Here's a little behind-the-scenes peek for the locals that I thought might be interesting to those of you living far away as well.
Each week I hand-draw the ads for the store and they run in the local newspapers. We have a great spot: always on the inside of the front page... our ad has been there for as long as I can remember, which means at least 15 years, but I suspect Alewives Fabrics may have had an ad in that very same spot for more like
35 years.
I feel like our ads are small but mighty: we may not have the biggest ad in the paper, but we are going to do the best we can with the space we have. Therefore, I try to have a different ad for every week (although I will confess to having "recycled" a few over the years), and this week is our town's annual "Pumpkinfest" which is a HUGE deal here, so I knew I wanted to do something "pumpkin-y."
The ads that run in the newspaper are only the size of a business card, and I could never draw something
that teeny tiny, but the newspaper supplies me with a special notebook of paper and after I draw the ad, the illustration gets reduced down to size.
I start off with a concept (this is where being a creative person comes in handy). Usually there is something I
have to mention, like a sale or a class or an event or the arrival of a new collection, but sometimes there is nothing pressing to advertise. I like those weeks best, because those are the times I can be really silly and go wild. In one of my more brilliant weeks I did a drawing of a cow-girl wearing patchwork chaps and holding a couple of irons, six-shooter style. The caption read:
"Alewives: where the irons are hot and the fabrics are hotter." This week was not one of those weeks, though... I absolutely
had to work pumpkins into the ad!
After I have developed my concept, I sketch the ad in the special notebook that the newspaper has given me.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjVd2747gbKvzgFmu-tfetlH_pi9c44UYpPUM8kiv1qi30PTUJHfinWsxQplC0Y9S7PH85Y_HumI9BsE5TQd-jeoC961uN9QgmYvpV_SoXlBN6LODFBGHp0Zx9Cnfk2hu8PfyGx9RSFtPf/s400/IMG_3530.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_dOHtm3nyCO0EKSL7GUMAU6BlZqqmLXemS-qJxo0sAChj-JXADGKOe8tJThmMWcwIrNIHA_L1DWN3inzcej7Cp_bSzR0Cpm6OL9LYKNB43xnRA1RzQmkz0evk16Cj5-y9Q2pm3Cfl33cJ/s400/IMG_3531.jpg)
This is exactly the same idea as writing the first draft of a story: I don't get too hung up on making things "perfect," but I try to map things out and I can always refine them later.
Once I have my sketch laid out and rearranged to my heart's content, I start "inking things in" with a pen.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtps-OrHp88QKhBlTE9Ad8PzzyBQLCLHmJZQPdn2Oj_29bUgsiJaOMwvR9NFvKg1XfkOrVdPD0Mk4tKJKQzQVVSfEboJpg-ycrLGoDQzOdCDFP3QoQFULTkz73LowXnHyEH_CqaMpn-D2t/s400/IMG_3532.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyqxp6vEjNwma8Lrk_I3lIi_HKpfHTriZNGh8e8bpIUYFXL0ZdcWQ4442_d82Te99mSQn8dVGVW0RJ6tYqCdxJRVhyphenhyphenZ1p3-psgxtDiw9RjEDMBcDdb5QSEXpqGAppwUxPq5oRklNEgImNE/s400/IMG_3535.JPG)
This is where the ad really starts to take on a little personality and my particular style of drawing starts to come through. I have always been a pen-and-ink gal... probably that comes from high school when I used to doodle a lot with a pen on my notes.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqw6XedchQs3FkbKhilDF3TRTvbR5qR5X7sZCtOp1DumdXSA_uZlaUrjZTcyfkNf-WspgTbn5c7vAVpYdE-u5dpIBOD-V6eNI0sEYCQVZE7hrtmCVf-H3CEIrItb87YuKvLsZeUh9iDuJ1/s400/IMG_3536.jpg)
Once everything is "inked" in, I go back with a pink pearl eraser and erase all of the pencil lines to see what kind of shape I am in.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-HZsh8-487jerCeeSW3n9z-tMbo_japTe_NS779Ek6PEep3cFX16CY0PeBDAT5p8_SmAKeBDaX0Z9eMPn0oTLn3i0Kqh6-3hO6qugi3_9RLw4iPpUCjjpucSavRaTEwhba9IYT02PkBss/s400/IMG_3537.jpg)
When I see everything all "cleaned up," sometimes things jump out at me that look a little "bland," so I go back in and add some more details to those areas. Right now with this ad the pumpkins are looking a little flat so I will have to give them some attention and see what I can do.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQddwfQvWvNNSlAuTf7m6e6nxbiefwxrBl2nD-uforltwrTHTuAVz-XUD75JC-ZguuFfQTwZdXk5Op6BpUs5c8Gq_B1kUIwFyHGBfWdUVdpcuxGcLqpvYzo3LtTv06rysjASiFM0f5t0Ng/s400/IMG_3539.jpg)
I will put some cross-hatching into the pumpkins to give them dimension, I'll sharpen up the eyes a bit, and then I am pretty much done!
