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Posts Tagged ‘French Bulldog’

French Bulldog Cards and More for the Holidays

Posted in Animals, Art, Cards, Cats, Creativity, Design, Dogs, French Bulldogs, Graphic Design, Holidays, Illustration, Inspiration, Life, Reflections, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on November 22, 2020| 11 Comments »

When I haven’t written in over a month, it usually means at least one thing. In this case, it means I have been deluged with holiday fundraisers and projects from my clients. It has been non-stop, and while I think of things to write here – I even take photos – and I want to catch up with those I follow, my creative energy is directed towards these projects and the time to actually focus on my own writing has been non-existent. It’s frustrating.  But enough whining.

As a new and different Thanksgiving approaches, many, including myself, are already shopping extensively online for Christmas and holiday gifts. To that end, I am going to take a moment to shamelessly promote myself and the lovely French Bulldog items I have created for my Etsy shop.

If you are looking to send holiday cards, “Stranger in the Snow” is one among several you’ll find in my shop. You can also find a few neat gift ideas such as my “Frenchies Apres Monet” blank notecards which I’d like to think would be appreciated by fans of Monet as well as the French Bulldog. I also have a sweet, handsomely-made Frenchie journal, because we all are writing more these days what with all the stress in our lives. No? And if not you, perhaps you know someone who journals faithfully. (Or maybe just needs a notebook!)

All the original artwork is mine, and I can assure you, the cards are of a beautiful, heavy stock. If inspired, just toddle on over to Etsy at JBalsamFrenchieArt. 

As the intensity of my holiday workload is ever-so-slowly winding down, I am planning on writing again soon, and coming by to see you and what you’ve written, too. Should I not get to the post I have in mind before Thanksgiving, I wish you all a peaceful, happy, and safe holiday, however you may spend it. Take good care and let’s continue to look forward to less stressful days when we can meet with each other again as we have in the past. I am always happy to have you stop by!

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A New French Bulldog Card Has Arrived!

Posted in Animals, Art, Authors, Cards, Creativity, Design, Dogs, French Bulldogs, Holidays, Illustration, tagged , , , , , , , on November 29, 2019| 8 Comments »

Christmas is coming, and for those who still love the tradition of sending real, 3-dimensional cards, I have something special for you – my newest Frenchie Christmas card. This is one of the holiday cards now available with complete details in my Etsy shop – JBalsamFrenchieArt – plus sets of blank notecards which would make great gifts. All the artwork and design are my own, the illustrations drawn in colored pencil, occasionally with watercolor, and printed right here in the U.S.A.

If you have a Frenchie, a friend with one, or just want something cute featuring the breed as a gift, stop by and visit my shop. And please, spread the word!

Thanks so much!

 

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A New French Bulldog Christmas Card!

Posted in Animals, Art, Cards, Creativity, French Bulldogs, Holidays, tagged , , , , , , , , on November 10, 2018| 6 Comments »

Please welcome not only an adorable little Frenchie baby, but a touch of nostalgia for times gone by, when a child might be excited to find a real Steiff pull toy underneath the tree. The lights were much bigger, the ornaments glass, and the smell of balsam pine wafted through the house.

Our little pied girl will soon find there’s nothing to worry about with her new stuffed friend, but still she wonders … could she come home with you, then visit your friends and family? You can find her plus more holiday cards, gift ideas, and my new journal in my shop on Etsy. Please stop by!

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For St. Patrick’s Day … and A Little Irish Frenchie

Posted in Animals, Art, Creativity, Dogs, French Bulldogs, Holidays, tagged , , , , , , on March 13, 2017| 10 Comments »

St. Patrick’s Day is almost here, so I thought to draw a little Frenchie all ready for the occasion to share with you French Bulldog  lovers out there.

For everyone who stops by, a short and sweet Irish blessing …

May the blessings of light be upon you,
Light without and light within.
And in all your comings and goings,
May you ever have a kindly greeting
From them you meet along the road.

 

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How About A Little French Bulldog Valentine Love?

Posted in Animals, Art, Cards, Creativity, Design, Dogs, French Bulldogs, Holidays, Just Fun, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 24, 2017| 16 Comments »

Everyone likes to share a little sweetness with someone special at Valentine’s Day. How about sending this adorable Frenchie Valentine?

