Featured Artist :: Stormone Originals

This week's featured artist is Stormone Originals!

Stormone Originals - Everything in your life should be Original, Unique like the Perfect Storm.

Senioritis: Name and location please.
Stormone Originals: AJ in Oakland, CA
Senioritis: What's up AJ! Are you an Athletics fan or do you prefer one of the other teams out in Cali?

Senioritis: Can you tell us a little about yourself AJ?
Stormone Originals: I'm a traditionally trained painter and printmaker who decided to try my hand at tie-dye, batik, and textile stamping.
Senioritis: Sweet AJ, all of your work looks great! Is there one medium you prefer working in over the others?

Senioritis: Marlon Brando: Streetcar Named Desire or the Godfather?
Stormone Originals: The Godfather!



Senioritis: How would you describe your style AJ?
Stormone Originals: Fun, colorful, easy, and inclusive.

Senioritis: What would you say is the best business tip you have ever received and who gave it to you?
Stormone Originals: Market, market, advertise and market some more!!! Gary Penders the former Director at my day job!
Senioritis: Good tip! As Cyrus McCormick reminds us, it doesn't matter how good our product or service is if nobody knows about it.



Senioritis: What would you say is your favorite sport to either watch or play AJ?
Stormone Originals: Track & field with American football getting a close second.
Senioritis: Both are great sports; I love watching the track & field events during the Olympics!

Senioritis: Chevy Chase: Fletch or Three Amigos
Stormone Originals: Fletch for sure!
Senioritis: Fletch is definitely on my favorites list, Fletch Lives is phenomenal as well!

Senioritis: Do you have a favorite quote AJ?
Stormone Originals: "Everything is all fun and games till somebody puts an eye out!" Mom
Senioritis: Hmm, I think our mom has told us that one several times as well ;)



Senioritis: If you could jump in the DeLorean and go back in time; what’s one thing you would do differently in your business?
Stormone Originals: I would build up a larger cache of inventory before opening an online shop.
Senioritis: Good point AJ! Having lots of options for people shopping in an online environment is definitely important. If our online shops only have a handful of items for shoppers to look at it's easy for them to take a quick glance and move on.

Senioritis: If the $100 bill needed a redesign, who would you put on it?
Stormone Originals: Lewis Latimer because he was instrumental in Thomas Edison creating the light bulb and was the draftsman for Alexander Graham Bell's inventions as well. He is not very well known and has not been given the credit he deserves as an inventor.
Senioritis: Unfortunately we don't have much pull with the folks who design US currency but a Famous Seniors tribute may be in order for Mr. Latimer ;)

Senioritis: Where can we find you on the web AJ?
Stormone Originals: stormone.etsy.com, my blog, my facebook fan page and my team blog, Etsy Artists of Color.



Senioritis: James Bond: Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan, or Daniel Craig?
Stormone Originals: Is there any contest? Sean Connery baby! Me loves some Sean Connery!!
Senioritis: And Mr. Connery is now leading 3-1! Do any of the other Bonds have a chance? Luckily we've learned to never count out a 007. Tune in next week, same senioritis time same senioritis place, to see if anyone can make up some ground or if Mr. Connery will pull further ahead ;)

Senioritis: Any shoutouts?
Stormone Originals: Shoutout to all the Etsy forums folks who post in ETC.!!!
All the Etsy Team Members in EAOC! Etsy Artists of Color!
Of course a shoutout to the Minnesota Vikings!!!!!! Bleed Purple!


Thanks a bunch AJ! We appreciate you taking the time to let our readers know a bit more about the great artist behind Stormone Originals; keep up the cool work!

Friday Finds 7.9.10

Well, the World Cup finals are upon us ;) In honor of the game's participants this week we bring you, our readers, some sweet finds from Spain and the Netherlands. We hope you enjoy our World Cup finals inspired segment of Friday Finds, have an awesome weekend!

knittingdreams



silviareitsma



Phizzychick



Plaksels




senioritis

This week we're paying tribute to Abraham Lincoln, who reminds us that it is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt. With that said, we aren't making any prediction for the finals match but expect to see a well played game from both sides and would like to send our congrats to both countries for making it this far. To see more of our tributes please visit our Etsy shop.






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Featured Artist :: Studio M.M.E.

This week's featured artist is Studio M.M.E.!

Studio M.M.E. - Fairy tale pen and ink prints.

Senioritis: Name and location please.
Studio M.M.E.: Megan Eckman, Fargo, North Dakota (soon to be San Jose, California come July!)
Senioritis: Hey Megan, not sure if you made it out to the west coast yet but we hope the preparation/trip is going smoothly!

Senioritis: Can you tell us a little about yourself Megan?
Studio M.M.E.: I'm an illustrator and freelance writer living in the lovely state of North Dakota. Born in Rapid City, South Dakota, I subsequently moved to flatter and flatter places, ultimately ending in Moorhead, Minnesota, where I received my BA degrees in art and creative writing from Minnesota State University Moorhead in 2009. Like most children, I wanted to be a veterinarian (more of a vet surgeon actually) but I still wanted to learn as much about drawing as I could. So I entered college with the desire to become a writer and an artist. My parents didn't mind as long as I started a business before I graduated. In January 2009, I did just that with Studio M.M.E. and began writing for freelance magazines across the country and selling prints of my pen and ink illustrations worldwide.
Senioritis: Very cool Megan! How was it balancing going to school and running your business? I'm not sure how the terrain is in San Jose but a few trips to San Francisco should make up for years of living in the flat lands ;)

Senioritis: Marlon Brando: Streetcar Named Desire or the Godfather?
Studio M.M.E.: Godfather



Senioritis: Megan, how would you describe your style to someone who has never seen your work?
Studio M.M.E.: Whimsical, humorous, inquisitive, and reminiscent.

