Tag: Silly Badger Designs

Cats, Cats and More Cats!

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Well, what a month May was! I spent most of the month being super busy drawing and painting lots of cats so I was ready for the cat fair on the 31st. It was such a fun experience and the fair itself was wonderful, I had so much fun and did so well. I don’t often do fairs as I’ve had a few bad experiences but this was just amazing. I got to meet lots of cat lovers and talk about lots of cats which was the best! So a huge thank you to everyone who stopped by my table and chatted, took a flyer or even made a purchase! You have no idea how wonderful each and every chat and sale was for me. It meant the world.

Unfortunately I didn’t get any good photos from the day because if I’m being completely honest I was a nervous wreck and ended up with a headache half way through the day, that was annoying. But it was absolutely fantastic and it was just so nice to get out and talk about cats.

I may not have photos from the day but here’s a look at some of the new products I made for the fair!

I made greeting cards, art prints, a glossy sticker pack, some vinyl cat stickers and some hand painted cat pin badges! They’re all new designs created in April and May and they’re all available in my shops now!

SHOP HERE for UK customers and SHOP ETSY for international customers.

My new hand painted pins (shown above) might be one of my favourite things, I loved painting them with all the different coat patterns and adding all the tiny details. I think I might paint some more over the summer. These are only available in my shop and not on Etsy so if you’re an international customer and would like one please contact me using my contact me page

And finally after spending around 6 weeks drawing and painting a variety of cats I’m drawing them in my sleep! If you’re interested in getting a cat pet portrait done by me now would be a great time, you can find out more about pet portraits here

I hope you had a fantastic May, I’m currently taking things a bit slower after the crazy rush throughout May so I think June might be a bit calmer. Maybe. I also have a lot of ideas floating around my mind so who knows what might happen next!

Have a fab June!

Siobhan x

Frome Cat-Lit Fair!

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For any of my local pals I will be having a table here on May 31st! I haven’t sold in person for a few years now so this is both super exciting and making me super anxious.

But the best bit is I get to create lots of cat goodies to share on the day, if you’re local and free on May 31st please come say hi!

March at Silly Badger Designs

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A month of doodles, magical collaborations and ponies!

It’s been a busy month here with lots of admin and lots of drawing! I spent a good part of this month drawing some cute ponies and a magical rat. I’m hoping to start using my sketchbooks more in April so maybe I’ll have some fun silly doodles to share with you next month.

But this month I’ve been busy with the cute ponies and also working on some custom portraits featuring some very cute ratties and a fog idea, I’m looking forward to painting some fog in the background for this one as it’s something I haven’t painted often if ever, this customer always gives me fun challenges.

Here’s a little look at some of my work in progress updates.

Pony Sketches
A rough sketch for a custom portrait

Custom Painted Ratty!

I got to create two custom wooden ratties this month which was lots of fun. I love painting these woonden ratties so when I got my first orders for custom designs I was so excited for the challenge. One of them included a red clover theme which was so much fun to paint, it had a fun 3D feel to it after being varnished that was just so fab. You can get your own custom painted ratty here.

Custom painted wooden ratty with a cute red clover theme.

A new design and a new cross stitch pattern!

This month I worked with the amazing Misha of MadeByMishMoo to bring another fun design to life. We’ve been discussing lots of magical potions lately and the bottle series has come to life! This month we started with this adorable potion rat design. I feel like a rat potion is probably a happiness potion, rats bring so much happiness to our lives. After a rough day one of the best things that cheers me up is having our boys run around and be little mischiefs or of course the little ratty kisses that melt our hearts.

I absolutely love how Misha brought this pattern to life. I was so nervous that I’d added too much detail to everything or too many colours but the final pattern looks absolutely fantastic. You can find this pattern and more by myself and other fab artists here.

New Products!

And to end the month I added a couple of surprise products! I loved the potion rat design that I created for the cross stitch pattern and when I got my hands on on some holographic vinyl sticker stock I just had to bring these to life. The holographic vinyl is just perfect for this magical design.

I also worked on something else that has been sitting in my iPad for months now. I made some original rough doodles of pony faces last summer (It’s been that long!) and then they just got forgotten. I kept trying to work on them but I just wasn’t feeling it until this month. It’s so nice to hold them in my hands now that they’re finally stickers and not just a digital design in a folder! I really want to design more pony products now!

Shop Now -Etsy
Shop now – uk

What’s coming this April?

Well April is a bit special as it’s my birthday this month! So I’ve decided to do something a bit special to celebrate. So from April 1st to April 30th ALL orders will be getting a little freebie sticker featuring this little cake thief!

