Bye Bye Carnival Cottage

Dear Carnival Cottage Enthusiasts,

If you haven’t heard the news yet, we regret to inform you that our Carnival Cottage collection has come to a sudden end.

After almost 5 years, Magenta Inc. made the decision to eliminate our Carnival Cottage brand. In an effort to refine their licensing portfolio, we have been informed that they are shifting away from artist licenses to focus on their studio licenses with Disney, Peanuts, and others. Due to their restructuring initiatives, further design, development and production of the Carnival Cottage brand for off-price retail distribution has been discontinued, and their strategic decision to eliminate specialty lines, removes Carnival Cottage from their boutique portfolio as well.

The remaining inventory of Carnival Cottage Halloween pieces that we worked diligently to keep Special for Boutiques last year is now being sold into big box stores this season as part of Magenta’s liquidation of our collection. Unfortunately, we have little control over how Magenta handles their remaining stock. These leftover quantities are the end of the line, and while limited in quantity, this was not how we intended to close this chapter. On the contrary, we were anticipating to grow our collections with Magenta. We truly appreciate the Boutiques and all who supported us in carrying our first Carnival Cottage Specialty Halloween collection last year. It was not our vision to shift this collection to discounters so swiftly.

As we bid farewell to Carnival Cottage, we want to Thank ALL who inspired us to create this whimsical line. At its peak, the interest and enthusiasm from our fans, boutique retailers and the TJX Companies buying team was both exciting and inspiring, and it was a thrill to dream up this collection for ALL of YOU! We appreciate the opportunity to have worked and learned alongside Magenta’s creative team to make the magic happen, and it is heartbreaking to watch it die.

Hold dear the Carnival Cottage by Johanna Parker & Magenta Inc. collectibles that you may have or find along the way, as they are no longer being made today.

Although this novelty collection is closing its tent, we look forward to future opportunities where we can share the spirit of Carnival Cottage in other ways….

Sincerely,

Johanna Parker Design

New Carnival Cottage Halloween Sample Sneak Peek!

Happy Friday Friends! So, what ya think? Would you like to add some of these whimsical pieces to your Halloween decor & festivities? It’s Johanna Parker here, and Today we’re sharing our Sneak Peek at the Sample Phase of our Carnival Cottage design process. From sketch to development and now full form, it’s a treat to see those early scribbles and mock-ups come to life! Included is a new series of stand-alone ceramic designs that also add variety when paired with our figural items. You’ll see that the canisters, bowls, mugs and such can be rotated for a playful, pattern-only look too. The coordinating party, bakeware and garden items extend the collection and bring many more possibilities into the mix. Your feedback is key as we gauge interest for Halloween 2023. Please spread the word and let us know!! Be sure to share a like, a comment and thank you for your interest! :)

Thank you!

~ Johanna

Carnival Cottage ~ Halloween Product Development

Hello Again!

I’m sharing a peek at the various steps I take with our Creative Carnival Cottage Team to turn ideas into potential products! From sketch to illustration and template creation to clay art direction, the process is a test of patience, but one, well worth the wait! I work with a team of skilled graphic designers and creative directors who help design and arrange my illustrations for print and who also prepare my concepts for the sculpture artists who manifest our designs into form. To get a feel for the product shapes, I often print the team's templates to check alignment and fine-tune design details. Hence all the paper print-outs in this video! Enjoy this glimpse at some back and forth visuals, exchanged between these creatives to build the prototypes, inspired from rough sketches, previously shared. Be sure to share a like, a comment and follow along f you’d like to see the finished results! Thank you for your interest in our process!

Cheers,

~ Johanna

It all Starts with a Sketch!

Hello Friends!

It’s been a long while since I’ve added a post to my blog. But, Jack, if he were here, would meow, purr, share a few nose-bumps and encourage me to share! With that, it’s no time like the present to return and share what I’ve been creating…..

You’re in for a Treat! I’m taking you behind the scenes for a peek at my creative process, designing new product concepts for Carnival Cottage! Be sure to share a like and leave a comment if you’d like to see more! Truly, it all starts with a sketch! More to come….

Happy Haunting,

~ Johanna

Enjoy a behind the scene peek as licensed designer Johanna Parker sketches character concepts for Carnival Cottage Halloween products.

FUN with Spoonflower's Fill-A-Yard!

