Julie R. Neidlinger: Lone Prairie Art and Writing

Calling cards.

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My first real use of a "calling card" came in the form of my high school graduation announcements. In that far bygone era (ha ha), people were still ordering and using the high-level professionally printed and embossed graduation announcements (rather than the photo-postcards that people are making today). These cards came with corner brackets cut inside to my name card inside, with a senior photo tucked behind that.

That name card was very similar to the calling cards I later found of my grandparent's and others of their generation, though I wasn't sure how those little name cards were used. It was while watching a movie that I understood how a calling card used to function. In the film, a man, who had stopped by to visit the family but found they were not at home, left a calling card with the maid so that when the family came home, they could review the cards of all those who had stopped by.

I thought that was really cool.

(And not just because a man came for a visit.)

Of course, people don't just stop by much like that anymore, and email and the telephone and answering machines have made a calling card seem a little ridiculous. And, if people leave a card now, it tends to be a business card.

I have had a gazillion business cards over the years, finally getting a new design that matches the branded look I'm going for here on this website.

But I got to thinking -- what about all the times I find myself saying "do you have a pen and paper? I'll write my email address down for you" -- times when it wasn't about business and I didn't want to seem like I was one of those perpetual networking people who were always shoving business cards and business up into every possible moment. Essentially, I wanted some kind of modern take on the calling card. Something to give the person my name and how to contact me, and not leave them with a niggling wonder if I was just trying to hit them up as a possible customer in the future instead of just being friendly.

My friend Corrine once gave me a set of The Bad Girl's Calling Cards with me promising to use them if she gave them to me (with the intention of helping me meet people, which I don't do well on my own, I admit). I do keep my word, and did use them (sort of), but some of the, messages on them made me blush, and I found myself scribbling out some of the options the card allowed the giftee to redeem. (Here's a tame sample of the calling cards.)

I decided to head on over to the website I frequent when it comes time to get business cards printed, and I chose to only put my name, email, and website address on the card. I didn't talk about what I did. I didn't put my phone number on it because I would rather give out my email address instead.

I made myself a calling card.

It's not quite as traditional as they used to be, where just the name on a piece of high-grade cardstock sufficed, but it serves the purpose I was looking for.

Links:

Get your calling cards printed for free (pay shipping only)
Hire me to design your custom calling card or business card

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Scribd.

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I've written about Scribd before, so you can read that for the background on what it is.

I've been working on uploading all the documents that I have available on my own site into my Scribd account (since they're free here, already, but a little hard to find sometimes). I also made it so you can subscribe to my Scribd feed (even by email, if you want) so that you know when something new is added.

Scribd is an odd place. There are all kinds of crazy documents on there... One thing I like about Scribd is the ability to embed documents into a web site in a way that is less excessive than the behemoth that is Adobe Reader. Scribd uses something called iPaper, and it's pretty cool. Scribd's blog seems to feature different ways people are using iPaper. They also have an app for Facebook, though it's done in a way to appeal to teachers/students.

I'd be curious to know if any of my readers have an account, or what they think of Scribd. In particular, I'd like to hear thoughts on concepts of information sharing, copyright issues, and so on.

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As the crow flies.

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One of my artist friends, of Prairie Oaks Artisans, informed me of a little project she's got going that has me intrigued:

Details:

1. A limited edition hand bound book called Three Poems on Three Crows.

2. It will feature more than three poems and a few black and white images of one or more crows, so the title is not literal.

3. If you would like to share a poem or a drawing, it will considered for the book. The poem should not be terribly long and the drawing should be something that can be scanned and printed out, as the pages will be printed by computer.

4. You will get a hand bound copy of the book for yourself. The edition of 50 will be sold. Your copy will be marked as A.P. - and artist's proof. You will not be reimbursed monetarily; the copy of the book will be yours to keep.

5. If you send a poem or drawing be sure to note how you want to be credited if you want something more than just your name. Pseudonyms for the book are fine as long as you let the project leader know your real identity.

6. The deadline is April 20.

--------------------------------

So, writers and artists, get busy eating crow.

If you're interested, email me and I'll get you connected with the project. I hate to post other people's email addresses on my site, so I'll just funnel it through mine for now. Or, use the contact information found on the Prairie Oaks Artisans web site.

