LittleLion Studio

Blossom Tree Wall Decals

February 19, 2011 – 8:17 pm

Blossom Tree wall decal from LittleLion Studio

Here we are at it again! This time around we are bringing a scent of Japan to your baby’s nursery and, why not, anywhere else in your home.

This is a small set of beautifully crafted wall decals themed on the majestic Japanese Cherry Blossom Tree. While covering a huge area of your wall, our Blossom Tree decals are light and elegant, helping establish a calm and centered mood in the room.

The set is composed of three decals: the full "Blossom Tree", the "Blossom Branches" and the "Single Branch", to better blend with your wall while optimizing your space and budget.

We hope you enjoy and share your results with us!

Single Blossom Branch wall decal from LittleLion Studio

Blossom Branches wall decal from LittleLion Studio

Cherry Blossoms, Japan – Photograph by Michael S. Yamashita

"In full bloom, an ornamental cherry tree branch extends out over a moat at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Japan. The flowering cherry tree, or sakura, is one of the most exalted flowering plants in Japan, where the blossoms’ short but beautiful blooming time is a symbol for the evanescence of human life." – National Geographic

By LittleLion | Posted in Inspired By, Out of the Oven, Wall Decals | Comments (2)
Tagged blossom, Japan, japanese, tree, wall decal

Prints, new from LittleLion Studio

February 8, 2011 – 5:42 pm

Here we are, taking another step towards our goal of a new and refreshing approach to nursery decoration… striving to create a new style which is whimsical, playful yet elegant and chic in a minimalistic way. So we proudly bring to you our new line of prints, or wall prints, or wall art… what have you… printed on recycled, heavyweight linen paper using high quality archival ink.

Our goal has always been the one of trying and making our customers feel unique, as they really are, so we decided to go beyond the traditional notion of customization. Having your baby’s name on a print is all fine and dandy but yet we felt like that wasn’t enough. For us, commercial font types just wouldn’t cut through the sheer coldness of replicating "just another" Alexander… so the obvious hit us and we decided to add your baby’s name on our prints in a

truly unique way: handwriting it in childlike lettering, making all the necessary adjustments, even reinventing the original design a little bit, to make sure the name will blend perfectly with our print. This way you will get the same feeling as you do when you hold your baby, knowing for a fact that he is not just any alexander… he is Alexander, The Great!

Come check our Prints!!

Spec Note: For the time being, we will be offering our prints, both framed and unframed, for your convenience. So hurry up and make the most of our options!

Jungle Grass print from LittleLion Studio

By LittleLion | Posted in Out of the Oven, Prints | Comments (1)
Tagged baby, name, nursery, personalized, print, wall art, wall print

LuluDK Vouches for LittleLion Studio on THISNEXT

January 26, 2011 – 3:32 pm

"Follow The Little Rabbit Tree" wall decal by LittleLion Studio recommended on THISNEXT by LuluDK

LuluDK recommends LittleLion Studio wall decals on THISNEXT.

"Follow the Little Rabbit - Extra Large" wall decal from LittleLion Studio

Anyone serious about Interior Design has come across the name Lulu deKwiatkowski or, as she is better known, LuluDK. Lulu is the founder and designer of Lulu DK Fabrics, a highly successful New York based Interior Design studio for all things textile décor. She also is a guest “TasteMaker” on THISNEXT , where she creates lists with products she recommends. So far, there have been 11 collections featuring 95 different products from all sorts of backgrounds, only 2 wall decals have been featured and, we are proud to announce, both from LittleLion Studio.

First she selected our “Follow the Little Rabbit Tree – Extra Large” wall decal set for her “MUST-HAVES FOR THE KIDDIES” collection, which she goes on to describe as the “coolest decals ever!”. Then, two weeks ago, she selected our “Mom & Baby Floral Giraffe” set for her “BRING SPRING INSIDE” collection, which she found from our friends at fawn&forest, attributing the set as “super hip decals that can make any white wall original”.

Needless to say, we were ecstatic about being the first choice of such a highly regarded Interior Designer (though we know she refuses to be called such, even if she has earned a degree in the subject from Parsons) and we can only take her generous words as a positive sign, a quality seal of sorts, vouching for our own design style. To Lulu, our big, big thank you! To all our clients, congratulations for having such a good taste, according to a renowned “TasteMaker”! :)

[For those interested in getting to know more about Lulu, her family and house were featured on the Lonny Magazine in a 30 page long article properly entitled “COLORFUL IMAGINATION”, which is available for your reading pleasure here. And there is also an avalanche of press related stuff about her company here.]

