Judaica by Jessica Sneak Peeks!

I thought I'd share what I've been up to lately.

Believe it or not, I've been busy designing Hanukkah products!  Here are some "Judaica by Jessica" designs that you can expect to see in stores near you Hanukkah 2017:

Let me know your thoughts! 

         Visit Stencil Girl Products and RubberMoon Stamps to see all my designs!

If you haven't already - please connect with me here:

InLinkz.com

Your comments make me so happy and let me know you were here. I read and treasure every comment and will happily answer any questions as soon as I can.

If you are entering a GIVEAWAY, please add your email address in the event I need to contact you.

To avoid SPAM, please write it like this: jessicasporndesigns (at) gmail (dot) com

Thank You!

Sneak Peek at Licensed Art in the Works

I usually blog about my mixed media life.  But occasionally, I like to give you a little glimpse into my licensing work.  This work is my main source of income and takes up most of my time.

I started my journey in 1996 as a greeting card designer for Recycled Paper Greetings.  In this digital age, people still send cards!  The last directive from RPG was for edgy cards with millennial appeal.  My 25 year old daughter gave these the thumbs up!  (The small white rectangles at the bottom of each card represent the inside copy.)

Another big part of my licensing life is Judaica work.  If you search "Jessica Sporn Judaica" you will find a lot of me on the internet and probably in a Judaica store near you.  Most of these works are on usable objects, such as seder plates, menorahs, and other ceremonial items, as well as on greeting cards.  Here's a peek at what's coming for Hanukkah and Passover 2017.

If you're interested in licensing your art, I highly recommend the "Make Art That Sells" classes with Lilla Rogers.  Joan Beiriger and J'net Smith, who have been in the licensing world for decades, keep great blogs with tons of resources.  And Art Licensing Show is a wonderful community of supportive artists with monthly challenges and resource sharing.  My very first inspiration was Kathy Davis, who was an artist with Recycled Paper Greetings when I first started with them.  She has advice for artists here.

I hope you enjoyed this little foray into my "other" art life!  All of my posts that reference licensing are here.  And of course, my Stencils and Stamps are how I've put my licensing chops to work in the mixed media world!

         Visit Stencil Girl Products and RubberMoon Stamps to see all my designs!

If you haven't already - please connect with me here:

InLinkz.com

Your comments make me so happy and let me know you were here. I read and treasure every comment and will happily answer any questions as soon as I can.

Handmade Holidays Day 1 - A Wooden Spool Menorah

Welcome to Day 1 of Handmade Holidays!  Every day this week, you'll find unique art and craft ideas.    Remember that every post has a giveaway, and all the comments for all the days count!  I'll be picking all the winners after 11AM EST on Saturday, so make sure to check out all the Handmade Holidays posts!

Today, I want to share a handmade menorah. While I created this for our Hanukkah celebration, you can use this tutorial to make your own unique candelabra.  

Supplies:

Wooden spools (You'll need eight of one size, and one that's larger for the Shamas)

Balsa Wood Block 

Black Gesso

White tissue paper 

gold acrylic paint

Matte Medium

E6000 Adhesive

Stencil or Stamp- I used my Borders Stencil from Stencil Girl

3/8" hex nuts for the candle cups

Assorted bits and pieces from your stash.

1.  Paint the spools and the wood with the black gesso.  

2.  Stencil patterns on the gold tissue paper.  Then, using a wet paint brush, paint lines to "cut" the tissue paper.  Here's a video tutorial where I did just that.

3,  Use Matte medium to adhere your tissue paper to the wood, making sure to coat under and over the tissue paper.  When it dries, the un-stenciled parts of the tissue paper will become nearly translucent!  In the photo above, it was about 50% dry.

4. Add a bit of gold to your hex nuts and glue them on the tops of your spools using the E6000 or other strong glue.

5.  Glue the spools to the Balsa wood base with the E6000.

6.  Dig out items from your stash.  I added beads, some old keys, and pieces of charms I received at Art is You Mixed Media Retreats.

Hanukkah began on Sunday night.  May the lights we kindle shine peace, love and freedom into the world.

I hope this post gave you some fun ideas.  I am giving away one of my Art is You Trades to a lucky commenter.  

Remember, for extra chances to win, make sure to comment on all the Handmade Holiday posts!  I will pick all of the winners on Saturday morning, 11AM EST. 

Please leave your email address in your comment (like this: jessicasporndesigns at gmail dot com) to be considered for the giveaway!

And the winners are:

Corrine Gilman’s Brooch:  Lou Lou in Texas!  

Art is you Trade:  Suzie Q 23!  

Clay Ornament:  Karen!  

Hamsa Stamp:  Lisa Meyers! 

Three Trees Stencil:  Lu 

Make sure to check back for more projects and giveaways every day this week!

Your comments make me so happy and let me know you were here. I read and treasure every comment and will happily answer any questions as soon as I can.

If you don't already, please sign-up for my newsletter HERE, and follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Bloglovin and YouTube, so that you never miss a giveaway, and always get the latest Jessica Sporn Designs News!