Monday 28 June 2010

Hesitation, Deviation, Repetition

I made this card for a workshop (Cards to 'Die' for..geddit..!). I since have copied it to the cost of two more pieces of this fab Cosmo Cricket paper - I love these colours together. I also made one in reds and blacks to send to a friend. It looked awful by comparison. I can't show you because I put it in my sale basket and it was one of the handful that sold on Saturday! Anyway, take my word for it. Or rather, my eye. Perhaps because I was so pleased with this 'original' card (and I make no claim that the idea is original, you understand), and perhaps because I managed to match inks and colours relatively well, when I tried other colours, it just looked like a poor substitute. Perhaps we card makers should avoid repeating ourselves. Obviously, if you make Wedding stationery, this wouldn't be an option, so I am naturally and as usual, making crass generalisations. As in - read 'me' for 'we'!
Perhaps I should have been less worried about the red and black version, after all, it worked well enough to appeal to a customer and who knows, maybe she would have chosen it over this turquoise one anyway. Maybe, when I hit on a 'sketch' that works well for me, I should trot out a few, repeat the idea in several colour ways. Keep my stock up and really hone the techniques? Yah. Makes sense really, but I rarely do. In fact I even hesitate over Christmas cards, I don't do well with repetition, it's not satisfying to the creative animal in me I guess. You alterers would probably roundly agree with that. But the argument against the same thing in several colours is a perennial one - how do you choose? And after all, if I struggle with choice, maybe it's right that I control the card buying customer by not making choice available! See, I can make logic. Even if I hesitate and procrastinate over making a card.

23 comments:

The Crafty Goat Girl said...

Hi Julia, I really love this, great colours, my fav shapes and wow that paper is gorgeous! I am never happy with anything I make, I am always changing it around, thats just what we do hey!

Enjoy the sunshine if you can, take care Heidi x

Jan Hennings said...

great card and I love these colors together, too!!

G Peplow said...

Hi, I'm with you, can't be doing repetition, boring as....anything :) gotta keep moving on! Now different colours is another thing all together you are honing your skills as a colourist but using the same platform.
I have usually found that if I like a project that someone else will too. Often when I've been disappointed that it may not have gone as well as I'd hoped someone will pop up and say
'Oh no that's my favourite'
You just never can tell:)
Great colours in your card, xx

Carmen said...

I'm rubbish at doing more than one of something. I'm in a monthly ATC swap with 2 friends and I haven't yet produced 3 the same. I was in one where I had to 9 once in one of the UKS swaps. Gawd I nearly died of boredom, only saving grace was that I put Alice on all of them :P

That butterfly is really cute on this!

Unknown said...

i don't think i've ever repeated a card exactly - thats the beauty of us card makers and the fact we have so much stash - we shouldn't need to... after all - we're creative enough not to have to - we may go for a theme or a colour scheme, but we don't need to do a job lot, unless, as you said, we're doing invites or the like... otherwise, we'd just go to Clintons or Hallmark?!!

Love the one you did here - my kind of colourscheme... i may just have to case it!!! LOL

Paula x x x

Liverpool Lou (Anne) said...

Thanks for making me smile as usual Julia :-)
This is lovely and so are the colours. But you see someone loved the red and black and red and black go well together for me anyway. I keep thinking a little repetition when making lots of Christmas cards would be good 'cos then it would speed the process along but I never do :-/
Anne xx

Kaz said...

I love this, those colours are soooo good together!
I often make 3 very similar cards the same just to fill up the store of them as my mum usually gets her cards from me to send and I'm not making many cards of late xx

Annie said...

I love this card and the colours you've used. I have to make myself work out of my comfort zone at times to take in the likes of others otherwise all I make would be in pinks, lilacs, blues etc :-) I'm really not a green/brown sort of person but others are and as long as the colours you use go together then there will be someone out there that will just love them :-)
A x

Sew This N That said...

love the shape of the card Julia :0)
I only repeat if I am making a stationary set or a box of notelets :0)
*hugs* Heather x

donnalouiserodgers said...

hahah another radio 4 fan... I love Just a Minute,

You may have a new class formula = one minute card meaking without H, D or R.

Love the turquoise,

donnalouiserodgers said...

making not meaking I have no idea what 'to meak' would entail - but I shall continue typing for the full minute unless someone buzzes me out!.....

Charlie said...

Doing repetitive work can be taught - believe me - I never did before - but now I am into making cards for troops there is NO way I could finish as many as I want if they were all individually designed. Lovely turquoise card - cute idea. SUN here today - dinner in the garden - off to make sure DH doesn't nibble more than he barbeques... =0)

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

When I'm in a swap, I want everything the same. Makes it easier for the host. No picking and choosing the design you like best, or know that one of your friends will. Also, my composition skills are so poor, when I hit on a design, I don't want to come up with a different one. I realize that is just me, and you have a valid point. If I were selling something or making something unique for a friend, I would probably not make pieces the same. But even as I was making all my book pages, I became aware they were all starting to look basically the same.

Many people prefer either warm or cool colors. They tend to buy colors that suit them and their personality. This buyer probably bought the black and red card because the colors appealed to her. I would have loved seeing those two colors together. I don't get a lot of black cardstock or scraps sent my way, and I am always out of black paint, so my pages are usually vanilla or bland.

As for this card, it is lovely. And you say you are not an altered artist, but I don't know what else you would call yourself. You altered the paper by inserting a window, and your card is not the usual shape of a card. OK, my diatribe is over. Have an awesome day/evening.

Pam said...

Lovely card and colour combo. I'm a bit like you and think I should repeat something but when you do it's just never the same and the appeal has gone Pam x

Helen said...

Love this card, the colours are fab - but I bet the red/black one looked good too. (I'm biased with red, red = Liverpool!)
I do sometimes repeat cards with different colour combi's for Christmas cards, but they're only for personal use -however then I spend ages deciding who to send which one too.... and they never come out identical.

Unknown said...

I am sooooooo with you on this ... creative repitition is booooooooooooring ... any more than two similar cards and I lose the will to create ... once I like a sketch though I can stick with it for days ... that is what you meant ... aint it????

Angie said...

Repetition always seems a great idea at Xmas or if you are selling cards but when you actually start it is sooooo boring .I have tried just changing the colours on Xmas cards but even then I was bored ... yet making everyone different can drain the inspiration tank and make the task seem very long.
I cant believe that you only sold a few of your cards again ...whats wrong with everyone? .xx

Scrapcat 1 said...

I do repeat cards especially if I like the sketch or I'm using up paper I've cut into, I may vary little details and change the image but I don't find it boring, maybe the difference is in the detail for me.

Paige said...

I'm with you on the can't make more than two cards that are the same thing. although i adore the card you made :) it's standing in front of my computer montior :)

Spyder said...

Hmmm, yes, first brave you for cutting into such yummy paper, I'd been stroking it for at least another year, and secondly, the only cards I've made the same were wedding cards..on a conveyor belt made up of my dining table the sofa and the ironing board.I love those papers and they do go sooo well together, perhaps you'll keep one for yourself. ((Lyn))

cheryl said...

oh love your card,and the papers are lush too hun I too cant repeat any of my cards,never ever do one the same boring and just not me,hugs cheryl xxxxxxx

Anonymous said...

is it just me, or are your posts not coming up correctly?! I have had that problem since after this post...I can't view the other two :(

ikki said...

Hi, with you about repetition - I do try this sometimes, but find that the second one is never as good as the first! AND, I get bored easily so not the way for me! ikki