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My first Associated Content article.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 1 comments link this post

My first article...is on beauty: A Guide to Invigorating Your Life with the Color Red

(Yeah, I know...)

Anyway, I talked about Associated Content earlier, and have at last gotten my article available for viewing. At first, I considered selling it outright to AC, but decided to not do that ($4 was about all I'd get), and instead, get paid a wee bit each time someone happens upon it to view it.

Here's my Associated Content profile. If you'd like to subscribe to my Associated Content feed, you can do that by clicking here.

We'll see how this goes. If you have an Associated Content story or bit to share, by all means, use the comments section.

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New Lone Prairie Google Group.

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I've tried starting Yahoo groups before, but I never had enough activity in them to keep them from being dissolved. (Why, Yahoo, why?!)

The reason I start groups isn't because I think I need or deserve "groupies", but because I often get specific questions about techniques and ideas via email that take a long time to respond to adequately. I always see this as a good thing, to help other artists and writers, but also as a slight waste since it is likely someone else out there has a similar question and I've spent all that time on a reply to just one person without benefiting others.

Hence, the groups.

I've started another group, but this time with Google. I'm hoping that, over time, it will gradually pick up members who participate or at least post their questions for me to answer there. I invite you to join! As always, you can post comments and questions in the blog as well, but the group is also a good place to do that.

Subscribe to Lone Prairie Art
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2nd Annual Free Bookplate Contest.

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There was last year's contest.

Now there is this year's contest. A contest to win a free bookplate. If you're a reader or book lover...this is your contest.

How to win: Just email me, with the words "Bookplate Contest" in the subject line. In your email, tell me what book you would put your bookplate in first and why. Be creative because I so like witty and creative.

But I hate pretentious. So don't be pretentious.

Once I get fifteen entrants (which could take a few hours, a few days or a few months), I'll pick a winner based on the most creative book choice and response. I will then email that person and we'll hammer out the details.

If you win: I'll draw a bookplate for you, completely yours and unique. No cost. You'll get a high resolution image file and be free to print bookplates from that. You'll also be the envy of all the book readers in your huge book-reading circle.

Printing: Last year's winner had her bookplates printed at bookplate.com -- you might want to consider that. Other options would be your local Kinko's or print shop on adhesive paper (though that wouldn't be archival).

Fine print: Your bookplate can contain an element representing a favorite hobby, your profession, a favorite animal, something historical, and so on. I can't depict copyrighted characters, nor will I depict anything lewd. I will email you a high-res image of your bookplate for you to print and use. Your bookplate will never be used for any other person on this planet: it's an original for you. However, you are not allowed to use it for anything but personal use; no commercial uses or profiting off of my design are allowed without my written permission. My designs are copyrighted by me, Julie R. Neidlinger. The bookplate will be displayed on this site in a low-res format so readers can see it.

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Framing tips.

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Since I sell my art without a frame or mat, I get requests from buyers to give them some framing suggestions to take to their local frame shop.

I generally don't offer much as far as color of mat. I'm a white/off-white mat person myself. And as far as frames go, I generally veer towards the very plain in style, subdued colors, and wood.

In regards to matting technique, though, there are a couple of things I do offer up for advice.

First, I like to have at least a two inch mat around the right, left, and top sides of the image. That is the least. Personally, I go for a three or even four inch mat. It seems excessive, but I like to push the frame away from the image as far as I can. I prefer the look. However, it's also going to cost you more because your frame and other materials will increase in size. So, do what you do, but don't go smaller than two inches. Regarding the bottom of the mat, I always add a half inch to it for visual purposes. It sounds strange, but if you do an equal mat around the whole picture, it looks smaller on the bottom. It looks like there's not enough support for the picture that's being framed. You need to add a half inch, so if you're going with a two inch mat, the bottom will be a 2.5 inch mat.

Many of my paintings are taped to the board, so when I remove them, they have a white border all the way around the edge of the painting. Sometimes I sign on the painting, meaning it won't hurt to mat the traditional way and have the mat overlap and cover that white border. However, I often sign my name and title the piece in pencil in the white border. If you don't want to cover that, you'll need to use a technique called "floating" in which the mat doesn't overlap the picture, but frames it without touching it. The picture is still framed by the mat and actual frame, but it isn't covered in anyway.

