This was my first watercolor. The friend who had been encouraging me to paint did landscapes and florals, and since I figured landscapes would require green and I didn't like green, I elected to try a floral. Who would know if a petal was out of place? Having had no lessons in watercolor, I had no idea how to use it, so I just dipped the brush directly into the tubes of paint and added water to it once it was on the paper if it seemed too dark. I still don't how how it's "supposed" to be done, because I've avoided taking any classes that might take the mystery, and therefore the fun, out of it for me. I just do whatever works at the time. Painting for me is a "correccidental" process: if it works the first time, it's and accident, and if it doesn't work, I just correct until it does. All in all I was pretty happy with the color and looseness of this first effort.

Anything that needs to be printed has to be first designed and prepared in such a way that it can be printed. My job is to take the project from concept to completion.

Sometimes that means I have to help brainstorm the concept and sometimes I have to make the final copies myself, but more often the customer comes to me with their ideas and I try my best to read their minds, produce the typesetting, graphics, and layout to their specifications, and then find the best printer to complete the job. Most often it's something in between: the customer knows what they like when they see it, and I try to get a feel for whatever that is so I can supply it.

I have clip art and font sources for budget projects, but I can also create original art for logos and illustration purposes. My goal is to make the page look good; it's usually the customer's responsibility to supply the text and any artwork they have access to that they want included.

Improvements in technology have made proofing jobs much easier. Many customers phone or fax their orders to me. A growing number make use of their internet connection, which allows me to send a proof they can view onscreen or print out at their convenience. These days, I can produce projects from start to finish for people I've never even met. The use of the internet also speeds up the printing process, since we are no longer restricted to mailing orders or hand-carrying masters to printers.

I use an assortment of print shops, both local and out of state, all of whom have their strong points. Business cards, for example, may be printed in flat or raised ink, in one color or full color, and different printers specialize in different processes. Also, different printers maintain a variety of pricing structures so that availability and pricing of ink and paper combinations differ sometimes greatly from one printer to another. I consider it part of my job to sort through the options and come up with the best deal. When the customer prefers, I supply a file on disk or a hard copy master and they find their own printing service.

Everything I do for the customer's project becomes their property unless otherwise agreed upon, and I retain the files on disk to make it easy to reproduce or change at a later date.

Over the years I've created cards and other items that people have requested, so I'm in the process of putting together a Semi-Serious Store. A special part of that is the Possum Store, which evolved from my association with the National Opossum Society, who has been a godsend in helping with the care of our resident rescued possum. If you've come here as a fellow possum-lover, you'll find the Possum Store here.

All contents are copyrighted by Charlotte Terhune.