Dunkelberg Designs

Straight from the Page II

2009-11-07T09:16:00.000-08:00

This book of mine has been in the works for years, but finally seems to be picking up some momentum. The story is coming together, and the illustrations are starting to come to life. I'm really enjoying this process and I hope you all are enjoying seeing it evolve as much as I am. Hopefully one day soon I will be able to introduce to you the story of "Allie Cat and her Army Brat". © 2009 Deb Dunkelberg

Free Halloween Coloring Page!

2009-10-30T08:33:00.000-07:00

I've decided to share my "Pumpkin Pickin' " illustration with the world and the artists of tomorrow. Click on the image about to see the full 8.5 X 11" coloring page, print and enjoy with your little ones.

Better yet, post a picture of your child's finished coloring page and you may just win something!

Have a happy and safe halloween!

Broadening the Scope

2009-10-26T13:37:00.000-07:00

After developing seasonal themed illustrations for timely postcard submissions to childrens magazine publishers, it dawned on me that maybe I should begin submitting to greeting card companies. After all, I sell some of my designs on my own handmade and home-printed greeting cards in my etsy shop, why not?

I've decided to not limit myself to only children's books and magazines. While this is still my ultimate goal, I recognize that there is a much wider market for my work than I imagined at first. What about giftware such as wrapping paper? What about rubber stamps? These illustrations have to come from somewhere - why not mine! So with that in mind, I've begun a new round of submissions to various companies, hoping that someone somewhere will fall in love with my work.

New technique, new obsession.

2009-10-14T06:48:00.000-07:00

I've always wanted to try wood burning, but my aversion to all this flammable kept me from doing so. A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to get a woodburner tool with interchangeable tips and though what the hey I'll give it a try. I found that I've wrongfully prejudged woodburning. Once you learn how to respect the tool (meaning keep your fingers away from the hot tip, and don't squeeze it too hard because the handle will heat up) it's not that different from wielding a B6 graphite.

There is no shortage of scrap wood laying around with my husband's woodworking shop, so I grabbed a few pieces and began practicing. I haven't mastered all the tips yet, but I have found the round tip is what I'm most comfortable with. Having completed my first freehand project, a wooden ornament featuring the burned image of a chickadee, my mind is now overflowing with possibilities for this new tool. Now I find myself searching my house and studio for burnable objects like a pyromaniac, but with the intention to create not destroy. An unfinished jewelry box? a wooden spoon? Hmm, the possibilities!

What could be better? A tool and technique that combines my love of drawing, and my husband's love of woodworking. This could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship...

Keep an eye on DunkDesigns.etsy.com for woodburned ornaments and decor for sale soon!

Illustration Friday : "flying"

2009-10-11T05:54:00.000-07:00

© 2009 Deb Dunkelberg

Jumping off the diving board, arms spread wide like wings, and the wind in your hair... the first few seconds of a belly flop maneuver feel like flying to a kid. Why else would we tolerate the stinging sensation of the impact? To fly.

Update

2009-09-27T09:11:00.000-07:00

Curious what's been going on in the past few weeks at the Dunk place?
Both my husband and I have been in full swing creating new designs. Saw and eraser dust is flying! Already our new custom name sign designs are a big hit and keeping my husband busy at the saw.

I have busy creating new ornament designs for the upcoming holiday season, and also developing a new illustration for my promotional postcards to send to children's book publishers and magazines.

Things have been going well for the Dunk clan. To top it off, I received word today that my two artworks submitted in the Army 2009 Arts Contest have advanced from the local (Fort Huachuca) level, and are moving on to the Department of the Army level for judging. I hope to have good news soon about the results!

Whats all the buzz about?

2009-09-06T18:21:00.001-07:00

That'd be my husband's new scroll saw. This new mechanical member of the family is getting quite the work out. Since we brought my husband's new bundle of joy home it's made us the proud parents of many a rooster, cat, reindeer, mermaid, and duck. Wooden figurines that is.

