. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Today, I bring you a giveaway from SouleMama Sponsor Lineanongrata. In Julia's words:
"Lineanongrata is all about illustration, be it on paper, fabric or as a class. I produce prints, buttons, patterns for appliqué quilts, all decorated with my illustrations. The Lineanongrata illustration eCourse teaches tips and tricks to those who would like to start drawing or who are already having fun with pen, pencils and paper but would like to take their art a step further."
You can follow along through the Lineanongrata blog, and find out more about the ecourse on her website!
SouleMama: Tell us about the beginnings of your business.
Julia: After I finished graphic design school in Paris I started to work as a freelance illustrator, both for French and for German clients. It was the time when everything seemed to shift from print to the magic Internet and I discovered the wonderful world of blogs, the handmade movement and platforms like Etsy. Wherever I looked I found new inspiration, something new to make, to draw, to illustrate, something new to try, to add to the ever-growing to-do list. It was like an itch - in a good way - I had to scratch by producing new things all the time. Over the years I have produced prints, postcards, calendars, buttons and I can't even remember what else. Some things worked, others didn't. By trial and error I have gotten to where I am today and I'm happy to report that the to-do list has never been shorter than at least 20 items in the last seven years. One idea leads to the next and I am quite sure I'll never run out of new things to make.
SouleMama: Tell us what you envision and dream for the future of your business.
Julia: If dreams became reality, I'd one day be able to move my business from my living room to a 'real' studio. Working at home is great (Pajamas until 2 pm anyone?) but it also means that I'm always surrounded by the things I still need to finish and by the mess my job often creates. Meaning I work late almost every night and I wake up to piles of fabric strewn everywhere, paint on the floor, paper in the bathroom (how it got there? Nobody knows.) and sometimes even pinback buttons in the sink. Visually, it's not a quiet way of life.
So separating home and work are definitely the next step I would like to take.
SouleMama: What's your favorite part of your job? The most challenging?
Julia: What I like best about my job? That's easy: The making of things. I love to sit down and get paint or glue all over me. I love to make a mess with bits and pieces of fabric strewn all around the studio. And even though it sometimes feels a bit 'wobbly' when I invent something new, because its like making something out of nothing without knowing yet, if anybody will buy the something I'm making, I still feel this is the most blessed part of what I do.
The most challenging part is teaching. I teach both the illustration eCourse and a class of young adults at a private college for design here in Berlin. The eCourse is easy because the participants are adults and they all signed up for the course of their own volition. They want to learn and they learn for themselves. My real life students are in their early twenties, just out of highschool and they enjoy college life for the first time. They also think they're studying entirely for my benefit (the idea being that they produce what I want, they get good grades and that's the end of the story). So sometimes I feel like a one-man show, trying to motivate them. Trying to find the right words, the one it takes to make them understand what is important. And what's not. Educating the young is a challenge, it's a great responsibility but it's also a great blessing. Because just when I'm at my wit's end about how to tell them what they'll have to do, just when I think I'll strangle the next one who complains and tries to worm him- or herself out of an assignment, one of them will silently get what I'm trying to teach. One of them will start to produce a really good illustration. And just as silently, just as magically, the rest follow. It's an amazing process. And I hope like crazy it's a law of nature and will work all the time.
SouleMama: What's the product or offering that you are most excited about right now?
Julia: Can one be 'most excited' about two things at once? Because I can't decide. The illustration eCourse is very exciting. The first one is over and was a wonderful experience. Both for me and the students. Every day I was truly amazed and often just speechless about the progress my students made. You wouldn't believe how far they came in just six weeks. They were a very supportive group, commenting kindly and helping each other to overcome small difficulties or the fear of showing their work.
When the course was over I thought I'd feel pretty lonely without my peeps, but about half of them decided to stay with the group while they wait for the follow-up course that I'll be teaching this fall. We have a monthly subscription plan they can join. Each week there is a new assignment and I continue to give tips and support in our private Flickr group. As I said, it's a wonderful group and a wonderful teaching experience.
The second thing I'm 'most excited' about are the new patterns available in the Lineanongrata Shop. They allow everyone to make their own piece of Lineanongrata-inspired art, on quilts, wall-hangings, bibs, bags… the possibilities are almost endless.
For today's giveaway, Lineanongrata is generously offering the following gift to THREE lucky winner:
~ the package will contain one half-sized print (A5) of the winner's choice, three patterns and a small bag of goodies (pinback buttons, postcards and the likes)!
In addition, Lineanongrata is offering a 'buy one get one free' deal on all prints in the shop. Also, everyone who purchases an applique pattern will receive a free special extra pattern that will not be on sale otherwise. These offers are valid through July 12, 2011.
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Thank you to Lineanongrata!
To enter, please leave a comment in today's post (one entry per person, please). Comments will close on Sunday by 8am EST. Winners will be chosen by Random Number Generator and announced here in this post by Monday evening.
Comments closed! The winners are:
So cute!
Posted by: coffeemama
Aww these are so whimsical and beautiful. I'd love to see them in our home!!
Posted by: Ali GraceI just love that lantern print! Thanks for offering the giveaway! ~ joey ~
Posted by: Joey Van Oort
