Cool Font Congrats

For: Robert

Occasion: his graduation

Robert wrapped up his bachelor's this week, and to celebrate, I made this card featuring fun letters in Metro colors! I'm having a lot of fun with hand-lettering lately, and was happy to have another opportunity to practice. But I'm even more happy for Robert--such a huge accomplishment, and he's going to jump right into an MSW program (woo-hoo, social work!) in the fall. What a pro.

Gray Cake Birthday

For: Jess
Occasion: her birthday

Last year, I made Jess a beautiful birthday cake that was gray on the inside, due to my overzealous mixing of the funfetti sprinkles with the batter. It's my favorite joke now, so I featured the cake in her birthday card this year. (I want to draw special attention to how good the plate looks--whoa, right? That's a great looking plate!) It was great to see Jess the other night and I'm glad she's recuperating from her second (and last) surgery.

Flowers Birthday

For: Terra
Occasion: her birthday

Terra is a lovely friend of mine from grad school, and to celebrate her loveliness on her birthday, I created a watercolor bouquet. I miss Terra so, and was so happy to learn that she got engaged! I hope she has a wonderful year!

Dandelion Birthday

For: Lexi
Occasion: her birthday

Lexi is a great email pal, and even though we've fallen off the "three page long email every month" train, I still love to hear from her. She's a fantastic friend, and I wanted to send a birthday card that could send some good vibes to her while she's wrapping up another Spring semester. Look at how fun that dandelion is! I love this card, and I love her, so all is right with the world. 

Oh Boy Baby

For: Jimmy and Kristina
Occasion: new baby

Jimmy and Kristina had their little baby, James Hudson, and to celebrate, I made this playful card with a big "Oh Boy" on it. I'm so excited for them and it seems like Jimmy is all about being a new dad. Hope to meet the little guy soon!

Like No Other Mother's Day

For: Momma
Occasion: Mother's day

She's quirky. She's tech-savy. She gardens and she likes Doctor Who. Did I mention orange? Truly, a mother like no other. I had fun making this card and practicing my hand-lettering--I hope my mommo had a great Mother's Day!

Floral Ring Birthday

For: Jen
Occasion: her birthday

To help celebrate Jen's birthday, I created a ring of flora to encircle my "happy birthday" wish! There's all kinds of flowers and leaves and fun little spots in the design. I hope Jen is enjoying life in Korea and I can't wait to hear from her soon!

Milikin Birthday

For: Luke
Occasion: his birthday

Luke is a student at Milikin U, so for his birthday card, I created a stylized  version of the Big Blue M. I really am digging how the coloring turned out. I paired the M with some torn edges, and man, does this card look sharp. I hope Luke had a great day and is wrapping up the semester!

Bird Nest Birthday

For: Aunt Lauren
Occasion: her birthday

When I was maybe 9 years old, Aunt Lauren somehow saved a baby bird from a tree and brought it to our house in Lombard so we could take care of it while she was at work. We ended up bringing it to an animal shelter, but I remember being so in awe of the little bird that it is my most prominent memory of Aunt Lauren. For her birthday card, therefore, I created a baby bird with a next made of twigs and sticks and letters that happen to spell out "Happy Birthday." I love this card and had fun reminiscing on the memory. I hope Aunt Lauren had a great day!

Happy Dog Birthday

For: Aunt Kelly
Occasion: her birthday

For Aunt Kelly's birthday card, I created a very happy running dog dressed in his birthday accoutrement. I love his floppy ears and face! I hope Aunt Kelly had a great day and is enjoying Spring. 

Mythos Artwork

For: Nathan
Occasion: board game

 Nathan asked me to do renditions of the Greek Gods for his awesome board game called Ancient Mythos.

Featured above is Apollo (based off Nathan),

 Aphrodite (based off The Twin),

and Demeter (based off me). 

I had such an awesome time creating these thirteen gods and am so honored that Nathan asked me to do the artwork for the Victory cards! It's really an amazing game--you should play it if you get the chance!

Here's more of the process of the illustrations:

Feel free to click on the pictures to see more detail.

Bear Hug Birthday

For: Anna
Occasion: her birthday

For Anna's birthday card, recreated an image of two bears hugging that really plays up white space. It's like the yin and yang of bear hugs! As Anna is a fabulous artist, I thought she would appreciate the concept. I hope she had a great birthday and can't wait to see her in July!

Pretty Cake Birthday

For: Jess
Occasion: her birthday

Jess is a fabulous baker, so for her birthday card this year, we're featuring a lovely, multiple-tier cake! It's done in watercolor, which lends playfulness to the floating layers (didn't want my dots mixing this time!). I also threw some flowers in the background for a splash of spring fun. I hope Jess and Pat are enjoying city-life and spring in Chicago!

Stylized Canoe Birthday

For: My Dad
Occasion: his birthday

For my dad's birthday card this year, I used a vaguely Japanese drawing style to create a rainy canoe scene. I have some great memories canoeing in the rain with my dad (perhaps most notably our optimistic attempt to canoe the Des Plaines river marathon during obviously flooded high water). I love my dad so much and had such fun seeing him last weekend. I hope he gets some good boating in this summer, and I can't wait to see him again!