TJ's Giveaway: And the Winners are...

Hi Everyone!

Say CHEEESE!!

I shall keep this post short and simple and go straight to announcing the winners. So what I did was the following...I threw your names on my drawing desk (couldn't find my Magic Hat -_-) and these were the ones that I picked out:

Ms. Nicola Ellen

Ms. Maylin Gonzalez

Mr. Dailybeerreview

Ms. Dani Heart

Ms. Katy Kern

Congratulations!!! *throws around with confetti and ribbons* I'll be contacting you in the upcoming days. To everyone else, please do NOT be disappointed. There will be a new giveaway very soon as an important date is approaching (my...birthday.) and I always do a giveaway to celebrate this with you all. I am already pondering about the price! ^_^

As for the questions, I replied to most questions in the comment section. However, some questions do deserve their own post, so stay tuned for that. I will be tagging you on Facebook, Twitter or send an email if I answered your question in a post, so you will know when it's...well answered hehe.

This is it for now. I think my next post is going to be either a new commission post (got a few lined up for you all to stare at!) or a rambling post...got lots of stuff in my draft folder for you.

Enjoy your Sunday!

*waves*

TJ's Giveaway: It's here! It's finally here! (closed)

GIVEAWAY is closed! ^_^

Finally.

The Giveaway arrived. Did you hear my dramatic voice? I totally did a dramatic voice.

It's funny. I decided to do a giveaway when my page on facebook would hit 300 likes. Now I'm already at 459 likes and for this big increase a HUGE thank you goes to the lovely Carmen from "Paying it Forward - One Day at the Time"...every time when she shared my page, quite a lot of happy souls found my page and I couldn't be more grateful. It only means I can share what I love to do most with even more people and I hope it will put a smile on their faces as well :D

As I was thinking about a lovely prize/prizes, time flew by and work got crazy busy and now...now I can also announce proudly that I entered my third year of blogging as well (June 14th, to be exact!). Goodness! Where did the time go? I'd never thought to be blogging for this long already and as each year passes, my blog gets a different purpose, well not an entirely different purpose as my Art has always been my biggest focus point. You won't see a post with without a doodle or two. However, blogging gave me a new perspective on life, a new way of living and doing what I love to. I learned how to write better posts, capture my thoughts, most importantly I got a better insight in myself as a person and what I really want to get out life. You could say that I'm aware of how I live my life and how I want to live my life...up till a while back, I basically took most things for granted and did things others expected me to do so....I should stop talking as you guys probably think "TEEEJAAAY!! I want to know about the giveaway!!"

You were, weren't you....? Oh my gosh!

Hehe. As always, if you want to join, do read everything and please follow the rules.

So what can you win this time? I won't have 1st, 2nd or 3rd winners, where the prizes go from big to small. No. Instead of this I have 5 sets of 2 prints and I will pick 5 winners! Obviously hehe. Oh. There will be an EXTRA surprise when one receives his/her package, but what this is....I am not going to tell ^_^.

The prints of the Inky Ladies with black frame can vary as I have 13 different ladies, but for picture purposes I grabbed a few random ones. Okay, so what do you have to do?

1. Leave a comment. It's as simple as that, but it is a MUST. Plus, I do have two questions this time. You do have to answer them please.

What would you do if you'd meet me in person?

and

Ask me a (random) question.

This could be anything from art to fashion/beauty (yes. you ladies can ask me e.g. about the make-up I wear, about my hair etc.) or you can ask my thoughts on a certain subject or just a totally random question. I'll  use these questions for future posts and it's a fun way to peek in your minds as well ;)

For EXTRA entries, you can do the following:
2. Be a Facebook Fan and/or a reader of my blog (either by Google reader or e-mail subscription) and you get 1 extra entry.
3. If you spread the word about my giveaway, Etsy shop or Fanpage, you'll get 1 extra entry.

Just remember to list ALL the things you did in your comment, along with your answers and if you'd prefer the Inky Ladies or the Cupcakes. The Giveaway is open till September 1st (2012 hehe) and then I'll announce the winners. I'll create a permanent link in the sidebar that leads to this post as it will vanish slowly into my blog past as I will add new posts, plus I'll add a little reminder in every new post as well.

That's it! I'm so excited to see your answers ^_^

Ciao!