LuluDK and her family featured on the Lonny Magazine.

"Mom & Baby Floral Giraffes" wall decal from LittleLion Studio

By LittleLion | Posted in Featured In, Wall Decals | Comments (0)
Tagged fawn&forest, Lonny Magazine, LuluDK, THISNEXT, wall decal

Black Label collection available now!

January 20, 2011 – 7:19 pm

Our Black Label, Vol I collection sought inspiration in the half millenia old art of lace, eyelet and embroidery. The monochromatic looks sets focus on the intricate designs beautifully carved through each piece. Calmness, tranquility, delicacy. Labor, care and dedication. Qualities of fine works of lace, qualities of these wall decals, which can easily transit from nurseries to living rooms and everywhere else in the house.

You can find them on our Etsy and cargoh outlets as well as in few select online stores.

[Click on the images below to head for each product page on Etsy]

Come visit our new Black Label collection

By LittleLion | Posted in Inspired By, Out of the Oven | Comments (0)
Tagged black label, collection, decoration, lace, nursery, vinyl, wall decal

scatter at will

January 20, 2011 – 7:17 pm

LittleLion Studio’s January/2011 Catalog is not only about Black Label! Several new wall decals have arrived including old favorites in new layouts and sizes as well as brand new designs such as our ever elegant "Floral Ostrich".

Worth mentioning is the first incarnation of one of our most cherished prints: the "Botanical Gardens and Little Friends"! In this wall decal, the elements do not come pre-arranged in a fixed layout, this way you will be able to put your imagination to good use and scatter them at will to better suit your nursery decoration.

Also, we now have a more economical line featuring "Single Branches" and "Baby Zoo" which, fortunately for you, does not save on sheer coolness and whimsical factor! :)

Several color combinations were made available for you as suggestions but you can still ignore them and pick your preferred hues from our color chart.

Make sure to review our catalog and visit our stores on Etsy and cargoh!

By LittleLion | Posted in Out of the Oven, Wall Decals | Comments (0)
Tagged catalog, collection, economical, value, vinyl, wall decal, whimsical

Black Label, a concept in the foundry

January 20, 2011 – 7:15 pm

"A tribute to lace, embroidery and eyelet fabric.

Based on the work of artisans dating back from the XVI century through our days, this collection is a modern take on the ancient tradition of intricate lace and embroidery. Trees, animals and human silhouettes dressed up in patterns and carves, evoking the qualities of traditional lace: patience, labor and beauty. This art, which stood the test of time, carries the innocence and romanticism, the founding attributes upon which our line of wall decals has been crafted.

We hope it will touch and inspire your senses."

——————

With the introduction above we start the January/2011 catalog and is plain to see that Black Label is indeed our main star, but I thought I would drop a line here to explain the Black Label concept itself, so if you care to humor me…

As I am sure you know, LittleLion Studio’s roots lay in the stock image market and although we are truly pleased with our 150,000+ licenses sold worldwide, this success sometimes puts us in the awkward position of

competing with ourselves, when either individuals or companies do their own thing with our designs in a way which our paths sometimes cross.

With this in mind, we decided to create a line of products with exceedingly cool looks and one hundred percent exclusiveness, meaning you will never find a Black Label design anywhere but in our own products. Furthermore, our Black Label collection will be released in several independently themed volumes over time, warranting a perfect balance between creativity and focus.

In short, if you’re into exquisite and exclusive, we welcome you aboard LittleLion Studio Black Label collection. Enjoy!

Lace transiting through different medium, including Martha Stweart's wedding cake!

A Black Label decal being carefully weeded.

By LittleLion | Posted in All Business, Inspired By, Out of the Oven, Wall Decals | Comments (0)
Tagged black label, collection, concept, decal, lace, vinyl, wall decal

Christmas is here!

November 10, 2010 – 4:44 pm

Every year when the frights and scares of Halloween are past us we all get ready for Christmas decoration, which, in itself can be a daunting task, especially if you like to lit up the whole house. Out the door the sky is the limit and I will leave you to your creativity, resources and Christmas spirit to guide you in this quest but inside the house, well, let’s face it, the ceiling is the limit!