April Freebie Sticker

I wasn’t sure what to create for this little freebie but the idea of a little rat running off with a piece of cake just seemed perfect. I’m always a bit weird with birthdays but one thing I’m always happy about is a good yummy cake! I hope you like him!

Other things coming in April are more fabric designs, some Redbubble updates, more drawing and using my sketchbook, and eating cake!

Have a fantastic April!

Pet portraits

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One of the most common things I’m asked is how does the pet portrait process happen? What happens next after I’ve made my order?

So, I decided to make this post to give you an idea of how it all works!

Firstly it all starts with someone contacting me with an idea for a portrait. In this example a lovely customer contacted me about creating a portrait of her friend’s dog who had recently passed ❤️ she wanted it based on a photo with the dog wearing a crown. It’s great when a customer gives me clear instructions like this so I know exactly what I need to create. I always need at least one photo to work with for portraits, especially if the animal has particular markings eg. White patches. And always include a bit of information on the animal and its character along with any ideas you’d like to have included. This can be elaborate like some of my customers who want to include a lot of background or it can be simple, just asking for no background but maybe include a favourite treat or toy.

Once I have the reference images and information I get to work creating a rough sketch! This is something that confuses some people as they worry this is the final illustration but this is just a sketch to give you an idea of the pose for the portrait. At this stage I can easily make any changes so it’s really just a rough idea that we can change until you’re happy with it.

The initial rough sketch

As you can see this is a fairly scruffy rough sketch but like I said, this is just an initial sketch to show you how the portrait would look with the pose and any other items that are included.

At this stage the customer asked for a small change to give him “resting bitch face” so I made the edits and it got approved so I moved to refining it and creating a final sketch for the portrait.

The final sketch before painting

Once a sketch is approved I get started on the final painting! I transfer this sketch to watercolour paper if it’s a traditional painting or if it’s digital I just start adding the colours now. This was a traditional painting so I transferred the sketch to the watercolour paper and start to add colour!

The base colours and line art

At this point I try to get the base colours and the shadows added. In this particular portrait as he had a crown I decided to make it shiny and metallic. I update the customer at all of these stages to make sure they’re happy with the progress and to confirm that I’m getting the colours and markings correct. This is important if I’m working from limited photos.

The customer was very happy with the progress at this point so I continued with the final layers of paint and added some extra details.

And he’s finished!

I send the final update to the customer and once approved the portrait is then packed with a backing board in a biodegradable cello bag to keep it protected and gets wrapped up in some tissue paper before being sent out to its new home.

And thats the full process of creating a pet portrait from the initial message to the portrait being posted. If this is a digital portrait the process is similar except after the final approval the portrait will be emailed to the customer.

If you have any questions about pet portraits you can always get in touch and ask me anything.

I hope this was helpful! Thanks for reading!

Siobhan

Burn Out

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I’m going to do my best not to apologise whilst I write this, because let’s be honest. I’ve spent most of this year apologising for my lack of posts, lack of interaction, lack of art, lack of products, lack of… me.

The truth is, this year has broken me a bit. After the last few crazy years and pushing through and staying strong, 2022 brought an intense kind of burn out that has wiped me out. For the past few years, for various reasons, I have been fighting to keep everything going and to keep my business alive and a happy place full of goodies to make people smile and bring a bit of light to the world.

I’m stubborn by nature, so naturally, when faced with this challenge, I jumped head first and fought back. It worked. Of course it worked! If you have the motivation and the passion, you can achieve it, but of course, it has come at a price. After over two years of this mega work and pushing and creating and after a year of health ups and downs and my mental health taking a bad turn, I now find myself a bit tired.

But again, I’m not going to apologise even though I feel as though I should. I am also not writing this for sympathy or anything else. I don’t tend to share much personal stuff with the world, as I am not fantastic at words. That’s why I mostly stick to pictures, but I just feel like I need to get this out.

This is the first year I haven’t had a new Christmas collection. I didn’t have many new autumn designs really either. I took on so much custom work. I was working all the hours possible on that and I’m now here realising that I have no time for new art and to be honest, I’ve been working on some BIG projects that have left me a little bit low on creative juices. I’m struggling to even paint or draw for myself at the moment. But again, that’s due to burn out.

I’ve had to make the tough decision this year to actually take a step back and prioritise myself and my health over my business, which again feels weird, but it’s also necessary. I’m actually feeling nervous even writing this because it feels wrong to write it down here. Like admitting I need to take a break is a bad thing. It really isn’t, but it feels so wrong. I feel like I should be pushing more and creating and doing more and just going back to how I was before, but at the same time, I think I’ve come to the conclusion that the only way to go back to that version of myself is to actually take a break.