TJ's WIP: Koalas, Koalas, Koalas!

Hi there!

Big thanks to everyone who read last post! It really means a lot to me and I'm glad that I wrote and shared a bit of my Aunt's story with you. I have a bunch of posts lined up for you guys, but let's start with a staring post. I haven't showed a new WIP in a loooong time, so I snapped some pics for you when I created the Koala illustration. From sketch to final painting...let the staring begin!

As you can see, the differences towards the end are quite subtle and unfortunately the camera doesn't really captures this. In real life you can see it all much, much better!

Keep a close eye on my Etsy Shop please! I know I haven't been persistent with promoting it, got a lot going on the last few weeks and I'm juggling my time the best I can, but I will update it with new art, original work AND there will be a discount coupon thingy ^_^

Until we meet again...Ciao!

OH! I selected this post to be featured on my blog’s page at Illustration Blogs. Stroll by if you have some time to spare, please

TJ's Projects: A Cupcake Tutorial

Hello helloo!!

Hmm that was said in a weird opera voice...in my head anyway.

So, no recipe this time, but a drawing tutorial! A while ago, I got asked by the lovely Marieke Bos, if I was interested in participating in a creative project. It's for the site Swap-bot and here lots of creatives swap handmade goodies with each other. The group Dutch Swappers magically transformed the month December in an online advent calendar and every day a creative swapper reveals his/her gift.

And yes, you guessed it right, today is my day and I decided to create a quick tutorial on how I draw my cupcakes ^_^. There are really just a few basic lines and by switching up the expression you can create a new little cupcake in a few seconds. This is the first time writing a step by step tutorial and I will record a short video how I draw and paint it soon. However, the quality isn't THAT great. I will re-upload it soon again. My laptop shut off while I was saving the tutorial, so I lost some of my editing. Not a big deal...until I noticed that the file had become corrupt. The horror. I had a deadline to upload it a bit after midnight on December 13th, therefore I couldn't re-create what I had, so this tutorial is a quick version.

If something doesn't make sense, do let me know. I can keep this in mind for when I create the right version of this tutorial. I have another way of drawing a cupcake and if you guys like this one, I'll show you the other one as well.

Oh! I do have a cupcake recipe for you guys soon...hehe. Until then, don't forget about the Limited Christmas Cards and my Zazzle shop.

Have fun trying it out and if you drew it and want to show it...let me know! If there are enough cupcake doodlers, I will create a folder on my Facebook page so people can post it there. I'd love to see it :D Feel free to experiment with the frosting shapes and faces. I'll show lots of cupcake examples soon!

Ciao ciao!

TJ's Projects: Get in touch with your alter ego!

Hey everyone!

How are you doing? Enjoying the weather so far?

Today I shall tell you about a project that I've done a while ago. Whenever it's possible I shall tell you bits and pieces of the things that I'm doing. Sometimes I can only tell you more when the project is finished as things need to be kept a secret ;). For this project I collaborated with Blogcatalog and created a bunch of avatars for you to choose from when you create an account. I personally like it when you have different types of avatars to choose from, especially since I often wander around my imaginative world and pretend to be a superhero hehe. So if I can switch things up when I want, I am happy.

Here are the currently available avatars:

Let me just tell you, I could have created a whole lot more! You can easily choose a personality that suits you. I added some snapshots for you to see, plus a few avatars in a bigger size. I hope you like them as much as I do.

 

I figured circling them with red circles or squares worked better...hehe. It is funny to see them pop up on the forum! Sorry for the blurriness of the screen shots though. Here are a few of them in a larger size! I hope you clicked to enlarge the images.

Ooh so curious what you think of them as well! It was a fun opportunity. So a huge - Thank You - to Blogcatalog! Also it is possible to commission me if you want to have yourself turned into an avatar! You can email at tjlubrano@live.com. You can also use this email if you want to commission me for other illustrations or want to know the prices. I will add an estimate of prices on my blog soon, so you have an idea what I charge. However, it's always fun to receive email from you guys ;).

And lastly, I have my first Facebook Giveaway! I passed the 100 likes. Thanks to everyone who joined! If you want to join, you have to leave a comment on the note on my page. If you comment here, it doesn’t count ;).

