how it’s made: the Denton Series
On July 31st I released my first print series of Denton, TX. Unlike what I thought, it was a lot harder than just hitting a button. I did a lot of research on different topics with a lot of trial and error. Here’s a look into what I’m talking about.
I had the idea for these prints months ago. I moved to Denton in 2017 and always loved the landmarks and designs of buildings, so at some point I had to paint them.
Painting
I started painting designs half way through June 2024 with a new medium: gouache (the bridge between watercolor and acrylic). Once I started, I LOVED the way it looked and made it the medium for the rest of the prints. I had used gouache once before as a kid, but this time I actually had to do the research. I watched heaps of videos and made a lot of bad quality paintings using the medium.
The first print I had painted was the Opera House. The Opera House originally had two versions, one using watercolor and one using gouache. The difference was night and day.
So gouache it is.
Printing
I never liked the quality of my old prints, so I set to do research.
I adjusted my printer settings like a maniac (and maybe messed up my printer at one point). I adjusted my computer settings, my scanner settings. Everything was adjusted or fixed in some manner.
I bought new paper. A LOT of new paper. I tried different brands, different thickness, different prices. After scanning my paintings, I printed tons of test copies in hopes I would find the perfect fit. And I did.
After tons of research and mistakes that made me want to rip out my hair I had finally felt successful with the quality of my prints. I started using higher quality paper (Epson Premium Matte paper) and started cutting my own prints by hand. Boy was that hard.
I took my time producing and cutting my prints that I realized I never did the first time. I made sure each print had no imperfections and made sure I wouldn’t injure myself throughout the printmaking process.
It was rewarding. The quality difference was apparent, and I was ecstatic. One night I was making prints super late. I was trying finish all the prints before I travelled for nearly two weeks. I had finished cutting the last print of the series, and finally held all five designs in my hands for the first time. I was so overwhelmed I sat on my floor and cried. There was a perfectly good chair less than two feet away from me, yet I was so overwhelmed by my emotions I stayed on my floor for half an hour. I laugh looking back at it, but in that moment I felt so complete. I had no proof that this series would work out well. No proof that my goals for this series would turn out. Yet in that moment, everything was alright.
The Opera House print compared to the real deal.
Products
Next was selling them.
Since I got my own website domain, I’ve been nervous trying to start selling products on my website, but wanted to get it done before this print release. So I went back to doing more research.
Step one was redoing my website. I spent a week in my website trying to make it look perfect. I annoyed my parents constantly with questions on how to add text here, or an add image there. I asked them questions for nearly a week. A WEEK. So this is my formal and public apology to my parents: sorry! (For context, my dad builds websites and my mom is a business owner. Cool, right??)
Then came the scariest step; step two. No one told me how hard it was setting up payment methods as a minor. Companies reallyyyyy don’t like children trying to sell stuff. So again, I enlisted my parents for help. After a few Google searches and a few F bombs, we figured it out! Now I could add my prints on my website and get to selling.
I felt so cool adding my prints onto my website. It felt like I was the hacker you see in movies. In reality it was a step by step guide, but a girl can dream.
Present
So here we are. As I’m writing this, it’s the day before the big day, and I am so excited. I have no expectation for how this will turn out. Tomorrow I could have no sales and no “success,” but in reality I am already better than I was before. Throughout this process I learned how to make a website, how to price products, how to manage my time, and how to make products by hand. I feel so successful already, I don’t need the numbers to prove it.
But that doesn’t mean I don’t want sales ;). Thank you so much for reading and supporting my business in any form. I hope you enjoy the prints as much as I do, and I hope they’ll end up being decorations on your wall. If you do end up purchasing my prints, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. This has been a dream come true so far, and I cannot wait to see what happens next.
If you enjoyed please support the blog by sharing with friends, family, neighbors, that weird co-worker, maybe even bring it up in small talk with your cashier. Whatever works.
