Time for a Giveaway!

It's been a while since I've had a giveaway and I think it's long overdue!  

This past week I had a open poll, asking what would you choose to win as a free gift?

1. Mini custom paper doll

2. Mini coloring book

3. Original illustrations

4. Pair of earrings or a pin

The votes were calculated and the winner is.... 

Well, there's a tie! 

Mini custom paper doll or a pair of earrings or pin!!

yay! Whoot-whoot!! 

Ok so how do you win? 

CONTEST: 

1. Like my Page on Facebook:  Keghaznavi Illustration http://www.facebook.com/keghazillus

2. Sign up for my Newsletter: Curls & Markers

 http://keghaznavi.us13.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=c6a11c2bf4b803ed2144e3d1b&id=9b8b3d466f

3. Share my page with your Facebook friends.  

Thats it!!! 

Once I reach 750 likes on my Facebook page, the contest will be over, I will randomly select a winner!  The winner will be announced on my Facebook page and then contacted by email to begin the custom doll process or to select a pin or a pair of earrings!!

GOOD LUCK!!!  

Head over to Facebook now & get started!  

XO

-Kierston  

Mini Update to my Website

I haven't made any updates to my website in a while, (since last December, yikes!) and my work has grown quite a lot this year. I added some more current Marker work, better images of my paper dolls and a few pages from my upcoming coloring book, The Anti-Adulting Coloring Book.

Marker Illustrations: 

Marker Art: Select Illustrations

These are small to medium illustrations created using professional markers.

I did some marker studies of Masked women, the bunny mask was quickly a favorite. What do you think of it?

Articulated Paper Dolls and Doll Earrings

Hand drawn, hand assembled Articulated paper dolls. 

I updated the photos of my paper dolls and added more images.

Pen Illustrations: Black & White Sketches and Adult Coloring Pages

The first four illustrations are pages from my coloring book in progress. The remaining images are mini sketches and illustrations.

Multi liner pen illustrations. line art.

The coloring book is almost here! added a few images from it to my website, enjoy the sneak peek!

Take some time & have a look at my updated site! Comment below and let me know what you like about it!

XO
-Kierston

Mothers of Our Nations: In Progress

If you read this blog, you know that I am partnering with Pearls for Teen Girls in Milwaukee for my community art project in the From Here to Her 2016 show, Mothers of Our Nations.  The team at PEARLS is dedicated to empowering young girls in all aspects of their life, and preparing them with the tools they’ll need to be successful in the future. It’s not just about preparing for college, but really building character and mentoring relationships that last beyond college.

I will be creating work to honor the staff at PEARLS and I am also currently volunteering this summer to help the girls create paper dolls of their own.

We are in the second half of the summer program, and  this has been fun and challenging for myself and the girls. This has challenged me to think of the process in my doll making and try to express that in a manageable, step by step way, so that the girls can comfortably work at their own skill levels. There are some girls who dived right in, already love to draw and are moving along pretty quickly. And some girls aren’t too confident in their drawing skills. So I have been working a little more closely with them, trying to reassure them that they are better at drawing than they think they are. All of the dolls that the girls are working on are as unique as each girl and full of imagination.

I hope that after this, the girls find a new hobby, maybe start drawing more often and are proud that they challenged themselves to do something outside of their comfort zone.

PEARLS summer group. Girls busy drawing their dolls.  

Stopping to buy supplies

Some dolls are already pretty close to done.  

I'll continue to post updates before the shows this fall. Sign up for my newsletter for VIP access: 

 http://keghaznavi.us13.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=c6a11c2bf4b803ed2144e3d1b&id=9b8b3d466f

Curls & Markers Debut!

My weekly newsletter, Curls & Markers will be debuting tomorrow. I plan to give weekly updates on my current in-progress work, discounts for merchandise in my etsy shop, as well as first dibs on new items, sales and offers! Don't miss out! 

BONUS: if you sign up for the newsletter before it debuts on August 2nd, you will receive a FREE instant downloadable coloring page, from my upcoming coloring book!!!

Sign up below:

http://keghaznavi.us13.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=c6a11c2bf4b803ed2144e3d1b&id=9b8b3d466f

My Favorite Mediums: Let’s Talk About Markers.

I have spent a lot of time drawing my characters in pen, scanning them and coloring them in Adobe Illustrator. I started using markers this past winter to color my illustrations, and I fell in love. It took some time to get used to the technique. Learning how to blend and build up color, depth and texture; this took a lot of practice. Currently, I use Prismacolor markers, and I really like the quality of the Blick store brand markers. These markers have a fine tip and a broad tip which make it easy to fill in any odd shapes and curve that I may draw. 

I use markers for my illustrations. But also, I use them for my earrings and pins.  

What I love the most about using markers: creating variations in skin tone and color. I'm pretty good at blending markers now. I can't wait to have a 300+ color collection of professional grade markers. 

Collection of some of my favorite marker illustrations of 2016

Girl with locs. 2016

Graphic pattern dress. 2016

Paper dolls with marker.  

