Bright Birthday

 For: Claire
Occasion: her birthday

To wrap Debbie Dots 2020 and help one of my favorite ladies celebrate in style, I painted this bright abstract petal design and paired it with Claire's name. So festive! I hope it brought some happy fun to her birthday celebrations, and that this next year will be just amazing for her. 

Bunny Birthday

 For: Riley
Occasion: her birthday

For Riley's birthday card this year, I drew a spunky bunny receiving a birthday card full of love and wearing a party hat! Something about this image just got me, and I hope it helped Riley have a wonderful New Year's Eve birthday!

Scuba Birthday

 For: Uncle Jer
Occasion: his birthday

For Uncle Jer's birthday card, I Posca painted a little underwater scuba diver holding onto a cake with the candles extinguished. I love the bubbles and his happy little face. Uncle Jer's birthday was lots of fun this year with making a stop-motion video to boot -- I hope it all helps kick off another amazing year!

Picard Christmas

 For: Michael
Occasion: Christmas

Of the many excellent shows we've watched this year, Star Trek: The Next Generation has been a special favorite. To honor the days of our lives spent watching our favorite captain, I drew Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise wearing a Santa hat! And I updated the infamous line to be festive with "Make it snow!" It's been a real treat being cooped up with Mike this year, and I hope next year is full of even more adventures. 

Peppermint Christmas

 For: The Twin
Occasion: Christmas

The Twin loves peppermints! For her Christmas card, I painted the happiest little mint I've ever seen and wrapped it up in cling film to give it a candy shine. I am so pleased with how this looks, and hope it has a place of honor in the Christmas card display. I miss Twin so and hope she has the very merriest Christmas!

Woodstock and Snoopy Christmas

 For: Owen
Occasion: Christmas

For baby Owen's first Christmas card from Auntie Twin, I watercolored Snoopy and Woodstock sharing a holiday hug. I can't wait until I can snuggle the little guy myself, but until then this will have to stand in. I hope Owen has the very best first Christmas and has a restful holiday!

Mickey Christmas

 For: Adam
Occasion: Christmas

Adam loves Mickey, so for his Christmas card this year I drew that famous mouse popping through a wreath and wearing a santa hat! Always a little nerve-wracking to recreate a well-known character, but it turned out recognizable at least! I miss Adam so much it hurts, but know he's been having a wonderful Christmastime.

Home Alone Christmas Party

 For: Nathan
Occasion: Christmas

Nathan loves Home Alone, so for his Christmas card this year I recreated part of the epic party that Kevin creates with a cutout of Michael Jordan on a train. This one was a lot of fun to research, and I'm so glad Nathan liked it! I miss brother bear a lot and can't wait to see him some time soon!

A Santa's Creed

 For: Alex
Occasion: Christmas

Alex has been playing Assassin's Creed, so for his Christmas card this year, I made drew him "A Santa's Creed." The assassin in the game has knives hidden up his sleeves, so this Santa has candy canes! I love the silver tones that help make the illustration a little dark. This was a super fun card to make, and I hope Alex gets lots of time to play over his holiday break!

Gingerbread Cookie Christmas

 For: Amy
Occasion: Christmas

Amy worked for months on a special gingerbread house, so for her Christmas card, I created her household as gingerbread cookies. Cookie Alex, Amy, and Catsby look good enough to eat! Watercolor makes some yummy-looking gingerbread, but it shies in comparison to the real thing. I hope Ames et al have a wonderful holiday together.

Sailboat Santa

 For: Dad
Occasion: Christmas

My dad is interested in designing his own sailboat, and so to honor this ambition, I drew a festive sailor (it's Santa!) and unique red and green sails. I had fun figuring out the lines on this and am so pleased with how it turned out. I hope Dad is able to get his sailboat going, and maybe we can all go for a chilly ride next Christmas!

Christmas Quilt

 For: Mom
Occasion: Christmas

My mom has been busy, busy this year making lots of quilts! For her Christmas card, I "stitched" together some festive panels with snowmen and warm Christmas wishes. I hope Mama had a wonderful Christmas and takes a little break from sewing to relax and drink some hot chocolate and watch all her favorite Christmas movies. 

Candy Keanes and Christmas Stockings

For: The Families
Occasion: Christmas

For the annual card featuring Mike and I that gets sent to the Keanes and the Walshes, we got a little clever and Christmas-ed up our 2020. I started the year with a cane for my hip, and Mike is ending the year in a boot for his ankle, so a candy cane and stocking makes it all more cheerful. What a fun easter egg!

It took lots of different doodles to figure out how to accomplish the design, but ultimately I landed on these cuties!

With some festive watercolor and duplication, before you know it, you've got 15 nearly identical cards! This is always such a fun project, and I hope it added a little cheer to all the families we won't be able to be with-- can't wait until we can all celebrate together again!