Recently, due to some inspiring projects in Woodworking magazine, we've begun producing unique personalized signs. The article showed a simple text design repeating the word "Laugh". Beautiful as home decor, but not very personal. It made me think of all those grossly overpriced wooden letters unimaginative strung on ribbons and hung from the wall of a childs room to spell out their name... but better. How simple it would be to make something more extraordinary - just photoshop, a printer, and a scrollsaw.

It began with a simple wood plaque for our daughter Allison, sporting a couple of her nicknames and painted a shimmering glittery pink to match her bedroom. I laid out the text in photoshop, being sure to align the words just so, careful that they would remain one solid and sturdy piece when cut out. My husband skillfully cut out the pattern with his scollsaw and I painted the final product. Once I proudly showed off the present for my daughter, then came the special requests, and more ideas to brainstorm.

How many different ways we could use this concept! Adapting the same concept of interlocking letters, words revolving around one centerpiece word. These signs are perfect for a nursery, great for a baby shower, a unique wedding gift for the bride and groom, a teacher gift to place on their desk, a business name to hang on a wall or place on the table of a craft booth. So many uses and the adaptations are endless! I can tell my husband's shop UncADunk Woodworking is going to be busier and busier as the holiday gift giving season approaches. If there is one thing I've learned in my years of painting Christmas ornaments, its that people love personalization.

Tis the (Shopping) Season...

2009-08-27T09:28:00.000-07:00

I took my cue from QVC last week -- They are already starting to sell Christmas decorations, and so are my fellow Etsians. Personally, I think it's a little early but who am I to judge? Some people like to shop for the holidays year round.

So I dug out some of last years stock of hand painted Christmas ornaments and began to slowly reintroduce them in my DunkDesigns.etsy.com shop. I'm updating and retaking photographs as I go, using all the tips and tricks I've picked up along the way.

So far its shaping up nicely, and I'm liking how they are turning out. I figure if I post a couple ornaments a week, I will have a nice inventory built up for when the rest of the shoppers jump head first into the Season of Shopping.

There are more to come so keep an eye on DunkDesigns for some old favorites, and new designs as well!

Straight from the Page!

2009-08-10T10:27:00.000-07:00

Allie Cat has sprung to life! My dear husband got a new scroll saw last week and being the good sport he is, helped me design and create an Allie Cat figurine out of wood. I plan to rework the design, and maybe round the edges with a Dremel but for a first draft I just love my little Allie Cat figurine. Maybe this is the start of a new line of Eli and Allie Cat action figures?

Other than getting started on the Allie Cat figurine, I also did a few more sketches for the book I eventually want to write. I won't give too much away, but I will say that Allie Cat is the star and the story also featured a little girl (yet to be named) who happens to be an Army brat.

© 2009 Deb Dunkelberg

Featured on 5 Minutes for Mom

2009-08-05T07:23:00.000-07:00

My interview and blog was featured on 5 Minutes for Mom! Swing by and check it out. And while you're at it - browse around my Etsy shops. Enjoy!

Illustration Friday - Modify

2009-07-31T12:58:00.001-07:00

© 2009 Deb Dunkelberg
Something about this says Modify to me.... very The Island of Dr. Moreau-ish. Man modified. Or is it dog modified?

Promo Packs

2009-07-30T18:22:00.000-07:00

I'm finally going to take the plunge and put my neck out there. Time for promo packs... tearsheet samples, postcards, and resumes oh my! May the rejection letters commence!

Just kidding. But I'm not naive enough to think there won't be any at all... My hope is to use the publisher's feedback and learn what I can work on from the horses mouth. I know I'm a fledgling, and I have much to learn but hey, it's all a part of the process right?

My goal is to submit to a few select children's based magazines as well as greeting card companies, and hopefully get a few published spot illustrations to my name. Then reinforced by my arsenal of publish drawings in my portfolio, I'll take on the children's book world.

We'll see what happens! Life has a way of leading me down unexpected paths. As they say "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans."

Finding Inspiration in the Past...