Hello Friends! It’s been ages since I blogged, and now I remember why…. It takes forever to put together an informative post!… From the planning and photography, to the text and editing, yes, it’s a long process, especially for someone who has an endless to-do list.. But, this feature article has been brewing in my mind for several months now, so it’s time to make the time to share and inspire!

As many of you you know, I have a Spoonflower Shop with a growing collection of fabric designs. We really love this source as our Go-To for very unique prints, catered to whatever quantities and fabric types desired. Recently, I started playing with Spoonflower’s new “Fill-A-Yard” feature, and I LOVE it! As a designer, it’s a great way to order my samples in various sizes. This way, I can proof the colors and check the repeats at the block size of my choosing….

Here’s a portion of my most recent designs on a “Fill-A-Project.” (…and yes, I’m standing in our bathroom because the lighting was just right!) Out of several different templates, Spoonflower’s “One Yard Cheater Quilt” option was my choice for this order, and I filled it up with a medley of new designs. I chose to print on their new Petal Signature Cotton, and the results are crisp and the colors, accurate! Yay!!… I plan to cut these swatches apart and photograph them by theme.

Another idea for a “Fill-A-Project” is to arrange matching prints in a coordinating motif. You can alternate designs in a playful checkerboard pattern or scatter a medley of styles into various sized blocks. With this particular template, you can print up to 42 designs in each 6” square. Or, choose to allow some surrounding squares to extend your favorite patterns into larger areas. Arrange them as you wish, place your order and then Quilt it! That’s why they call this one the Cheater Quilt!

The key to a great “Fill-A-Yard” project is to Create a Collection FIRST! Choose from any of my existing Designed Collections, or curate your own from the various designs in my Spoonflower Shop or search Spoonflower’s vast website for something specific and mix and match. Then, choose your Project Template and start arranging your design. It’s that easy…

Screen Captured Example:

I communicate best through images, and hence, visual aids are key. Above is a screen capture of a work-in-progress Cheater Quilt project. At right, is the “Pink Halloween” Collection that I chose to source this particular project from. At left, is the quilt template. Simply click and highlight a specific design from the collection at right, and then click a block on the quilt. From there, arrange and fill it up! …What FUN!

My first “Fill-A-Yard” order was back in early February. I needed to order proofs of my latest Valentines-themed designs, but I also had a No-Sew project in mind. So, I combined those to-do’s into one yard! You can see my V-Day & holiday print blocks covering half of this yard, and my aqua cherry print running along the other side of the yard’s length for my No-Sew experiment. Enjoy Before and After photos below of how that idea turned out!…. (Notice how excited Jack was!)

Here’s what I meant by “cutting the yard up into swatches” for photography. How fun are these playful folk art snowman prints?! I hand-painted these guys during the holidays, and then created the repeat in photoshop. I asked our friends on Instagram what color combos they preferred, and based on popularity, we added all 3! We always appreciate the feedback :) You can click on all of these photos for a larger view…

Again, here are more matching swatches, grouped together in a Valentine’s motif, all cut from my initial Fill-A-Project. Again, I was able to create the block sizes of my choosing. Photos of the actual prints are helpful to communicate the fabric color, texture and quality….

As for the No-Sew Project, we recently mounted some work lights above my studio workbench. JP found these great vintage aluminum brackets, just perfect for the space. But, the unsightly black cords were, well, just that. So, my solution is often “fabric to the rescue!” That’s been one of my Go-To, Fix-It solutions for many years! Just cover anything unsightly with attractive fabric!

Back in the 80s when I was just a kiddo, my mom and I would tear fabric into long strips. We’d wrap all sorts of stuff to create rag baskets, rag balls, rag necklaces and the list goes on. You could say that were very raggedy back then! :) Recently, visions of those rags resurfaced, and that’s when I picked a playful print from my Spoonflower Shop, and added it lengthwise across a portion of my fabric order, with visions of rags in mind….

Here’s the before photo of my “Cherries and Dots on Aqua” fabric…

A few quick pencil tick lines, spaced one inch apart, helped me layout my strips..

Just a snip and a rip at each tick mark, and soon enough, I had a series of long bandage-like strips to start the mummy wrap!

 
 

BEFORE, we see the contrasting black cord in all it’s bla bla bla boringness….