I've made a diagram of what I've mentioned that should help clear up your questions: Framing Tips (PDF)

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Artist trading cards.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 1 comments link this post

A friend recently send out an email asking fellow artists if they were interested in exchanging artist trading cards. This is the first I'd heard of artist trading cards, though the concept of exchanging art for art isn't new (I've been involved in print trades in college, for example). ATC's have been around for...hundreds of years.

I'm a little behind the times.

I love the idea of making art to trade for other art. In fact, I wanted to post about ATC's to encourage other artists out there to get started and to consider trading with me.

How to go about trading:

Find out more on how to make the cards and what the specifications for size are on this web page. Basically, your cards need to be 2.5" X 3.5", like a baseball card. They can be originals or editions, but must be your own art. They should be on sturdy paper. On the back of your card, you need to write your: name, contact information, title of the ATC, and number if it's part of an edition.

Send your card(s) to my mailing address (found here) and I will exchange a card(s) with you.

Links:

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Real required reading.

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I've made a few mentions of my experiences as a newspaper reporter for a small newspaper, and I've written about it a couple of times in terms of what journalist students coming out of the universities might want to consider.

While going through my files in search of receipts and other papers for my taxes, the clean-up bug bit me as I surveyed the woefully large collection of stuff in my filing cabinet. I read somewhere that most people never look at 75 percent of the papers they file away, and I believe it.

Apparently, I saved everything. In particular, I saved an astonishing amount of material from my reporter days.

In my pile of papers and research are files stapled and clipped and covered in sticky notes with scribbles and dates and names of people to contact. In the pile I have:

lists of election candidates to interview
UFO/Crop circle research and contact information because of crop circles in local fields
An eight page report from the sanitation department of the city the newspaper is located in, which detailed everything from the number of batteries disposed to the tons of cardboard taken for recycling.
Maps of townships and farms relating to water storage and culvert issues as well as wildlife-designated land.
Updates on new school policies and issues at the schools.
Grainy copies of reports from the nearby dam reconstruction with endless figures and technical jargon.
Information and cost estimates on street projects

...the list (and pile) is endless, it seems.

This is the real required reading. We can't all be Stephen Glass and make up our stories; sometimes you have to read the most excruciatingly boring report from the sanitation department just to pull out one figure you need for your story. Sometimes you have to learn engineering terms just to read the reports needed to finish a story on a construction project.

Don't even get me started on my notes, which are filled with scribbles, messy longhand, doodles, crazy arrows and darkened stars next to pertinent points.

So here's my deal. If you want to see the real thing, whether you're just curious or want a taste of small-town reporting, I'll send some to you. I'll send you some pages from notebooks, pages where I caricatured the State's Attorney when he got long-winded, pages of info on meth labs and county commission agendas. You'll get yourself a little packet of the real deal and see what it's like to show up at the newspaper and get handed a stack of stuff to figure out for the week's story. It's all yours (plus some other freebies) for only a buck, plus shipping. Basically, it'll cost you $5 total.

Price: $1

Go for it. It'll come as is, even with the crazy post-it notes.

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Online classes here at Lone Prairie.

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There's lots to learn and there's lots to teach. If you've ever wanted an online art or writing class and haven't found what you're looking for, I understand. I've found myself there, too. So, would you be interested in taking an online art or writing class here at Lone Prairie? I'm considering offering such a class, but I need your help. Please fill out the survey below so that I can better understand if there's interest and what the class should be about.

I hope to hear from you, and thank you for the time you've spent answering the survey.

UPDATE: I still encourage you to fill out the survey, because it is giving me ideas of what to offer on the latest section of my website: The Lone Prairie School. Check it out!

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Bookplate contest: The final design.

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Ah, slow but sure. That's me. I'm guessing the winner of the 2006 Lone Prairie Bookplate Contest was wondering if I'd ever get the design done.

Four sketches later, I finally inked one. And here it is, the design you see.

This bookplate is going for a young boy, but we all know he won't stay young for long.