2009-07-28T13:11:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been flipping through a ton of my old sketch books looking for inspiration. Some of these dating back to over 10 year ago, before my imagination had been trampled to death by a corporate design job and unbending clients. These sketchbooks are pure gold now, and I'm so glad I kept them. I had completely forgotten about Gomer the Chapstick Fairy and his fellow cartoony friends.. How sad for the world to never have met them!

But I'll save the Chapstick Fairy's revival for another day. Today I took an old sketch I had made of a Mother dragon teaching her baby to shoot fire, and finally followed the idea through to completion. However I did remove the flames, and simply put the pair on a hilltop overlooking a castle. Simply colored and outlined.

I hope to attack more of my old sketchbooks tomorrow. Who knows what other inspirations I might find?

Illustration Friday - Idle

2009-07-25T17:41:00.001-07:00

Idle.
Summer vacation with "nothing to do". (Who want's to walk the dog? Pshaw.) Paper airplanes it is....
© 2009 Deb Dunkelberg

Christmas in July

2009-07-24T06:52:00.000-07:00

I bought myself two second hand books for less than $10 with shipping last week. That alone is enough to make me happy, being the bargain shopper that I am. Even better is that they are two books I've wanted to buy for a while though at $30 a pop couldn't afford to, but being as I went for last year's equally valuable edition, viola! Savings and the benefit of having two great tools on my bookshelf.

Artists & Graphic Designers Market and Children's Writers & Illustrators Market arrived yesterday and I haven't put them down since. I've had the 2006 edition of A&GDM but never the Children's Writers & ILLUSTRATORS Market. YAY!

At this point, you're probably rolling your eyes and wondering what the big deal is. To me, this is just the beginning, the stairs that lead to the foot in the door. These books have listings of publishers and various venues and what they need in a designer/illustrator. It eliminates a lot of the legwork and allows me to concentrate my efforts on art by not wasting my time promoting to people who don't need my type of work.

YouTube as a tool?

2009-07-18T09:51:00.000-07:00

Go figure! I always thought YouTube was for teenagers who wanted to post videos of themselves belching the ABCs. For that reason, I always avoided it. Today I found out it's actually a quite valuable educational tool. I was scouring the internet for tutorials on how to draw children's facial proportions, a skill that I know I need to build on, and stumbled upon a link that took me to YouTube.

The tutorial I found there was great and just what I was looking for, and ever better featured absolutely no belching teenagers! There were many other videos like it, and I can tell I'll be spending many an hour viewing a lot of them. Even better than learning from a book, I can watch a mere 5 minute video and have a lightbulb go off in my head.
Now I can see what was off in my "Pale" illustration... the facial details were placed too high on the skull for a child, the nose was too long, and the cheeks lacked the signature roundness of a toddler. I'll definitely be testing out this new found knowledge soon, so keep an eye out for more sketches of children in the future!

A new adventure...

2009-07-15T07:48:00.000-07:00

Just got word that by next spring my family and I will be relocated to Fort Jackson, SC. Have no fear, DunkDesigns and Bubblegum Garden Graphics will take a short hiatus while we trek across country and then resume normal business. More info to come!

Cereal Boxes: Reincarnated II

2009-07-03T10:50:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the second installment of Reincarnated. I hope you find this one just as useful as the first. It's one of my favorites!

By now you know my views on re-using and recycling. Add to that my mantra of "Why buy it if I can make it myself?" and you get this latest Reincarnated Cereal Box project... Mailers!

With my stock pile of discarded cardboard packaging, I have an unlimited supply of mailers in all shapes and sizes, without that pesky $1-3 a pop price tag shipping supply stores charge. These cardboard mailers are sturdy, and great to mail photos, small prints, or greeting cards.

Here's how you can make these recycled mailers for yourself...

Step 1. Take the box and gently split the seam. Careful not to tear the cardboard.

Step 2. Turn the box inside out. Fold on the corner seam.

Step 3. Fold the flap over, and use this creased seam as a guide. Trace where the seam falls on the printed side of the cardboard below.

Step 4. Trim off the excess using the traced line as a guide, and remove the flaps (1) & (5) from backside of the box. Leave top and bottom flaps (2) & (4) on front side of the box attached!