And the ceiling is not alone… there is only so much you can do to dress up your home for Christmas when you have deal with furniture, odd corners and the kids running around. So what are you to do? Well, we like to think we have a solution for you: the LittleLion Studio Christmas Tree Concept!

Inspired by mobiles and chandeliers, our concept is just as simple as it is elegant. Since the ceiling is the limit, we decided to use it to our advantage by hanging beautiful baubles against the wall

right in front of (what we like to think as) truly inspirational Christmas wall decals. The whole look is very clean, innovative and practical. It gives a tri- dimensionality appeal to an otherwise flat decoration. Probably someone, somewhere has done something similar to this but since we have never seen or heard of it, we can label this concept as original, at least within LittleLion’s known micro-universe!

On the subject of originality, uniqueness and exclusivity, you know you can always expect a little something from us. What good would this decoration concept be if applied to a traditional pine tree wall decal? If all you wanted was tradition, you’d just wait for Christmas Eve and stick the real thing in your living room, right? So we started our line of "original, unique and exclusive" Christmas wall decals with a whimsical and playful "Retro-Nature Carnival" inspired tree. Then we

translated the notion of calmness, safety, family and love into our "Star Dust Christmas Tree", both in the huge-up-to-the-ceiling version as well the i-am-sane regular size. Last but not least, there is the geometric and stylish "Tri North Star" to those minimalistic styled places.

As you can see, LittleLion Studio has got you covered and you can expect more to come as we ramp up towards Christmas! ;-) But now, seriously, I won’t write down anything poetic about the true meaning of Christmas after this little speech on superficial stuff such as wall decals… all I will say is that I wish you what I want for myself: a little more kindness in your life.

Merry Christmas!

By LittleLion | Posted in Wall Decals | Comments (0)
Tagged Christmas, decal, decor, decoration, vinyl, wall, wall decal, Xmas

from Canada, with love

September 29, 2010 – 2:49 pm

Last night I had some late night fun manufacturing several color swatches to have ready for delivery when the need arises. I must confess that manufacturing physical products is a whole different ball game as opposed to dealing with bits and bytes only, like I got accostumed to in the past several years while losely shaping LittleLion Studio up to what it is today and even more so than my "career" life before that. There is an entire new level of care… of *manual* care which digital files fail to carry due to their impersonal nature.

So simple a task can actually extend to an ammount of time beyond one’s worst use case scenario. In the carbon world there is no such thing as an "undo" button to save your ass and being a small shop, I am quickly learning the importance of the practical side of a renowned theory: "get it right the first time"!

Since I am working with a relatively extensive color swatch (30 colors so far!), setting up the media in the cutter took quite a long time. Then, after quickly weeding off the vinyl I was ready to apply the color chips onto a stock card which I had previously printed with this goal in mind. Gladly, the chips being small, I was able to do without any transfer tape manipulating, the challenge was instead to achieve proper alignment. Next in line was trimming off the unwanted backing sheet and vinyl. After several hours of going through these steps, all that was left to do was a simple matter of punching holes and fastening the cards together with a simple [yet elegant] chord. Voilà!

At the end of the day, all I hope is, once a customer receives her/his package on the mail, that the care, attention and, may I boldly add, love, shows through and through.

By LittleLion | Posted in All Business, Random Thoughts, Wall Decals | Comments (1)
Tagged color, decal, love, manufacture, process, swatch, vinyl, wall

is the microstock business unsustainable?

September 28, 2010 – 12:38 pm

Like thousands of other iStockPhoto contributors, on September 7 I was made aware of the shocking news of how that particular microstock agency will pay their contributors (funny adjective, since we are talking about the group responsible for the core part of the business) starting January 2011. If you don’t know what the fuss is all about, I urge you to read this informative report from “The Russian Photos Blog”.

iStockPhoto and their contributors are different sides of the same coin. I can see a little merit in the new proposed model from a business management standpoint, but it is far from perfect, just as I can understand the revolt from the vast majority of contributors, though some overly aggressive statements are not really justifiable. Either way, I believe both parts are missing the point in different ways.

First, iStockPhoto should have realized that there are ethical, if not philosophical, issues involved

in their proposed, better, imposed new rules. Regardless what the game is, one cannot radically change its rules (especially for the worse) in the middle of the championship and expect the players to passively accept and follow suit. Second, one cannot expect that (mostly) well informed individuals will appreciate being publicly patronized or treated like complete idiots who cannot tell happiness from cast iron shoved up their asses. If, and only if, the current business model is truly unsustainable to the point of ignoring all ethics and fairness, still iStockPhoto should honestly and bluntly tell their contributors “sorry guys but I have to shove it up your asses otherwise the business will have to be closed” instead of blowing smoke and pretending the contributor base is made of a bunch of non-questioning stupid followers.

