Feb 26, 2009

Introducing Etsy Japan Team!

Finally, I am adding a new entry. And today, I would like to introduce some of artists from Etsy Japan Team.

Well, Etsy Japan team is for artists who run etsy shop based in Japan. So, I am not a member. But, since I am Japanese myself, I visited some of member's shops and was totally impressed with the quality of their works.

I especially appreciated the fact that there are artists who are from other countries, and create "very-Japanese" art. So, I would like to introduce some of their works here today and show some support!

1. AKJapan : http://akjapan.etsy.com

Andrea is from Australia and She is an admin of Etsy Japan team. She really captures the colors and feelings of Japanese traditional art. I love them.




2. Togei: http://togei.etsy.com

The word "Togei" means Japanese ceramic/pottery art. His "togei" works are beautiful! And he also sells Japanese Kimono at his etsy shop.


3. GalleryJuana: http://galleryjuana.etsy.com

I love her portrait works as well as the one that she uses Japanese papers for her watercolors. Beautiful:-)


They have their blog JapanFocusEtsy.blogspot.com. You can visit member's Etsy shops from the links. I know there are MANY talented artists in Japan who are not part of Etsy because they don't speak English...what a shame. But, the ones that are in Etsy Japan team are really great. Please visit their shops:-)
Andrea (AKJapan) kindly introduced my shop there a while ago and also included my work in her treasury from Etsy Japan team & friends. Thank you so much!

Love, Yoshika

Feb 8, 2009

Picture Hanging Tips (Tools)

I recently received a question from my buyer about picture hanging tools. And I recommended her the easiest ones that I know. Since these are good for most of original canvas paintings, I thought I would share it on my blog too.

There are a lot of picture hanging tools out there. I basically think you could pick whatever you think would work for your artworks, considering its size and weight. Wiring in professional way is of course good for some framed works or heavy weight stretcher canvas. And once you have all the tools, it's not difficult to do it either. But, what I recommended her is just easier and very inexpensive as well.

1. EZ Hang Ups

This is the easiest one that I have found so far. You can just put it under the stretcher bar and hang the painting on the wall. It doesn't damage the stretcher, and is good for highly textured pieces like mine of which weight may not be symmetrical. You can just slide IT to find horizontal line or you could use two for larger piece. There is another similar one that is only good for standard stretcher (3/4" depth). But this one would work with deeper canvas size. You could probably get EZ Hang Ups at your local art supply shops or framing shops. But, not all of them carry it. So, just in case you want it, here is the link to the online art supply shops that has it.

http://www.aswexpress.com/discount-art-supplies/online/4561/art-supplies/4

2. Sawtooth Hangers

There are probably familiar to many people already. I just show it here, because this would work well with most of paintings too, including framed ones. The saw-tooth make it possible to adjust the horizontal line, and even if it is small, it could hold a lot of weight as well. But, please make sure to choose heavy duty one (such as the photo on right) when you hang heavy weight stretcher canvas, or larger art piece.
These are probably more accessible to everyone, you could find them at art supply shops, craft shops, framing shops, as well as hardware shops such as Home Depot etc... But, just in case you are not at anywhere near those shops, here is the link to the online shops that carry them. I have never used the latter, but it looks decent.
http://www.dickblick.com/products/sawtooth-hangers-zinc-plated/
http://govart.com/hardware_sawtooth.html

If anybody knows the easier way of hanging pictures, please share it with me or simple comment on this blog to let me know.

Happy Picture hanging !(?) :)))

Yoshika

Feb 5, 2009

Today's Best at Zazzle!

One of new additions, "True Love Japan" US postage was picked as Today's Best at zazzle.com. Thank you again:-) The Japanese calligraphy on the image means "True Love". Actually, I created this digital illustration looong time ago... but, I thought it would be nice to add this image to my zazzle gallery for this "Loving season" :-)Please use this postage to send loving message to your special someone!


True Love Japan Postage stamp
True Love Japan Postage by Yoshika
See more postages at HERE.
Love, Yoshika