Hipster.  

This became a cute paper pin.  

Paper pins.  

I use markers when I make earrings.  

How do you feel about drawing with markers? Have you tried it? Share in the comments!!

Sign up now for my newsletter, Curls & Markers! Coming in August. Be the first to receive news, discounts, and sneak peaks at work in progress!

http://keghaznavi.us13.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=c6a11c2bf4b803ed2144e3d1b&id=9b8b3d466f

Selling on Etsy: 5 Things I Did Wrong When I Started My Shop

I started using Etsy a few years ago to buy unique and super-cute handmade stuff. I love finding OOAK earrings and quirky vintage clothing. Etsy is the go-to place for that and much more. Last year, I decided that I wanted to sell some artwork online and so I opened my shop. I put up listings of original illustrations and crossed my fingers. I was sure they would sell because they were so cool. Nothing. My views were drier than an Arizona rattlesnake’s belly. I had a small following on Facebook & Instagram, but still, no shop action. But I really didn’t put any work into transferring my brand into the look & feel of my shop. Sure I had my logo and banner, which is unified across my social media platforms, but there was a lot that I had overlooked.

I didn’t realize until I bought this book, Etsy Empire, earlier this year just how wrong I had gotten the Etsy selling experience.

https://www.amazon.com/Etsy-Empire-Updated-March-2016-ebook/dp/B00KOF9PCU#nav-subnav

Boxes and label stickers for my earring shipments.  

Here are 5 Things I Did Wrong When I Started My Shop:

Not treating my shop like a boutique.

Etsy isn’t just a site to post ‘decent’ images in hopes of a huge payday. So you’re an artist, jewelry maker, crochet-er, or doll maker? Guess what? There are THOUSANDS of shops with thousands of similar products on Etsy. Pretty easy to get lost in the mix. In order to stand out, you need to think critically about every part of the buying experience, so that potential buyers will have a little bit of a push to buy from your shop instead of any of the other makers like you. That means, going a little bit further to please your customers. I sell my handmade earrings and paper dolls primarily on Etsy and with every purchase, I give the customer either a handmade paper pin or a small original illustration. Have you ever purchased something online and were surprised by a little something extra, doesn’t that feel so awesome? It’s part of what I love about shopping on Etsy because I can’t get an experience like that everywhere.

I add extra stickers, and handwritten notes to each package I send as well. I add pretty washi tape and stickers to the outer packaging too! I want my customers to remember their experience and LOVE it enough to come back!

Customer who loves her free gift included with her purchase.  

Customer photo with a free mini watercolor painting gift that I included in her package.  

 Not staging photos.

The first time I added listings on Etsy last year, I only added one photo of each of my illustrations. It was just a close up of the illustration, just how it appeared on Instagram or on Facebook. Blah. Now, when I take photos of my earrings, I try to add some trinkets as props, and I take advantage of the option for 5 images per listing, I have photos on white, clean backgrounds, also on pretty paper. I also have photos of how the earrings look posed in the Kraft boxes. Buyers like to see the product “in action” if you are selling prints of your artwork, frame it and pose it on a nice table or on the wall. If you are selling clothing, get a friend to model, go outside and have some fun! Natural light is best, and you don’t need a fancy camera. I use my iPhone and Adobe Photoshop to get my pics as nice as I can.

Here’s a link to an easy DIY light box, this will help you take nice photos when going outside isn’t an option:

 http://www.flaxandtwine.com/2013/02/diy-photo-light-box-a-finish-fifty-project/

 https://www.etsy.com/seller-handbook/category/photography

Little pins on prop paper with trinket props.  

Ice cream pin, with my jacket as a prop.  

Example of packaging photo.  

Vague or too-short descriptions. 

Photos tell only part of the story, but descriptions, really spell it out for your customers, (ha! see what it did there)?  Take time to think about everything you need to inform your customer about regarding your product. Color, available variations, size, care instructions to name a few. Tell a story! Make it funny, but be clear. Don’t mislead your customers. if you’re selling vintage items make sure you disclose any imperfections. Let them know the colors may vary because of screen resolution, things like that. A strong description with keywords will also help with SEO, allowing your shop and listings to show up in more searches and build relevancy.

 https://www.etsy.com/seller-handbook/article/20-questions-your-buyers-are-asking-and/22795143310

Excerpt of my listing for these taco Tuesday earrings: 

"Illustrate your ears!

These shrink plastic button stud earrings make a unique gift for your sister, best friend, niece, mother, yourself, etc.!

Taco Tuesday!!

Everyone’s favorite day of the week! celebrate it in style, while you chomp on tacos & sip margaritas!

Each design is hand drawn on shrink plastic, sealed with a clear coating and affixed to nickel-free earring posts"

 Blank Policies/profile. 