I wanted to create something that would retain the youth but not be childish later. I wanted to keep the idea of a young reader growing into an older reader in mind as I drew the bookplate, the concept of growing into knowledge (i.e. reading books) the key. The concept of the frog and the crown indicating a prince in disguise was as much a statement on little boys growing into men and giving them time and books to help them do so, as well as one on books and ideas disguised as "frogs" when they are so much more under the surface.

There's a scroll element, the reminder of an early form of book, with a cut-away view of a partially open book on the opposite side of the design. The leaves on the tree are a pun on the leaves in a book, with the tree also being a kind of symbol for the growth and branching out of knowledge, reading, writing and all things related. Up in the corner I have bits and pieces of Ionic columns, the style between the extremely logical Doric order and the overly-fanciful Corinthian order. It's a way of finding that middle ground, enjoying the story and fun of fiction while retaining the love of true knowledge.

And of course, front and center stage are two books, with the young reader's name. These are his bookplates, after all.

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Fanmail: Slow but not forgotten.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 0 comments link this post

Every so often I get a response from what I will tentatively call "fans" of this website. I'm always thrilled to get real mail, and so I like to put some cool stuff together.

A recent letter - well, that's the problem. It wasn't so recent. It came during the middle of my latest adventure in earning money and so I was already behind the eightball in replying. Then, mix that in with my procrastination abilities...I bet the man who sent the letter thought I forgot.

I didn't.

He should be getting a little something in the mail sometime this week. He'd sent me an SASE, and a little note with a blank index card, saying he was curious with what I could come up with on the card. I thought the approach was unique.

The image you see here is what I created.

He also wondered if I had any bookplates lying around which, of course, I did.

I hope the wait was worthwhile. I threw a few other extras into the return letter out of a wee bit of guilt and also because I have lots of odd art and things I've made lying around.

I might as well spred the love, don't you think? So if you're a "fan", you know what to do: send a request, and then have lots of patience. I'll respond. Eventually.

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Bookplate contest results are in!

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(Finally.)

Yes, it took me a while, but I did carefully review the entries to the free bookplate contest and I have to admit, at the risk of sounding like every other contest that doesn't want to hurt feelings - it was difficult to choose.

How do I pick amongst book lovers! Impossibility. But I did.

I had entries from serious readers and lawyers and people with impressive collections and excellent book choices and reasons for needing bookplates. The winning entry was actually the only one of its kind: for a 6-month-old boy.

Here's a little bit from the winning entry:

"He's well on his way with his new little library and I would love to have a special bookplate for him. I think we would put them in his Dr. Seuss books first, as they were a gift from his Nanna on his first Christmas. After his bookshelves are completed, we'll be bringing my collection of books from when I was a kid out of the attic to add to his library. We'll have loads of books in need of a bookplate!"

I simply love the idea of starting off a new reader properly, with a bookplate all his own for his own library. So stay tuned for a peek at the complete bookplate to see what we come up with.

Do you still want a bookplate, anyway?
I was asked a similar question by about half of the contest entries: if I don't win, they asked, would you be interested in designing a commissioned bookplate for me?

The answer is, of course, yes. If you are still interested in your own bookplate, email me and we can hammer out the details, details such as:

What style were you thinking of? (Whimsical, classic, art deco, modern, let me choose, etc.)
What elements were you wanting? (Boat, dog, plants, cross, church, book press, tree, specific building, bird, etc. - a reflection of hobbies, interests, family history or the like.)
Were you wanting your name in the bookplate or a blank place to write it yourself?
Is there a bookplate you've seen that you like the general look of that you'd like me to base yours on?
Did you want it in black and white, sepia, full color?

For $35, I'll email the completed file to you or send you a CD if you add shipping and handling to the total. This is open to contest entrants and anyone else who might want their own bookplate. I'm interested in flooding the world with bookplates for people who love to read. So if you're still wanting a bookplate that's only yours, email me and we'll get started.

UPDATE: See the winning design here.

