TJ's Commissions: Mehndi, Glitter and Elephants

Can you recall me chatting about a bigger painting I did?

Well let me tell you a bit more ^_^ The painting got commissioned by the brother of one of my very lovely friends, Ms. Tricia aka Tershbango. The people who read my blog for a longer period of time know that my friendship with Tricia started with a doodle and...a Prince Charming. There are a few posts that you can have a peek at and I shall list them here if you want to have a trip down Memory Lane.

Chapter 1: Peeking into a Chrystal Disco Ball.

Chapter 2: They got Hitched and a secret collaboration between Mama Bird & me.

Bonus Chapter: Prince Charming is Preparing for Valentine's Day...in a somewhat unusual way.

I can't tell you how amazing it is to be a part of people's lives by doing illustration work for them. It truly is one of the best feelings in the world. And in this case I was present (in doodle spirit but still I was there!) at the weddings of Tricia AND her brother! Yes, you could only imagine my surprise and excited when Neil, Tricia's brother, contacted me for a wedding presents for his wife Reena. I got the free hand and the only requirements where to add their cats, their names/wedding date and the logo of Hell's Kitchen where he proposed to her.

So I got to work and I can share some peeks of what I did as they got the painting and it's already hanging proudly on their wall! The scene is a personal element that Neil did for Reena, he sang to her on their wedding day and it was a traditional Indian wedding. I could capture so many things, but eventually settled for this as for me it really captured something that was entirely of them. The singing, the Indian elements. The elephant which stands for loyalty, trust, strong foundation...all things you should have in a marriage. The border is Reena's actual henna tattoo (mehndi) that I re-drew and gave it a gold antique feel to it and of course, lots and lots of color and glitter and little details. But okay, the pictures! I added a bunch of pictures to my Flickr stream as it'd be easier to watch. Otherwise this post would be huge. You can click here to see it on Flickr or...click the slideshow below. Whatever you prefer.

That's it! What do you think? It was a bit of challenge as the painting is one of the biggest I ever done, but in the end after switching up my concept for a few times, I do like how it turned out and most importantly...Reena and Neil and their family loved it! Mission succeeded!

Neil & Reena...let me thank you again for this wonderful opportunity and for your patience (especially Reena hehe) and I wish you all the luck & happiness in the World!!

I do want to point out that if you want have something created for yourself or to give as gift, don't hesitate to contact me as soon as you can. It takes time to brainstorm and agree to a solid idea and if there's a deadline involved, a rush fee will be added as I have to push other commissions aside for a bit (a clone would be handy every now and then haha). So...you can simply email me with your idea(s) and a possible deadline, then we can go from there. I'll get back to you with more information and pricing as soon as I can. Payment in installments is possible if the price is on the higher side. E-mail - tjlubrano@gmail.com

Hope you liked the peeks and I'll be showing more commission peeks soon. I haven't really done this huh? No fear as I have a bunch lined up for you hehe.

Ciao!

Let's make this an Awesome Year shall we?

This is just a quick post to let you know that...I am back! Well, I was still floating somewhere out there, but expect more regular posts from me from now on hehe. The past week, I've been working on several illustrations that I need to get out of the way before I start with bigger projects. Unfortunately I can't show you these yet. Except this one!

Up up in the Sky, I Fly.

Also, I'm working through my to do list (which is HUGE) and finding a balance in creating art work, while making sure that everything else around me doesn't get neglected. This is pretty difficult. Once I start drawing I tend to spend hours just doing that. Not the best thing of course, because I do not want to turn into a couch potato...although I'm not watching TV. You know what I mean right? But more on this in another post.

This is a commission I did for a blog friend, ms. Dana Ward last year. She did such a lovely post about me after she received her illustration ^_^. If you're interested, you can find it by clicking mr. Magic Word. If you do, do browse around her lovely site, Saturday Mornings as well. Thanks so much Dana! Xoxo!

Sooo, what can you expect from me the upcoming months?

1. Doodle Give Aways: I will try to have these more frequently So stay tuned for the next one.

2. Adventures from me chasing my dream of becoming an illustrator: I thought it would be fun/interesting to share my thoughts/ stories of things that are fun, difficult, things I need to pay attention to. Going into a whole other direction and setting up as a - one man's - business isn't easy, but if you really want it, you'll face everything that comes on your path right. I should say one lady's business!

3. A Look in the Past: Little stories from my past, possibly also old drawings.
4. More Illustration work in progress posts!
5. ehmm...and more awesome things haha.

This is just to give you an idea of what's ahead of you. The whole purpose of rambling would be gone if I told you exactly what you could expect on my blog hehe. All I know is that 2011 is going to be a year filled with creative adventures! Are you ready to tag along?

Till next post lovely readers.
Ciao!

Shopping Spree!

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Yes Ladies & Gentlemen: Finally it is here!

First of all! A big - Thank You - to all the readers who commented on my previous post and shared their thoughts. I thought it was really cool!