……and AFTER, we’ve got playful, colorful, swirling JPD Style!

Here’s a side by side…… The color and whimsical print just makes me giddy! While the boring black cord, just hurts my eyes. I prefer to customize my world with color and pattern whenever I can.. :)

That’s me, touching my mummified cord… And no worries, all of the wrapping efforts happened while “unplugged.”

BOOM! Instant style!…. Well, it took a couple hours and some pre-planning, but who’s counting? :)

Jack approved too! I like how the cords blend in more with my color palette and decor. Upon a closer inspection, you can enjoy the cherry patterns too… Fun from a distance and up close!

Well, I hope I offered a few tips and inspiration with these fun ways to order and play with Spoonflower’s unique fabric! The picture above is the other portion of my recent “Fill-A-Project” order. Yet another yard, it’s a medley of prints for my proofing and marketing. It includes a set of my new retro spring designs as well as last year’s Top #13 Cycling Challenge print and more folk art florals! Sure, it’s a hodge podge….. But, if I’m gonna cut it all up, who cares, right?

The ideas for Filling-A-Yard are endless, and I just wanted to share my excitement! If you have a project such as pillows, this is a great way to block out the alternating fabric for the fronts and backs and maybe add in some strips of blending prints for any trim work, playful patches or ruffles. Test it out, and see what creative ideas bubble up! You can thank me later… hehe!

PS: Share photos of your finished JPD-inspired projects so we can feature you in our Customer Gallery. Happy Sewing or in my case, No-Sewing!

ENJOY!

~ Johanna

How - To Halloween Hats!

Have you ever wondered how I make my conical paper hats? We have several spooky sweet decorative hat designs in our DIY Printables Shop for you to try your hand at, but if you’ve never made one before… well, it may be a wee bit daunting. GOOD NEWS! Abby from @KatPaperLove on YouTube & on Instagram surprised us with her How-To Videos! She shows us how easy it is from start to finish to make these vintage style delights that feature my illustrations! I have been wanting to make a similar video that walks you through the process, but I’m always designing new things. And well, I just haven’t had a moment to play with that! So, we are grateful that Abby picked our signal and jumped on it! Thank you!! Please check out her following YouTube links for crafting inspiration and secrets revealed to making these vintage style delights:

Vintage Halloween Hats ~ 100 Days of Katoween (Day 24)

DIY Vintage Crows from the 99 Cent Store! - 100 Days of Katoween (Day 25)

NOTE: Abby used a clever combination of both our FREE Print & Share Cat & Owl faces as well as our new “Black Cat & Jacks Halloween Hat” design, available in our Store. The results are clearly spooktacular!

We hope you watch and are inspired to try some for yourself!

Happy Crafting,

~ Johanna

 
Watch & Learn HOW TO make these Vintage Halloween Hats on Abby’s KatPaperLove YouTube channel!

Watch & Learn HOW TO make these Vintage Halloween Hats on Abby’s KatPaperLove YouTube channel!

 
 

It all starts with printing our high res digital download and cutting it up from there! Once you purchase the file, you can print as many as you wish for personal use.

 

Screen capture from Abby’s How-To video, showing how she uses her glue gun to make the magic happen…

Once she finished the hat, Abby added my freebie cat to embellish the look!

 

Voila! Vintage style Halloween can be yours at home with a few simple crafting supplies!

 

Abby shares a few tricks to help shape the hats and adorn the tops… She printed these at a smaller scale to add more variety to the group.

Just roll, glue and press… Abby takes the fear out of the project..

Make them large or small and festoon the objects in your home with a little Johanna Parker Design style!

Many thanks once again to our creative guest feature, Abby @KatPaperLove for jumping in and sharing her talents and tips with us! You can peek at her artful creations at @artista.kat as well. ENJOY!

Vintage Tuesdays

Let's face it ~ I LOVE Vintage things... The artistry of the past certainly intrigues me. People often ask what inspires my art, and although I don't keep a stack of old magazines and books on hand from the 1930s, I do seem to easily tap into the spirit of the Art Deco era. It's no wonder that I was drawn to our 1939 cottage home with its authentic archways, nooks, vintage stove and old fixtures. I don't belong in 2018 in a world of shiny, sharp-edged products and disturbing blue-lit screens. I love the amber lighting of the past and all the flowing lines and curves of the artistry that crafts-men and women poured into their work. You'll see these elements reflected in my folk art, over and over again. 

