The Licensing Nook

Memory Match Catch – innovative KIDS

Lesley Breen Withrow — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 04:13:35 +0000

Posted by: Lesley Breen Withrow

Memory Match Catch – A game I illustrated for innovative KIDS

(click on photo to view video)

Here’s a video about a children’s game I illustrated for innovative KIDS called ‘Memory Match Catch‘. It’s a part of their Soft Shapes line. This match game is for bath time and has 20 colorful fish with 10 different patterns and a net for kids to catch them with. They can match the patterns and collect them in the supplied mesh bag or stick them on the tub wall. We just got the game and my 5 year old daughter loves it! She even likes to use it outside of the tub. It’s so fun to illustrate a toy and then see my daughter playing with it! And, I’ve always been a big memory match game fan, so I am having fun playing it with her too.

Trip to NYC Stationary and Surtex Show

Lesley Breen Withrow — Tue, 31 May 2011 17:41:12 +0000

Posted By: Lesley

I went to the Stationary and Surtex show in New York City a couple of weeks ago and had a great time. I haven’t been to the show in a quite a few years, so it was nice to go again. I really enjoyed looking at the booths, trends, and it was great to see some familiar faces too! I was happy to see my book, Tooth Fairy Tales – My record of each lost tooth at the Potter Style Booth, and it was also very cool to see my snail notecards at the Papyrus store on 5th Avenue!

My Book is in the middle of the second shelf up from the bottom.

It was so fun to see my notecards there!

Baby Boy Card – Elephant and Bird

Lesley Breen Withrow — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 03:48:10 +0000

Posted by: Lesley

©Gartner Greetings

I went to a friends baby shower this weekend, which was really fun. It’s always exciting to welcome a new little life into the world! Here’s a card I illustrated a little while ago that is fitting for the occasion. I can’t wait to meet their little boy, who’ll be arriving at the end of May or early June.

Little Bird

Lesley Breen Withrow — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 14:43:02 +0000

Posted By: Lesley

©Gartner Greetings

Here’s a bird that enjoyed painting for a greeting card I recently illustrated. I’ve noticed lately that I just love painting birds!

Birthday Fun!

Lesley Breen Withrow — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 01:59:58 +0000

Posted By: Lesley

©Gartner Greetings

My 5 year old daughter got invited to a friends birthday party this weekend. Lots of of crafts, dressing up as princesses and strawberry cupcakes. Nothing can put a smile on my face as fast as little kids giggling. It was fun!

Find Your Own Voice

Monica Lee — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 16:03:16 +0000

I recently joined a linkedin group that discusses copyrights or to be more specific, copyright infringement. Needless to say in the age that we live in…this group is extremely active. It can be so disheartening to realize that someone has taken your art and used it as their own or even worse, is using it to make a profit for themselves! Even as an art student I innately knew that copying someone else’s art was wrong. This did not prevent me from copying John Singer Sargent’s watercolors in an effort to teach myself how to paint better but certainly it stopped me from acting as if it were “original” in fact it stopped me from even showing it to anyone. But what about the people that have never picked up a brush? Do they understand how life draining it can be to have ones art copied and used without permission? I am not sure they do understand. This group of artists and I are banding together to do some friendly educating. We politely want to inform younger artists/crafters that it is not ok to copy someone’s art and sell it on etsy and we want to (not as politely) give notice to bigger businesses that the internet is a powerful tool and if you are using art without permission or payment-shame on you-you will lose customers, period. We want to encourage art teachers to make teaching “originality” as a part of their curriculum, talk to students about copyright laws, use examples right within the classroom. Discuss how disheartening it can be to have artwork copied or “stolen.” Let’s teach younger artists now! And yes, I did use the word stolen..the evil right click. The letter of the law is that if I create it, I own it. I may sign that ownership away or “lend” ownership for a certain amount of time to someone, that is what people do in licensing. I give “limited use” for my art to be on products so we both make a profit. That is the simple version of what an artist does but can you see how awful it is for everyone if someone takes the art that I have created and makes a profit without my knowledge? It can hurt me and the people that I partner with. Here is a terrific website be your original best that promotes a copyCAT free artistic industry. I am going to add the button to my blog. There you can read some artists personal accounts and frustrations with this issue. One artist who is really addressing this issue is Terri Conrad. You can find her here . Tomorrow a large group of artists are all taking part in a blog hop to discuss who INSPIRES us in our creativity. Inspiration and copying are very different and tomorrow, I will talk about how I am inspired by other peoples art so you can see the difference. Until then, here is a little Cardigan Girl from Monica Land that encourages you to Find Your Own Voice!

Lesley Breen Withrow — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 18:03:02 +0000

Posted by: Lesley

It’s a beautiful day today. Sunny and warm, a nice change from all the snow and ice we’ve been having all winter. Hopefully Spring is on the way!

©Gartner Greetings

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Lesley Breen Withrow — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 17:09:47 +0000

Posted by: Lesley

Happy Valentine’s Day!!!!

Baby Giraffe

Lesley Breen Withrow — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 19:43:33 +0000

Posted by: Lesley

Here’s a recent illustration I really enjoyed creating!

Butterflies

Lesley Breen Withrow — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 04:44:03 +0000

Posted By: Lesley

Here’s a snippit of some butterflies I illustrated for a greeting card. It makes me feel like Spring is in the air, even when we had 10 inches of snow last night. A girl can dream!