So this year there will be no new artwork or designs for the festive season and I will be closing both of my shops on December 15th. My last postage day will be December 16th and then I will be closed until the new year and hopefully a long break over Christmas will allow me to recharge and regain the energy I need to run my business.

It’s not personal, it’s not a cry for help. It’s an artist looking after herself for once and making sure she’s ready for all the fun the new year holds. Because I might not have managed to get all my new ideas ready this year but you can guarantee I’ll have them ready next year. And that feels bad too. Oh it’s so hard when you have so much you want to do but you’re just too tired to get there! My head is so full of new ideas that are so exciting but my body just wants to rest. Again, burn out.

But these new ideas are ready for the new year once I’ve recharged and have my muse back!

I just want to add a huge thank you to everyone who has stuck with me for the past few years and all the new faces and friends I’ve made. You remind me why I do this crazy job in the first place and in all honesty this job is one of my biggest passions. It’s a huge part of who I am and I am unbelievably grateful for everything I have with this business. I’m hoping to do a year round up post in December and you can guarantee it’s going to be overflowing with gratitude!

Thank you if you read this far and thank you for supporting me and my artwork!

Maybe throughout December I can do a few fun things and posts but for now I’m just going to take things one day at a time. I think that’s a good way to go for the rest of the year. Small steps and one day at a time.

Have a fantastic week!

Also if what I’ve written about today sounds familiar, you may be feeling the burn out too! If so please remember to look after yourself. You can’t pour from an empty cup is so painfully true. Don’t be like me and wait until you’re completely exhausted before looking after yourself. Remember to recharge!

Open for Business

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I am so very excited to announce that both my Etsy and my Shopify shops are now open!

If you’ve been following me for a while you will know that I’ve been trying to get everything up and running for a few months now and it just kept getting put back or something else would come up which was incredibly annoying but it’s made opening the shop even more amazing!

A HUGE thank you goes out to my boyfriend who basically got everything running for me because he’s blooming amazing!

My shopify shop is UK only so far but my Etsy shop has some international options still. Digital orders are also still open worldwide.

I will have more updates over the next few weeks including my autumn/Christmas shop updates! So keep an eye out for that.

I hope September has treated you well and that you’re excited for Octobers arrival tomorrow! I know I am, it’s one of my favourite months of the year and I am ready for the fun adventures in nature, painting and updating the shops with fun goodies!

I’m even tempted to join a month challenge… maybe. We shall see if I have the time! If you got this far, thanks so much for reading and your continued support for me and my artwork. It really does mean so much to me.

Wishing you an October full of small happy moments.

Siobhan x

Summer Update!

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It’s been a busy year so far at the badger studio which has left me a bit quiet on here and social media so I thought it was about time that I posted an update about everything that’s going on right now!

What’s currently going on with Silly Badger Designs?

My Etsy shop is currently closed whilst I am busy catching up on custom work, I have a bit of a fun list including logos, detailed portrait illustrations and a book! Yes, a book that I’ve been keeping quiet about as I was unsure whether the customer would appreciate me sharing about it but I will just keep it vague. All I will say is that it’s a lot more work than I was originally expecting!

My Etsy shop is also closed whilst I’m getting the Autumn/winter designs finalised, products made and getting my new shop ready to launch!

Thanks to my partner who has actually spent a good part of today working hard to help me get my Shopify shop ready, I am now planning on launching the new shop later this month so keep an eye out for more information on that soon! I’m hoping to open it with some discounts (for newsletter subscribers) and fun freebies!

Along with all of this I’ve been getting on top of my admin, I actually did my tax return early this year! and I’ve been creating new fabric designs that are now available in my Spoonflower shop.

What’s coming soon to Silly Badger Designs?

September

  • Well as previously mentioned I will be launching my Shopify shop later this month and reopening my Etsy shop. There will be new items available in both shops including some of my new autumn designs and products.
  • I’m currently working hard to get the new designs and products made. I’m very excited because I’m getting some products printed and I love receiving them in the post. It’s so amazing seeing your own designs printed.
  • I’m also working on some craft kits and will hopefully be able to offer both digital and physical versions of these.

October

  • Full Autumn/Winter and Christmas updates will be going live in the shops and I will be opening a limited amount of places for Christmas custom work. More on this in a later post.
  • I will be updating my print on demand shops including my fabrics and Redbubble shops.
  • I will hopefully be adding some digital products to my shops and adding some craft kits! Again more on this in a later post.

