Gorilla birthday

For: My uncle Brian
Occasion: his birthday

My uncle has a pretty epic gorilla suit that he has been known to wear to a variety of family events (okay, so mostly Halloween parties). I thought it appropriate to feature our primate relatives in his birthday card, and so here's my very best gorilla contemplating a birthday cake.

On the inside, the gorilla totally gets it, digs into the cake and sports his party paraphernalia. I had a great time creating this character, and I hope my uncle has a wonderful birthday, regardless of whether he decides to wear the costume.

Tow Truck Thank You

For: Sarah Sot
Occasion: Thank you

I had already had a pretty rough week, and then my car got towed. This is a picture of me stuck in a vast ocean of mud.

But, my wonderful friend Sarah helped pull me out and get my car back, and we went shopping and out to dinner with Anna, making what could have been my psychological breaking point into a pleasant evening with friends.

What would we do without wonderful people in our lives? Probably stay stuck in the mud.

Valentines Workshop

For: The Graduate Social Work Association (GSWA)
Occasion: Valentines workshop

I was lucky enough to be able to put on a workshop for my social work peers. Called "Valentines and the Therapeutic uses of Greeting Cards," it was a workshop about the therapeutic values and theories that come into play in the greeting card creation process. And, because Valentine's Day is right around the corner, we made our own Valentines as a way to frame the discussion.

Here was my example card that I made for my sister. First, we drew the fronts of our cards, listening to a sweet Beatles mix for about 10 minutes. We shared our drawings, and discussed the therapeutic benefits to making art and working with color.  And then it was on to writing our messages! This part of the process was followed up with a discussion about the benefits of writing therapies, narrative therapies, and gratitude therapy (each of which come into play in the creation of greeting cards!).

This is the card I made during the workshop, and it is for my partner Greg.

We wrapped up the workshop with a discussion about how greeting cards could be used in our social work practices. Though it was a small (intimate) crowd, I am really pleased with how the whole event turned out! I really love greeting cards, and it was a wonderful experience for me to be able to share that love in a constructive and (hopefully!) helpful way.

Pickle birthday

For: my cousin Dylan
Occasion: his birthday

When Dylan was born, his parents called him "Dil Pickles" after the plucky younger brother in The Rugrats. I decided to play on that nickname, and take it a few steps back and more literally. Dylan has his own pickle company, and this is a jar of his pickles.

On the inside, "Happy Birthday!" spelled out in--what else?--pickles. I hope Dylan has a wonderful birthday, full of pickles if he wants them, and certainly lots of cake.

Bird Birthday

For: Uncle John
Occasion: his birthday

To commemorate my uncle's big day, I thought I would create a whimsical spring scene, knowing full well that most of the nation is covered in snow. The birds in this image (atop the retro-patterned gumdrops) are wearing party hats.

On the inside, one of the birds has taken flight! He looks so content and happy--both of which I hope my uncle is today!

Oscar-worthy Birthday

For: Joe
Occasion: his birthday

My friend Joe is the biggest movie aficionado I have ever known. He has memorized a big list of Academy Award winners and nominees from forever ago until now. For Joe, film is serious stuff.

Therefore, the iconic Oscar statue! I continued the silhouette of the Oscar to the top of the card to give it an interesting shape: the yellow that you can see is the inside of the card. I like the big bold shapes of this design.

On the inside, more bold shapes and lines along with the appropriate, themed message: "Have an award-winning birthday!"

And I hope he did.

Architecture Birthday Cake

For: Jackie
Occasion: her birthday

Jackie is an architecture student, and so for her card, we have the blueprints of a birthday cake. I made my own graph paper (if you look closely, you can see it!). The measurements on the cake are 22, 1, 30, and 11. As luck would have it, Jackie turned 22 on 1-30-11--what a coincidence!

On the inside, my very best attempt at an architecture joke: "Hope your birthday 'measures up!'" Jackie is a great friend and a talented architect, so I hope her big day was all she hoped it would be. 

Birthday Pie

For: My cousin Lydia
Occasion: her birthday

My cousin is a culinary genius: at Thanksgiving, she made the family seven or eight (it may have been nine) different pies! All by herself. I was so impressed with this feat that I had to feature pies in her birthday card this year.

On the inside, one of the pies has a birthday candle in it, all ready to be wished over. My wish for Lydia is that she has a wonderful year full of good recipes and even better food!

You say tomato; I say birthday

For: Grandma
Occasion: her birthday

My Grandma Carol grows many of her own vegetables. For her birthday card this year, I thought it would be fun to give her her own seed company: Carol's Garden Seed Co. operating out of her hometown, Chicago. This image is a representation of a seed packet for Grandma's Tomato.

On the inside, a vegetative birthday wish: "Hope your birthday grows into a great year!"
My grandma is an excellent gardener, a wonderful lady, and a true inspiration to our family.

Mountain Thank You

For: Win and Adam
Occasion: Thank You

Greg and I got to spend a lovely weekend visiting Denver, mountains, and our good friends Win and Adam. I knew we were going to make a trip up to the mountains, so I decided to try to depict them with calligraphy!

And, because I was in a calligraphy mood, I did my very best "thank you" on the inside. We had a wonderful trip, and I am really excited to move out there in the summer. Adventures await!

Dickensian Birthday

For: Grandpa Walsh
Occasion: his birthday

My grandfather is a big Dickens fan, and so here is my cartoon rendition of that great author. He is busy writing The Pickwick Papers, and has just found out it is my grandfather's big day, hence the "It's your birthday?" in my scrawliest cursive.

"A glass of wine in honour of this happy occasion!" This is a quote from The Pickwick Papers, as you may have pieced together. I particularly like this image because Dickens's mustache has perked up and is smiling a little. Some jolly good Victorian era fun.

The Squid Birthday

To: Uncle Vince
Occasion: his birthday

When at a family party a few weeks ago, a group of us were talking about wanting to have nicknames. Seemingly out of the blue, my uncle had said, "I always wanted to be 'The Squid'." He went on to explain that he wanted to be "The Squid" with someone else, meaning that he and another would be referred to as "The Squid" collectively. I readily volunteered.

And that's why this card features the coolest looking squid I've ever drawn and some squid like lettering. I hope half The Squid has an excellent birthday.