Till next time everyone & Remember to Smile!

Ciao!

A Look in the Past: Old Drawings & winner of the Giveaway

Hello everyone!

Before I do anything else, it is time to announce the winner of the Giveaway! *drum rolls*

It is Alejandro from 'Raising Amelie'!!! Woohoo. Congratulations! I shall contact you as soon as I can. A bit about Alejandro...he is a man with many names and personalities. One day he is Darth Vader, the other day he is Superman. I kid you not. He has a personal blog with lots of stories and Amelie is his cute little princess. He is really cool and I always have to laugh when I read his comments, even when he's serious. Yeah, I can't explain why. I just hear a funny voice in my head (Sorry A hehe). Do visit his blog when you have the chance ^_^.

I thought it would be fun to share some drawings from the past with you. I cleaned up my drawings folders and came across a few oldies. Well, I sort off clean up as I just made another pile hehe. I probably have a bunch more though. These drawings are done somewhere between 2001 and 2006.

 
I haven't got a lot of colored drawings from when I was younger. Correction, I don't think I have colored drawings. The thing is, I walked around for a long time, thinking that I would mess up my drawings if I colored them. I really believed that I couldn't do this and felt more comfortable working with pencil alone. Oh how things changed over time haha.

In the past, I really just re-drew art work. Nowadays I use it only as a reference to create my own drawings. Yes. I watched a lot of Dragonball and Dragonball Z. Let's just say, I watched a lot of anime. Hehe.

I often stare in shock when I see older work and I notice a LOT of mistakes *sigh*. Though as much as I want to toss it away, it is cool to see how my style developed over time. Also funny how adding color now feels like a second nature. If you would tell me I would be doing what I'm doing now I would stare at you like this -_-' saying 'Yeah Riiiiigghhht'. Kid you not haha.

I hope you liked this little peek in the past. Till next time!
Ciao!

Storytelling Time: Theft in the Cake shop.

Heey everyone!!

Okay, first of all you can still join the Giveaway and in order to do so please click this Magical Button and comment on the that post. If you comment here, you won't be added in the giveaway. The winner shall be announced on June 21th, 2011!

Next! I proudly announce that I'm an official columnist for the site Broowaha! Edit: I have my own column now, which you can find here, TJ on Illustrations. I will post something regarding the illustration business every Friday, starting next week. I will post some of the articles here as well as you need an account to leave comments there. So for the ones who only read my blog, this is the place to be. For the ones who are interesting in writing and connecting with other writers, do check out Broowaha. It's such a fun & friendly community. You won't be disappointed.

So now it's time for the flash story! A while ago, I was participating in another writers community and before it vanished into thin air ( I have nothing to do with it...) I spent a few fun weeks with other writers. Every week there were 5 prompts to choose from and you got critique and feedback on it. This story won :D. So exciting!

Theft in the Cake shop

As soon as Tess opened the door, Sandy burst in.
“Oh my god! Tess!”
“What? What is it?
“Oh my god! Really, you never gonna believe what happened”
“What! What has happened” Tess had all sorts of drama visualized in her head as they walked to the kitchen.
“Really I was shocked…”
“Come on! Just tell me!”
“There was a theft in the CupCakery Bakery!”
“There was a theft in CupCakery Bakery…oohkay this is shocking because…”
“He only stole the tops!”
“The tops? What tops?”
“The tops of the cupcakes!”
“Really? Only that?”
“Yeah! Apparently he said, ‘why steal it all, if you only like the tops’, marvelously said I think”
“Dude’s got a point there. Want to have some tea?”
Sandy just kept nodding with a big smile.
“But how did he do this? How was he able to only steal the tops?”
“Well, he had a special spatula and with one swift movement…” Sandy made a demonstration, “…he could place it under the frosting and scoop it right up. Oh yeah! The other end of the spatula made it possible to slice of muffin tops. He liked those too. They are crunchy.”
Tess tried not to laugh, this was the strangest story she ever heard. “Okay the muffin tops I can understand, but why the frosting?”
“He liked the swirly patterns.”
“I see. Well I guess that makes sense.”
“I guess that makes sense indeed too.”

So. Who wants a cupcake now :D?

Hope you liked it as well & Till next time everyone.