Now the topic of today!! I have opened...a Zazzle shop! The theme is Halloween for now. It's not that big, but I've got a few pieces up. Remember Halloween will be here soon, so browse around & feel the Halloween spirit! Do let me know if you like it and if you have suggestions/questions.

Reason for working with Zazzle, is that I heard lots of great stories from it and the quality is good as well. I can't work with a big stock just yet and since I can't sit still, I decided to make the first start with Zazzle. An Etsy will here pretty soon too and here I will also put up original illustrations. This way everyone who likes my art can purchase it in an easy way. You can already see some examples in the sidebar and in the slide show below. I shall work in themes, because I don't want to put random products in my shop.


Create a personalized gift at Zazzle.

Tada!!  So so soooo what do you think? I'm really curious.

Well let's see, what else. Oh I shall make some changes to my 'Open for Business' page. You can always email me at tjlubrano@live.com for personal commissions or other designs. The information on that page shall change as well, but you shall get a proper post about it. Yes. There will be some changes on this blog again soon.

Please tell everyone who might be interested in it & Happy Shopping!

Heads up notice: There will be an interesting post up this Thursday...well I do hope it's interesting to you haha. So stay tuned lovely readers!

Ciao!

1. How to Order

I thought it might be easy for you to explain step by step how you commission me and what you can expect after you commissioned me.

You want to commission me:

Awesome! Prepare for a creative journey. Please email me with answers on the following questions:

1. What is the occasion? And do you have a budget to stick to?

2. Size of painting(s)and your rough idea.

3. Who is it for? 
A. Do you want an illustration with this person transformed into a character; give me specifics like hobbies, favorite colors, instruments and quotes etc. - basically just elements that really describe the person who it’s for. A picture of the person is recommended. Remember, I can’t create an exact copy of the person, but will do my best to add as much characteristics as possible.

B. Or you can go for a more general route and pick a theme that really fits the receiver of this gift. Like for e.g. the receiver really love the circus so a circus themed painting would be created.

Don’t forget, you can combine A + B as well of course. Example: The receiver sitting on a zebra in a circus outfit/surroundings.

4. Deadline? Do you need it before a certain date? There will be a rush fee involved if you need an illustration on short notice.

The process after you agreed with the price and send the payment is as follow:

1. I sketch out all the ideas and send scans to you for approval or maybe you want to be completely surprised? Let me know what you prefer.

2. If you agree with everything, I'll draft up an agreement and once I get the agreement and payment, I'll start creating the final illustration. It'll be transferred on correct paper and painted for you. If there are changes to be made, I’ll correct it as soon as I can. You have two changes for revisions. After this I'll charge a revision fee.

3. Once it's done, I’ll wrap it up nicely and ship it to you.

4. Please let me know as soon as you get the package, so I know it arrives safe and sound at your home. There a small questionnaire that I love you to fill in after you received the package. That way I can ensure that my services stay perfect for my customers!

1. What to Order

3. The Buzz on TJ

4. FAQ


Email: tjlubrano@live.com



Last updated on February 17th, 2012 by TJ Lubrano

1. What to Order

To get the process started and to ensure that there are not that many little in between steps for editing or sketching, I'll state the steps for you. Yes. I'm trying to make it all as easy as possible for you guys hehe. 

What products & occasions can I think of?
The options for illustration themes are endless, so just to help you get started I listed several for you below. Use them as reference and create your own perfect theme. You can combine several themes as well.

You can think of Weddings - Birthdays - Children parties - Baby showers - Nursery rooms - Wedding – Engagement - Bachelor/bachelorette parties – Christmas – Halloween - New Years Eve etc.

- Paintings can add a magical touch and really brighten up a nursery or children room.

- For weddings, you can give little cute illustrations with your favors for e.g. bridesmaids.

- Get unique designs for e.g. birthday invitations, thank you cards to compliment favors, door signs, invitation cards, birthday cards, wedding cards, baby showers, engagement/bachelor/bachelorette cards.

As you can see, you can think up a design for almost anything and make it just the way you would want it to be.

What themes can I think of?
Examples are sea animals, pirates, Halloween, mermaids, mythical animals, vampires, music, pin up, geishas, cultural influences, Pin up ladies –Underwater – Mermaids – Pirates - Sea animals – Vampires – Zombies – Circus – Fairies – Butterflies – Birds - Native American – Tropical – fashion illustrations – anime etc.

You can also think ahead for the holidays and let me design something for you as well.

The beauty of personalized gifts is that you can be sure that no one else will have the same design. Just send an email and don’t be afraid to let me know what you love to see. I love to get a sneak peek of your thoughts. It's always a challenge to see if I can match it with my drawing and create an end result that you will love.

2. How to Order

3. The Buzz on TJ

4. FAQ



Email: tjlubrano@live.com



Last updated on February 17th, 2012 by TJ Lubrano