Our house is filled with many family mementos and vintage finds that I have collected along the way. Yes, dusting is a chore, and that doesn't happen as often as it should. But, I do love to surround myself with these delights. In honor of my passion for pieces of the past, I recently started a Vintage Tuesday feature on my Instagram page @jparkerdesign. Each Tuesday (time permitting) I'll post a little snippet of something timeworn in our home that brings delight to me. If you have an Instagram page, follow along and join in by posting photos too! Use the hashtag #VintageTuesday :-) I'll see you there! Happy Treasure hunting!

~ Johanna

Source: https://www.instagram.com/jparkerdesign/

New Fabric ~ Sneak Peek!

Sewwwww, I'm thinking that the timing is PERFECT to Give the Gift of custom, American-made, designer fabric to Mom! Luckily, I've added 30 NEW designs to my Spoonflower Shop!... Themes range from Floral to Halloween, and there's even a Heart scatter in the mix. JP and I snapped some pretty vignettes to show some of these yummy combos. This time around, I designed larger focal prints as well as smaller coordinates that work great as blenders for quilts, trim details on apparel, fashion accessories, pillows and the list goes on. I hope you will enjoy these and find them useful as you design & create!

*Gift Idea* ORDER NOW to receive swatches or yardage in time for Mother's Day!

She'll dance in delight over your thoughtfulness, & maybe she'll even make something for you too! WIN WIN, right?! We think it's a great way to inspire creativity, support artists & support made in America. So, GIVE it a try :)

Visit my Spoonflower Shop for over 120 designs!


Questions? Feel free to ask away! 

For now, ENJOY a medley of photos that we hope will entice you to place an order and get to making something special! Orders may take up to 2 weeks for production and delivery. So, place your Mother's Day orders now  :)

Pictured here are playful designs from my Hooty Tooty Fruity Collection!

Choose from 50 Johanna Parker Halloween prints! Here are a few of the latest designs incorporating purple in the mix...

Loving these new Spooky Vintage Black & White prints...

More yummy Halloween Designs, NEW to my Spoonflower Shop!

Zooming in for a closer look at:  Wild Bats on Purple small

American & German Made Fabrics!

A fun & festive pair: Wild Bats on Orange small ~ and ~ Purple Bat Frame Jack-o'-lanterns

Halloween's not complete without webs and spiders! Directly above are: Spooky Swirl Gray Cobwebs on Black ~ and ~ Black Widows Red Webs small

These 8" x 8" swatches are all printed on Basic Cotton Ultra

Ghost Frame Spooks ~ and ~ Faces of Halloween pair well like costumes & candy!

Spooky Swirl Cobwebs on Gray offers a haunting neutral effect...

Make something Unique!

More peeks at my fabric draped ironing board reveals a large grayscale version I call:  Ghost Frame Gray Spooks ~ and a hint at:  Spooky Bat Skeleton leaves us wanting to see more!

Although Halloween is my love, so are Flowers! Whimsy Floral Stripes is simply delightful in print along with the rest of my Hooty  Tooty Fruity pairings....

We will SHARE photos of your finished projects to INSPIRE others, so please SHARE with us!

HAPPY CREATING!

~ Johanna ~

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A Peek at Art Licensing & How Products Take Shape...

I often receive inquiries about our Johanna Parker Design licensed designs and the process of getting something made. Well, it's a long one, and it takes patience to see it through. To help illustrate, I am going to take you on a visual journey from A to Z and share with you my perspective on the steps it took to create my recent grinning black cat Halloween mug, being offered through Transpac Imports. He was one of our very first ceramic items which debuted last year! So, go get your favorite sipping beverage, pull up a chair, and I hope you enjoy the read...

Many artists will tell you that it all starts with an idea and then a sketch. Same goes for me...From a page of rough concepts, I'll pick my top faves and refine the illustrations from the pre-chicken scratch phase to something that I feel comfortable sharing with a licensee. Depending on my mood and time of day, I may illustrate my ideas with ink, water-based dyes and colored pencil, or create them straight from Photoshop using various brush tools, or a mix of the two. If it's late at night, I often opt for the latter because let's face it ~ at 1 am, it's easier to just sit at the computer (with the screen dimmed, mind you) and start drawing stuff vs. getting all my supplies out and starting a project, well, at 1 am...  Yes, I'm a night owl..

