Cycling Birthday

 For: Zach
Occasion: his birthday

To help Zach celebrate his birthday, I did an illustration of him on a bike riding on the wrinkled cardstock that represents the ground! This was a first ever Debbie Dots technique, and it worked okay--I wonder how I can perfect it again. Anyhow. I miss Zach a lot and had fun thinking about our bike rides back home together so many summers ago. I hope he has an amazing birthday and is getting to go on lots of adventures this summer!

Cake Birthday

 For: Alli
Occasion: her birthday

For Alli's birthday card, I created a simple cake on a silver cake stand. My illustrations of cakes often aren't frosted all the way around, and so this one was an inordinate amount of fun for me. I paired the cake with a simple "happy birthday, Alli!" message. I hope Alli has a great day and I can't wait to see her soon at The River!

Ice Cream Birthday

 For: Eileen
Occasion: her birthday

For Eileen's birthday card, I did a watercolor illustration of the world's happiest and biggest ice cream cone I've ever imagined! I love how the ice cream overlaps and the sprinkles and cherry are delightful details. I paired the illustration with a swirly purple "Happy Birthday, Eileen!" message and a bright polka dotted paper. I hope Eileen had a tasty birthday!

Float Your Goat Birthday

 For: Becky
Occasion: her birthday

Last year for Becky's birthday card, I did a joke on "whatever floats your boat" -- this year, in a giant nod to the fun of Goat Town, I updated it to "Whatever Floats Your Goat"! The illustration is the most chill goat in an inner tube wearing a party hat and drinking a beverage. I adore Becky so and hope she had even more fun than this goat on her big day!

Shiny Birthday

 For: DeLace
Occasion: his birthday

DeLace introduced me to the masterwork Firefly, and so for his birthday card this year, I tried to capture some of the slang of the show ("shiny" meaning "good") and an illustration of the birthday cake Simon gets on his big day. I tried to capture the font of the show and just had a lot of fun going back into memory lane to revisit the show. I miss DeLace bunches and hope he has a great day!

K Birthday

 For: Kai
Occasion: their birthday

For Kai's birthday card, I used my watercolors and some taping to try to capture their initial in an interesting way. The K is in blues to contrast with the yellow-orange background, and I added some pen detailing to make the blue pop. I have so enjoyed getting to work with Kai and hope they had an amazing year!

Swing Birthday

 For: Giuliana
Occasion: her birthday

To help Jules celebrate her birthday. I did an illustration of her on a tree swing wearing a party hat! I loved trying to capture her sweet spirit (and curly hair!) in this card. I miss her so and hope this next year is the best one yet!

Minnie Birthday

 For: Emily
Occasion: her birthday

Emily is another year older! To celebrate her birthday, I drew a Minnie Mouse in all pink. I think it turned out pretty well (always hard to tell with the world-famous characters!) and I hope Emily had a wonderful time celebrating and is looking forward to another year of fun!

Airplane Birthday

 For: Jackson
Occasion: his birthday

For Jackson's birthday card, I did a simple illustration of him in an old-style airplane among some fluffy clouds. I like his party hat and how playful this card looks. I hope Jackson has a great day and I'm looking forward to seeing him later this summer!

Slow Morning Birthday

 For: Will
Occasion: his birthday

Will shared a really interesting life philosophy with me many years ago wherein he takes time every morning to enjoy his favorite parts of life on vacation. I tried to capture this lovely idea with a few items that may be part of the morning routine -- coffee, a book or journal, a pencil, and iconic red glasses. I miss Will a lot and hope he had a lovely day!

Strongman Tattoo Father's Day

 For: Dad
Occasion: Father's Day

As a nod to my getting tattoos this year, I did a watercolor of a strongman who has "Dad" tattooed in a heart with an arrow through it for my Dad's Father's Day card. I adore my Dad and it's always fun to see him when I can and chat on Sundays!

Crossword Father's Day

 For: Dan
Occasion: Father's Day

For Dan's Father's Day card, I made a crossword grid with words intersecting: Happy, Fathers, Day, and Dan. I enjoyed the challenge of making the lines and boxes and am overall just pleased with how the card turned out. I can't wait to see Dan again soon!

Mario Character Birthday

 For: Nathan
Occasion: his birthday

For Nathan's birthday card, I illustrated him as a Mario character! I gave him the classic outfit but in blue and with an N on his hat! Nathan is holding a Starman balloon and his name in Mario font over his head! I had a great time coming up with this card and hope Nathan had the very best birthday.

Letters Birthday

 For: Kathy
Occasion: her birthday

For Kathy's birthday card, I watercolored and illustrated the brightest and quirkiest letters to spell out her name. I paired it with a bright orange background for a very happy birthday card!

Owl Birthday

 For: Riley
Occasion: her birthday

To help Riley celebrate her birthday, I did a collage of an owl with some fun glittery accents -- the party hat poof and beak! I hope Riley has been having an awesome summer and is looking forward to an amazing year!

Flower Birthday

 For: Karly
Occasion: her birthday

To celebrate Karly's birthday, I did a mixed media illustration/collage of a bouquet of flowers! I love the small heart on the paper and how happy the flowers look on the bright pink background. Karly is a bundle of joy and I hope she is doing great!

Bike Basket Birthday

 For: Marilynne
Occasion: her birthday

For Marilynne's 75th birthday, I did an illustration of her back in the day in a tutu on a bike with some flowers in the basket. I had a great time conceptualizing a younger version of my dear friend and had a great time at her party!

Mountain Birthday

 For: Dustin
Occasion: his birthday

Dustin is one of the biggest mountaineers I know! To help him celebrate his birthday, I did a watercolor in blue of some mountains. I love the whimsy of this card and can't wait to go on some hikes this summer!

10 Year Roller Coaster

 For: Mike
Occasion: Our Dating Anniversary 

Mike and I have been together for an entire decade! To celebrate, I updated last year's hit illustration of the two of us by placing us on a roller coaster in car number 10. It's been a wild ride, and I'm so happy that we have been able to have fun together!