Introducing Cindy and Mindy!

I am so excited to introduce you all to Jean, the creator and illustrator behind Cindy and Mindy! I have absolutely fallen in love with her illustrations and to give you a little insight into Cindy and Mindy and how they came to be, following is a brief profile on Jean and the 'birth' of Cindy and Mindy!

Cindy and Mindy grew from a love of drawing and childhood longings to be a book illustrator. Drawing from a very young age, Jean watched her sister and her mothering love of her beloved bear, Mindy.

Jean on the other hand was more of a tomboy. Not having a 'motherly' bone in her body. She was more interested in playing baseball, fishing, building things, and hanging out with the guys. Girls were boring, and too prissy for her. And while her sister was having tea parties with her bear and stuffed animals, Jean would sit for hours under her favorite Dogwood tree and draw and paint.

For many years Jean has been creating illustrations for her friends and family, but it wasn't until recently after drawing a family portrait for a friend at church, that someone suggested that she research Etsy and consider opening a shop. It all seemed a little intimidating, but with little risk. The second thing was....what would she draw? Once Jean started to seriously consider the idea, she looked through her many drawings and decided to just keep her subjects simple. With that thought, Cindy and Mindy immediately came to mind, and thus Cindy and Mindy @ Etsy came to be.

Cindy is a sweet little girl that is a blend of both her sister and herself (Jean). She has unusually long legs and unkempt braids. At times, one of them may not even be a braid. All frazzled and stringy. She is usually sporting Mary Janes, and her favorite colors are red, blue and green. She is both a little 'prissy' and a little 'tomboyish'. . .but NEVER without her bear Mindy. And Cindy will be introducing some of her friends as well, along he way.
Jean finds her inspiration in many places! Not necessarily in the way of images but perhaps in what someone says, or something that just strikes her as funny. She thinks her inspiration also consists of always doing something different Expect the unexpected!!! To do the unexpected. That's probably her biggest inspiration - or perhaps more of an aspiration.



As an Artisan, Jean's biggest challenge is taking photos! Join the club!!!! For some people that is just something minor, but for her, it is a HUGE deal. The artwork is easy for her, only because she doesn't think in terms of what people will purchase, she simply illustrates what she likes! And I think her recipe is working fabulously!!!
What is Jean's most cherished item? The above illustration! She sums it up with "the most cherished item in my shop is "Mirror Image". My very first drawing when I started Cindy & Mindy. It's a blend of my sisters 'girlie' side (with the dress and bear) and my attitude of sticking out the tongue."

Cindy and Mindy have only been on Etsy for a little over a month! Jean has not ventured too far into marketing. She is just getting into the marketing. She has done work for neighbors, family, friends and people at her church, however, those have all been custom orders. It gets the word out, but as far as Etsy, she is still working on that. Hopefully my blog will bring more exposure for her!
I asked Jean who she would most like to purchase her work? Her response "Well, there are many artists that are 'gone' that I admire, and would love to have had purchase one of my illustrations, but if I had to choose just one, it would be Mary Engelbreit. I have always loved her work. I guess it's because of her, that I don't like to draw what I consider 'boring.' Yes, I'd love to have her purchase one of my illustrations."

So there you have it everyone! Please take a few moments and have a look through Jean's shop! She really does wonderful work and I am sooo looking forward to seeing more of her 'boy' work so I can hopefully put some on my little guy's wall! Cindy and Mindy