Let’s refrain from getting tangled up with the new payment structure itself and discuss the base argument, which is “the current microstock business model is unsustainable”. Is it really? As many have argued, if this is true, how come other agencies have been and still are prospering while historically paying significant higher commission rates to their contributors?

The real problem we are facing is not that different from those found in advanced quantum physics experiments. No matter how advanced a mechanism we create to register the most incomprehensible of events, the results will still be reviewed, analyzed and ultimately interpreted within the boundaries of the human mind. In iStockPhoto’s case, it means that even pure math can be twisted by morals. iStockPhoto argues that, with time, all

contributors climb up their individual historical ladder towards higher commission rates consequently crushing iStockPhoto’s profitability down to the point of breaking the business sustainability. Well, let’s do the math.

Let’s say you are an agent representing hundreds of thousands of contributors whom subscribe to the following commission rate:

up to 1,000 sales – 20%
from 1,001 to 5,000 sales – 30%
from 5001 to 10,000 sales – 35%
from 10,001 to 50,000 sales – 40%
from 50,001 to 100,000 sales – 45%
above 100,001 sales – 50%

Assuming that magically, one morning you wake up to all your contributors reaching the top level in the commission roster, still you would pay the 50% commission **only when a sale is made**, meaning that every time you pay that commission you are also earning the very same amount yourself, so how can this business model be unsustainable? If anything, this model can become unsustainable due to two main reasons:
1) Despite your best sales efforts, the sales minus commission are not sufficient to pay your operational costs and reward your investment (time, money, energy, etc) properly; or,

2) You, as a professional agent, were stupid enough to create a commission table which knowingly would cause the situation #1 above.

What will come out of all this mess stirred by iStockPhoto is yet to be seen. I, for one, will leave my small portfolio there since my humble “Golden Contributor Canister Level” never really amounted to much of anything but for visibility leading to commissioned work. At least I can selfishly say that after reading through some of the hate messages on iStockPhoto’s forum I managed to be rewarded with a laugh or two! ;-)

From iStockPhoto’s Forum:
“Hey, where’s my kiss? I didn’t get a kiss. Did anyone get a kiss? I usually get kissed before I get f…..”

“All of you have been so happy to undercut traditional stock photography, copying the best

selling images, shooting every hamburger you ever ate, and now that the traditional photographers (often derided as ‘trads’ by you) have come in to beat you at your own game, you’re shocked- yes, shocked!- to find out that this is a business, not a little happy family giving each other muffins and logrolling in the forums. Well, welcome to the real world- the one that you made for yourselves. 145 pages of whining and wanting things to go back to the way they were- it’s so pitiful. Face it. You aren’t going anywhere. You are going to stay here, and do what the man says. You are getting the bed you made yourselves, so go lie in it. Or go back to what you do best- arguing over the color of your little ribbons.”

By LittleLion | Posted in All Business, Random Thoughts | Comments (0)
Tagged crisis, istockphoto, market, microstock, opinion

LittleLion at CoolMomPicks

September 27, 2010 – 4:14 pm

Our new line of wall decals has been featured at CoolMomPicks, renowned as "the online arbiter of what’s cool for the swingset crowd", according to Parents Magazine. CoolMomPicks is a website by cool moms, for cool moms, according to myself! ;-)

Check their post and have your say.

By LittleLion | Posted in Featured In | Comments (0)
Tagged article, cool, cute, decal, mom, nursery

LittleLion + ‘THE’COWZ = more options

September 22, 2010 – 12:47 am

LittleLion Studio Inc. has a new brand for wall decals: ‘THE’COWZ – not just any sticker.

Over the years, LittleLion has become more than just stock image and quickly matured into a brand with a clear identifiable style focused on children, nature and delicate feminine themes. Now that we are shifting from a strictly digital product line approach to a more tangible one in the form of wall decals, we realized that the identity we have developed must empower creativity, not bound it!

The necessity, not to depart from but, to expand the limits originally set by LittleLion became more obvious as we decided to embrace our first line of physical products. LittleLion will, in time, become more and more focused in the style which brought about so much recognition, ramping up design and overall product quality as we go along, hopefully expanding our product line.

