Big Foot Birthday

For: Uncle Jer
Occasion: his birthday

Uncle Jer has been photoshopping Big Foot into my pictures lately--he shows up in one of Mike and I in front of some Aspen and is even lurking in the corner at the bar. I had no choice but to feature the mythical creature in Uncle Jer's birthday card this year. 

Like the inside of the card suggested, I believe in Uncle Jer. 

Flower Birthday

For: Claire
Occasion: her birthday

I have such a hard time capturing Claire's wonderful and quirky spirit in her birthday cards. This year, she got a floral card with a couple stand-out, bright, and fun flowers! The blue background has a few less prominent flowers, signifying Clarity's depth and subtlety. 

I love Claire oh-so-much, miss her every day, and hope she kicks this year's butt. 

Christmas Bear

For: Brother Bear (Nathan Curry)
Occasion: Christmas

To round out my snowy and white watercolor feats for the year, I painted Nathan Curry a holiday polar bear. This little guy was so much fun to paint with the subtle blues and browns giving him shape.

It was so much fun to see Nathan and stay at his and Twin's house, despite my many efforts to destroy their property. I hope Brother Bear had a great Christmas!

Snow Angel Christmas

For: Ames
Occasion: Christmas

Amy is a wonderfully playful person, so for her Christmas card, I created a little girl making a snow angel in the snow! It's really challenging to do subtleties in watercolored snow, but I think I pulled it off.

I had such a good time seeing Ames over break--I hope her dreams come true in 2014!

Snowy Tree Christmas

For: The Keanes
Occasion: Christmas

I wanted to make Mike's parents a Christmas card and spent considerable time considering the right subject matter (I want to make a good impression on them, you see!). When Mike and I went to the Botanic Gardens earlier this month, I was struck by how cool the lights looked when covered by snow. I decided to give it a try in watercolor and am very pleased with the results.

I hope the Keanes had a great Christmas and I am excited to meet them next week!

Christmas Owl

For: Dad
Occasion: Christmas

My dad is one of the smartest people I know; to honor his sage-ness this Christmas, I created a wintery owl watercolor. It was really great to see dad while I was home and I hope the new year brings him all kinds of happiness and adventures!

Christmas Trees

For: The Twin
Occasion: Christmas

For Twin's Christmas card, I painted a watercolor of two Christmas trees holding up one special heart ornament between them. This year's Christmas gift featured pairs (I made her a calendar of doubles) and I couldn't resist one last duo.

I love The Twin so and can't wait to see her again--hopefully soon!

Lights Christmas

For: Mom
Occasion: Christmas

My mom is a staunch proponent of colored Christmas lights. To honor her deeply held beliefs, I created a watercolor of the most colorful bulbs my paints would offer. 

It was lovely seeing Mom over the holidays and I hope she enjoys the Doctor Who fare I gave her!

Elf Christmas

For: The Currys
Occasion: Christmas

For Mark and Becky's Christmas card, I created a foresty watercolor that features some elves decorating a Christmas tree by lantern-light. I love the Currys a lot and hope they had a wonderful holiday on the farm!

Mistletoe Christmas

For: Mike
Occasion: Christmas

For Mike's first Christmas card from me, I created a playful watercolor of the two of us underneath some mistletoe. He's wearing one of his sweaters and his favorite boots! I love this card, I love Mike, and I had a wonderful time celebrating our little Christmas this year.

Window Birthday

For: Rukiyah
Occasion: her birthday

Rukiyah is a phenomenally lovely person who I admire and adore. She's currently living in Japan, so her card was a little late this year--but I hope it was worth the wait! 

I created a watercolor of Rukiyah looking out a window--her hands are up against the glass and she's wiped away a crescent to look through. This card was technically awesome to make--the look all comes from the painting, but I put a layer of saran wrap for extra glass effect.

I miss Rukiyah a lot and hope she had a great day!

Candle Birthday

For: Aunt Katy
Occasion: her birthday

For Aunt Katy's birthday, I decided to try my pencils on white cardstock and created some playfully imperfect birthday candles. Each flame is topped by a letter of "birthday" to complete the "happy birthday wish."

I love my aunt, hope she had a great day, and can't wait to see her over Christmas!