Free Downloadable Veggie Coloring Pages /  by Esther Loopstra

I've been working with the AIGA Seattle Design for Good team to create a brand and outreach for Delridge Grocery Co-op here in Seattle.  They are working to grow the Co-op and this summer they had a farm stand where they sell fresh fruit and veggies. They also had food trucks, face painting and music. I created this coloring page as an outreach and marketing tool for them. 

Now I'm giving it to you! You can download this page for your kiddos (or you) to color. Just click on the link below and print out! 

 

My Review of "How to get Illustration Clients" by Alex Mathers /  by Esther Loopstra

Earlier this summer as I was beginning to get more focused on marketing and creating a brand for myself I came across Alex Mather's book on Amazon How to get Illustration Clients . Here is my review of the book which Alex also featured on his latest blog post. If you haven't signed up for his newsletter, do it...he always has a ton of great info for illustrators.

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Practical tips for finding an Illustration style /  by Esther Loopstra

Hi Everyone! I recently began working in a different style of illustration, one that I've been thinking about and playing with for a long time. I thought I'd share a bit about my process and my creative "breakthrough". I feel that I have a consistent style as far as my illustrations go, but my paintings are a bit more free flowing and intuitive.

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What I learned by drawing the same thing for 100 days /  by Esther Loopstra

This summer I jumped into The 100 day Project. This was started by Elle Luna & The Great Discontent as a way to create ANYTHING for 100 days and share on Instagram what we have made. It was a way to love the PROCESS of making and not so much about the goal of creating one beautiful thing. 

We all know that if we want to learn something new or improve our skills we HAVE to do one thing: KEEP DOING IT. I’ve always struggled to keep a sketchbook consistently, so this project helped immensely. My project was to create lettering and a food illustration every day. You can see my Instagram feed here.

Here is what I learned while in the process:

1. DONT’  TRY TO DO TOO MUCH AT ONCE

When giving myself a goal - I always try to do TOO much. I wanted to include all of the things that I love to draw in my daily drawings - food - lettering - pattern AND I was trying to draw a whole meal. This proved to be fine on some days and overwhelming on other days when I didn’t have enough time. Later I kept it simple and chose certain vegetables and fruit with lettering. 

My advice: don’t take on more than you can chew, start with something simple, because you don’t want to feel overwhelmed and give up. The key is to choose something SUSTAINABLE.

2. THINK DIFFERENTLY 

I don’t know about you, but as a creative person I get BORED. This assignment forced me to figure out new and exciting ways to create lettering or to layout my illustrations. This lead to some very interesting new work and ways of working. Coming up with new solutions to problems is what we do as creative people and having a practice that FORCES you to think differently is invaluable.

My advice: Don’t be afraid to try something new - that’s the whole point of creating! The question, "What would happen if I did THIS?" is one of the most important questions we can ask and helps us enjoy this process. One idea leads to another, leads to another and pretty soon you have a whole new way of working!

3. GET INTO A ROUTINE

At first as you can imagine, it’s exciting to begin a project like this and you are full of energy and ideas. But after a couple weeks, I started to get a bit bored and anxious. But something else happened. It became AUTOMATIC. I knew I had to finish an illustration a day, so I would keep my sketchbook handy and whenever I had time (on the train, doctors office, etc.) I would start sketching. And guess what? I STILL do it even after the project is over. They say it takes about 21 days to create a habit, making creativity a habit is the ONLY way to improve our skills.

My advice: Just do it! Whatever it is that you want to start or get better at, the only way you ever will is if you practice. Don’t be afraid of how bad you are, just keep working at it, day after day.

This project was such a great experience, I learned so much, met wonderful people and came away with new artwork and illustration gigs.  Thanks to everyone who joined in!

New Etsy Shop /  by Esther Loopstra

I recently opened my new Etsy shop! It has prints of many of my travel and food illustrations and I am slowly adding more each week. Most prints are 8"X10" or 8"X8" and are printed on high quality Epson art paper. I am also able to print larger versions or create custom orders, just contact me! Stop on by and check it out.