In a similar yet separate vein, we wanted to offer quality wall decals to a broader, more diversified audience by free-styling designs and engaging clients with different backgrounds than those we were used to. Such move should never compromise the established style of our LittleLion brand, au contraire, it is meant to solidify our identity through convergence a potentially greater base. Under such auspices ‘THE’COWZ was born.

‘THE’COWZ, in essence, lacks any sort of rigid style and we just want to have some unrestricted fun while maintaining the same quality level expected from this studio. Don’t be alarmed if you find LittleLion elements populating some of ‘THE’COWZ items! It all comes down to our microstock background. Under ‘THE’COWZ we are just letting the juices flow and if that means going back to LittleLion’s microstock chest of treasures digging for elements to complement our current design, so be it! J LittleLion fans need not worry…

LittleLion will continue to grow a separate and exclusive line of fresh designs (emphasis on exclusive) which will find home in other channels than microstock agencies. Wait and you shall see. ;-)

To wrap this up, we have yet another important announcement to make! During this transition period, we will be staging our direct sales channel on Etsy, keyword being “transition”. We are working on a new website and plan on establishing several sales channels, direct and otherwise, for both brands, LittleLion and ‘THE’COWZ so if you have any commercial aspirations towards our line of products, don’t be shy and make sure to drop us a line.

Without further ado, I would like to invite you to visit both stores on Etsy:

Now it is your turn! Talk about it, blog about it, tweet about it, share it on Facebook or wherever, however you like and, most importantly, get your own decals from our just opened Etsy shops!

Fun Fact: ‘THE’COWZ– not just any sticker is a pun, or better put, an onomatopoeia which will hopefully steal you a giggle. If so, we’ve accomplished our goal! ;-)

By LittleLion | Posted in All Business, Out of the Oven, Wall Decals | Comments (0)
Tagged decal, etsy, option, shop, store, thecowz

LittleLion & Lilipinso

September 22, 2010 – 12:45 am

Not too long ago, LittleLion Studio was invited by French Publisher “Lilipinso&Co – Art for Kids” to take part on their 2010-2011 catalogue featuring 49 artists from all over the world, which, needless to say, we proudly accepted. The result can be scrutinized on their online catalogue @ iSSUU.

Sooner than later, the line composed of fabric, lampshades, framed art, wallpaper, decals and more, will be made available for purchase on Lilipinso’s website and from several of their retailers. Enjoy!

By LittleLion | Posted in All Business, Featured In | Comments (0)
Tagged catalog, decal, fabric, France, French, lampshade, lilipinso, wallpaper

Quick Tips # 2 – Changing a Pattern’s Background Color

June 29, 2010 – 9:32 am

There are several ways to adapt a pattern to the project you’re working on. One of the most hassle free options would be a simple background color change.

Easy as it may sound though (and it really is!), there are a few steps to follow to make sure you get the desired result.

If in doubt, check this video and start coloring your backgrounds away!

By LittleLion | Posted in Getting Nerdy | Comments (2)
Tagged adobe, background, color, graphics, howto, illustrator, learn, pattern, tip, tutorial, vector, wallpaper

Quick Tips #1 – Adjusting a Pattern’s Size and Repeats for Final Printing

June 21, 2010 – 8:00 am

Ever so often I do receive requests from clients with varying levels of expertise in editing vector graphics asking me how to accomplish some simple but key changes before they can apply my designs in their projects. With this crowd in mind and taking to the heart the maxim that "a picture is worth a thousand words", I decided to experiment and see where 20 pictures per second would get me. ;-)

In other words, welcome to the first installment in a series of Quick Tips videos by LittleLion Studio!

The videos won’t follow a strict rule, just the general idea that I might be able to contribute a few tips here and there regarding techie stuff.

Without further ado, please feel free to watch the video on how to adjust a pattern’s size and repeats for final printing.

This video should be particularly interesting to those looking to print wide format jobs such as wallpaper, textile, canvas, posters and similar items.

If the resolution is too low for your taste and bandwidth, make sure to click/select "720" and watch the HD version in full screen mode.

Feel free to leave comments and suggestions for future videos.

By LittleLion | Posted in Getting Nerdy | Comments (2)
Tagged adjust, adobe, cs5, howto, illustrator, pattern, repeat, resize, tile, tip, vector, video

New Collection From The Modern Baby Company

April 27, 2010 – 7:48 pm

Not too long ago I was pleased to be contacted by Jesseca Trujillo Bellemare, the founder and head of The Modern Baby Company. I guess serendipity stroke since exactly one day before that I came to know

about her company while browsing through chic websites catering for all things babies.