Ice Skating Christmas

 For: Marie
Occasion: Christmas

For Marie's Christmas card, I used my white pen and lots of greens for this mountainous ice skating scene. I love this monotone (plus white!) look and never imagined green snowflakes could look so festive! I hope Marie has a great holiday and has lots of fun on the slopes this winter.

O, Christmas Tea

 For: Sarah
Occasion: Christmas

Sarah loves tea, so for her Christmas card this year, I did a simple collage of a cup of tea with a shiny Christmas Tree stirrer in it. With a big glittery O, we've got "O, Christmas Tea!" I hope Sarah has a relaxing holiday with plenty of tasty tea. 

Moose Christmas

 For: Mollie, Collin, and Moose
Occasion: Christmas

For Mollie's Christmas card, I drew a real moose (as opposed to Moose Drool the dog!) wrapped in Christmas lights in blues and whites. As opposed to the moose that stalked me and Mollie on a hike last year, this is one coy moose!  I hope it helps them all have a lovely holiday together. 

Season's Bleatings Christmas

 For: The Currys
Occasion: Christmas

To help Becky and Mark celebrate the holiday in Goat Town, I drew a festive goat munching on a candy cane with a festive greeting of "Season's Bleatings." I love how this card turned out and am so bummed to miss my Currys again! I can't wait to all get together and celebrate soon.  

Electric Car Christmas

For: Uncle Bruce and Tom
Occasion: Christmas

Bruce and Tom took a road trip this fall, stopped in to see us, and charged their car along the way! For this clever card, I have a light up Christmas tree plugged into the charging port of the car. I am pleased as punch at the idea and hope it helps them celebrate the holiday.

Merry and Bright Baby

 For: My Friends
Occasion: Pregnancy

Another couple is expecting, and so in another Pregnancy/Christmas mash-up, I featured lyrics from "White Christmas" with a few parenthetical asides to make it baby-themed! I am so excited for this little one to have lots of fun Christmases.

Christmas Bun

 For: My Friends
Occasion: Pregnancy

Some good friends of mine are expecting, and so for a joint Congrats and Christmas card, I whipped up a Christmas-y cooking scene with a bun in the oven! I am so excited for these two to become parents and can't wait for the tiny human to arrive!

Wycinanki Birthday

 For: Aunt Katy
Occasion: her birthday

For Aunt Katy's birthday card, I tried to replicate the Polish paper cutting art of wycinanki, but through paint! I tried to recreate the symmetrical style with two roosters with brightly colored wings and some additional decorations. Making this card was really fun, and I was so happy that Aunt Katy recognized the inspiration. I miss Aunt Katy and hope she has a wonderful day!

Cat Plant Birthday

 For: Aunt Glor
Occassion: her birthday

For Aunt Glor's birthday card, I used my Posca pens to paint a cat snuggling up in a hanging plant. I really love this idea as an illustration, and how sneaky the cat is with its party hat and nonchalant expression. It's been such a treat staying in touch with Aunt Glor this year -- I hope her birthday is delightful and this next year is extraordinary!

Toobin' Birthday

 For: Grandpa Jerry
Occasion: his birthday

To celebrate Grandpa Jerry's birthday, I recreated a scene from the classic video game Toobin'. In the game, you are a cool dude floating down a number of treacherous rivers and collecting letters somehow, all while trying not to be eaten by an alligator in at least one of the levels. Playing video games in Grandpa's basement was always so awesome -- I hope he's still got fun games to play and is enjoying himself! 

Barkalounger Birthday

 For: Mark
Occasion: his birthday

For Mark's birthday card, I did a watercolor of his beloved recliner (that Becky calls his barkalounger) wearing a party hat! I love this card and can just imagine Mark relaxing after a long day watching a Cards game in his spot. I miss my twin-laws so, so much, and can't wait to see them all again soon!

Cooking Birthday

 For: Aunt Kat
Occasion: her birthday

Aunt Kat and I have been swapping delicious veggie recipes all pandemic, so for her birthday card this year I used my new paint pen for a monochromatic design of a green kitchen! I love this style, and am so pleased that this card captured how happy I imagine Kat to be cooking in her kitchen!

15 Birthday

 For: Paul
Occasion: his birthday

Paul turned 15 and I can't even believe it for a second (10 years ago, he was 5!). To celebrate the milestone, I did a paper cutout of the numbers paired with yellow and then traced in red. I really like how this card turned out, and hope Paul had a wonderful day!

Board Game Birthday

 For: Uncle Jim
Occasion: his birthday

For Uncle Jim's birthday card, I created a simple board game that ends with a lovely birthday card. I had fun trying to make the game pieces and dice 3-D on top of the flat board. It was lovely to see Uncle Jim on zoom so close to his big day -- I hope he and the family had fun celebrating his big day!