Robbing Peter to Pay Paul

In the fiendish way that these things happen, my deadlines all seem to have conspired to meet at more or less the same time. To finish the most urgent (handed in by 1st week of April) I had to eat into time I needed for the next one (second week of April) before I could even think about the third one (beginning of June). So, 40 design artworks painted up, scanned and posted off, and a quick studio tidy up before straight on to the next job.

This is what half a year's work on a design job looks like- excluding the artworks. A big pile of A3 sheets consisting of brainstorming, first amendments, second amendments and (God help me) third amendments. And in a few cases, fourth amendments. And then 40 of the blighters to draw up and colour. I have re-discovered three things;

1) Most people have no idea that illustration can be a full time job as much as any *normal* job and at times it is more than that. Sometimes you have to sacrifice the nice things in life like little walks, pottering in the garden, blogging, reading - and days off are out of the question. But I have given up explaining this, as no-one seems to believe it.

2) Similarly they don't understand that often one really does have to be creative *on demand* instead of waiting for the inspiration fairy to visit. This is what sorts out the men from the boys. As it were.

3) You can't please all of the people all of the time. This is a fact.

Added into this mixture was the dull dawning that last year I promised to take part in the 25th birthday celebrations of the lovely shop 'Teddy Bears of Witney', - and it is soon! They asked me if I would do an all day needle felting demonstration with a stall. Friends, I have never rigged up a stall in my life. I shoved it to the back of my mind until the other week when I finally put my mind to it. So I sacrificed some work time to source - a card display unit, mini-clothes pegs, photo corner mounts and oddest of all, red Japanese bondage rope. Which is apparently exactly what it says it is.

Who knew? It is rather lovely and just what I need to peg photos of my animals on. Finally, gorgeous Moo mini-cards to hand out to potential customers.

I've been meaning to give them a whirl and I am so very pleased with them. The sturdy little box is just right for stashing buttons and beads in, when it is empty.

I'm rather looking forward to Sunday - the shop is kindly paying for a taxi each way, so I travel in style and there will be 250+ handpicked teddy bear enthusiasts there to entertain. I only wish I had some spare needle felt stock to offer, but I will have artworks and cards on sale; some funds for more Moo cards would be nice.

(The New Best News is that I have deadline extensions, which is relief beyond my wildest dreams).