A few moons later, Jesseca, while pregnant of her third child, managed to pull off a new and more focused collection of onesies and mini art cards solely based on LittleLion Studio’s designs in which she primes in simplicity and elegance.

You can check and order the full array of products directly from her not to be missed website, also a refreshing departure from the limited styling Etsy stores.

Still reading? Stop! Click here! ;)

By LittleLion | Posted in Featured In | Comments (0)
Tagged baby, decoration, design, diapershirt, frame, modern, nursery, onesies, vector

Fabric Contest At Spoonflower

April 5, 2010 – 10:39 am

Ever wanted to see or have the chance to purchase one of LittleLion’s designs on fabric? Better yet… how about winning 5 yards of quilting-weight cotton fabric featuring LittleLion Studio’s "Flower’s Scent" pattern for FREE?!? Yes, you heard me… for FREE!! Well, you just might, with a bit of effort and a pinch of luck. Keep reading…

Step 2 - Click to highlight it dark green.

Step 3 - Keep browsing through until you reach the last page (page 10) and hit the "I’m done. Save my votes" button.

Step 4 - Verify the casting of your vote.

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If you’re an avid LittleLion Studio fan, you might have noticed something familiar while visiting Spoonflower’s website… yes, that’s right… they use our very own Asanoha inspired "Ode to Japan" pattern on their header’s background as well as a LittleLion flower blossoming their logo. Maybe this will bring us good luck, who knows… ;-)

Spoonflower, makers of custom printed fabric is holding yet another "Garden Fabrics" contest and this time around the winning pattern will be made available for sale on their website and the designer will receive a complimentary 5 yard stretch.

Here’s what you have to do:

1) Go to the contest’s page and follow the four steps to cast your vote. Unfortunately the vote is not IP based so go ahead and vote as many times as you like, day after day, until April 15.

2) Come back here and leave a comment.

That’s all there is to it! If it so happens that LittleLion Studio scores this one, the 5 yard fabric will be drawn among those who leave comments. And even if you’re not the lucky one, *if we win* (and that is a big if!), everyone would still be able to put orders for the fabric at Spoonflower, so what are you waiting for?

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The voting process is a bit cumbersome, here are the steps:

Step 1 - Browse through the contest’s pages until you see the "Flower’s Scent" pattern (it will show up in a different page each time).

By LittleLion | Posted in Featured In, Jump Starting | Comments (6)
Tagged Asanoha, contest, design, fabric, free, pattern, Spoonflower, textile, vote, win

Parenting Is A Virtue

March 30, 2010 – 4:30 pm

I took these pictures four or so years ago of some unknown father and son having a philosophical discussion about what seemed to be what the correct way to cross the street is. As you can tell, I kept my distance, but even so, their bodies moved to a tune which I could clearly listen so I took the liberty to add the lyrics…

If father and son ever gets to see this, please understand I mean no disrespect by posting your pictures without proper authorization. Simply, I was moved by the whole scene and just couldn’t resist it. :)

[Click on the image to enlarge]

By LittleLion | Posted in Random Thoughts | Comments (2)
Tagged comics, father, illustration, parenting, son, street

Microstock Awkwardness

March 23, 2010 – 3:34 pm

If you have the stomach, I have the joke! Or the daily misadventures of the microstock world…

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Three months after making the "Peacock Vanity" seamless pattern available for personal projects for free on Vecteezy.com, I have accumulated over 27 thousand downloads. From this contingent, 5 people took the trouble to leave a "thank you" note. [More about that later...]

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Over time I started to figure out each agency’s style and their alleged reasons to rejecting a submission. Inconsistencies in image reviewing among agencies is normal, but it shouldn’t be the norm within a single agency… unfortunately, it is. Classic example: I submitted a print to Agency A, which got rejected for not being "microstock material". A week later I resubmitted the same file to the same Agency only this time around it got approved and was categorized at the highest price level!

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Opening up a design magazine and seeing a 2 page article praising some graphic artist for the originality of her art when it so happens that her "original" work is 80% based on rearrangements of my prints…

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Realizing, after watching 10 licenses worth of credit vanish from my account at Agency B that they have a hilarious refund policy which allows clients to have their money back in case they have "mistakenly" purchased (and received!) my images, based on the promise that they will delete such files from their computers. One day later, it was brought to my attention that those 10 images ended up in a vector piracy pack. What a coincidence, uh?!?

