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!

Retro TV Birthday

For: Tom
Occasion: his birthday

Tom got me some of the greatest colored pencils in the whole world as a thank you for helping him propose to his wife, so for his birthday card, I wanted to feature their awesomeness! I ended up drawing a retro TV with lots of SMPTE color bars to show off the color va-ri-e-ty. 

Flying Pig Birthday

For: Uncle Jim
Occasion: his birthday

For Uncle Jim's birthday, I went with a flying pig watercolor because another year has flown by! Or because I really wanted to paint a flying pig and I thought he'd be okay with it. 

I got to see Uncle Jim at The Twin's wedding and even got him to dance a little bit! He's a great guy, a great dancer, and I hope he has a great year.

Birdy Baby Shower

For: Erin
Occasion: Baby Shower

Erin (my second-cousin-once-removed-in-law) had a baby shower last weekend for baby Nora; to help celebrate the forth-coming bundle of joy, I created this adorable baby bird! The theme for the party was "tweet baby girl" and I could not be happier with how this feathered friend turned out.

It was so great to see Sean and Erin, and I can't wait to meet another distant relative!

High-heeled Birthday

For: Lidia

Occasion: her birthday

Lids always looks fabulous and has lots of great shoes. I remember once she and I bonded over the idea that one can never have too many red shoes--and it's true! I had a great time creating this watercolor of some high heels from behind. I really love how it turned out (and got to brush up on my hash marks too!). 

I miss Lids so much and hope all her wishes come true this year!

Tie the Knot Wedding

For: Christy and Nathan

Occasion: their wedding

I did the wedding invites for Christy and Nathan's wedding, but the original art was destroyed in an unfortunate water damage incident. I was able to save the caricatures of the main invite from the wreckage, so I carefully Xacto-knifed their image and placed it on a glitter background. I think it looks great, and I am glad I was able to use some of the original art for the celebration.

The wedding was absolutely wonderful and I was so honored to be a part of their big day.