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Nov 13, 2009

Making Money Designing Christmas Cards and Fine Art Prints

Christmas card designing, marketing Christmas cards, how to photograph artwork and how to paint snow for Christmas card images.
Read Rachel Wills's Blog

Rachel Wills

Arts Education Feature Writer

I have written and illustrated two art instruction books entitled Oil Paintings from your Garden and Oil Paintings from the Landscape (The Guild of Master Craftsman Publications Ltd, 2002 and 2003). These books are credited to my maiden name Rachel Shirley, and includes numerous step by step demonstrations on art and also on the art materials and practices. I have a PCET 3 teaching certificate from Warwick University in the UK, and I have a BA Hons degree in my specialist subject Fine Art from Kingston, London. I have taught Life Drawing and Painting and Drawing to adults at my local college. You can view my gallery here, my writing blog or my painting blog.

Having written for Arts Education, you will find a wealth of information various aspects of the arts from the student's and the teacher's viewpoint. Further helpful links will be added as an ongoing process.

Other achievements:

Wrote and illustrated a demonstration of one of my paintings for the book 100 Ways to Paint Landscapes’ (Volume 1) (The International Artist, 2002)

Wrote and illustrated a demonstration of one of my paintings for the book 100 Ways to Paint People & Figures (Volume 2) (The International Artist, 2002)

Won first prize in the Daler Rowney Front Page international painting competition (1993) on the theme of New Beginnings

My painting Cattlerun published as limited edition in Fine Art posters by Felix Rosenstiel’s Widow & Son Ltd

Won first prize in the Daler Rowney Front Page international painting competition (1998) on the theme Eclipse

Won prize for my painting on the theme of the film What Dreams May Come (1999) Sponsored by Polydor Films

Won the Abstract category in the Society of All Artists (2001) Artist of the Year Competition for my painting Chess

My painting Picnic was shortlisted in the Not the Turner Prize competition, and was exhibited at the Mall Gallery, London in 2004

Designed and painted two life sized fibreglass cows for CowParade in London and Manchester (2002 and 2004) for my cows Seacow and Flying Moochine. The cows were auctioned off and raised over £4000 for ChildLine

In my spare time, I enjoy writing fiction, but unlike my non-fiction books on Oil Painting, are yet unpublished. I have written screenplays and novels and children's books. I have many interests, as I enjoy reading and collating facts. For this reason, I am also interested in fascinating facts about our planet, and have completed projects on meteorology and how the earth's surface affects our weather. I am also interested in health issues and educational issues.