Floral Ring Birthday

For: Jen
Occasion: her birthday

To help celebrate Jen's birthday, I created a ring of flora to encircle my "happy birthday" wish! There's all kinds of flowers and leaves and fun little spots in the design. I hope Jen is enjoying life in Korea and I can't wait to hear from her soon!

Milikin Birthday

For: Luke
Occasion: his birthday

Luke is a student at Milikin U, so for his birthday card, I created a stylized  version of the Big Blue M. I really am digging how the coloring turned out. I paired the M with some torn edges, and man, does this card look sharp. I hope Luke had a great day and is wrapping up the semester!

Bird Nest Birthday

For: Aunt Lauren
Occasion: her birthday

When I was maybe 9 years old, Aunt Lauren somehow saved a baby bird from a tree and brought it to our house in Lombard so we could take care of it while she was at work. We ended up bringing it to an animal shelter, but I remember being so in awe of the little bird that it is my most prominent memory of Aunt Lauren. For her birthday card, therefore, I created a baby bird with a next made of twigs and sticks and letters that happen to spell out "Happy Birthday." I love this card and had fun reminiscing on the memory. I hope Aunt Lauren had a great day!

Happy Dog Birthday

For: Aunt Kelly
Occasion: her birthday

For Aunt Kelly's birthday card, I created a very happy running dog dressed in his birthday accoutrement. I love his floppy ears and face! I hope Aunt Kelly had a great day and is enjoying Spring. 

Mythos Artwork

For: Nathan
Occasion: board game

 Nathan asked me to do renditions of the Greek Gods for his awesome board game called Ancient Mythos.

Featured above is Apollo (based off Nathan),

 Aphrodite (based off The Twin),

and Demeter (based off me). 

I had such an awesome time creating these thirteen gods and am so honored that Nathan asked me to do the artwork for the Victory cards! It's really an amazing game--you should play it if you get the chance!

Here's more of the process of the illustrations:

Feel free to click on the pictures to see more detail.

Bear Hug Birthday

For: Anna
Occasion: her birthday

For Anna's birthday card, recreated an image of two bears hugging that really plays up white space. It's like the yin and yang of bear hugs! As Anna is a fabulous artist, I thought she would appreciate the concept. I hope she had a great birthday and can't wait to see her in July!

Pretty Cake Birthday

For: Jess
Occasion: her birthday

Jess is a fabulous baker, so for her birthday card this year, we're featuring a lovely, multiple-tier cake! It's done in watercolor, which lends playfulness to the floating layers (didn't want my dots mixing this time!). I also threw some flowers in the background for a splash of spring fun. I hope Jess and Pat are enjoying city-life and spring in Chicago!

Stylized Canoe Birthday

For: My Dad
Occasion: his birthday

For my dad's birthday card this year, I used a vaguely Japanese drawing style to create a rainy canoe scene. I have some great memories canoeing in the rain with my dad (perhaps most notably our optimistic attempt to canoe the Des Plaines river marathon during obviously flooded high water). I love my dad so much and had such fun seeing him last weekend. I hope he gets some good boating in this summer, and I can't wait to see him again!

Cat Balloon Birthday

For: Ryan
Occasion: his birthday

Ryan (aka RaRa) has three cats (despite being allergic) and I have a secret fondness for cat cards. This one features an orange kitty that got a hold of a balloon and is delightfully drifting away. The balloon reads "Happy birthday RaRa!" and wraps up the playful look of this card. I hope Ryan had a great day and I'm happy to hear that life is going well for him in Chicago!

Monster Birthday

For: Joel
Occasion: his birthday

To celebrate Joel's birthday, I created a happy little green monster that could perfectly compliment one of my favorite chevron background papers. Look how fun this little guy is, with his long, long arms holding a cake. And look at those candles spelling out Joel's name! I am obviously digging this card--I hope Joel had an awesome birthday!

Flower Birthday

For: Mom
Occasion: her birthday

My mom is a wonderful gardener, nature-enthusiast, and all-around science lady. For her birthday card, I created a watercolor flower with pretty pink petals. The card itself is pretty simple with the image having been cut out, but I really like how it looks. I hope she had a great day and I can't wait to see her this weekend!

Sunflower Birthday

For: Helena
Occasion: her 60th

Mike's aunt Helena hosted a fabulous birthday party over Easter weekend, and as resident Coloradans, Mike and I got to hang out with members of the Keane clan. To help celebrate the day, I created a watercolor of a sunflower in a glass. I loved making this card in watercolor, given the complex see-through-i-ness of the glass. We had such a lovely weekend, and I hope Aunt Helena enjoyed her day!