"HamLlama" Wacky ACEO Art

Every so often in the eBay art world, a "fad" takes hold. There are some subjects that always seem to be popular (cats for one) but these fads spike and then disappear for the most part. It's really obvious in the ACEO (small format, 3.5" x 2.5" art) realm - I think because generally these smaller gems are affordable. Although, when these fads hit hard, some of the ACEOs go for outrageous prices - something all ACEO artists dream about!

Since I've been selling ACEOs on eBay, I've seen a run on mermaid art, musk ox art and raven art. The mermaid fad is still going pretty strong. The musk ox fad happened when one particular buyer mentioned that he'd be interested in musk ox art - so of course, many of us jumped on that bandwagon and came up with musk ox art. This buyer snatched up most of what we created. Gotta jump on those sales opportunities when they present themselves!! The raven fad is still pretty steady too, but it really spiked when a couple of buyers got into bidding wars over raven ACEOs. When eBay artists see that kind of activity, they give everyone in their art groups a heads up and those of us who feel like participating feed the fire. I've done only one mermaid ACEO, because mermaids just aren't my thing, but I had to try one. It was goofy, a bit snarky and, no big surprise, it hasn't sold! When it comes to animals though, I'm pretty much game for anything. So I drew three musk oxen (2 sold to that one buyer, the other one, a scientific style illustration of a skull is in my Etsy shop), and 2 ravens (both sold) - you can search this blog for "raven" to see them.

Well, now, the "thing" seems to be hamsters. So here's my first hamster ACEO - "HamLlama":



Obviously, it's not all hamster, but it was fun to draw. I got the idea from one of the ACEO art group members - I had mentioned that I realized resistance was futile and it was time for me to jump on the hamster bandwagon. This artist had seen my "Llemon-Llime Llama" painting and suggested (partly in jest) a hamster llama combo. Well in my quirky little mind, that seemed like a really good idea and you see the result. I am pleased with it - it's silly and odd! I used Prismacolor color pencils in bright colors, including orange, canary yellow, neon green and neon red. Click on the HamLlama to see the eBay listing.

Are there more hamster ACEOs on the horizon for me? Perhaps, but they'll be a bit more realistic, I suspect.