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Check out those just-frosted cookies  – this cute pied Frenchie is. And they’re not just hearts for Valentine’s Day. Why, yes, there are some cookies with rather familiar big ears! And you know what that means. That these blank notecards are not just for Valentine’s Day but for whenever baking cookies is a good time! Yup. ANYtime!

I’ve drawn these new Frenchie notecards in my usual style, but somewhere in between a sketch and a finely detailed colored pencil drawing, all on a nice, recycled matte paper. Blank inside so you can write to your heart’s content and never be out of season.

We all know how digital everything has become nowadays, but I’d like you to take a moment and remember the last time you opened your mailbox and found inside a real, 3-dimensional card from someone in your life. Put a big smile on your face, didn’t it? I know that’s what happens to me. So go old-school and send some smiles to the wonderful people in your life. Better yet, send those smiles with my adorable (if I say so myself) French Bulldog notecards.

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French Bulldog Christmas Cards

Posted in Animals, Art, Cards, Creativity, Dogs, French Bulldogs, Holidays, Home Stuff, tagged , , , , , , , , on December 4, 2015| 8 Comments »

JBalsam-FrenchFawnThere’s still time to order adorable French Bulldog Christmas cards! Even if you feel you’re already running behind, it doesn’t take long for me to pack up some charming Frenchie holiday cards and get them to you. Priority Mail takes only 2 days nowadays!

Here’s one of my designs – you can check out the other Frenchie holiday cards or maybe even consider some French Bulldog blank notecards as a gift.

Send a smile this Christmas to someone you know – after all, who can resist a Frenchie?

Order today!

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Summer Mix

Posted in Art, Authors, Children's Books, Dogs, French Bulldogs, Graphic Design, Inspiration, Life, Photography, Reflections, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 24, 2015|

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Why, you may ask, are you looking at a pair of feet in (… well, a pretty cute set of) flip-flops?

Here’s why. For the same reason you’re about to look at a yummy summer salad sitting on an antique kitchen chair complete with original milk paint, (which by the way, doesn’t hold up all that well to everyday wear and tear.)

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It’s an offering. A little tide-you-over. I’ve been somewhat absent from my blog, but I do think of you, and I do miss the delight of writing more frequent posts, as well as stopping by your blogs. (Just because I don’t follow you or comment doesn’t mean I don’t stop in for a quick peek.)

The last few weeks have included some exciting things – a visit to the Grounds for Sculpture to see the Seward Johnson retrospective before the borrowed pieces return to their permanent spots all over the world on July 1. So much to see, and such genius! I’ll be posting more on that soon. Meanwhile, here’s a little teaser of what’s to come.

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Johnson is known for his sculptures of people in everyday life and his 3-dimensional interpretations of famous paintings. Throughout the grounds one finds groupings of people as well as individuals, such as this hot dog vendor along one of the walkways.

And then there was the NJ SCBWI June Conference where we all ate, drank and slept children’s books for nearly two days straight. It’s intense, exciting, rewarding, and based on everyone’s collapse on Monday, a major rush! The workshops, meeting and dining with agents and editors, connecting and re-connecting with fellow writers and illustrators is quite the whirlwind of an experience, and has us all coming home with a renewed sense of purpose, our dreams fired up, and ready to further our goals and experiences in children’s books.

Intermezzo: a French Bulldog illustration of mine, for summer.

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And then of course, there’s work. LOTS of work. Not to complain; paying one’s bills is a good thing, but between it all, well, my blog bore the brunt of it. As have my poor LightBetweenOeans-MLStedman2porches which remain bereft of a single flower this year. (I’ll spare you the empty porch photos.) And then there are the everyday demands of just plain life. Busy!

And of course I’ve been reading. I am always reading, no matter what. Great book – just finished – I highly recommend it.

Soon I will share with you some truly amazing treats from the Seward Johnson exhibit.

So stay tuned … I do believe I’m back!

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Guilty

Posted in Animals, Art, Creativity, Writing, tagged , , , , on March 17, 2015| 8 Comments »

FrenchieCrocusOne of the tough things about having a blog is that you really do want to keep up with it, and yet sometimes it’s just not on the top of one’s possibility list. Unfortunately, this infuses me with a certain amount of guilt. Things are running through my head constantly that I want to write about – it’s never for lack of subject material – it’s for the luxury of time to write it well and to provide images that you’ll enjoy seeing.

So consider this a teensy tide-me-over and more will be coming soon.