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Can you get stuff? You bet you can.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 0 comments link this post

One thing I like about some of my favorite websites is when the creator/author/artist loves their readers and fans enough to let them get a piece of their world. Some give away specially autographed (and often limited edition) bookplates for readers to put into the books in lieu of meeting the author for an autograph. Some give out little prints or doodles, autographed. There's all kinds of great stuff out there for fans. And the best stuff is, as always, the things you don't have to pay for.

So. Here's the deal.

Get free stuff right now: Of course, you can always download free stuff right now, from this site. If you'd like to see something new added to my freebies page, leave a comment at the bottom of this page and I'll see what I can do.

Get an autograph on something you bought: If you bought a book or T-shirt or something Lone Prairie-ish through this site, I'll sign it. Just send it to me and enclose a suitable self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) for me to return it to you. No cost to you, just the SASE with sufficient postage to get it back to you.

Random suprise or take a chance and request something specific: Maybe you'd just like something. Free. Whatever. Anything originating from Lone Prairie. You don't care what it is, just something. Drop me an email with your mailing address, I'll dig up something and send it to you. If you want something specific, run it by me and I'll see what I can do (withing reasonable limits; for example, I will not send my cat).

What might you expect? Well, my good friend Melanie frequently gets surprise packages in the mail with whatever random stuff I happen to have. I call them my "garage sale" packages in which I fill a box with all kinds of things.

Some things you might get (but not limited to):

cards
bookplates
sketches
pages torn out of sketchbooks or journals
art experiments
portions of paintings that I've torn up
extra stuff I had on hand that I no longer sell but need to get rid of
color prints of art
stickers
whatever else I have lying around

Make your request and I'll throw it in the mail and get to you. Yours. Autographed by me if you want me to. And, if you want to be really generous and get on my nice list, send me a SASE instead of just an email. That way I don't lose money on postage.

Send your requests to:
Julie R. Neidlinger
PO Box 156
Hampden, ND 58338
julie@loneprairie.net

Help out:
If you'd like to be kind and cover the cost of postage, you can use the button below and send me $1 plus Priority Mail S&H (total: $4.95) to help me out. Just let me know any specifics of your request in the comments section of the shopping cart system.

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Contest: Free bookplates, and the chance to win your own personal bookplate.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 0 comments link this post

I've recently come into an unhealthy obsession with bookplates. Bookplates are those labels that go inside the front cover of the book and note who the owner is, or from whose library the book came from. They're magical! You can say "this is my book, so give it back" in a very polite and artistic way.

Yep. Bookplates are gold. In fact, a recent issue of The Lone Prairie Sometimer dealt with bookplates (PDF link), not only giving you a free bookplate but also a writing/art exercise dealing with bookplates.

It's logical, really. What more perfect way can an avid reader express her artistic whims and OCD book ownership issues than through book plates? Artists have long focused on creating beautiful bookplates.

The more I read up on book plates and the more books I buy that talk about bookplates (which then require that I put my bookplate in them), the more I think it's a shame more people don't take an interest not only in the use of bookplates, but in creating or commissioning a bookplate for their use only. After all, this is the grand tradition of bookplates.

Contest! So here's what I'm offering to do in order to spread the love of bookplates: I'm giving you a chance to win your own free, commissioned bookplate design!

Entry in this contest is simple. Just email me, with the words "Bookplate Contest" in the subject line. In your email, tell me what book you would put your bookplate in first and why. Once I get ten entrants (which could take a few hours, a few days or a few months), I'll pick a winner based on the most creative book choice and response. I will then email that person and we'll hammer out the details. (See contest fine print at the bottom of this post.)

If I get a good response for this contest, I'll have more in the future. Always free. I'm a philanthropist!

But maybe you're wanting something right now while waiting for the contest winner to be announced. Don't worry. I'm not leaving you in the lurch, waiting. For those of you out there who love bookplates, I've found a few good web sites for you to get your free bookplate fill.

First of all, I, of course, have free bookplates made for anyone who wants them. I love free stuff. But there's a lot of other good places to look, too.

My Home Library: Lots of free and beautifully illustrated children's bookplates abound on this British web site.
The Bookplate Society: Need I say more?
Activity Village: More free bookplates for kids on this British site. (The British love books, evidently.)
The BookHive: A few full-color bookplates (and other stuff) are waiting for you on this site.
Bookplate.org: General discussion and links on all things bookplate.
Confessions of a Bookplate Junkie: A wonderful blog dedicated to bookplates!