Would you feel comfortable buying something from a shop with no policies listed plainly? You never know, unforeseen circumstances may arise and there may be an issue with a purchase. You may need to return or exchange an item, only to find out after your purchase that’s not allowed. Knowing that information beforehand may be the deciding factor on whether or not you’d want to shop there, right?  Many custom and made to order items on Etsy are not refundable, and understandably so. But what happens if an item arrives damaged? Or your customer ordered a non-custom item that they aren’t happy with? How would you handle that? Make sure your policies are clear on what you can and cannot do in these situations. Even if you never experience an unhappy customer, its best to be prepared. How you handle these not so perfect situations will say a lot about your shop’s professionalism and help to hopefully build its reputation.

 https://www.etsy.com/seller-handbook/article/add-clear-policies-to-your-shop-in-just/39972427549

 Optimizing tagging and titles for search. 

No one can buy your items if they can’t FIND them! When I first started my shop, I gave my listings titles like “Girl dreams about life”, “handsome man and his thoughts”, “elegance”, “joy”.  No one is searching for that! As artists, we love to give our work titles that are more about how the work makes us feel. Titles and tags for searching on Etsy should be more specific, but still short, 2-3 word phrases work best. Make sure your tags match the phrases in your titles!

 https://www.etsy.com/seller-handbook/category/getting-found

I hope these tips are helpful! These are things I learned that changed my shop in a huge way! Success isn’t overnight. I’m still tweaking my listings, photos and descriptions constantly as I continue to learn new tips and tricks. Find a team on Etsy or a group on Facebook with other shop owners willing to share what they’ve learned and how it’s helped them!

Checkout the funky earrings and paper dolls in my shop here:

 https://www.etsy.com/shop/KeghazIllus?ref=hdr_shop_menu

Use coupon code: KEGBLOG15 for 15% off of your purchase good until 9/30/16

Sign up now for my newsletter, Curls & Markers! Coming in August. Be the first to receive news, discounts, and sneak peaks at work in progress!

 http://keghaznavi.us13.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=c6a11c2bf4b803ed2144e3d1b&id=9b8b3d466f

XOXO

-Kierston

Coming Soon: a very KG Adult Coloring Book!

I'm plowing through a lot of Micron pens these days, as I crank out illustrations for the coloring book. I hope to have at least 20 pages of detailed scenes to provide hours of coloring enjoyment. Get your markers, colored pencils and/or crayons in formation! 

Half of the book will be portraits with patterned backgrounds, similar to my Hair Obsessed Series from 2015, not as detailed however.  http://www.keghaznavi.com/#/hairobsessed/

Coloring page in progress.  

The other half of the book will be everyday scenes, bike riding, chilling on the couch, house party, picnic and more. 

A glimpse at a few finished pages... 

I'm about 3/4 of the way done with the illustrations and I expect that I have a few weeks of work to do before its complete. Want to know when this will be available? Sign up for my newsletter, coming in August to be informed, get sneak peeks, discounts etc.:

 http://keghaznavi.us13.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=c6a11c2bf4b803ed2144e3d1b&id=9b8b3d466f

You can also head over to my etsy shop, Keghazillus, fav it & take a look at the other stuff I make, paper dolls, earrings pins.  

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

I hope to have a lot more coming your way!  

-Kierston  

Picnic page in progress... 

So you make Paper Dolls?

I was an imaginative kid. I played with dolls, of course, as a little girl growing up in the 80s. I loved my Cabbage Patch Kids and my Strawberry Shortcake. But honestly, I could have a thoroughly good time playing with anything.  I would gather up flowers & give them each a name and sit in the grass for hours playing 'house'. As I got older, I spent more time drawing to illustrate these imaginary stories I thought up. Then came the paper doll making. I loved fashion, but I was always an overweight kid/teen & back then there was nothing fashionable about those clothes. So I drew what I wished I could wear and I made beautiful modelesque paper dolls out of what I had available. Ruled notebooks. I would cut out my dolls from the sturdy backs of the notebooks and draw clothing on the rules pages  I'd pose them and draw friends, boyfriends, settings. My homework and notes might have ended up on crumpled paper, but hey!

As i got older, I still kept my love for play and dolls, but more as a play-time assistant to my younger siblings, nieces and nephews. I never stopped drawing though, but I did stop making dolls. 

Ebony. 2015 sold 

 So, last year- I went back. My illustrated characters have so much personality and individuality on the page. Making paper doll versions of these characters was a way for me to bring them to life, and revisit that time in my life when I was an imaginative kid, full of ideas and fully devoted to play.  

Nakia.  2016 sold

My dolls are not tall, thin model types, exclusively. My dolls represent and accept all body types. My dolls represent characters who are happy, beautiful, confident and unapologetic about it!  My dolls give representation to girls and women who may have been told they are not worthy because of their uniqueness. My dolls are beautiful BECAUSE of their uniqueness. So yeah, I make paper dolls.

Kiki. 2015 

Greg. 2016

Check out the dolls and earrings in my etsy shop:

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

Sign up for my newsletter, coming in August: 

 http://keghaznavi.us13.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=c6a11c2bf4b803ed2144e3d1b&id=9b8b3d466f

-Kierston