This is a photo snap from an older sketch book of ideas from 2015.... If you're familiar with my Halloween product line through Transpac Imports, you'll recognize several of my characters here in their early, raw stages- straight from imagination to paper! I guess you could say that this is where they were born :) And notice at this initial stage, the black cat has arms and legs...

Above is a cluster of Halloween characters that I scanned from my sketch book and then roughly colored in Photoshop. Visually, it helps to present them all together to see how the characters play off of each other in a collection. You can see that the black cat now has some color!

Once the visuals are tightened up a bit closer to what I have in mind, I'll format a page expressing what a collection of characters could look like. I pull the elements together, add some text, and then send them off to my licensing contacts! With fingers crossed, I wait and hope for positive feedback. Timing is crucial, and sometimes I just nail it while other times, I miss my window of opportunity, or I'm just way off target. That's life. If it's a miss, at least I have the art for a future opportunity. I have drawers full of those, just waiting for their big day. If several days go by, and no enthusiastic replies flood in, chances are, it's a no-go. That's just been my experience. On the other hand, a quick reply can mean a big YES, and we start brainstorming from there. Every once in awhile , there are also those magical times when I thought all bets were off, and a favorable response appeared weeks to months after its submission. We can always wish for those surprise nuggets of news as well.

Moving forward after interest is expressed, the licensee will often ask for more supporting designs that help create a cohesive collection. I try to do that at the start, but the product development team may take the ideas a different direction or perhaps broaden the designs to other materials and categories, especially after a year has gone by and response has been favorable. For example, if I submit ideas for figurines, a return request may evolve to making those characters into ornaments, plates, mugs, plush and beyond. More work for me, but also more skus. I've been licensing my work since 2004, and the resounding message from the various companies I have worked with is that a larger collection creates more impact. From personal experience, a small handful of pieces will indeed get lost in a showroom full of things. You need to make a big splash! I love this, and I hate this. More pieces equals more exposure and more goods to offer folks, but it's more work and more time dedicated to building a licensed collection. There are no guarantees that the designs provided will make the cut. 

Initial artwork for my black cat "Punkin Peep" shelf sitter... It was from this guy that the black cat mug was inspired and developed a year later.

A quick before and after, from rough illustration to final product which debuted in 2016...I'm thinking that I like the figurine better than my sketch. Gotta love that!

Once we have settled on a group of product designs, the art needs to be shared with the manufacturing factory team to get the process in motion. In the majority of cases that relate to my figurines, there will be a communication barrier. So, I create visual aids for the overseas sculptors to review. I will develop a page for each character with titles and a brief description. Sometimes I will add photo excerpts from past work to capture similar profiles as examples and to help express 3 dimension. This is just how I do it and not necessarily at the request of the licensee. They ask for artwork, and this is what I provide. Text is included for the translators, but visuals are key. I will often include a rough profile and backside sketch, submit the graphics to my licensee and then await the clays.

Here is an example of where I expanded upon certain products to create supporting designs. In year 2, I was asked to build a group of shaped character mugs, inspired by the popularity of  my Punkin Peep sitters. I will focus on the black cat mug in particular to express the process of this product's evolution. I submitted the above illustration to the sculptors at Transpac's ceramic factory. (The mug art was created in Photoshop using various brushes atop existing scans - it must have been late a night for this one.. ~wink~ Oh, and JP calls it "Frankensteining" when I do this, especially when I cut the head off of one piece and add it the body of another, tweaking the features as I go!....)

Emailed photos of my designs in clay often arrive within a couple days, but rarely capture the design just as envisioned. In that case, I will make a "Fix-it" graphic with more visuals, showing the before and after along with a few red lines to indicate the changes I would prefer to see. This alone is many hours of work, but it's a detail that I feel is critical in capturing the spirit of my characters. When I have omitted these steps, the finals are just not "me." So, there is a bit of back and forth, and sometimes a lot, to refine each product. When satisfied or at least closer to my vision, the clays are molded, and the prototypes are produced. Through years of experience in licensing, I have realized that it really helps to be more engaged in the process, so that the final product resembles the vision. Years ago when I started out with other companies, I was not given the opportunity (or perhaps I failed to ask) to see or comment on the process. Nowadays, I am grateful to be more involved in the development of each design whenever possible.