Ciao! *waves*

Another Year Has Passed! (closed)

Hey Everyone!

I am back and it is...my second Blogoversary today! Hooray!! So yes. This means another giveaway. But first, I just wanted to start with a BIG thank you to all again for the lovely support you gave me on my previous post. I read every single comment when I was feeling down and your lovely words cheered me up quite a lot. I couldn't thank you enough. No need to worry, I'm doing okay ^_^.

 

Sneak peek at a larger painting I did for my friend Tony Berkman.
It's one of my faves. Fishies everywhere!

So the moment all of you have been waiting for (probably not, but okay haha). The winner of the previous giveaway is.............
 

Congratulations Hanis! I believe you choose an underwater theme. I shall contact you or if you read this and you haven't gotten an email yet, feel free to send an email.

Now! Let's go to the other giveaway ;) 

2nd Blogoversary Doodle Giveaway  (closed)

I can't believe another year has passed. So much happened in one year, from quitting my studies, being a official artist, meeting lots of new friends. Are you guys ready for the next year???

- Feel free to subscribe to my blog, like my Facebook page or both. 

- The winner can decide what theme he/ she wants. Illustration will be around A5 size.

- The winner shall be announced on June 21th, 2011! So check back if you join the giveaway.

If you want to join, just let me know in the comments below. Also, when I reach 100 likes on my page, there will be a giveaway as well. There are quite a few ways to obtain an original a la TJ! Fun stuff ahead :D.

This post won't be filled with updates or ramblings just yet. I need to reorganize a lot of stuff haha. Oh before I go! Have I showed you below illustration? I can't recall now. It was for a giveaway over at the Self Exams Doodles page! A little boy who loves pirates :D. He has it hanging proudly on his door now!

See yer here, there & everywhere! Arrrghhh...

Ciao!

Do you like me? And a Doodle Giveaway! (closed)

Ciaooo Everyone!

First of all, I got such a lovely response on my previous post! Thanks to everyone who read it & left a wonderful comment! Also big thanks to the ones who shared it with others.

Meet the Deadly Gorgeous Ladies. Yes. This will be a new series of mini paintings. I created the ones above for a friend who is an excellent writer, mr. Bill Friday. Do visit his site when you have the chance, It's Always Friday.

For the ones who don't know it yet, I have a Facebook Fanpage! I (finally) created one as it's an easy way to keep everyone up to date with short rambles, new illustrations, sneak peeks and other news. While I tell longer stories on my blog. On the page I can also ask quick questions or feedback, so everyone can get creative there. There's a 'like' button in the left corner of my blog.

Okay, I do have a favor to ask from you. There is a review page in the menu on the FB page. I would love to have a review from the people who have an illustration by me or who has worked with me. You would really help me out with this as I try to build up my customers/client network. I think it would be like an extra motivation for future clients to commission me as an artist ^_^. If you don't have an artwork by me (yet) and you want to say something about me as person, you can do that as well haha. Thanks so much in advance!
 

Doodle Giveaway! (closed)

It's giveaway time again! Do a little dance everyone ^_^. This time no real rules as last time a lot of the participants were already subscribers hehe. If you're not, I'd love for you to subscribe to my blog or like my page or both. However, I leave the choice up to you. The winner can choose out of the following subjects for an A5 illustration (give or take): pirates, underwater, anime, pin-up and creepy cuteness.

If you want to join, just leave a comment on this post with the subject of choice and I'll use the random.org site to pick the winner. I'll announce the winner on May 31th (2011, just in case you were wondering 2012. Hehe.)

There will also be giveaways via my Facebook Fanpage, so if you miss your chance here, keep an eye on the page, because you can have another chance soon! Warning: There will be a giveaway when I reach 100 likes...

 

Pink Fluffiness for the little princess of my friend Paul Groom

This is it! For now anyway. I've so much to blog about as I also got a new award from two lovely people and lots of new art is on its way! So I need to break it down, because I can easily write a super long post for you guys haha.

Stay tuned & Till next time.

Ciao!

3. The Buzz on TJ

Soon I shall add a few testimonials of people who ordered or worked with me ^_^.


