Another Round Birthday

For: Aunt Sioux
Occasion: her birthday

Sioux love-love-loves Hamilton, so for her birthday card I wanted to feature the musical in some way. There's no obvious birthday themes in the show, but then I thought I could play on the "Let's have another round tonight" song to make it celebratory! Obviously, I had to use a period costume for the arm that's holding up the drinks. I am rather pleased with how this card came out and I hope Sioux had a wonderful day!

Candle Birthday

For: Jess
Occasion: her birthday

Jess and I's earliest conversation had to do with candles, so for her birthday card this year I figured it was time to bust one out. I played with negative space on the flame and I think that part turned out pretty neat! Jess is a truly lovely human and I hope the Universe conspired to help her have a great birthday. 

Puppy Birthday

For: Ceci
Occasion: her birthday

Ceci loves dogs, so for her birthday card I drew this picture of her puppy acting silly! I don't get to see Ceci that often but had a great time chatting with her in March at the shower--I hope she had a great birthday and is loving her new place!

Bug Birthday

For: Goober
Occasion: his birthday

Goober's birthday card this year is a watercolor of a cool looking bug/beetle with a party hat on! You know what's tricky? Perspective from above--I think that hat is pretty masterfully placed, if I do say so myself. It was so great to see Goober recently and I hope he had an amazing day!

Triceratops Birthday

For: Baby Adam/Buster Brown
Occasion: his 1st birthday

Baby-Head's 1st birthday party was dinosaur-themed, so for his 1st birthday card, I did a watercolor of my favorite dinosaur of all-time: the triceratops! Fun features on this little guy are the his many party hats in place of the epiosifications on the edge of his skeletal frill -- he's beyond ready for a party, folks. We had such a great time being there for the festivities and can't wait to see our not-so-little dinosaur again soon!

Alpaca Birthday

For: Janet
Occasion: her birthday

Dan and Janet had a wonderful trip to South America this year, so to celebrate my mother-in-laws birthday, I did a watercolor of an alpaca atop a mountain in some Peruvian-inspired garb. Look at this little guy! I love how this card turned out (I've got a thing for the Camelid animal family, including llamas) and hope it helped add to the festivities of Janet's day!

Guitar Birthday

For: Alex
Occasion: his birthday

Alex is in a band! And he's a super cool guy in lots of other ways, too! For this birthday card this year, I did a silhouette of a guitar on top of some slightly fiery watercolor colors. I miss guitar Fridays  with Alex in Access, and hope he has the best year ever!

Road Trip Birthday

For: Castelli
Occasion: her birthday

Christina has a wonderful little car that has taken her on several adventures over the past few years. To celebrate her next year, I drew her iconic car driving down a dirt road in a farm area--the idea in my head for this one is "Christina Americana" and honors her new journey as a home owner and slightly more settled with a home base. Christina is just one of the most epic people I've ever known, and I'm so happy to call her a friend!

Stained Glass Birthday

For: Terra
Occasion: her birthday

When I started thinking about Terra's birthday card this year, I couldn't shake the idea of stained glass--eventually, I just went for it and ended up with this swirly and boxy design in warm sun colors. I really like how it turned out, and I hope Terra enjoyed it as well and enjoyed her birthday even more!

Freddie Mercury Mother's Day

For: My mom
Occasion: Mother's Day

I thought of this card idea precisely one day after Mother's Day last year, and I'm so glad I remembered to make it this year! Growing up, I sang this bit of "Bohemian Rhapsody" to my mom endlessly, and frequently to her chagrin I'm sure. I drew Freddie in his iconic yellow jacket and captured his generally iconic look well, I think. I  could not be happier with how this card came out, and hope my mama had the best Mother's Day! 

Mama Squared Mother's Day

For: Alli
Occasion: Mother's Day

Alli is a brand new mama of twins! To celebrate her first Mother's Day, I did a drawing of her wearing a "mama²" shirt and holding two bottles, because double trouble! I love how the card came out, and I hope it offered a quick second of respite in between the unending feedings and comforting and generally not sleeping that having two eight-week olds entails. We can't wait to meet the little buddies and hope everyone can sleep soon. 