Contest fine print for the winner: Your bookplate can contain an element representing a favorite hobby, your profession, a favorite animal, something historical, and so on. I can't depict copyrighted characters, nor will I depict anything lewd. I will mail you a CD with a high-res image of your bookplate for you to print and use, as well as eight printed bookplates. If you would prefer to remain "anonymous" or not give out your mailing address, I can email a high-res JPEG to you instead. Your bookplate will never be used for any other person on this planet: it's an original for you. However, you are not allowed to use it for anything but personal use; no commercial uses of my design are allowed without my written permission. My designs are copyrighted by me, Julie R. Neidlinger. The bookplate will be displayed on this site in a low-res format so readers can see it.

THE CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO ENTERED! FIND OUT WHO WON!

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A little pro bono design work.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 0 comments link this post

I've been designing the brochure and T-shirt for an area Bible camp for about five years now. I'm awfully grumpy to work with. I don't know how they have the patience to keep coming back. Last year I threw together, the day before leaving on a missions trip to Nicaragua, a design with the theme being "Extreme Makeover: Heart Edition."

Anyway, I thought I'd give you a peek at what I'm working on for this year. The theme was the idea of a "superhero." The scripture is Isaiah 40:31 with a little of Hebrews 11 thrown in.

What you see here is the header. The bottom two-thirds will be laid out like a comic book page with photos from last year's camp in the squares. There's a "barcode" that is reminiscent of the Marvel barcode. The name of the camp looks like a comic book headline. There's a bunch of other stuff thrown in to make the whole idea look like a superhero comic book. Of course, it's an older looking comic book because I based it off of an old Avenger's comic book I had here. The covers of comic books today look a lot different from back then.

Anyway, I had to make a superhero. I didn't want him to look like Arcangel of off X-Men, but I had to incorporate wings. And I had to have a helmet, shield, and sword (armor of God) in there, too.

So here's the base image. The words and other graphics go on top of it. I'm not a huge comic book fanatic so I don't know if I hit the mark or not. We'll see.

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The art is in the building.

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Yes, you'll be happy to know, especially those of you who have been hounding me (you know who you are!!!), that my art galleries are now full. Instead of a blank page, there's art to be seen! Check it out!

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Gift Certificates

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Just in time for Christmas, Lone Prairie is now offering gift certificates!

Pricing, Expiration: You can choose from four possible denominations: $10, $25, $50 or $100. Each gift certificate is good until December 25, 2006, a full year's worth of thinking about what to get! Shipping and handling charges on your order cover the printing and mailing, as well as a free gift or two to accompany the certificate. As always, quantities can be adjusted in the shopping cart if you'd like more than one gift certificate.

How to Use: These gift certificates are good for any of the items found in the shopping or gallery areas of the Lone Prairie web site. Simply place your order, following the prompts of the shopping cart. When asked if you have a gift certificate, simply enter the number to apply to your order. Gift Certificates do not apply to shipping and handling, or any applicable taxes, in an order.

Personalization: Gift Certificates can be personalized (at no extra charge) with your name so the person who receives the gift certificate knows who it is from. Please note what you want this personalization to be in the comments section of the shopping cart when placing your order. If nothing is noted, no personalization will be included.

Addresses: Gift Certificates are automatically mailed to the person who purchased them. If you would like the gift certificate to be mailed directly to the recipient, please note their correct address in the "shipping" address area and only enter your address in the billing area. Also include any other special instructions in the comments area (such as remaining anonymous, etc.)

Digital Gift Certificates: If you would like your gift certificate number to be emailed to the recipient, please note this in when given an opportunity to add comments when placing your order. Don't forget to include the correct email address of the recipient.

Problems with an order: If you have problems with your order, don't hesitate to email me. I will work with you to make sure your experience is a pleasant one.

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Item: Merry Christmas Gift Certificate
Price: Choose from a $10, $25, $50 or $100 gift certificate.

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Item: Happy Holidays Gift Certificate
Price: Choose from a $10, $25, $50 or $100 gift certificate.