Elegant Snobbery

Today's featured etsy artist is Marisa of Elegant Snobbery. I am lucky enough to own a couple of her prints, which I bought to hang in my son's room. She does beautiful illustrations, and in addition, is the author of a really great blog where she writes about her art, her kids, and anything else she thinks of - managing to make her everyday experiences really entertaining for the reader. She recently completed NaNoWriMo, which is an insane challenge for writers to write 50,000 words of a novel in a month. I look forward to reading her published novel someday! But we're talking about art today. Here's a preview of her work: Now, enjoy our interview and get to know Marisa. How did you pick your shop name? When I first started drawing seriously a year ago last winter - after taking a three year long break, in which I had two daughters, the first illustrations I made were the profiles of classy looking ladies with upturned noses. I sketched out about 20 of them, and illustrated my favorites. I just loved these ladies, as they had so much character and I really enjoyed giving them their own personalities. These illustrations I call my Elegant Snobs, and my shop was named after them. This may be obvious, but what is your medium? What kinds of materials and tools do you use? I am a colored pencil artist, and all of my artwork is illustrated with a combination of Design Spectracolor and Prismacolor pencils. I also use blending mediums with the colored pencils, manipulating them to get a watercolor feel. I always love to incorporate drawing pencil, pen and ink elements, as well as creating backgrounds with vintage text and sheet music in almost all of my illustrations. [caption id="attachment_1217" align="alignnone" width="313" caption="Snob - print from Elegant Snobbery"][/caption] Tell me a little bit about your process, from a new idea for a piece to the finished product. (You don’t have to give away trade secrets, so say as much or as little as you’d like. People love hearing about how artists work!) Art has always been second nature to me. I'll just pick up a piece of paper and a pencil, and then just let my hand do all the work. Once I have my sketch, I transfer it onto drawing paper using a light box. And that is where the fun begins. I love color. The more brilliant color the better, when it comes to my illustrations. I have a great sense of color and know what works together, so I pretty much just trust my instincts and wish for the best. Although, one of the biggest mistakes I make is waiting until after the household has gone to bed and the light isn't natural... only to discover that I used purple instead of brown, or orange instead of pink, and find that I have to start an entire picture over. I've made earrings that don't match for the same reason. Color is just not accurate after dark! Do you have any business advice for artists/crafters just starting to sell their work? Getting established is hard work for everyone. Patience is hard, especially when you love your work and are waiting for others to love it as much as you do. I waited and waited for my first sale, wondering if I was making a mistake by taking a risk and getting my stuff out there in the world. It took a few months to get noticed, but then more and more people began to know who I was, and buy my prints for their walls. It's been a lot of work, coming up with fresh ideas, new illustrations, as well as managing my own business, but it has really been paying off for me and I can't wait to see what the future holds. [caption id="attachment_1218" align="alignnone" width="313" caption="Sock Monkey - print from Elegant Snobbery"][/caption] Do you know the artist/crafter who nominated you for this interview? Is there anything you’d like to say to them? April from Apple Blossom Designs nominated me for this interview and I'm just completely honored that she would think of me. She is a super sweet Etsy seller and blogger and I'm always thrilled to chat with her. I am very appreciative -- thank you, April! What is the last song/album you listened to? (I’m just curious, I love music.) I'm completely obsessed with the band Muse, so they have been my muse lately! My favorite song of theirs is Starlight, which I could listen to on repeat for hours, and do. Luckily I have headphones, or else I'd surely drive my household mad. Do you sell your work anywhere other than etsy? Some of my artwork is being sold in a children's online boutique which you can find at http://www.craftsburykids.com Are there other websites where we can find you? Blog: http://tootsiegrace.blogspot.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/elegantsnobbery Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/elegantsnobbery/ Thanks so much to Marisa for doing this interview!