What was your inspiration for your winning card? Please walk us through the process of how this card went from an idea to a greeting card.
I loved the colors in the blue and earthy color palette that I chose; they reminded me of a snowy wonderland. Woodland animals are a favorite of mine to draw and I just envisioned the little hedgehogs stacked up to form a Christmas tree. Of course they decorated with what they had from nature and voilà, it became what you see! Of course I had to add some wordplay to it!
What advice would you give to other artists who are hesitant to enter a GCU Design Challenge?
Just go for it, it may draw something out of you that you didn’t know existed.
You’ve been a member of GCU’s artist community since 2007. How have you seen your card designs evolve or change since the early days?
Yes, I truly felt like a baby learning the ropes. My drawings have gone from watercolor pencils scanned into Photoshop and cleaned up to doing everything digital on the Wacom to then creating on my IPAD in Procreate. I am just beginning to do more of my sketching on paper again and then digitally coloring it. I like to make my own patterns, brushes and even fonts now, so my designs are truly ME. In the beginning I pressured myself into thinking every line had to be perfect, now I just go with the flow. Perfectly imperfect makes me happiest!
Mid-year is a good time to start designing cards for the Winter holidays. What are your plans? How do you get inspired and in the “merry” mood?
I do a local Christmas show every year where I sell my wooden ornaments that are usually based off of my card designs. It takes a while to build up inventory since I paint them all by hand. I would like to say I started on this already, BUT I will probably be stressing myself out soon enough. Once I get started though, I am in the zone! It is not unusual for me to work up to the day before getting it all done. My husband offers to put out the Christmas decor and play some Christmas music if need be!
Ok, now for the fast five, fun questions …
How did your childhood prepare you for your job today?
My dad was a pretty good artist, so he and I would draw little characters doing PUNNY things. (Like a watch dog … dog wearing a watch) I am pretty sure that is what sparked my love of wordplay.
Describe your first car and what you loved or hated most about it.
My very own first car was a 1990 Mustang. What I loved about it was that I started dating my now husband who had a 1978 Mustang. Somehow, we found that my key started his engine. That was just one of the many signs that we were meant to be, haha!
What’s the most unusual item in your desk / workspace?
I love to surround myself with whimsical and nostalgic things. I have lots of my childhood stuffed animals above my desk as well as items from grandparents and loved ones.
Pick up pennies or walk past them?
Pick them up! I heard somewhere that every little bit helps … they do add up to dollars, you know!
Who is your celebrity look-a-like?
I don’t really see it, so I am not going to say look-a-like, but I have had people tell me: Jennifer Aniston, Cindy Crawford, Debra Gibson, Melania Trump and years back I had someone run across the grocery store just to tell me I looked like Christina Applegate, lol.
Thank you, Mindy and Greeting Card Universe, for taking the time to showcase me and my fellow CARDisans the way you do! Your support means the world!