Nene Dreams

Nene Dreams is finally finished and delivered! This large custom piece (36x48) honors the Nene Goose, endangered state bird of Hawaii. This was a big project for me, as I typically paint 16-inch or smaller canvases.

Nenes are graceful, gentle birds with beautiful striped markings. The border of the painting represents a lei of Hawaiian flowers: Hibiscus, Ginger, Anthurium, Plumeria, Protea and a hanging Heliconia at the top. This piece celebrates the grace and beauty of Hawaii, as well as endangered wildlife. In the hills, I captured the serene mist that is often present on Kauai.

I started with a rough outline of the background, using bright colors as a base for background highlights...

With color shading in two deeper tones and grass, the painting began to take form

Then, I added the floral border, using photos as a reference...

On my trip to Kauai a couple years ago, I was lucky enough to see a flock of Nenes in the valley....

Hawaiian Heliconia, Protea and Anthurium

Nene prints are now available in the RPS gift shop!

 Choose from a variety of sizes. All prints are made and packaged with eco-friendly materials. :)

New website launch: Sacred Art Studio

I'm excited to reveal a new site I recently developed for eco-spiritual artist Amy Livingstone. The site includes dual navigation, a rotating slideshow, a shop, a blog, several interactive galleries and an email newsletter signup linked to Constant Contact. I built a unique theme for the site in WordPress and also provided a training session to my client on updating the site.

We worked together closely to achieve her design and optimize the site. For maximum SEO benefit, each page has unique titles, and the shop and blog are integrated in the site instead of being hosted elsewhere. Like the blog, shop items also have unique tags and categories. The design is mobile-friendly with customizations for both tablets and phones. My favorite part is the gallery which includes a full-screen lightbox with a background fade when viewing each painting. 

www.sacredartstudio.net

Amy's beautiful artwork....

See more graphic/web design at www.robinphillipsstudio.com/design

Blog Redesign

The RPS blog is evolving! Stay tuned for theme posts/series that cover everything that is happening around the studio, design ideas, creative business tips and more. 

In the Studio:  Latest works from the studio in painting, graphic design, web design, illustration and craft pattern publishing.

Crafty Design Ideas: Fun design, decor and gift ideas using a wide variety of materials and RPS printable designs. Get inspired to create!

Creative Business Tips: For creative and small business entrepreneurs, this series explores tips for successful web design, SEO, branding, marketing and more.

  
Artful Home and Garden: Step inside my home, studio and garden throughout the seasons. Follow our creative remodeling/landscaping/design projects and meet my adorable four-legged family.

 
Travel and Nature Inspirations: Journey along with me and my camera, capturing beautiful scenes near and far.

Inspire!:  Uplifting books, messages, scenes and stories that inspire my work.

Inspired Style: Get inspired with image collages, mood boards and design theme styles for decor, handmade gifts and beyond!

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Thinking of redesigning your blog? Consider hiring a graphic designer to create custom header graphics or to help you design the layout. This increases the professionalism of your blog and enhances the organizational structure for your content. Typically, it is a very affordable project and you can use the same designs on your website or social media pages.

Here are some of my favorite resources that include professional blogging tips:

http://codex.wordpress.org/Introduction_to_Blogging

www.problogger.com

http://www.ohjoy.com/books.html


:)