HAPPY SEPTEMBER! This week marked a decade of Clementine Studio and I wrote a big reflection post on how I’m feeling about it here. September is for fresh starts, so on that note:
A lil newsletter format update
Starting today, this email will be coming to you via Substack. It will remain free and sent to your inbox on the first Friday of every month and you don’t have to do anything at all except roll your eyes at another design change (thanks for bearing with me!). There will also be a paid subscriber option if you want to be able to access other posts (like ramblings on motherhood and career for instance that will be paywalled). You can opt in or out of or unsubscribe at any time.
I’ve been testing out substack for the past 6 months and was at first hesitant to have yet another platform outside of my website to post on, but having a presence on there allows other people outside of this newsletter list to find me based on tagged topics they’re searching for or other substackers recommendations. I’ve learned that I’m not reliable to market myself consistently enough to see the growth that I want to see, so having a community platform like substack is an added perk. I’ve already connected with a bunch of other people in my industry, in picture books, across varying topics and it’s been refreshing to have real conversations and discover new perspectives.
Some snippets of work projects this past month. A few house portraits, pieces of a custom “locations” print where I illustrated 6 special places to a couple for an anniversary gift (awww), custom stationery for a new home, and a hot dog cart lol.
Friday Favorites
Simply Framed Marketplace
When I redesigned my website and shop in January I decided to remove framing from my shop because it had gotten too complicated, prices increased a lot post-pandemic and I wasn’t comfortable charging a huge fee when it’s easy to find nice and affordable frames at the standard print sizes I offer. However, I’ve heard from a lot of customers that they miss having the built-in option and I get it, it’s an easy 1-stop-shop especially for a gift. Which is why I’m so excited that my framing partner, Simply Framed, just introduced a “marketplace” where I can essentially have a storefront on their site, making the frame ordering process super convenient and it eliminates me having to print and ship them the artwork which saves the customer a lot of time and money. I’m starting out with just 8 prints on there for now and need to update my website with the info, but framing is an option again!
Print media is back!
You may have seen that J.Crew announced they’ve brought their iconic catalog back to print. I think they got rid of it in 2020 and since then there have been fan accounts posting vintage J.Crew catalogs (I wish I saved the Dawson’s Creek cast issue back in the day, that’s the only time I ever really cared about the catalog until now). Also this week, NY Magazine’s The Cut announced to email subscribers that they just released their first solo print issue. I am loving the resurgence of print media and I really hope it gains enough traction to keep it alive again.
Picture books for the blind
How cool?? This incredible company, Living Paintings, based in England, creates “touch-to-see” books, etched in relief for the blind and visually impaired. Here he’s carving Where the Wild Things Are. Their website has a lot of information including their founder story and history.
Woops I only have 3 instead of 5 favorite things for you this time so I’ll leave you here, but I’ll be back with a more complete list next month! In the meantime you know where to find me, and I’d love for you to explore some of the other topics in my substack, if you’re interested. -Carly