My "Lift Black Voices" Video with Facebook

February 10, 2021

Here’s some behind the scenes from my @facebookapp #liftblackvoices video shoot!
You can see it HERE!

What a memorable experience to be interviewed about my art and paint on camera! It also was incredibly touching to be recognized and asked to contribute to this important series showcasing Black voices. Being on this large platform to talk about my art process and give your a peek into what I do was something I’ll never forget.

When I saw the colorful studio I felt so seen. They really got me and found the perfect place to bring this to life. The vibrant colors matched with my brand and art and brought energy to the day and the video. I was at home surrounded by my art and so much color. I even wore my “Justice” sweatshirt in the painting section.

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I absolutely loved the film making process and working with such creative professionals. A special thanks to the folks that made this happen. Campaign: @facebookapp Prod Co: @evenoddfilms Creative Producer: @thebusylagirl Creative Director: @maliksully Videographer: @respectjordan Editors: @grximmersivelabs Animator: @shirleyhdez

Join me on Spoonflower's "Craft Friday"

November 27, 2020

I love teaching design tips that I have developed and think can help others. I was excited when Spoonflower asked me to collab again and make a tutorial for their “Craft Friday” (Black Friday) extravaganza. The holidays are about togetherness and crafting together is a great way to spend the holiday weekend. All day 11/27 they are featuring tutorials starting at 8am EST on their Instagram IGTV channel. Replays will be up on the channel for you to watch anytime!

Learn how to sew scrunchies and pouches, make a holiday neck gaiter or fun ornaments, paint leaves and so much more! Go here to read more about it and see the line-up of instructors!

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I will be teaching how I make digital moodboards to inform my pattern designs. I collect imagery that helps me brainstorm and pull together my ideas into a cohesive moodboard. This moodboard is used to design my pattern or pattern collection. Using Pinterest, gathered materials, Illustrator (or Word) and your printer, you can create these boards easily.

Watch my tutorial below or watch here. Check out all the other amazing tutorials on Spoonflower’s IGTV channel!

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Featured in the Facebook #BuyBlack Gift Guide

November 27, 2020

In this challenging and intense year, 40% of Black businesses are closing. It is so important to support Black businesses during the holiday season to help them stay in business. Facebook has gathered several Black businesses in all categories into a holiday guide for 2020 - the #BuyBlack Holiday Gift Guide. I have the honor of being included in it. They are featuring my “Juneteenth” print and it is endorsed by the US Black Chambers.

Please help support these featured businesses. Go to the guide here.

My Pandemic hair feature on CNN.com

October 28, 2020

Recently I was approached reporter, Lauren Kent, at CNN.com to be interviewed about my #pandemichair. I was so shocked and delighted and couldn’t wait to talk to her about it. The reporter saw my post on Instagram about my new gray braids and wanted to include me in their article “Covid-19, Thanks for the Bad Hair Year”. The article features people who have made changes to their appearance since the stay-at-home order.

I explained how I had embraced my graying hair and the aging process during this time. There was really no need to continue coloring my hair since I was just staying at home mostly. It’s given me my time back and helped me shift the way I feel about my gray hair.

Read the article here!

My Art is in the New York Times!

August 30, 2020

I am so happy to announce my art is in the New York Times! I illustrated a piece for the sports section about the possibility of baseball in Nashville, TN. It was a whirlwind of a project and was published quickly after I created it. I am so grateful for this opportunity! Still on cloud nine.

Here is my sketch and notes. I included popular Nashville landmarks and baseball motifs to help tell the story.

Here I am right after I saw it in the paper for the first time. What a thrilling experience!

I'm on Proof to Product Podcast!

June 11, 2019

What a great experience talking to Proof of Product about my journey, art licensing and advice for artists. I love sharing my story and speaking to creative audiences. Proof to Product is a podcast for creative entrepreneurs and product-based business and I am honored to be among such great company. We cover:

Tips for people that are putting together their portfolio
How I define my artistic style and keep it original
The importance of experimenting
What it took to overcome fears of failure and success (always on-going)
My 10 year journey of learning and creating to do my own thing and break into licensing
When I started to see traction in my design work
What I learned from tradeshows
Being okay with not being perfect
Pivoting from my day job and shifting into licensing
Listen here (episode 107) and please leave a review on Apple Podcasts! We would love to hear from you!

Uppercase Magazine / Issue 41 / Jeanetta Gonzales

I am in Uppercase Magazine Sharing Tips for Artists!