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French Bulldog Holiday Cards

Posted in Animals, Cards, Creativity, Dogs, French Bulldogs, Holidays, tagged , , , , , , , on December 5, 2012| 6 Comments »

JBalsam-strangersnowAdorable French Bulldogs are waiting to pick up some envelopes and rush out to your house, just in time to send to family and friends.

These little cuties are on my web site … take a look at the French Bulldog Christmas cards you want to send!

You may also want to consider unique blank notecards featuring French Bulldogs as fabulous gifts for your Frenchie loving friends and family, (or actually just anyone who loves sending an adorable card!)

Note: All illustrations, drawings and photographs are © Jeanne Balsam and may not be reproduced in any format without written permission. Thank you!

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French Bulldog Sketches – III

Posted in Animals, Art, Children's Books, Creativity, French Bulldogs, tagged , , , , on March 12, 2010| 4 Comments »

Because French Bulldogs are a main feature on in my shop, and my artwork is featured quarterly in Just Frenchies magazine, many people ask me if I have a Frenchie of my own … they assume I must. The answer is no, not yet. I love the bully breeds, and I love drawing and photographing them, and I’ve become completely enamored with Frenchies over the last 5 years that I have been drawing them. So much so, that a Frenchie is the heroine in more than one of the children’s books I am working on.

But having a dog is a whole lot different than drawing and writing about one. In the 18″ of snow we’ve been hit with here recently … and repeatedly, I vividly recall what it was like not so long ago when I had two dogs, one of whom did not wish to sully her paws in that fluffy white stuff. And that was at 6:30 in the morning.

But that’s only a part of it. Dogs require time … especially a new dog. I will want to do what I always do – walk, socialize, obedience train, play and so on. Although it could change any moment, right now I would find it difficult to commit to the time I know I will give a dog.

And then, there’s kitty politics. Already an uneasy balance exists here – Miss Bossy Boots (Gypsy) spends way too much time scheming of ways to make Mewsette’s life miserable, and it’s not clear what tossing a dog in the mix might do. Although Claude would probably have a new best friend in 3 days. I firmly believe that when I am supposed to have a dog, the one that absolutely must be mine will appear.

So for now I draw. And write.

Featured here are a few more sketches, either in plain old pen, (my absolute favorite, by the way, for writing and general sketching, is Pentel R.S.V.P. Medium. It is one of THE best balanced writing pens on the market – you can feel it when you hold the pen with the cap on the end – just perfect!), and to the right, loose colored pencil. Enjoy.

Order French Bulldog cards and art here!

Note: All illustrations, drawings and photographs are © Jeanne Balsam and may not be reproduced in any format without written permission. Thank you!

 

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Portfolio Critique, French Bulldog Sketches

Posted in Animals, Art, Children's Books, French Bulldogs, Writing, tagged , , , on April 25, 2008| 12 Comments »

At the end of my workday, I decided to tool around some web sites and be inspired by other artists’ and illustrators’ work. This coming Monday I’ll be attending my first Illustrators’ Conference ever. I am truly excited.

I’m looking forward to having my current portfolio reviewed, and receiving advice as to how to properly make it a children’s book illustration portfolio. Also, to hear what art directors and agents have to say about the current market, what they’re looking for, how to get there, etc.

So then, after looking at these fabulous web sites, I’m wondering why I don’t have more of my own latest work on my own web site and/or blog. OK – one reason? The shoemaker’s kids are always the last to get shoes. I do everyone else’s work most days and am really over by the end of the long days. Other days, I focus more on my writing. Additions to my blog are more often on the writing side of my talent. Time to present myself more as the artist I am! So ….

Below are 3 recent French Bulldog sketches, featuring the subject matter of much of my artwork … Frenchies. You can also buy a great assortment of French Bulldog cards and prints on my web site, with new items added periodically. Just click the link and look!

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I particularly was looking to do images of the faces resting on the floor so you could see how those little jowls spread out and how sweet they looked.

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Some of my French Bulldog sketches are in preparation for illustrating one or more of my current children’s book stories which feature Frenchies as characters.

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Other times they are in preparation of my artwork which is featured quarterly in Just Frenchies magazine. Hope you enjoy these little munchkins.

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Find French Bulldog cards and art here.

Please note: All illustrations, drawings and photographs on this site are © Jeanne Balsam and may not be reproduced in any format without written permission. Thank you!

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