Senioritis: What would you say is the best business tip you have ever received and who gave it to you?
Studio M.M.E.: Focus your shop. A fellow Etsy seller, Meluseena, gave me that tip a few months back. I immediately trashed everything in my shop that wasn't my artwork and focused more on my pen and ink work. Since then, my shop has taken off!
Senioritis: That's some great advice from Meluseena. We think that having a main line or general theme to your shop allows for an easier, more cohesive, and more enjoyable browsing experience. We're glad to hear you have seen such great results after making this adjustment!



Senioritis: What would you say is your favorite sport to either watch or play Megan?
Studio M.M.E.: Rapier. There's nothing more exhilarating than defending yourself with a sword.
Senioritis: Hmm, think the closest I've been to a rapier was watching The Three Musketeers in HD. How did you get into fencing (hope that's the proper term and I don't end up at the pointy end of a rapier)?

Senioritis: Chevy Chase: Fletch or Three Amigos
Studio M.M.E.: Three Amigos.
Senioritis: Do you remember how to summon the Invisible Swordsman ;)

Senioritis: Do you have a favorite quote Megan?
Studio M.M.E.: If the fool would persist in his folly, he would become wise.
-William Blake
Senioritis: I like that one. I think in today's society of instant gratification many of us give up on things before we truly have a chance to learn and improve.



Senioritis: If you could jump in the DeLorean and go back in time; what’s one thing you would do differently in your business?
Studio M.M.E.: I would have avoided Twitter. I know everyone is in love with it but I'd rather spend my time blogging. If I didn't have mine set up to RSS feed from my Facebook, you'd never see me on there.
Senioritis: Interesting. We used to post our Famous Senior of the day on Twitter everyday but for the past few months have switched over to a Tumblr blog. We don't get as much traffic as when we posted on twitter but we seem to get more interaction and feedback on our designs through the blog.

Senioritis: If the $100 bill needed a redesign, who would you put on it?
Studio M.M.E.: Martin Van Buren. You have to love his facial hair.
Senioritis: Very true, you typically don't see facial hair like that anymore; HOWEVER, we stumbled across a great exhibit in Chelsea a few weeks back that proves that phenomenal facial hair is still alive and well! Check out photographer Dave Mead's Magnificent Specimens to see some people that give Mr. Van Buren a run for his money ;)

Senioritis: Megan, where can we find you on the web?
Studio M.M.E.: studiomme.etsy.com, my blog, my facebook fan page and my site, The Illustrative Studio of Megan Marie Eckman.



Senioritis: James Bond: Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan, or Daniel Craig?
Studio M.M.E.: Is there any contest? Sean Connery.
Senioritis: Well, looks like Mr. Connery has taken an early 2-1 lead with our featured artists.


Thanks for spending a few minutes with us Megan and letting our readers know a bit more about the awesome illustrator behind Studio M.M.E.. We're looking forward to seeing your new works and hope you enjoy the west coast!

Yankee Doodle Went To Town, Riding On A Pinstriped Pony

What better way to celebrate the 4th than by spending it at Yankee Stadium?

Not only was yesterday a celebratory day for our nation but it was also a celebratory date in Yankee history. July 4th is Yankees owner George Steinbrenner's birthday as well as the date that Lou Gehrig gave his famous "Luckiest Man on Earth" speech.

Upon entering the Stadium you are immediately greeted by large banners paying tribute to Yankees legends. Although I had been to the new stadium a couple of times last season I hadn't had a chance to check out the Yankees Museum until yesterday. Very cool stuff, I mean how often do you get to see a Babe Ruth signed baseball?

Yesterday's starter Phil Hughes will soon be attending his first Major League All-Star game. His pitching was Wonderphil and I thought the comic inspired artwork was pretty sweet as well.



The stadium is a cool blend of past and present, paying tribute to Yankee greats while a Hard Rock Cafe inside the stadium and a collection of flat screen plasma tvs in the bleacher walls reminds you that you're in a state of the art entertainment facility.

Despite a shaky start, falling behind early, the Yankees were able to pull out a close game in extra innings. The most exciting play of the game may have been an inside the park homerun off the bat of outfielder Brett Gardner; all I can say is man that dude is fast!



At the end of the day the hero was pinch hitter Marcus Thames. Fresh off the disabled list, Thames hit a game winning single in the bottom of the 10th inning.

Great weather, good food, and a Yankees win; what better way to spend the 4th?

We hope everyone had a fun and safe 4th of July. Happy Independence Day!

Friday Finds 7.2.10

Over at senioritis headquarters we've been working on screen printing quite a bit lately. The first handful of attempts can best be summed up in a single word failure. Thankfully our friend Mr. Edison reminds us that we did no fail, we just figured out quite a few ways not to make a quality screen print ;) Screen printing is a very versatile process allowing people to create simple images, complex designs, and everything in between. This week we bring you, our readers, a screen print inspired segment of Friday Finds, have an awesome day!

CloneArmy



PerisandCorr



cricketpress



MouseSaw



senioritis

This week we're paying tribute to Mr. Thomas Alva Edison, who reminds us to keep moving forward. To see more of our tributes please visit our Etsy shop.

Have a great Independence Day weekend!






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