Snuggle Mother's Day

For: The Twin
Occasion: Mother's Day

All The Twin wanted for Mother's Day was to "snuggle a buggle," AKA play with her son. I put baby Adam in what is clearly a buggle costume, and there are some serious snuggles going on, so hopefully she got her wish! I love The Twin so and think she's a great mama. 

Traveling Mother's Day

For: Janet
Occasion: Mother's Day

For Janet's first official Mother's Day card as my mother-in-law, I did a simple drawing of some traveling gear, including a sun hat, sunglasses, and a suitcase with plenty of stickers on it! I hope Janet had a wonderful day and that plenty of adventures await!

Babs Birthday

For: Jess
Occasion: her birthday

Jess and O'Shea have a new cat named Babs--she's got some vision problems and only has three legs, but is a pretty epic cat. To celebrate Jess's birthday, I did a watercolor of the goofy gal, making sure the correct leg was missing and trying to get the coloring right. We had such a weird time at brunch today, and hope Jess's year is truly epic. 

Ralph Birthday

For: Liz
Occasion: her birthday

Liz's dog Ralph is such a funny dog! She's described him as a muppet in the past, and as I painted his little face, I totally got the muppet vibe. I tried to capture his curls in black and white (probably the two most difficult colors to watercolor any sort of texture in) and I'm super pleased with how it turned out! We had such a great time at karaoke and I can't wait to see what next year brings!

Jam Birthday

For: Lexi
Occasion: her birthday

For this card, I did some paper cutting to create a jelly jar! I love the swirls in the jam and the plaid on the lid. I did a quick label that reads, "that's my JAM" and lined up the edges of the label with the creases in the jar. Lexi is just an epically cool lady, so I wanted her to know how awesome she is on her big day--why not do so with some jam?

Floral Birthday

For: Jen
Occasion: her birthday

For Jen's birthday, I did a cool drawing of some flowers in a circle. I love how bold these lines are. Are we looking into a window? Is it art on a wall? Whatever's happening here, I'm a big fan. I hope Jen has an incredible birthday and is enjoying being a mama!

Pomeranian Birthday

For: Aunt Lauren
Occasion: her birthday

For Aunt Lauren's birthday card, I did a colorful drawing of a sweet little pup in a purple birthday hat! Look at his little tongue and his shiny eyes and fluffy orange coat. I hope Aunt Lauren has a lovely birthday and is having a wonderful spring. 

Strong Man Birthday

For: Luke
Occasion: his birthday

To celebrate Luke's birthday, I did a watercolor of a strong man holding up dumbbells that read "Happy Birthday"! Look at how fun this is--look at this mustache! I hope Luke enjoys it as well and is having a great birthday. 

Swirly Birthday

For: Aunt Kelly
Occasion: her birthday

To celebrate Aunt Kelly's birthday, I created a swirly, floral-esque design that I filled in with metallic colored pencil. I love how it looks on the teal blue and the energy that's flowing through this card! It was so great to see Aunt Kelly at the wedding and I hope she is rolling right into Spring. 

Hot Sauce Birthday

For: Mark
Occasion: his birthday

Mark is a connoisseur of hot sauce, so to celebrate his birthday I created a watercolor of a bottle with a Happy Birthday label. I'm so pleased with how this turned out--look at all the hot spicy colors coming together! I hope Mark had a flavorful day and is enjoying being a new dad. 

Abstract Flower Birthday

For: Anna
Occasion: her birthday

For Anna's 30th birthday card, I did an abstract floral design to honor aging as an artist--I had hurt my wrist right before I needed to make Anna's card to get it in the mail on time, and I didn't have the dexterity for something specific. The injury wouldn't have occurred in my sprier years, and so this abstract art is the perfect metaphor to welcome Anna to her 30s. I hope she didn't mind--and that she can fend off age-related injuries for a while longer!