Round One - 1st Clay sample of my Punkin Peep Black Cat Mug, direct from the factory. The sweeping nose to brow line had ridges!.. The sculptor was adding dimension to my paint lines. It's not like we were able to discuss this, so I don't blame them. I acted quick to correct this amongst other tweaks in the first Fix-It graphic. We also decided to remove the recessed teeth lines and just use paint for those... 

Round One Fix-It Graphic - I often create my "after" image in Photoshop, using the factory photo as a base and then paint over it in the same tonal clay palette with my revisions. The "fix" image is a screened back version of the unaltered factory photo with red lines over top, indicating the changes.

Round Two - 2nd Clay... A few things were looking off still, including the funky dip in the chin.. So, here comes another Fix-It graphic. Yes, my black cats are dear to me, so I was extra particular about this guy. 

Round Two - Fix-It Graphic included the chin detail as well as reshaping the profile of the nose. When possible, I ask for a profile photo. There are some hidden details that can be completely missed from only a front view.

Round Three & Four: I probably could have skipped this step, but I really wasn't loving his subtle buck teeth. It's just not a feature that I give my cats if I can help it.. hehe! 

From here, we move on to paint, and in most cases, I will receive emailed photos of the painted protos for approval before production ensues. I much prefer this in case the colors are off, or details are missed, and that's often the case. Who better to catch this than the artist who designed the art?

Paint Revisions - This step usually goes a lot faster once we have a workable shape to paint on. But, it's funny, no matter how obvious the visuals are, there is usually something that gets lost in translation with the paint. In this case, it was the black interior. Here it seems easier to me to paint the inside black and not worry about painting a clean seam line at the mouth of the mug, but that's not what was presented. I went ahead and corrected that as well as adding some notes on patina (yes, I like patina!) as well as ear and teeth lines. We're almost there guys! The finished mug pic is up next...

Once all is approved, production commences and samples are made. From my experience, maybe a dozen or so samples of each design are produced and sent to the licensee for their reps to cart around to the various buyers' market shows. The licensee's design team will photograph each sample to display on their website as well as for future catalogs. So, this handful of samples, that have likely made a long journey across the ocean, need to look their best! A lot weighs on these little guys, so it's a "handle with care" kinda situation. If they arrive broken, well, we can pretty much kiss those guys goodbye, at least for that year!

Final painted mug  photo sample, sent direct from the factory!.... He's not perfect, especially once he goes into full swing production, but he is hand painted, and with that, each cat is a little bit unique. These guys were a big hit in 2017 and will  be back for 2018 ~ Yay!  :) And with that, our first ceramic cat mug was born...

So, the big market season is at the start of each year. Buyers for stores who have a budget for these annual events will travel in to Atlanta, NY, Vegas, Dallas, etc.. to attend and see the latest products for themselves. A lot weighs on these markets. Licensees are looking for feedback and obviously orders. This is where the big collection vs. the small grouping can really boost sales and attention for an artist's work. We hold our breath and hope for a positive response, a flock of excited buyers, attracted to our displays, and well, you get the idea. But all in all, orders need to be taken. If the order count is low for any item after a series of shows, well, that piece gets cut. The factories have their quotas for production. So, let's say 500 pieces need to be made to get a certain price break and only 300 orders were written at market, there is a risk for the licensee. I'm not privy to all of these details and decisions made about ordering my product. But, I can safely assume that if an item is dropped at the start of the year, its early orders didn't meet the quota.

 

Quick snap from my January 2018 Halloween display in Transpac Import's Atlanta Showroom. I am not involved in this phase of the design process, so I cross my fingers that the displays will be eye-catching. The majority of the items grouped together here are my designs, minus the textiles and the large jack-o'-lanterns hovering over the scene. My Black Cat Mug is in the mix, albeit a bit tricky to see from this angle.