Interviews/Features/Sweet Posts:
I've been featured on several websites and if you want to have a read what others have to say about me, just visit on of the links below:

1. Interview on TickleCity Award by Andrew Walsh  - Creative Artist Doodles, Blogs and Even Eyes Career
 
2. Artist Feature by Natsuki Otani from Illustration Rally - Artist nr. 62 TJ Lubrano

3. Surprise post by the awesome Tricia Lornton - Monday Marvels

4. A sweet post by the lovely Dana Ward after she got my commission - Paint Me Pretty

5. Collaboration with writer Janene Murphy - Noah's Ark Terror Never Looked So Cute

6. The Blogger behind the Blog. A BlogCatalog Interview by Tony Berkman - A Magical Treat Inside the Mind of Creationist TJ Lubrano

7. An online Blog Art Exhibition by Trade Your Talent, Susanna Maier - Flower Girls / "Nothing Else Matters"

8. A Beautiful Poem written by the amazingly sweet Cher from Askcherlock - La Danse Du Jour For TJ

9. Accompanied illustration done by me for Colobus Creative – Digitales Veröffentlichen.
 

1. What to Order

2. How to Order

4. FAQ



Email: tjlubrano@live.com



Last updated on February 17th, 2012 by TJ Lubrano

4. FAQ

 Have a seat & a drink please. Here I will discuss several topics and I really advice you to read it, so you know how everything works and that there’s no delay in your order. 

But first of all: Thank You for taking your time to read this.

Who is TJ Lubrano?
Oh. Do visit the 'Who is TJ' page for more insight in who I am.

What information do you need?
When you commission me, it speeds up the process if you are as clear & detailed as possible. Please visit check the 'Commission Me' tab, to read what you need to send me if you want to order something from me

How do you work?
Everything you see is created on high quality (HQ) watercolor paper with watercolor and ink pens. After this, I’ll make a HQ scan and edit it in Photoshop. I keep you posted on the progress. I elaborated more on this question here: How To Order? Just have a read there and hopefully it answers all your questions.

How do you breathe life in your illustrations?
To see how an illustration comes to life, you can visit the WIP page. Here you can see how I kept track of the creative process of several illustrations. Enjoy! I wish there was a secret in how I do this, but I just add layers of paint in it haha.

Are there Original artwork a la TJ for sale?
Ooh yes! There are original paintings for sale. I will add everything in my Etsy Shop.

I keep HQ scans and pictures of all my illustrations, so I rather have my art hung up on a wall then stuffed away in a portfolio folder. They are ready to travel to their new homes. But keep in mind that they are unframed as this will reduce the shipping costs and the risk of broken glass while it’s traveling to you.

So what type of occasions can I think of?
Let your imagination run wild (but don’t let it get too far hehe)! You can think of e.g. baby showers, nursery rooms, bridal parties, bachelor/bachelorette party, children parties and gifts for your department at your office. The options are endless, but one thing is for sure: This will make a truly wonderful gift. For themes you can think of, please visit this link: What To Order?

When do I have to pay?
Payment is due up front. If it's a higher amount, payment in installments is possible, but this shall be discussed when it's necessary. As soon as I receive your payment (or 1st installment) & design information, I’ll notify you. After payment I will start with the creative process of creating awesome designs for you.

Shipping & Handling
Once your order is shipped, I’ll let you know and provide you with a tracking code if there is one. I’ve had no troubles so far sending out packages without tracking code, but if you don’t want to take any risks; insured shipping is possible. Express delivery is optional as well. Contact me, if you want to know the specific costs.

The client is responsible for any extra duties and custom charges that may occur when the package is shipped. Also, double check your address when you send it to me as I copy that exactly.

How long will it take?
It will take around approximately 4 to 8 weeks for the order to be ready and safely shipped to your home. Of course it depends on what you order, the quantity and the complexity of it. Please keep this in mind if you want to have illustrations on time.

Hope I answered all your questions, feel free to browse around and if you still have questions, I’m just an email away!

1. What to Order

2. How to Order

3. The Buzz on TJ


Email: tjlubrano@live.com



Last updated on February 17th, 2012 by TJ Lubrano

* Regarding TNT delivery service: I say quite fast as I can’t control developments in the world. Things like strikes, death of wanted criminals *ahem*, well they can influence the time of delivery. I’ll always check if there’s something happening that may hinder the delivery, if so, I’ll let you know straight away!

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