Step 5. Trim the corners of the flap (3) , so it resembled an envelope flap. Tuck flap (2) & (4) under and fold the box on the seam so the unprinted side is facing out.

Step 6. With flap (2) & (4) tucked in, tape the sides of the mailer with a heavy duty tape such as packing tape.

Step 7. Tape flap (3) shut, address and mail!

Taking the Leap

2009-06-29T06:46:00.000-07:00

I've never personally entered my work in a contest before. The closest I've come was in high school, my art teacher placed a work of mine in a kids arts contest without my knowledge and I won Honorable Mention. I'm not an overly confident person, so it's hard for me to enter anything into a contest because essentially it's a declaration of "I know mine is better than yours, and I can win."

This year I've decided to think of things differently, and use the 2009 MWR Arts and Crafts Contest as a way to get my work noticed, and maybe draw more customers. In a sense, free advertising. All the submissions will be on display in the Fort Huachuca Arts and Crafts center gallery, which happens to be lucky since the A&C Center will be having a grand re-opening reception (and the hype that comes with it) next month.

I've submitted two of my pieces for the 2009 Contest. This is a big step for me to put my work out there to be scrutinized by the public (and a few judges). If I win, excellent. If not, then I've achieved some great publicity for DunkDesigns.

A campin' we will go!

2009-06-23T19:02:00.000-07:00

Soon my family is going for it's first ever camping trip together. I used to enjoy camping in the days before baby, so I'm excited to share this experience with my three year old nature-loving daughter. To prepare for the trip, I've compiled a list of some of camp related Etsy finds. I can almost taste the S'mores now!

Summer Soap Bug Repellant
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Little Camper Tee
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Campfire Cupcakes
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Camping Out Summer Scarf

I confess...

2009-06-23T16:25:00.000-07:00

I'm in love with Charles Fuge.
If money wasn't an issue, I would buy every children's book he ever illustrated and selfishly not share them with my three year old daughter. When we check his books out from the library to read at bedtime and my daughter says "Read it again, Mommy!" I don't argue. I let her "read" the story to me while I stare contently at the pages, trying to pick apart his technique. Just beautifully made illustrations of animals and children that just glow from the inside out with personality and charm.

Cereal Boxes: Reincarnated I

2009-06-17T19:55:00.000-07:00

I love finding new ways to reuse things. One of my favorite items to stock pile is cereal boxes. We go through at least one box of cereal a week in my house, so I'm guaranteed a constant supply. I've used the discarded cereal boxes for many different things including backing to stabilize a print, mailers, and now business cards. That's right business cards.

When you think about it, it's a great option. The cereal boxes are much sturdier than most cardstock, and they help cut down on paper use since the cereal boxes themselves are usually made from recycled materials and you are reusing. Plus, it's a great way to stretch a buck.

For an investment of less than $20 for the supplies, you can make an unlimited amount of business cards and have the benefit of knowing you're getting a little greener.

Here's how I do it...

Supplies:
Cereal box, cut on the seam and flattened
1 Corner Punch (found in the scrapbooking section of Walmart)
1 ink pad (also found at Walmart)
1 Terbear custom stamp (terbearco.etsy.com)

Step 1. Unglue the seam, and flatten the cereal box
Step 2. Cut 2" X 3.5" rectangles from the box
Step 3. Round the corners with the punch
Step 4. Ink your stamp, and stamp away!

Simple, I know. Don't you wish you would've thought of it sooner?

Look for more installments of Cereal Box Reincarnations coming soon!

One Lovely Blog Award

2009-06-16T14:19:00.000-07:00

I was given this blog award by HR Photography and I'm doing my part to pass it along to some of my favorite blogs.

