Skiing Birthday

For: Dan
Occasion: his birthday

Behold, this ski card. It features watercolor paper that is torn to represent the tracks Dan is making in the fresh powder, and I put a blue patterned paper underneath to really help drive that idea home. And  how fun is the little shadow of the skier! This card brings me such joy, and I am so glad that Dan found it delightful. It was inspired by a Newsweek cover from 2013, but man, do I like my version a lot. I can't wait to go skiing again with my future father-in-law!

Cake Shadow Birthday

For: Uncle Brian
Occasion: his birthday

For my Uncle Brian's birthday card, I drew inspiration from a short snowshoe I did in Silverthorne a few weeks ago on a bluebird day. The shadows of the trees were so compelling that I took a bunch of pictures and couldn't get it out of my head for days. For the card, I thought it'd be a lot of fun to feature these shadows, and then have a giant cake shadow just off-screen. Look at how cool this is! Uncle Brian is one of the coolest, so I'm glad he got a neat card this year. 

Olympics Birthday

For: Jeremy
Occasion: his birthday

I adore the Olympics! Such competition (and such anxiety--eek!). Long story short: there's a lot of Olympics-watching going on in my house. And, given that Jeremy's got a month-old baby, I figured there might be some late-night feeding and rocking going on with the soft glow of the TV featuring some events too. I really like the playful snow leopard holding up the rings in his party hat. My favorite feature of this card is probably the beige shadowing on the yellow. It's the little things! I hope Jeremy (and baby Levi) have a great day. 

Meditation Birthday

For: Chas
Occasion: his birthday

Chas is a meditation teacher and a pretty groovy guy besides, so for his birthday card this year, I created an illustration of him meditating. I love the hair and the yellow aura that surrounds him--it almost looks like he's meditating! Chas has been a great friend and colleague, and I hope this year unlocks all kinds of inner peace for him. 

Pregnant Valentine

For: Christy and Nathan
Occasion: Valentine's Day

Christy and Nathan are pregnant with my little nugget nephew, so for their Valentine this year I did a watercolor of the happy couple loving on Twin's baby belly. I am a ginormous fan of the idea of a maternity sweater with a big ol' heart on it for Valentine's Day. This card...look how happy and cute they are! I am so pumped that after all the weather's attempts to keep me away I'll get to see the expecting parents this weekend!

Wages Valentine

For: Michael
Occasion: Valentine's Day

This card concept came to me right before I fell asleep, and I am so, so, so glad I remembered it the next day. I mean, there has never been a more Mike Keane card than this one. It reads, "Baby, unlike American wages since the 1970s, my love for you will never stagnate." (That's a labor/economics joke, guys!) There's a graph featuring a pretty steady line of middling pay and then a line of love that is on the up and up and slashes through a heart, just like Cupid's bow. If we can't get paid because of a rigged capitalist system, at least we've got love to see us through, right? 

Blackberry Valentine

For: Ames
Occasion: Valentine's Day

Ames went and bought herself a new car this year, and given that I think cars all have faces, I decided to do a anthropomorphized watercolor of this little guy! She named the car Blackberry and it loves her--I mean, look at all those heart balloons! Fun details are the Nissan nose and the little hearts in the  hub caps. I love Ames a ton and hope Blackberry takes good care of her this Valentine's Day!

Birch Tree Valentine

For: Mom and Dad
Occasion: Valentine's Day

My dad has been working on a project concerning birch trees for several years now, and to honor that commitment and dedication, I thought I'd use the theme in my parents valentine this year. I have only painted trees like this once before and think I should make them part of a more regular rotation. I particularly enjoy the reds, yellows, and greens that add depth to what is otherwise a grayscale tree trunk--delightful. I love my parents and am so very glad that they fell in love (so I could exist!). 

Vintage Valentine

For: Dotty and Jack
Occasion: Valentine's Day

I made Dotty and Jack a valentine this year to help celebrate their 75 years of marriage and their incredible love story. I went with a late 40s/early 50s style and used watercolor and a sepia marker to to accomplish the effect. I love how cute they are, particularly Grandpa Jack smiling at Grandma Dotty. This card is among the sweetest I've made, and given Grandma Dotty's passing just days after I made it, it's definitely a bittersweet one. 

Sympathy Trees Watercolor

For: Grandpa Jack
Occasion: In Sympathy

I had no idea what card to make for Grandpa Jack on the loss of the love of his life. Jack and Dotty were married for nearly 75 years, and together for longer. Mike suggested I use watercolor, and I ended up with this sunset in a forest. Mike and I hope Grandpa Jack feels loved and supported and our looking forward to our visit in March.

Sympathy Flowers

For: Janet
Occasion: In Sympathy

For Janet's sympathy card on the loss of her mother, I did a drawing of white and pink roses on a light green background. There really aren't any words to help lessen heartbreak like this, and I'm not sure pictures of flowers help much either, but we wanted Janet and Dan to know we're thinking of them and appreciative of everything they've done to help Mike's grandparents. 

Sympathy Forest

For: Uncle Bruce
Occasion: In Sympathy

To offer our condolences to Uncle Bruce on the loss of his mother (Grandma Dotty), I created an illustration of a forest with a banner wrapping around a few of the trees. The banner reads "with deepest sympathy" and draws the eye to an engraving of a heart encircling D & J, for Dotty and Jack. Bruce has been a real pro in helping care for his parents, and we are so grateful to him for all his efforts and so sorry that his mother passed away. 

Blue Bonnet Thank You

For: Uncle Bruce
Occasion: Thank You

To thank Uncle Bruce for the gift card to our favorite neighborhood Mexican joint, I designed a simple thank you card that replaces the restaurant's name (Blue Bonnet) with Thanks! I kept the iconic pepper and margarita. We love going to Blue Bonnet after a long day skiing, and can't wait to go again!

Rangers Birthday

For: Ben
Occasion: his birthday

Ben is a New York Rangers fan, and given that I love any opportunity to make a sports card, Ben's birthday this year is occasion for a Rangers Birthday card! I used watercolor and marker for the design, and I love how it looks kind of faded--like he's been a fan for a long time!

Seal of Approval Birthday

For: Dylan
Occasion: his birthday

This little pun has made me giggle for a while now, and I figured Dylan would be the perfect recipient of my attempt at a seal of approval. Look at that thumbs up and party hat--he's behind ya all the way! I hope Dylan has a great birthday and got a giggle out of this little card. 

High Five Birthday

For: Danny
Occasion: his birthday

To celebrate Danny's 11th birthday, I knew I wanted to do something really cool ('cause Danny is a really cool kid)! I ended up with this cool 3D hand reaching out to slip ya some skin. I love how this card turned out and am glad Danny had a nice birthday.

Yoga Doodle Birthday

For: Jeannine
Occasion: her birthday

Jeannine is big into wellness and yoga, so for her birthday card this year I did a silhouette of Virabhadrasana II (aka Warrior II) pose filled in with a zen doodle! I had so much fun (and so much focus) making this card. I hope it helps bring Jeannine some inner peace for the entire year!

Kayak Birthday

For: Uncle John
Occasion: his birthday

To celebrate Uncle John's birthday, I created a watercolor of him kayaking in the beautiful Ohio wilderness. I love how this card turned out, as I've been having a lot of fun playing with water and reflection recently. Uncle John is a very cool guy, and I hope this year is full of fun and adventures!