Occasionally Thoughtful

 

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 and how you chose your 3 items from the list (a remote control – a mirror – a mailbox – an orange – a daisy – a beach towel – a bird – a coffee mug):

My inspiration for this card was the mailbox. It got me thinking about all the people that we are not able to see because of the pandemic. Then came the bird because whenever possible I put living beings into my designs and then last the daisies I thought added a delicate touch.

This is a wonderful Thinking of You card and fitting for the post 2020 pandemic. What did you do to keep some normalcy and positive outlook during this challenging time?  

My plans for the holiday season is to add three or four new card series for each holiday. In my experience, relationship specific cards sell rather well.  

They say Christmas in July and we are almost there.  How do you get inspired and in the “merry” mood?  

When it comes to designing Christmas cards I am always in the “merry” mood.  I love designing cards for Christmas so it comes easy especially ones I design for children.

Ok, now for the fast five, fun questions …

What’s your dream occupation– the one job you’d love to have if you weren’t doing what you’re doing now?

My dream occupation would be a Wildlife Veterinarian. I think that would be an awesome job. I have always been an animal lover but life led me in a different direction. However, I was lucky enough to work with wild animals for the past forty years as a Wildlife Rehabilitator.

What one accomplishment are you most proud of?

The accomplishment I am most proud of is all the injured, sick and orphaned animals that I have helped and returned successfully back to the wild.

List something that is on your bucket list.

One thing on my bucket list is to go on an African Safari but the problem is my daughters would be terrified and my husband doesn’t like to travel. Which means I would have to go by myself and that wouldn’t be any fun.

If you could choose your own name, what would it be?

If I could choose my own name it would be Roxanne, I have always liked that name. I did name my dog Roxanne and she is very bossy at times, I’m afraid it might have something to do with her name. LOL

If your clothes had to be one color forever, what color would you pick?

If my clothes had to be one color I would pick red. I would happily wear it forever  

Ok now for the fast five, fun questions…

What did you name your first car? 

Blue not just because I like the color but it was a blue Bobcat.

What is your best scar story? 

My aunt and my grandmother were visiting and at the time we lived in an upper apartment above our grandparents duplex and they left the outside door open to the downstairs.  I was nine months old and learning to walk and I tumbled down two flights of metal stairs and had quite a scar that looked like a middle hair part!

What was the worst job you ever had and why? 

The worst job I had was picking cherries at 11 years old because we lived half an hour away from the orchard and this old flat bed truck would pick each worker up their home and it seemed like it took a day to get to the orchard!

Would you rather be a giant rodent or a tiny elephant? 

Hands down a tiny elephant!

Are you a traveler or a homebody? 

I’m actually both!  I go in seasons where I love to travel and love to stay home.

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 just wanted to create a Christmas card that spoke to 2020. I basically imagined Santa
going from house to house this year- and it occurred to me that there is no way he could
ever practice safe social distancing going into hot spots! Lol Then, I thought Nope- he
can skip me this year- I’ll buy my own gift. Then I thought I needed to use a sarcastic or
wisecracking animal and what better animal than a cat to do that. So, I searched for
images of cats in Santa hats and found one immediately and everything just sort of fell
into place.

Holiday card sales are picking up.  Which of your card designs do you predict will be
your best seller this year and why?

Well, I think Product ID: 1550210 will probably be one of my best sellers because it’s a
patriotic themed card with a snowy landscape that features a little country snowman, an
old barn, and a red truck. I really like these kinds of cards myself and after the year we
have had, people need something that takes them out of the moment and reminds them
of things that are relaxing and good in life.

Strange year this year with COVID-19.  How has this impacted your work as an artist?
For me, I just tried to concentrate on Covid-19 related cards mostly and thinking of you
cards this year because people were so isolated and they needed relevant cards to
send to friends and loved ones. I think my heart was lent to the families who have lost
loved ones and to the healthcare workers who were putting their lives on the line to take
care of those affected. I just wanted to contribute to people in some way and this was
one way I could do that.

You have created some COVID-19 themed cards.  Which is your favorite and why?
I think my favorite Covid-19 related card is Product ID: 1609146 because it features a
a group of cows who look like they are getting ready to walk in a grid across the pasture
to find some form of human life. I have cattle and they do come and look for you if you
are not where you are supposed to be at a certain time of day. Anyone who has cows
could attest to this. I love animals, so this one is just personal and funny to me.

What is your best scar story?
I was bitten by a copperhead when I was four and I have a large scar on my foot from
that. We were swimming at a river while vacationing in Missouri when it bit me. We were
50 miles away from a doctor, so my oldest sister had to make a tourniquet and use it on
my foot to keep the venom from spreading very quickly. My Dad threw all the kids in the
station wagon and sped over the hills to the nearest doctor’s office. I think I was in
better shape than my seven siblings by the time we got to the doctor’s office because
they were all car sick from the wild ride.

Are you a traveler or a homebody?
I am a homebody. I like to take a two-week vacation about once a year, but aside from
that I stick close to home. I have lots of animals, so I like to be there and take care of
them. I liked to travel all over when I was young, but not so much anymore.

What is your greatest irrational fear?
I worry about my kids way too much. My kids say I watch too much Dateline because I
am forever asking them if they have their pepper spray with them or if they are going out
with a group of people and not going places alone. They ridicule me a lot over it, but I
just want them to be safe.