Here are my top 15 (in no particular order):
Nichole's Handmade Treats
FrayBaby Bibs and More
Teri's Treasure
Maddie & Mommy
Bubba, Rye & Me
Beth's Crochet, Art, Jewelry, and more
The Many Roles of Mom
Recycled Jeans Company
SmokeyMountain Scents
The Chameleons Attic
Creations Anew
MooseThreads
Laura Evans Photography
Cutesie Clips
MonsterBug Blankets

ACEOs: The Incredible Shrinking Artwork

2009-06-13T07:12:00.000-07:00

Artist Trading Cards? How can I not be excited by that!
I come from a generation where the number of cards you had was a direct representation of your popularity as a kid. But it seems trading cards have disappeared as a popular past time for youth. I'm not sure if this happened gradually as the era of the video game ushered in, or if I just grew up and left them behind. I remember collecting the Disney trading cards when I was little. My brothers collected baseball and football cards. Even those horrible Garbage Pail kids! Now you never see kids bartering each other for the best cards. Even the popular Pokemon trading card game from a few years back seems to have petered out.

My point is, I'm glad to welcome them back... with a twist! Ever heard of ACEOs (Art Card, Editions, and Originals) or ATCs (Artist Trading Cards)? They are little trading card sized art works, sometimes originals and sometimes prints, that are collectible. Not everyone has the moolah to become an "art collector" in the traditional sense. But at a ballpark price of $5-15 a piece ACEOs make owning art accessible to even the average Joe. See an artist you like, but can't afford their gorgeous large scale painting? Buy the ACEO. You still get to own a piece of art history.

I once saw an Antique Roadshow episode where a "stamp sized" original self portrait of Rembrandt was assessed in the thousands upon thousands. Just think if Rembrandt had used a ACEO size format of 2.5" X 3.5" instead of 1" X 1" - what price tag would that have carried?! Who knows maybe the ACEO artist you purchase from will become famous one day, and your $5 investment becomes worth thousands!

Maybe it will be mine?
Keep an eye out at DunkDesigns.etsy.com for new ACEO cards coming soon!

Getting Noticed.

2009-06-12T07:52:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of articles and websites out there with a lot of information on how to get your Etsy shop noticed, and produce sales. Here are a handful that have helped me so far:

1. Use facebook/blogs/twitter to announce new products or even foreshadow a product yet to come and sales.

2. Posting comments on other people's blogs and leave your etsy shop URL in full (http:// and all).

3. Browse other shops and heart them, and one item in their shop. Etsy sellers will often check to see who is "hearting" them, and then browse your shop heart you back. When you become one of their favorites, everyone who looks at this admirer's favorites will see your item & shop. More visibility for you!

4. Add a range of differently priced items to your shop. Someone may not be able to afford a $40 10 X 8 print, but could afford a $10 ACEO or greeting card with the same design.

5. Post one or two listings at a shot, not a whole bunch. Did you notice when you search for something on Etsy it will show you the newest listed item that fits those keywords first? If you have 5 photos and list them for sale all at once, you are at the top of this search list only for the day. If you break it up and list one new item for the next 5 days, then you have an item at the top of the list for 5 days, not just one that gets shuffled to the bottom later. Get it?

6. Establish good feedback. When I started up BubblegumGarden.etsy.com, first thing I did was make small purchases from fellow Etsians. Your feedback as a customer and as a seller is thrown into the same pot to make your rating. What a customer wants to know is that you are to be trusted, so competing transactions with other Etsy sellers can help your feedback and make your customer more confident in buying from you over the other guy who has a feedback rating of 90%.

7. Tag properly. Tags are keywords a customer will use to search for a certain item. The more specific your tags, the better chance that someone will find JUST what they were looking, and buy it! Here's a great article on the topic.

8.Although, I've never snagged one I've also heard creating Treasuries is a great way to get noticed too. Many people want to know what creative mind curated that awesome treasury and they browse your shop.

9. Post in the forums. Even the silly ones like "Show me something blue" is an opportunity to show your stuff, and maybe just maybe someone will love it and buy it. Or maybe heart it, and bring more visibly at the least.

10. "Sign" your emails with your etsy shop name, or better yet a graphic. Just think of how fast and furious Forwards circulate. Imagine one of those bad boys with your logo or at the least Etsy shop URL attached to it for all to see!