Here's what the finished ad looks like:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvrKmSvjhWA50X-jDY5GIhDxzk5Uj4lsRtIKgahTsmIf9EMStE1yxtCd-feeGFzmdtzWxTJWim_SSuT1Gs3dGfsZD1QJAUIxz8RlF9yRcQfxR3H6vPHv5QNPID3CgE4xADIdesM03ys4n5/s400/IMG_3540.jpg)
My lines aren't too straight around the edge, but I never let that bother me too much... these ads are handmade, after all!
Next I will go outside and draw something similar on our chalkboard and then my "ad campaign" is done for the week!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZnTYBauI0elpG8q2cZt88KOhpKLcjTf5TXXa5FK609Ax_z_tY5QQZB1BhJJ_Czsji9l943YQKWrduWLHxwq_Y0aVD2RsUTPKcJpjsMDNgSxDj7okJWWS9ITlqxuftjnIBuaIzzEA4hqYa/s400/IMG_3541.jpg)
Here is the folder containing all of the previous year's ads:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbH51L7em-d7b6z_x55EzL2m12ENF5OskFLivnVg1YKoyhzpiYE-fl2vn0x-YE-2wkc49YQhyphenhyphenB-1pHsiedGElfH2XHHKelj5AcSokFBX2AvlEYcMk1HOoQv4Eb847H4ujT9COnA3jXN-Go/s400/IMG_3542.jpg)
Pretty soon we're gonna need a bigger boat.
That is 52 weeks worth of ads over 6 years, so roughly 300 hand-drawn ads.
When we started doing hand-drawn ads, our ad-man, Ernie, asked me if I would like him to return the drawings for the ads each week.
I had said no, but Mom intervened (such a Mom thing to do) and asked if he would return the ads after all.
I have to admit that I am glad she did this (you were right, Mom... I know you love to hear me say that!).
I enjoy looking through these ads and occasionally recycling one of them.
It's really fun to see how the ads have "evolved" over the years...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim4FRnTpCI0G1zM6AtZhb2UafqRwmdoJiFZPcyNaoII8Rj9tUaSfWoRYDZtOnYWfnNADhlKfGEk_uCJkCr3-rxR4fuk3BzmUayjlW69DqzuOvespjqlAqj13g6GVeGUQfzT0c31qPZhzEF/s400/IMG_3543.JPG)
(Looks like our shop hours have evolved, too... now we are open 7 days a week!)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji-DDEkZu8QgHBC0JDhjXSjy5sSrB2fjTzA_IJ0GvvWONF4luOSWBr1uM2BK5U-Q0aifv1IzeSxY7rR7q5IfmdtFVqraKtCI_GrbTVk-MF8r0noI-knpimXXMuX72PEh0RzekntJiJcG2H/s400/IMG_3544.JPG)
(This ad's a little "cheeky," don'tchya think? ; ) )
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPYILWCCYO5QjIK-gm7b3CHeuumkHJWOjq2R2H7algFWtLUQJBpnrBOonk4wFNyTF8P1g2GiIoZxQWYx44tR-KneovZpFWvgFV74Scg0M_vUSTwJyO7SDQCYN1JjlEJLP9GAJNqEdlgv8q/s400/IMG_3545.JPG)
(One of my faves.)
Thanks for taking this stroll behind-the-scenes, looking at what goes into one of our ads with me... that was kinda fun!
See you again soon with more pumpkin-y goodness!
XO,
Rhea