Thursday, March 28, 2024
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New in June From The Creative Cat

framed pastel painting of two cats at window
“The Sunny Upstairs Window”, pastel © B.E. Kazmarski

This month I have several of the daily sketches you liked best for sale and I’ve been busy with block prints for note cards and textiles, and I’ve compiled two new sets of greeting cards for you to choose from. I’m also experimenting with a monthly desktop calendar featuring one of my paintings for you to download!

Specials for Adopt-a-Cat Month

I firmly believe that looking at beautiful images fills our hearts with a special sort of peace, and also promotes love for the subject of the image, and so I always hope with every image I share that I am helping to promote a peaceful world in even a tiny way and a love of cats in all their beautiful shapes and colors and ways of being. Because June is Adopt-A-Cat month, I’ll be offering specials to help promote adopting cats from shelters—if you’re not convinced already, I hope this will!

Favorite Daily Sketches

Above and is “The Sunny Upstairs Window” from May 11, 2012. I found a blue barnwood frame that perfectly matches one of the blues in the painting. I used a vivid purple for the mat, and while I often like a wider mat for original art, I just liked the narrow band of color in this case, wanting to keep this quiet but bright little painting small. Overall it’s 8″ x 10″, and I’m very pleased to see this sweet little sketch, very popular on The Creative Cat, in a mat and frame. The original is for sale in my Etsy shop.

Ink and watercolor, individually or as a group

four framed ink and watercolor sketches
Four ink and watercolor sketches from April and May.

I always receive a volume of feedback on my daily sketches on The Creative Cat, and this past month I explored a medium and style I’ve always loved: working a detailed ink drawing then adding watercolor washes, these using watercolor pencils. Kelly and Mimi inspired these four sketches and I decided to present them in identical white frames and similar mat styles, each with a wide white top mat and a 1/8″ bottom mat in a different bright color with a black core edge. Each sketch is 5″ x 7″ framed in an 8″ x 10″ frame, and I’m offering them individually or as a set of 4 for a little grouping (the white frames are difficult to photograph and keep color consistent; they really are all the same color). Click here or on the image above to see the sketches in detail and read about each of them on the day I posted them on The Creative Cat, and find them in my Etsy shop individually:

I will also sell these in sets of two or all four, so please ask if you are interested. 

Another popular pastel sketch

“Art Cat” is from February but was very popular when I posted it, an experiment with a new type of pastel drawing paper. I finally found a frame that worked well with it, a narrow bright blue metal, and used a lighter, bright blue mat for a colorful and modern little piece, overall 14″ x 9″. Click here or on the image below to see the art in detail and read about the sketch.

framed pastel sketch of cat
“Art Cat”, pastel © B.E. Kazmarski

All sketches will be available as framed or unframed prints. I can often frame the print in the same materials or in similar style, or something entirely different if you’d rather. You can also visit The Creative Cat in the category Daily Sketch to see more sketches and to read an article which displays and describes each one, or visit the Daily Sketches gallery in my Etsy shop to see which other sketches are available.

Handmade, hand-printed, hand-painted Tortie Girls textiles

I’ve always offered my block print designs on a variety of textiles, from tees to tablecloths, one of the reasons I love that medium. I had wanted to find a washable alternative to the oil-based inks I’d been using, and the cold-set fabric dye I’d long used to paint the Tortie Girls designs was no longer available. Beginning last summer I experimented with various inks and fabric paints and came up with a combination of materials that are easy to use and washable, widely available and non-toxic and in addition to the tees I’m happy to present the first of a line of textiles.

hand-printed placemats with tortoiseshell cats
My tortie girls Cookie and Kelly on canvas placemats!

Tortie Girls Placemats

I made these extra-large 15″ x 19″ placemats of sturdy cotton duck with the edges stay-stitched and fringed. Each is signed and dated below the design as any of my art is, so it’s art for your table! I have six of “The Goddess”, left, and four of “The Roundest Eyes”, right, and they are for sale in sets. You can find them in my shop on Etsy and see more detail shots of them as well.

“The Goddess” placemat, set of four

“The Goddess” placemat, set of two

“The Roundest Eyes” placemat, set of four

block printed tablecloths with tortoiseshell cats
Tortie Girls Tablecloths!

