A New Website, and My First Orders!

So since starting my new little company a week or so ago, I have decided to move from a Facebook Shop to a simple website called Helen Cryer Art. Ordering is still via messaging/emailing me, but it's a start! I'm also happy to say I've had my first few orders!

I thought I'd share a couple of the products from my website. This is my Floral Monogram design, which is on 140lb cold pressed watercolour paper paper, and uses beautiful Daniel Smith watercolour paints.

A couple of orders that went out this week.

Here is my Floral Border design. This uses Frenchic paints which are super popular in the home decor world at the moment! I thought it would be fun to create paintings that tie in with decor colours. Here are paintings for my us, my parents and niece. I have a couple of orders for this design to fulfil this week, funnily enough both for shops, one of which sells Frenchic paint!
I used old Stampin' Up and Elizabeth Craft Designs dies for some of the lettering.

My New Facebook Page & Shop

For a couple of weeks now, I've been working on a project which both excites me and scares me silly - a Facebook Page selling my own artwork!

I painted (using either watercolours or acrylics on A4 sized watercolour paper) a personalised design for each of my nieces and nephews. I've really enjoyed it, and thought I'd like to do similar work for others, so I'm in the process of photographing them all and uploading them to a Facebook Shop, as examples.

I'm full of doubts - firstly will anyone like them? Have I got the level of detail right? (I can create much more detailed and time consuming pieces, but then they won't be easily re-creatable or affordable...) Is the price right? (I'd like them to be accessible for people, but also want to place respectable value on my time.) Will people think I overestimate my abilities?! (I know there are a million more accomplished people than me out there!) More than anything though, I'm loving it! Since we moved to Cornwall, I haven't had a job, so I'd like to give this little venture a go, while I have some time and mental space. Fingers crossed!!

If you are interested in looking, my new Facbook Page is here.

It's doesn't yet have all the options uploaded yet, but will do within the next couple of days.

Hallway Mural in our New Home

Hello!!!! I sincerely hope this post finds you and your loved ones happy and well during this unsettling time.

My family moved into our permanent home in Cornwall a couple of weeks before lockdown, after a moving process that took nearly a year, and involved living in three interim houses (not including Airbnb's!!) with just skeleton possessions. My husband drove back to Cambridgeshire with a van and collected most of our belongings that were still in storage, two days before lockdown! 

We got unpacked quickly, and ever since I have been painting the whole house with three coats of white paint.

A few weeks ago though, I got fed-up of just painting things white, so thought it would be fun to paint a mural in the hallway. I wasn't scared of it looking too awful or being too bright, because I figured I'd just pain over it again after lockdown!

Anyway, here it is!

I looked on the internet for ideas, and used some flowers/vegetation that I came across for loose inspiration, but mainly I just made things up as I went along. I'd draw an element in pencil first, then it would take about three coats of paint. I took quite a bit of time over getting the lines neat. I think I worked on for about four days solid.

I used paints that I already had on hand. The background was already matt white emulsion paint, and for the colours I mainly used white Frenchic paint, with kids' acrylic paints from Wilkos mixed in. I also used a couple of other Frenchic paints too. I stuck to a reasonably limited palate of colours I am planning on using elsewhere in the house.

I also painted the banister in Frenchic paint (a colour I mixed up myself), to tie in with one of the colours used in the mural, and also the bluey-grey stair carpet which we are keeping. (The hallway floor is going to be tiled though.)

Here's the before (from the estate agent's leaflet):

I painted an old mirror frame in one of the colours from the mural too.

 In the living room (which currently houses all the dining room furniture too, because my daughter has come home for lockdown and moved into the dining room!), I also painted the double doors a similar duck egg blue. It's been so immensely satisfying to see all the reddy-brown varnished woodwork change to pale blues and whites!

I also finally got brave enough to hang a couple of my own pieces of art on the wall - the kingfisher drawing, and the sea painting.

The only question now is, how long does the mural stay?! It's quite grown on me, so maybe it will survive beyond lockdown!