My A5 greeting cards have always been popular so I decided it was time to get more West Cornwall Greeting Cards printed, this time 6 x 6 size.
Which West Cornwall paintings to choose?
It can be very hard to know which paintings to use when having cards printed. I mean what will people like? So I decided to ask my followers on Facebook and Instagram what would be their choice.
My selection:
- St Michaels Mount
- The Crowns at Botallack
- Portreath Sunset
- Godrevy with texture
- Sennen Beach
- Old Tin Mine
- Godrevy at low tide – including the Lighthouse
- Portreath Harbour wall getting splashed
- Song of the Sea
- Low tide at Godrevy – not including the lighthouse
- Tide coming in at Gull Rock
- Wheal Coates
- Godrevy in Winter
- Logan Rock
- St Ives Harbour
Here are small photos of my selection, you can click on the image to see the painting larger.
The results were surprising. I had thought Song of the Sea or Nanjizal would be popular but it seems not! The most popular were St Michael’s Mount and Portreath sunset, with Godrevy and Sennen coming a close second.
I choose to have 6 x 6 cards this time, rather than A5. This would mean the paintings would probably be cropped. Again the choice of painting becomes important, that the painting doesn’t loose its essence when being cropped.
My final choice
St Michael’s Mount
This painting has a lovely, soft, minimalist take on the Mount. Because it’s a bit more abstract and peaceful, I am hoping it will appeal to buyers looking for a calmer, contemporary art card.
Portreath Sunset
My Sunset paintings are always popular. The glowing, fiery yellow and orange tones reflecting on the dark, wet sand is quite striking. It provides a beautiful warm contrast to my usual blue and green collection.
Godrevy Lighthouse with texture
I used gesso to create the texture of the breaking waves in order to give this painting much life and movement. The grass in the foreground provides a frame.
Sennen Beach and Lifeguard Hut
The sweeping curve of the beach, with the lifeguard hut on the dunes and draws the eye right in toward the distant headland. A perfect summer day, very inviting and open.
Godrevy low tide
This is Godrevy with a completely different, but beautiful mood. Gesso has again been used, this time as the remnants of the surf with the light reflecting off the wet sand. Godrevy in the summer capturing this bright, beautiful, expansive Cornish beach.
Portreath Harbour
Again a different side of Portreath, this time the long harbour wall. With the waves crashing against the Pepper Pot on the end of the harbour wall, taking the full force of the water.
Christmas Cards
I also couldn’t resist getting a couple of festive Cornish Christmas cards printed while I was at it!
Tree in Winter
I choose my ever popular Tree in Winter. A peaceful watercolour of a solitary, frost-laden tree on a snow-covered hillside. I decided against adding any Christmas Wishes on the front. This included having it blank inside, so it needn’t necessarily by a Christmas Card.
Santa at Wheal Uny
This card is a photograph, rather than a painting. I decided to have some fun with this one and added Santa’s boots coming out of the chimney top. It is a genuine photograph, taken on one of those rare occasions when Redruth gets some snow. I then used Photoshop to add the fun part of Santa’s boots!
The Printed Cards Arrive
I choose a local printer Sixprint from Helston. Having seen previous examples of their work and liked their wide choice of premium carbon-captured, FSC®-certified paper stock. The card size would be 6 x 6 with the painting as a full image. They recommended a matt 350gsm bright white card stock for artists. with a matching quality white envelope. It came with a recyclable cello bag to fully protect the cards. I uploaded the files and now it was time to wait.
Royal Mail has been, and I am absolutely over the moon! I was very busy unpacking, quality-checking, and popping them into their envelopes.
Seeing the colors of Porthcurno, Godrevy, and the tin mines come to life on paper is just magical. It so incredibly helpful to have the feedback from my followers on Facebook and Instagram. It was so beneficial in helping me to decide which ones to print, so thank you so much for helping me choose!
How successful were they?
I placed a couple of each card at The Craft Collective to test the water. I am also delighted to say they were a great success at St Just Arts and Craft Fair. The cards of Sennen Beach and St Michael’s Mount sold out. So I decided to get some more printed! This time I included a favourite from my A5 Cards, Low Tide at Godrevy, as well as some of my local snow scenes from Cornwall.
More Christmas Cards
Bodmin Moor
This painting of the rugged granite tors and scattered boulders surrounded by snow, beneath a dark, moody sky as a winter storm rolls in. The striking contrast between the luminous snow and the menacing yet beautiful clouds highlights the raw, magnificent isolation of the landscape.
Tin Mine
These are two different paintings of Tin Mines surrounded by snow. They celebrate Cornwall’s rich industrial heritage framed by the quiet magic of winter.
Wheal Peevor
This painting is of a snow-covered Wheal Peevor Tin Mine, near Redruth. Capturing the dramatic beauty of the historic engine houses and atmospheric stone ruins. The weathered granite contrasting softly against a blanket of crisp snow.
These cards are available to purchase at The Craft Collective in Redruth. I also have a limited stock available to buy via this website. I am ordering them in batches of 10 cards and if popular I will regularly restock, so if you have any favourites please contact me and I will see if I can included them.