Tortie Girls Tablecloths and Runner

I keep a bolt of unbleached cotton muslin on hand for these little accent tablecloths. Each 36″ x 36″ tablecloth has the same image printed four times, one on each edge. The Roundest Eyes table runner is 11″ x 36″. Each is signed and dated below the design and has my handwritten “label” reading “handmade, hand-printed, hand-painted” and the year. Washing instructions are included on a separate tag. I have only one of each tablecloth and one table runner—for now!

“The Roundest Eyes” 36″ x 36″ tablecloth

“The Goddess” 36″ x 36″ tablecloth

“The Roundest Eyes” 11″ x 36″ table runner

Hand-printed “Tabbies” Summer Notecards

Bright-colored card stock and bright-colored inks, I’ve been having fun experimenting with the “Tabbies” series in different styles and colors.

colorful hand-printed notecards
“Tabbies” handmade block-printed notecards for summer.

These 4.25″ x 5.5″ note cards come in two different sets determined by paper color, but the four designs and five inks are randomly grouped to make each set of cards unique. They are stamped inside with “Meow”, and have matching envelopes that are stamped with fuzzy pawprints. I pack them in a clear-top stationery box—you can see more detail images on Etsy. I have four sets of each ready to go!

“Summer”, above left,  has six different summery paper colors and five different ink colors, magenta, green, blue, orange and purple; each set includes one card in each color paper stock, with design and ink color randomly chosen so each set is a surprise; cards are stamped inside with “Meow” using a commercial stamp, and on the back with my information. Six matching envelopes with fuzzy pawprints stamped in the lower right corner are included. See set of six Tabbies Notecards in Summer Colors in my Etsy shop.

“Brights”, above right, has five different Astrobright paper colors and five different ink colors, magenta, green, blue, orange and purple; each set includes one card in each color paper stock, with design and ink color randomly chosen so each set is a surprise; cards are stamped inside with “Meow” using a commercial stamp, and on the back with my information. Six matching envelopes with fuzzy pawprints stamped in the lower right corner are included. See set of five Tabbies Notecards in Bright Colors

Two New Sets of Greeting Cards, By Request

Just as the daily sketches have produced popular images, so the daily photos have as well. I’ve been trying to expand my offering of photo cards and plenty of readers gave me feedback about which ones they’d like to see. My cats have no choice in being my models, especially “if they like to eat” as I always tell them when they roll their eyes about being my models.

These cards are 5″ x 7″, blank inside and printed on 12 pt. card stock with matching natural white envelopes and packed in a clear-top white cardboard greeting card box. On the back is the story of the photo.

set of four cards with black cats
Compositions in Green and Black

Compositions in Green and Black

Who knew that vintage mint green sink would photograph in such a rich tone, especially when filled with a black cat? From the time I installed the new bathroom, the black cats owned it and the contrast of their black fur with the mint green fixtures and white walls and floor has been stunning and created some of the most favorite photos in my cat collection.

The set includes two familiar images, but really focuses on one kitty—Jelly Bean! “God, I’m Cute” pictures Jelly Bean admiring himself in the mirror long offered as a greeting card, and “Drink Straight From the Tap” shows the Fantastic Four all drinking from the sink faucet at the same time. The new designs are “Composition in Green and Black”, offered by request but one of my favorite atmospheric images of Jelly Bean dozing in the sun on the edge of the sink, and “Toe Cleaning in Green and Black”, the Bean once again in a close-up capture of activity with the mint green sink reflecting on Bean’s black fur and paws.

Use them for all-purpose greeting cards, sympathy, thinking of you, friendship, or find some stylish frames for 5″ x 7″ images and frame them for your walls. Find these in my Etsy shop in sets of four or a dozen.

set of four sepia images of black cats
Victoriana Cats in dreamy semi-sepia tones

Victoriana Cats

Though these photos may look antique and sepia-toned, they are neither. My cats are perfect models and knew to pose in the bright yellow morning sun in front of my round antique mirror and the narrow casement window with the lace curtain. I applied a few Photoshop filters to the original photos to make them consistent in tone and style.

Use them for all-purpose greeting cards, sympathy, thinking of you, friendship, or find some shabby chic frames for 5″ x 7″ images and frame them for your walls. Find these in my Etsy shop in sets of four or a dozen.

