Watercolor clip art shop now open - Have some free printable gift tags!

I'm so excited to open up a new clip art only shop on Etsy! I love painting for fun, and now I get to share all my designs with the world.

I will be hosting a giveaway on my new Facebook page in the new year and the winner will get a BIG prize, so stick around for that. In the meantime, please enjoy some freebies! I designed a set of pastel feathered arrows (find them to purchase here) - and created these free printable gift tags just for you! These would be perfect for an upcoming Valentine's day gift, don't you think?

Maria-B-Arrow-Gift-Tag-Freebie.jpg

(To get your free gift tags, click on the image to open it in a new tab, download or print from your screen)

Enjoy and spread the word! Keep your eyes peeled for the contest and other fun items, including painting tutorials coming up soon. Follow me on FB and Instagram (@mariabpaints) to be up to date with all the latest.

Thanks for coming, see you soon!

Interested in something custom? Contact me for a quote!

Custom Watercolor Logo Contest Winner!

I haven't posted in a while, and thought I'd get back into things by hosting another giveaway for a custom logo design! The time has arrived to announce the winner.

So MANY people entered the contest on Facebook and via Instagram.  I loved reading all the comments, and compliments, it really makes me feel great seeing how many people value my work and I feel so honored that so many would want my work to represent their business! I truly wish I could give every one the design of their dreams, but alas - just one for now!

The winner of the logo *this* time is...

Maria-B-Paints-contest-winner-2-1024x1024.png

Carla Bagley is the winner! Please contact me via Facebook or email to claim your prize! I will be heading over to Instagram now to choose one of the comments as a winner for a pre-made design from my shop, so head over there if you entered!

I will be giving away more logos in the coming year (holla 2016!), so please keep up with everything going on by following me on Facebook or Instagram :) Thanks for participating everyone!

Contact me if you'd like to get the ball rolling on your own custom watercolor logo design!

Custom Watercolor Logos - Maria answers: What is a "Branding Board?"

One of the first things that I often ask for after a client has decided to work with me on their custom watercolor logo design, is for said client to start working on a "Branding Board". Pinterest is my go-to for this sort of thing, because it helps makes things easy to find and organize, and it's easy to share and access from anywhere!

I often times will be asked what exactly a branding board is, or how to put one together. It's sometimes confusing but I hope I can explain it here, so that you can see what it is I mean and why it matters!

When a client comes to me, the first thing I ask them is what they'd like represented in their logo and what they'd like their logo design to "feel" like. I guess it might sound strange to ask about how a logo should "feel", but to me it really just means - the style, the energy, the soul of the logo. Is your business pretty whimsy in nature? Or is it more stoic? Do you like things messy or really neat? Are details important or are you drawn to impressionism? All of these things can be (and ARE) conveyed through the images that you choose to pin to your branding board.

How do you choose those pins? Simply run a search related to the image you are looking for. For example "watercolor foxes" will turn up many pinned images of the animal painted in different styles. Pin the one that you like the most *or* click on it and a page of further related pins will pop up.

For colors, you can search for your favorites like "blue and yellow", or "pastel color palettes" or whatever you would like to incorporate for that. If you find an image you love the colors for and it doesn't fit your branding ideas, just pin it and add a note saying it's the colors you like, not necessarily what's depicted in the image.

Check out the following branding explanation that I put together, for all of you folks that are more visual (and if you're into art and photography, well then I'm probably talking to you, right??)

I love, love, LOVE what I do. And when I first take a look at someone's board after we've discussed their ideas a bit through Etsy or email or wherever, I instantly am inspired. Your branding board just helps make *sense* of the ideas you've mentioned or your dream for a logo.

After all, they say a picture is worth a thousand words!

Are you interested in a custom business design? Contact me here! Or check out more of my mood boards and final logos that they inspired by looking over my portfolio. Until next time!