-free art. I honestly think that one CAN get rusty if they do not keep up with practice.
Because I still need to feed the supplies in order to do some personal work, I will still keep the etsy shop going, and try to keep inventory up. My trials and wastes of my time trying to cast "Fish Bowls" has burnt me out. Casting resin and the silicone molds do get expensive, and I have really dried up my funds trying to make other "More affordable " pieces, has become an epic fail. If no-one buys anything, why the hell do I continue?
Efforts to make "Cute" affordable pieces such as Turbles, FyreFlytts, and other "Under $50.00" Items, seems to not make any difference. Sadly, most I ever made, Never sold, and were given up as gifts to family and friends. WHY???? Everyone "LOVES" them as my comments and feedback reflects, yet did anyone actually "BUY" them? ....Nope.
I Know I have great skill, those smaller pieces do not even show it. I need to go back and work on some "Better pieces" just to make sure I can. I miss Pyrography, Illustration, Oil painting, Watercolor, and larger scale sculpts. I do not care anymore if they will ever sell, But I need to create to find peace.
Please, support the artist, people!
For all the clients who need to buy eyes and other creative supplies My etsy shop will stay open link here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/dreamingtreestudio?ref=si_shop
I do have an Artfire shop for my remaining pieces, and other arts here:
http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/studio/DreamingTreeStudio
I hope to maintain good traffic.
I will include the info here as well since postings do change and I need to remind folks of this;
I guess every so often I need to repeat some vital information to all my perspective clients, as well as the current ones;
I have to deal with environmental conditions when the resin is curing, as well as the final sealer curing, since humidity variations can effect the outcome. This is why I do not like to take orders during the summer because these issues can occur. If I pack your order too soon, the surface could become pitted or deformed being sealed in a plastic bag, and be subjected to transit conditions. Please try to understand. I am doing my very best. I really do not want to send you a bad product, especially for the cost incurred by an order.
Resin is finicky. It may appear fully hardened on the surface by touch, but the inside may not be. I have my methods for accelerating the process, but even that is no guarantee that all is fully cured 100%. I am not a manufacturer with technical equipment to measure the chemical properties of such materials, I am only an artist who does this as a hobby, to help out my fellow peers worldwide to have a more affordable source for beautiful eyes and irises.
(4) Dreaming Tree Studio:
'via Blog this'
FOLLOW UP to My previous post: (I copied this from my email conversation with a peer)...I have been crying a lot this weekend over this.
I started this up so long ago because there was a need for a resource such as this. When I was making sculpts, I really wanted special eyes for my pieces. At that time, the only available sources were taxidermy shops, or Asian glass eye markets. I knew of the company in CT, and another in California, but even their options were limited, and the prices were outrageous! I actually invested in a couple of pairs from Masterpiece, and they took over three months to arrive, and for the huge price I paid per pair, they came, and I was disappointed. I was so angry, that I took them apart to see why I paid so much for such shoddy work...I figured out that there HAS to be a better way to get nice eyes for my sculpts.
Then I started browsing the internet for materials, and did my research. I began to experiment. The first trials were epic failures in many ways. I refined, simplified, and tried even more materials until I found a consistent outcome. Unfortunately the best, and most reliable material to use was Polyester Resin. In its un-cured state, it is very hazardous to inhale. Once it is cured, it is inert. I do not use a gas mask, but make sure there is ample ventilation. I have damaged my health, i'm sure...but it is a small sacrifice to make. I figure the toxins cannot be any different than what most artists come in contact with making their various Arts anyways.
The idea of trying to expand into tutorials is a good one, and I think I will consider it over the off season. Some of the materials I use can be made available for individuals via shops, but some of the equipment can get pricey. I think the most important tool in my arsenal is my Dremel. Without it...Production would be impractical, at best....even impossible. If most clients have one, that is a major cost cut. The second most expensive material is the silicone needed to make the molds needed for eye casting. The molds do break down, no matter how well one can take care of them. The truth is, the cheaper types do not last at all. I can only afford to purchase 1 Lb quantities of the higher quality putty used. So, I am meticulous about the care of my molds. I would think the hardest items to mass produce for "Make your own" castings, would be the lacquer I use for the semi-metallic treatments. Most of them are all hand mixed from pigments, micas, and powders, into a solvent-based carrier. Usually Acetone being the main ingredient. 100% Acetone is harder to find than one would think, and does not ship well at all. Water based items do not re-act well to the resin, or the coated papers I use for the base. Pigments are expensive too. Storage of the lacquer is tough. I use recycled Nail polish bottles. They seem to be the only way to store the mixed colors without the Acetone evaporating out.
I think I could supply the dry mixes to the public, but they would all have to use their own solvents, and carriers. And keep their empty nail polish bottles!!!!
As far as the studio issues well...We really need professional contractors to finish the renovations needed by law in our town. :( I think for the next year, or so I will still be stuck in my congested 12X12 space.
It feels re-assuring to know that you all are here for me, and I accept all the support I can get. Thank you so very much! <3
Amanda