May 25, 2019

10 Tips for Artists article in Uppercase Magazine Issue 41 by Jeanetta Gonzales

New Articles for Spoonflower

March 25, 2019

I love Spoonflower.com and their amazing products! I have been using them for years to print my own fabric. They also print wallpaper and giftwrap and their sister company, Roostery has print-on-demand home decor products too that you can make from your own designs! I am excited to be a part their blog and help share my design tips. I have written three articles to help you with your design process on Spoonflower.

Article 1: Everything you Need to Know about Designing for Products

In this article you will learn the importance of scale and how to use it properly when designing for products. I will walk you through designing for wallpaper, fabric and home decor and things to consider while designing.

Article 2: Designing on Spoonflower? Don’t miss these 5 tips!

In this article you will learn the technical tips to ensure your designs are perfect. I walk you through the proper ways to format your fies for printing, work with color and use tools such as the color map.

Article 3: The Secret to Designing Surface Designs

Do you need tips to perfect your patterns? Look no further. In this article I have the pattern tips to make stronger pattern designs. Learn the process to plan your design, ways to improve your layout and select color palettes!

I enjoyed sharing my tips and tricks with tne Spoonflower community and wish you continued success with your art and patterns! Also check out my store on Spoonflower.com and see my fabric and home decor items for sale!

Designing for products with Spoonflower

January 23, 2019

I’m excited to partner with Spoonflower.com to write an article on the importance of scale in your patterns when designing. In the products I design such as apparel and home decor, I often have to adjust the scale of the pattern to convey a specific look and feel and make it appropriate for the product and end use. Using Spoonflower’s fabulous products such as wallpaper, giftwrap and placemats I show you how scaling the pattern up and down can create a different mood and tone and even compliment a room.

Read my article here to learn more and learn about tips to remember when designing for products.

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I'm on the Badass Creatives Podcast!

July 25, 2018

I'm so happy to announce that I did my very first podcast! Mallory of Badass Creatives and I chat about branding, some mistakes I have learned from in my creative journey, how I got into the world of Art Licensing and what I pretty much do everyday. We have a candid and honest talk that I think you will enjoy! I highly recommend adding Badass Creatives to our list of podcasts for all things creative - business discussions, great interviews and inspiration, resources and more. Thanks so much for having me on the show! I'm honored to be considered a "badass". Go here and check it out!

Live Painting at Sezane Pop-Up Shop

May 4, 2018

I recently had the pleasure of working with the Parisian fashion brand, Sezane. Their classic, feminine, polished and beautiful aesthetic was brought to life at their recent Los Angeles pop-up shop.

For several days in March and April I worked in an amazing, floral setting outside the store painting French phrases for their customers. C'est tres jolie!

As the customers chose from a list of popular French phrases of endearment, I used watercolors, Tombow brush marker pens and watercolor paper to create their art pieces. I painted brightly-colored florals to match Sezane's spring collection brand aesthetic.

I couldn't wait to ask the customer's what they purchased. Stepping into the shop makes your heart leap. There's so many beautiful pieces to choose from! (I love the striped top I wore from their collection)

In the first few days after opening, customers received one of these incredible flowers from Farm Girl.

I was incredibly inspired by the flowers I was surrounded in. It was a dreamy place to work for the day.

Thanks, Sezane, for a truly enjoyable and memorable experience!

Feature in Flow Magazine Issue 20

October 1, 2017

I'm so excited to announce my recent interview in one of my favorite publications, Flow Magazine! If you aren't familiar with Flow this magazine it is a fantastic resource for creative types that promotes the importance of having a creative, healthy mindset, fostering and developing your creativity through the inner world, support for the ebbs and flows in life, finding flow in your life and living creatively. It is beautifully designed and illustrated and always has fun goodies to tear out and use (like notebooks, posters and bookmarks). They even offer additional publications and products such as a 2018 diary, their adorable gift book "A Book that Takes it Time" and other special editions.

I am so pleased with the feature and honored to be a part of this special magazine. It provides tremendous emotional and creative support and is very timely and needed right now. ***You can read my interview here.

Please check out this thoughtful magazine. You can find it in Barnes and Noble stores or purchase it on Flow's website.

Editorial Illustration: CA Lottery

January 18, 2017

I had the pleasure of working on a super-fun project for the CA Lottery. I created illustrations for the lottery that depicted Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Francisco/Oakland landmarks. I was approached as they were interested in working with a California artist to create illustrations that celebrate these cities and showcase major landmarks and those that have significance in the African American communities. The campaign just launched in the last couple of weeks and I couldn't wait to share it. The illustrations were placed in local papers in LA districts and animated, digital banners were placed on sites such as Bet.com and Hip Hop Wired.