Sorry Clouds

 For: Uncle Jim
Occasion: In Sympathy

Uncle Jim had another relative die, and to send more well wishes and condolences, I created a simple illustration of clouds with silver rain and a "so sorry" message. I hope he is doing okay and surrounded with loved ones and good memories.

Birthday Banner

 For: Joel
Occasion: his birthday

For Joel's birthday card this year, I used a couple different styles of fonts and lines and pens and brought together this "Happy Birthday to you" message with a fun doodle vibe. I hope Joel has a great day and is looking forward to a spring of fun!

Peeps Birthday

 For: Mom
Occasion: her birthday

Mom loves Peeps, and given that her big day was super close to Easter this year, I mashed up the two concepts and drew a marshmallow bunny and chick wearing little party hats. I hope she felt appropriately celebrated among the other festivities and even had a birthday Peep or too!

Lego Birthday

 For: Shia
Occasion: his birthday

Shia loves Legos and has a really fun collection of really complicated ones that I love to play with whenever we get to hang out. For his birthday card this year, I did an illustration of a classic lego man wearing a party hat and a big celebratory smile. I am a particular fan of the plastic shine on these Lego pieces, y'all! I hope Shi-Shi has the best birthday and we get to hang out again soon!

Skiing Birthday

 For: Kasicki
Occasion: his birthday 

To commemorate that epic time we skied together, I drew Kasicki a winter scene with HBD skis pointed towards some festive trees (Look! That one has a party hat on!). I hope Kasick had an awesome birthday however he got to celebrate!

Headstock Birthday

 For: JP
Occasion: his birthday

For JP's birthday card, I did an illustration of a guitar headstock (the top bit with the tuning pegs) as fingers making the universally understood "rock on" symbol. This card is pretty cool, I think! I miss JP a lot and hope he has a wonderful birthday!

Foam Finger Birthday

 For: Gio
Occasion: his 1st birthday 

The sweetest little munchkin just turned one! To celebrate his birthday, I made an illustration of a foam finger that reads "GIO" and "#1." I really love this card concept, but more than that, was so happy to see this little friend so close to his birthday! 

Beirut Birthday

 For: Brian
Occasion: his birthday

Brian had (or has?) a truly impressive Beirut game, so for his birthday card this year I featured a classic red Solo cup with "HBD BRIAN!" written on it in the style of writing one's name on such a cup. There's a pearly white ping pong ball to round out the image. Making this card really brought me back to mid-20s parties at the Clayton house. Ah, good times. I hope Brian and Liz are doing great out in Jersey!

Beach Birthday

 For: Leia
Occasion: her birthday

Leia just had an epic vacation in Costa Rica, so to help her hang on to her time there, I did a watercolor of a beach scene in vibrant colors with a palm tree in the foreground. I adored seeing Leia-dear so close to her birthday and hope she has a great time hiking the Grand Canyon!

Aurora Birthday

 For: Sam
Occasion: her birthday

Sam is a big fan of Norwegian singer/songwriter AURORA, so for her birthday card this year, I did a stylized gouache painting of the artist wearing a party hat. I had fun listening to AURORA while I painted the card, and hope Sam had an even more fun time celebrating her birthday!

Nature Birthday

 For: Allyson
Occasion: her birthday

For Allyson's birthday card this year, I made a glittery nature scene in a triangle that features a bright sun, purple mountains, a river, and plenty of trees. Underneath the triangle, a simple birthday wish: "Happy Birthday, Allyson!" I hope she has a wonderful day and I can't wait to go on a walk soon!

Expanding Cat Birthday

 For: Owen
Occasion: his birthday

For Owen's birthday card, I played around with an image that expands when you unfold it! To start off, we have a plump little cat friend wearing a party hat. And, when you open up the card...

Surprise! He's actually quite a large cat who's munching on a big birthday cake. The cake has three candles in it since Owen is three years old! It was so fun designing this card and getting to celebrate my sweet O with lots of creativity this year.