Why I Won't Paint Disney Princesses

"Can you do a Winnie The Pooh theme? "My son really likes Pokemon. Can you do Pokemon letters?"
These are questions I get asked A LOT. My answer is always no. No, I will not paint Winnie the Pooh, Pokemon, Superman or even your favorite NHL logo. Why? I'll give you  some great reasons why I won't paint these or any other COPYRIGHTED characters.

First and foremost is the big one that I already mentioned - If it's copyrighted by another person or company I will not paint it. Period. Aside from the fact that I value my business enough that I don't wish it to be shut down by the high and mighty powers that rule our children these days, all of these characters were created by another artist. Another artist! As an artist I don't want people to copy my work so why would I do it to someone else? This also includes exact matches of bedding. As pretty as bedding is - fabric is also created by an artist and copyrighted.

When I tell people that I don't do copyright artwork I often have them say, "but I see other people doing it." Yes, other people do. I am not them. I cannot speak for them to say why they do it. I will not tell them to stop and I will not report them to shut them down. I would rather focus my energy on bettering my own business and working hard at creating unique products that are not the same as what you can find everywhere.

Being creative is the fun part. I love the challenge of creating my own designs and just letting the paint and brush guide me. Often times I'm making up the picture or design as I go. It's how I work best. It's why my products are different than any others you see out there. To copy someone else's work is to crush my creative flow. Trust me. It shuts down the fun, creative side of my brain and makes me have to work the other part. The part that does math and all the other boring stuff that makes me stress. No thank you! If you want an original, unique piece of work that has my heart and soul in it then let me create! You're hiring an artist not just a letter painter.

Here's another big reason: If you're the mother of any kid over two you get this. Kids grow fast and they change their minds constantly! That character that rules their world today? Forgotten as soon as the next big movie or trend comes out. My artwork isn't cheap. It's meant to last and withstand room makeovers. If we paint today's character on there how happy will you be when tomorrow they pronounce someone different as their new fav? Choose something that will stand the test of time and the changing of bedding.

Bedding. We all did it. It's our first pregnancy and we're sucked in by all the SO CUTE bedding for babies out there. We have time. Lots of time. Time to shop, time to plan the room, time to create the perfect nursery for our new bundle of joy to come home to.

Fast forward a couple of years and baby number two is on the way. That time thing? Haha. Who has that anymore? Baby one has to change rooms so baby two can move into the nursery. Now baby one needs toddler bedding. But the letters! The letters match the baby bedding that will now be used for baby two.  Well that was a lot of money for letters that don't match anything now! 

So what to do? You have a theme picked out. Gorgeous bedding. You want the letters to match. I dislike the word match. Let's coordinate. Pull a colour out of the bedding and go with solid letters. Solid letters will last through any room change. They will always go. They will withstand the stages your child goes through as they grow. 

You REALLY love your bedding and you want the letters to match. I get that, but let's coordinate. I can use some of the colours in the bedding and we can create something that will coordinate and still work even if the bedding changes down the road.

Here's some great examples of letters I have created for people that coordinate with their room or theme WITHOUT copying. Hopefully this will inspire you, too.

If characters are your thing, well, I can coordinate with that too. See if you can guess what the room themes were that inspired these designs!