My Artistic Process

All of my artwork is hand made by me. I hand draw and color all of my illustrations.

First I start with a sketch and then, using colored pencils, I hand color each drawing. I apply many layers of color using a variety of colored pencil product lines. Colored pencil brands vary in their composition. Some contain pigment and lots of wax and their look is similar to crayon. Others contain mostly powdered pigment which almost looks like pastel or when used with water or a solvent, mirrors water color paints.

To achieve a greater tone of vibrancy, after I apply color, I blend my colors using a solvent paintbrush. I then continue to add more color until I get my desired creation. Then I add a fine line using a black acrylic marker. The lines add more definition to my composition. Sometimes, I also use a grease pen to create a grainier effect.

I also like to lay out my drawings with a mat to gain greater perspective on the overall composition and determine which illustrations might lend themselves to stationery and giclée prints.

Then, I will often layout each illustration with a mock up of a planned card or notepad to see how everything looks in a series or planned set.

Most of my products contain multiple illustrations and I find that these images, along with the patterns that I eventually create, complement each other and reinforce the overall meaning.

When I make stationery, I write a haiku to accompany each illustration. The haiku is a unrhymed Japanese poem and art form that is arranged in three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables. One of the most famous Japanese Haiku writers was the poet Basho, who is often credited with the invention of this form. Traditionally he used the haiku to evoke a mood or response to nature. Today haikus are used for many types of subject matter. One of my favorite contemporary American haiku writers is the Beat poet Jack Kerouac, who used the haiku form with jazz music to evoke American urban life. I like to write haikus that express how I see nature and how I experience the moment that I’ve tried to capture on paper.

The Printing, Assembly, and Shipping Process

Using a computer and flatbed scanner, I scan the images, and using Adobe Photoshop I prepare each digital image for printing. If I’m making prints of my work, I will take my art directly to a local printer for high end scanning. Once a digital image is created, I then use software like Photoshop to crop the images and to create patterns from the images. I do not use AI generator software but rather I like to use tools that allow me to directly build patterns from my original design using a mouse

I work with a small print shop near my house and I always meet directly with the print shop owner to discuss the layout and design of each piece of stationery. The owner of the print shop personally hand cuts the paper and if making note cards, he hand scores each card so that it folds properly. When making note pads, he hand glues the paper for each note pad to a card board backing. I use a high end linen blend of acid-free paper from Mohawk. My note card stock is 80 lbs. Each note card comes with a fine linen blend paper stock for its envelope and contains a liner that I personally afix inside each envelope. I also place two magnets on the back of each notepad.

When the stationery is ready, I assemble and package each product by hand. All of my products are packaged in cellophane sleeve envelopes. I usually print in small quantities and if I run out of stock I can usually print more.

Since I work from home, I keep all of my inventory in sealed plastic crates. If I sell an order online, I hand package each order. In many cases, I will even wrap my products in a sample of my tissue paper and I will usually include a short hand written note.

All of my products come with a customer service guarantee. As a small business of one (myself). I also strive to provide excellent customer service and satisfaction. All of my products can be easily customized to fit your specific needs. None of my products are mass produced and are produced locally so that means I can easily alter a product to fit your needs. Please contact me if you have any questions or need help with your order.