November

  • This month will mostly involve me getting orders packed and sent along with completing custom work for the festive period.
  • I will be ending international delivery mid to late November on my Etsy shop as I just don’t trust the postal systems this year and I don’t want any of my customers to be disappointed with their delivery/orders.

December

  • This is the month where things start to calm down a bit and I get ready to take my Christmas break. I’m not 100% decided on when the shops will be closing but I will let everyone know closer to the time.

It’s definitely a lot of work right now and I do feel like I’m running around all the time but it’s going to be worth it. All of my new ideas are giving me back my passion and motivation for my business and it feels great to have that back again.

So for now I shall continue to be busy working behind the scenes and getting these new goodies ready to go! Maybe I’ll even manage to find the time to share my work in progress with you!

I hope you’ve all had a lovely summer and are looking forward to the new season, here’s a recent work in progress sketch so that I actually share some artwork and not just words today!

Silly Badger Designs

Hello March!

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We’re only a few days in and it’s already been a busy and exciting month so far!

I started out with a little shop update that was incredibly unplanned. I cannot express how unplanned it truly was as the earliest I was thinking of doing a shop update was the end of March and yet on the 2nd I had all the new products ready to go so I just went for it. I’m so happy I did though as it was a fun and cheerful update that seems to have brightened the shop.

One of the new card designs available in the shop now!

The shop update also included some new art prints that are featured in my portfolio. One of my biggest goals this year is to expand my portfolio so there are some non ratty designs available too including this horse design. This print was inspired by my longing for those warm hazy summer days when you can go for a gentle walk in the countryside past fields of horses that are usually quite friendly and nosy as you walk past them. It was created whilst there was snow and ice outside. Is it obvious I’m craving the warmer weather?

Summer Dreams art print

It’s not my usual art print style but I really love how this illustration came out and I love that it just makes me feel happy and think of happy memories of Cornish holidays.

You can see the rest of the shop update by going to my Etsy Shop

The rest of the month is slowly coming together in my planner and I’m very excited to be sharing more here and on my Instagram account (sillybadgerdesigns) You can see a lot of behind the scenes and updates there and I’m hoping to show some of my sketchbook work on my account later on this month so keep an eye out for that!

In other news my Spoonflower shop is back open with a small amount of ratty faces designed fabrics. You can find a link to my shop in my find me elsewhere page. I’m hoping to add a few more designs to the shop over the next few months and I will also be adding a woven monkey shop once that’s all set up.

Basically the rest of the month is incredibly busy and I’m bursting with new ideas that I can’t wait to make a reality and share! But for now I will leave it with the shop updates, so remember to follow me on Instagram to keep up to date on what’s happening!

And sign up to my newsletter as my first email will be going out at the beginning of April.

Have a happy March! 🙂

Welcome to Silly Badger Designs!

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Hello!

Thank you so much for visiting my (new) website and a big special thank you if you’re reading this because you’re also reading my first blog!

Starting a blog has been on my to do list along with creating a website so as I’ve just done one I thought I might as well tick off another big scary thing from the to do list.

I thought as it’s the first blog post I would take a moment to let you know a little bit more about myself and Silly Badger Designs

I currently work from my home studio where I create artwork and illustrations with a mixture of art mediums from digital art to inks, watercolours and pencils. You can usually find me doodling something or packing orders with Merlin, my sprocker spaniel at my feet (or more likely on my lap lately). Either that or he’ll be sitting and glaring at me for not focussing all my attention on him.

And after mentioning the little floof monster, here is Merlin. He features a lot in my artwork and as a crazy dog mum I must share him on here!

Crazy and cute little alien!

I’ve been running Silly Badger Designs since early 2016, my shop is currently on Etsy where you can find lots of printed goodies with my designs on them. Nearly all of my items there are handmade by myself.

You can also find my work on products through my redbubble shop too.

This year I’m hoping to expand my portfolio and take on a few big projects that I can’t really mention just yet as I’m afraid I’ll jinx it! However I’m hoping to have fabric designs available by mid spring. I’ve also started using a sketchbook again after a few years break so I’m hoping to share more from that over on my Instagram and potentially here.

I am also taking pet portrait commissions again. They’re limited availability at the moment as I don’t have enough time to take on many until later on in the year so if you’re interested in commissioning me please let me know via the contact page or go to pet portraits in my shop for more information.

Finally I’d love to hear from you so feel free to come say hi or to let me know if there’s anything you’d like to see in future blogs! You really want to see more Merlin right?

Siobhan