 

As you can see, a lot has led up to the moment of showing the products at the markets. I don't keep track of my hours, but it's a LOT... At this point, we are really handing the power over to the buyers. I did what I could to create something unique and special for collectors, and now it's up to the folks that place the orders to show up on time. I'm not sure if they realize how critical their timing is. Production orders need to placed early in the year so that products can be made in time for their seasonal release. If too many buyers hold off and decide to place their orders later in the year, then there is a good chance that an item with a low, early-order count will never see production. Just because a piece made it to market or even made the catalog, does not promise that it will be available later. It most cases it will, but over the years, we've had frustrated store owners as well as the public contacting us, wanting to know why they cannot order a Halloween reproduction pictured in a catalog or pictured on social media. This is the reason. Either the early orders barely met the factory quota, so production was kept at a conservative low and pieces sold out quickly. Or, they just weren't met at all. So, to sum it up, we are so very grateful to buyers who place an early order! It really helps to ensure that our designs will be available once Halloween & the holidays roll in! Thank you Thank you Thank you (in advance! :)

Speaking of, some of you may have noticed that I have been sharing new product photos on social media (mostly Instagram) at the start of this year. I know some folks don't want to see Halloween & Christmas in January & February, and I've had my share of unfollows for it, but here's hoping it helps to remind our shop friends of what's new for this year and to consider placing their orders now.. We so appreciate it, and our collectors will thank you for it later!

With all that said, I've spelled out the steps from my experience to help explain the process from idea phase to tchotke shelf collection  :) It takes about a year+ from initial sketch to product in hand. At that point, once the items are exiting stores, wrapped in tissue in shopping bags, the artist begins to receive royalties. So, it's not for the impatient at heart. It's a waiting game for all aspects, including the compensation part. 

So, why do I do it?  Well, we have built a hearty following for my collectible art. Our folk art originals, as special as they are, are just that. We can only make so many each year, and then a new year begins. They take countless hours to create, and each is unique. But, really, we're only reaching close to a hundred or so collectors each year that actually are in the right place at the right moment to adopt them. And, many thanks to those dedicated people! The rest of you who wish for a taste of our style in your home are eager (or so we hope) to snag a reproduction or two or more for your collection. That's where the licensed designs come into play. In this case, through licensing, we are now able to offer my designs in ceramics and other new mediums too! Typically the price is right, and although we may have to compromise on quality and detail, we can connect with so many more people through larger production. I know, that's pretty obvious, but sometimes I have to remind myself of the obvious. It's a choice that I continue to make because I have this innate drive to share my talents with you. Excuse my cheesiness, but it's true. Making art for myself and stashing it away feels incomplete. I have this need to connect the dots and fill the void. It's a lot of cyclical work, but we do find joy in your enthusiastic response! That in turn creates the momentum for the next round.

 
Sharing some photos where I was tagged on Instagram by fans who were thrilled about their new Johanna Parker Design black cat mugs... Your enthusiasm is contagious!

Sharing some photos where I was tagged on Instagram by fans who were thrilled about their new Johanna Parker Design black cat mugs... Your enthusiasm is contagious!

 

At this time, we do not have our own production factory, so we can never guarantee that the next year will bring a new collection of Johanna Parker Design reproductions. Some days I wish we did have our own local warehouse of skilled workers producing our designs, while other days I'm glad to not have the extra worry. For now as things are, I do my best to submit new designs each season, via the process that I've spelled out above. Then, I cross my fingers that something gets picked up. Many of you noticed our dry spell for Christmas collectibles over the last several years. That was due in part to one licensee's decision to stop offering papier mache products combined with other licensees choosing to focus their JPD collection only in the Halloween category. Trust me, I was submitting, but we can't win 'em all. We do have a new collection of figurines and ceramics for this Christmas via Transpac Imports, so please place your orders or tell your favorite shops about our designs so we can keep that wheel spinning :) It's taken a few years to get that ball rolling again...

Well, I hope this post answers some of your questions about my product development in the field of licensing. Perhaps it's interesting at least to those that are familiar with our work! So, thank you for taking the time to read it, and thanks to Transpac for granting us the thumbs up to share the steps with you. I often receive questions about the process, and I feel this is an easier way to share my answers, all in one place for whomever wishes to visit. Let us know if you found it helpful or interesting by clicking the heart below. If there are other related topics that you would like me to cover in the future, feel free to leave your thoughts, future product suggestions or questions in the comments section below, and I'll do my best to respond to you.

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Keep an eye on our Instagram feed for more product sneak peeks along the way...

Best Wishes,

~ Johanna