Upcoming card ideas and ways to help cats find homes

These sets feature my wonderful family of black cats, and for the sake of all black cats I hope to further and assist their adoptions since they are often left behind in shelters. These images, whether in greeting cards or special products will also be used to help further the adoption of black cats during Adopt-a-Cat Month and beyond.

I have been working on sets of tortie cat cards as well featuring Cookie and Kelly. Losing Cookie in February slowed me down in that venture and I’ve spent more time just looking at photos of her than deciding which ones would make nice cards. In the next month or two I hope to finalize my designs for at least one set of cards featuring the beauty of tortoiseshell cats, and if you have any favorite photos to be included please let me know!

This month’s featured artwork: Peaches and Peonies

pastel painting of calico cat with peonies
“Peaches and Peonies”, pastel, 23″ x 16″, 2008 © B.E. Kazmarski

It was at the beginning of June five years ago that I took the reference photos, and at the beginning of June in 2008 that I finished this painting of my little Peaches in her moment of glory.

There it is, that moment that turns on all the lights for me…one of my cats in the sun, the conditions that have inspired most of my portraits. Cats are creatures of habit, and Peaches chose this spot to have her after-dinner bath every day for a few weeks when the sun was right; I knew it was a keeper whether a photo or a painting, so I photographed it several times over a period of several days, knowing I’d use at least one photo or all the photos as reference to create one painted image. A painting this size and level of details is a significant investment of time, so I had to wait until my schedule allowed the night-after-night sessions with tiny sections of detail. It’s one of those paintings I still look at and can’t believe I painted; Peaches and Peonies hangs in my studio watching over my work and providing constant inspiration.

Donations with purchase of original or print

I would make a big donation to the shelter or rescue of the person’s choice who chose to purchase the original of Peaches and Peonies, but I also have a Senior Pet Adoption Donation Program regarding the purchase of a giclee of this painting, and this also ties in to Adopt-a-Cat Month because you should always consider a senior kitty! Through the purchase of a full-size giclee of “Peaches and Peonies”, $25.00 of your purchase price will be donated to the senior pet adoption program in your name or the name of your choice. Read this article for details.

Download a desktop calendar featuring Peaches and Peonies

And to give you something inspiring and beautiful to look at for all the month of June, and to remind you how special senior kitties are and the importance of finding homes for all cats, I’ve designed a simple desktop wallpaper calendar featuring Peaches and Peonies. It’s too darned difficult to create one that fits everyone’s desktop, so I’ve created three basic shapes—full size, wide and square—that will probably adjust to fit most desktops; I can give you some help with this if it’s not working quite right.

  1. Click on one of the images below to pull it up in a new page.
  2. Click on the image on that page to pull up a full-size version of just the image.
  3. Right-click on that image and choose “save as desktop wallpaper” or “save as background” or whichever option your operating system gives you to be able to do this.
photo of five cats in studio
My studio cats are ready for a creative day.

Special orders and requests

If you see a daily sketch on The Creative Cat you’d like to have, please tell me. Likewise, if you have a custom item in mind contact me to describe it, or if an item is out of stock and you’d like to know when I’ll be making that item again, please ask!. Send me an e-mail.

I couldn’t do it without my studio cats!

My feline inspirations and I thank you for browsing and for purchasing handmade goods and supporting a small business! Click here or on the photo to read about the studio cats in the photo.

 

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Subscribe to The Creative Cat e-newsletter for specials on exclusively feline-themed art and merchandise.

Read about the reason for the daily sketches in The Artist’s Life: Daily Sketches.

And read about purchasing them and requesting them as a donation item for your shelter or rescue group in The Artist’s Life: Daily Sketches for Sale and Donation.


Nominate The Creative Cat for an award and help to win $1,000 cash for the Homeless Cat Management Team and $10,000 for the shelter or rescue of your choice!

Click here or on the logo below to go to Dogtime’s Petties 2012.

dogtime media petties logo

All images used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission. Please ask if you are interested in purchasing one as a print, or to use in a print or internet publication.

Bernadette

From health and welfare to rescue and adoption stories, advocacy and art, factual articles and fictional stories, "The Creative Cat" offers both visual and verbal education and entertainment about cats for people who love cats, pets and animals of all species.

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