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Receiving emails from small shop startups offering me the incredible opportunity of promoting their websites by donating my work.

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Being offered an irrefutable documented proof that a US$12 million children’s apparel manufacturer pays their employees to copycat my work just so they can claim the originality of their designs.

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Receiving emails from people asking me how much money I make with microstock. Yep, just like that! "Hi! I’m (fill in the girl next door’s name) and I love your work. How much money do make with this?? I was thinking about doing it myself but I’m not sure it’s worth my time…"

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Being contacted by some clueless company asking me to copycat my own work.

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Being threatened by Agency C to having my keywording rights restricted, reason being Agency C offers anyone US$0.02 per "inappropriate" keyword found and some amazingly bright person did not see a small circus tent in one of my patterns and decided to accuse me of keyword misuse for choosing "tent" as one of my keywords, just so he could make US$0.02 out of me. Two days later, the PR person from agency C unknowingly contacts me saying they would be "honored to feature my work in their front page".

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Oh… and by the way, I figured out why at least one of those 27 thousand people didn’t leave a note: Last night (perfect timing for this post!) I received an e-mail from a fan pointing me to yet another usurpation of my "Peacock Vanity". One which I *have* to share with you since it is the cherry on top of the ice cream, translating perfectly the now common awkwardness of daily microstocking. Just look at "Mr. Cavity" (on the right) and you will understand that if I don’t tell you this he will kill me!!

A so called student of Fine Arts from Chicago, sells banners and collages of the "Peacock Vanity" seamless pattern at her Etsy store and she warns customers about "her" artwork:

"These are the real-deal, designed by a design student getting her BFA in Visual Communications [...] You may not sell, trade, or give away unaltered images in either print or digital form. I work hard on each sheet, so please no sharing. Thanks!"

No kiddo, THANK YOU!
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If you haven’t yet gotten your free copy of the "Peacock Vanity" for personal projects, go grab it now! :)

—– Update —–

A LittleLion fan contacted me yesterday to let me know that she was terribly upset about what she had read above, specifically about the Etsy misuse, and that she had filed a complaint with Etsy which, in turn, pulled the mentioned pages from their website. So I guess I am left with a feeling of appreciation for the gesture and hope that LittleLion Studio’s fans will continue to be vigilant and pro-active.

By LittleLion | Posted in Random Thoughts | Comments (16)
Tagged business, copycat, copyright, joke, microstock, sarcasm

Simplicity Is Key

March 9, 2010 – 4:56 pm

One concern which constantly permeates my illustrations is usability. Creating images from a blank digital canvas can be liberating and all but if your goal is to reach the microstock audience, you’d better keep your work useful. Unless of course, you are planning on selling your work through art galleries, but that is a totally different ball game…

Sometimes usability can play as the enemy though, since it trims off all sorts of initiative when you find yourself in one of those days with your creative juices flowing all over. The result: tunnel vision.

In an effort to balancing things out, I discovered that "simplicity" does quite alright for me. So here is the outcome of some moderately fun time playing with the notion of flat ripple effects. I hope you like and enjoy using them. :)

By LittleLion | Posted in Jump Starting, Out of the Oven | Comments (0)
Tagged colorful, effect, flat, graphic, heart, ripple, shape, vector

Coordinated Graphics

March 5, 2010 – 5:02 pm

Here we are at it again. :) Seamless patterns are all the rage but there comes a time in the life of an illustrator when… okay, too dramatic, let’s try this again.

Seamless patterns can be dandy and challenging to create (in a fun way) but the microstock market claims for versatility. The audience is broad and the use found to graphic content is varied and boundless. With that in mind, I have been working on coordinated graphics which, as implied, are comprised of graphic sets created to be used individually but as a part of a larger compound, project or presentation.

As mentioned, their application is limitless but I foresee a large use in print, be it as cover and inner sides of a card or scattered throughout several pages of a magazine’s article. Maybe they will adorn a nursery’s feature wall or even end up in some poster, who knows?

The "Hi", "Oi" and "Hola" sets are the ones featured in this post but rest assured there are way more sets already available at ShutterStock, both in packs or separately, and there is even more to come, so stay tuned!

GET THEM FROM
(some links available, come back later for more!)