Six Month Sheep

For: Katelyn
Occasion: her 6 month work anniversary

At MHCD, you're not a "real" person until you've been on the job for half a year, and my officemate Katelyn just passed that milestone! Turns out, a baby sheep's gestation period is around six months, so naturally I painted her her very own baby sheep.

Congrats to Katelyn on making it this far (it's a tough job!) and here's to some PTO!

Funky Floral Birthday

For: Aunt Kat
Occasion: her birthday

Aunt Kat has a very cool presence and I wanted to try to capture that in her birthday card this year. To do so, I created a watercolor of some really unique-looking flowers. I love the overall feel of this card, and hope Aunt Kat had an awesome day! I'm really looking forward to seeing her over the holidays!

Birthday Dog

For: Paul
Occasion: his birthday

For Paul's birthday card, I used one of my favorite techniques where I watercolor an image, Xacto-knife it, then lay it on top of a background paper. How cool does that look? This little dog was meant to usher in some birthday fun for Paul on his big day and I hope it did the trick!

Cardinal Birthday

For: Uncle Jim
Occasion: his birthday

For Uncle Jim's birthday card, I could not get the idea of a cardinal out of my head. After about an hour of brainstorming other ideas, I decided to just go for it--and I'm glad I did! This playful guy is colorful and full of wisdom, not unlike Uncle Jim. I hope he had a great day and it was awesome to see the entire Kansas crowd at The Twin's wedding!

Tree Birthday

For: Aunt Joan
Occasion: her birthday

For Aunt Joan's birthday card, I created a colorful watercolor of a tree with some delicate gold detailing. I love, love, love how this card turned out, which is brilliant because I love, love, love my aunt! I hope she had a great birthday and I hope to see her again over the holidays!

Dog Fish Birthday

For: Quam
Occasion: his birthday

Quam is a dear, dear friend of mine, and I figured it was time I painted him a picture of a dog tricking a flying fish into giving him a ride for his birthday. I don't understand it myself, but I really like how the colors came out--I used watercolors with some colored pencil detailing.

Can't wait to see Quam over Christmas or to see what this year brings for him.

Owl Birthday

For: Leslie
Occasion: her birthday

For Leslie's birthday card, I did a sleepy watercolor of two owls on a whimsical branch. Leslie has always struck me as someone with a quiet depth to her, and I thought these wise little guys would help me honor that idea.

I hope Leslie has a great birthday and is doing well in Chicago and in school!

Cupcake Birthday

For: Maggie
Occasion: her birthday

Maggie is a truly wonderful person, so I wanted to make her a happy little birthday card--this tiny cupcake buddy is the best way I knew how! I hope Mags had a great day and got to have some delicious treats to celebrate her big day. 

Birthday Bird

For: Win
Occasion: her birthday

For Win's birthday card, I tried some simple block paper-cutting and created a bird with a belly of words. I used some colored pencils on top of the colored paper and it created a pretty neat effect, I feel.

I love Win and am so glad we ended up in Colorado together. I can't wait to see what this year brings for her--she deserves everything wonderful in her world!

Bunny Birthday

For: Maddie
Occasion: her birthday

For Maddie's birthday, I made a watercolor of a lop bunny with his own set of bunny ears! Maddie's big day is just after Halloween, so I figured a little costume fun was appropriate.

I think this little guy is adorable and I hope Maddie had a great day!

Dancer Birthday

For: Alyssa
Occasion: her birthday

Dance is a big part of Alyssa's life, and I realized I had yet to make her a dance-themed card! To rectify that, I created this silhouette of a dancer in front of a watercolor splash that I Xacto-knifed and then covered in glitter (whew!). The overall effect is very neat, and I hope Alyssa liked it!

Balance Birthday

For: Theresa
Occasion: her birthday

When I think of Theresa, I think of nature, creativity, and balance. This bird and fish, land and sea watercolor captures a lot of those ideas, and has a very "Theresa" feel besides. 

I miss Theresa so much and value her continued presence in my life--here's to a great year for her!