If you were a vegetable, what vegetable would you be?
I would be a potato. I’m kind of complex, but stable. People can count on me to be there
and find comfort and support when they need it.

Please list any awards or contests you’ve won outside of GCU.

I’ve won several slogan contests, a Springbok Puzzle Image contest (Marble Madness is the name of the puzzle I contributed the photograph for)

and I’ve written for Hallmark (A little gift book called Thanks Mom) and Chicken Soup for the Soul, Angels All Around.

Funny New Mower for Father’s Day Goat Eating Hay card

Funny Cat in Pink Beach Chair with Umbrella Litter Box Encouragement card

My cat, Tahiti, was very cooperative with this idea.  This card won the Best Design Challenge Submission in 2018.  I probably spent more money on props than usual (I usually limit my prop spending to $5 when designing a card) but it was totally worth the effort.

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’m generally an impatient person.  When I have an idea, I get right on it and sometimes, I complete a task only to review it later and ask, “What was I thinking?”  I thought about hair and tried to pair it with cats because I have a million cat photos.  The original design had the phrase, “I heard you had some hairball scheme to retire.”  It should have read, ‘hairbrain scheme’ but for some reason, I had the word ‘hairball’ in my hairbrain and didn’t realize until I actually posted it that it was incorrect.  I had to change the image before it was reviewed so I was in a state of panic.  I’m sure the reviewers think I’m a nut.

What sparked your interest in art? Did you start as a young child?  

My dad was an architect and he was an amazing artist.  He used to draw us in caricature form and we loved it.  I found that, although I don’t consider myself an artist, I can accomplish some humorous works of art through the use of photography and photoshop.

Do you have formal training or are you self-taught? 

I took a class in black & white photography when I was in college, just to fill some time in my senior schedule.  I loved it.  I also took an online class in portrait photography through our local community college.  Other than that, I’ve learned through the mentoring of friends and a lot of practice.

Is your work done by hand and then scanned or do you work entirely on the computer?  

I’ve done a little work by hand, like when drawing font for a Christmas card, etc.  Most of what I do is in photoshop.

Have you ever/do you currently have a job other than as an artist?  

My degree is in business / legal assistance and I work part-time for a financial advisor, however, I’ve been on the hunt for a job with benefits.  This is a crazy time to job hunt.

What GCU artist(s) do you admire?  

This list is lengthy but the short list would include LisaCrisafi and Kathleen Johnson.

Ok, we have to ask.  The cats in your designs, tell us all about them!

Most of the cats in my designs are photos of Tahiti.  She was a rescue cat that my oldest son adopted from a local shelter.  When my son moved into his own home, he said, “She likes you better than she likes me so I’ll leave her here if you want me to.”  I was elated. She became my caregiver during my chemo treatments.

The most recent cards contain photos of my son’s kitten.  Once again, he rescued a kitten, this time from the railyard where he works.  This kitten is a little ornery and very curious.

What would we be surprised to learn about you?  

I’m actually quite handy around the house when I need to be.  I’ve replaced a garbage disposal, done some minor plumbing, repaired a washing machine, learned to drywall and installed a couple of light fixtures.

Please list any awards or contests you’ve won outside of GCU.

Editors’ Pick on Zazzle for my raccoon calendar and I won Hallmark’s card contests, four times. The best part of winning Hallmark was a lady from Canada purchased the one with Bullwinkle on it and tracked me down through the Wildlife Association. She sent me a letter and we have been corresponding ever since. Like me, she is a Wildlife Rehabilitator and has a passion for raccoons

This is a favorite because it is a very good seller and I had lots of fun making it.

House Anniversary Card with a Beautiful House Theme with a Paper Boy card

Please list any of your professional social media sites.

I have a business page on Facebook and a website for my designs which works pretty well for me.

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.

The inspiration for my winning card was my husband, I have been happily married for 43 years. My love for him makes love and romance verses seem to come easy. Also, I love to challenge myself and the contests give me ideas I normally would not think of. The steps I went through with this card were first I went through the big stock images having to do with formulas, when I came to the couple’s image I knew immediately that was the one and at that point the front message and inside verse just came to me.

What sparked your interest in art? Did you start as a young child?

I have been interested in photography ever since I was really young. and as a result of that, I have tons and tons of photos I’ve collected over the years. I have been privileged enough to have three federally licensed raccoons for fourteen years and they quickly became my main subjects. Thanks to GCU I found a place for their images. Thinking of different designs I could do with their images made me interested in digital art and I have been having fun ever since. I have many subjects now, but my heart will always be with my favorite subjects: my awesome boys (raccoons).

Do you have formal training or are you self-taught?

I am self-taught mostly but have taken courses online, and purchased and read lots of books. I am always eager to learn different techniques. With the opportunity that GCU provides and their wonderful review team, I have been able to grow and learn over the years. I feel fortunate to be part of this site.

Is your work done by hand and then scanned or do you work entirely on the computer?

Most of my work is done on the computer from my personal photographs downloaded from my camera and other resources.

Have you ever/do you currently have a job other than as an artist?

I own and operate Schneider’s Quality Painting for a living as well as buying, renovating, and selling houses. My non-paying job (my passion) is wildlife rehabilitation which I have been doing for thirty years.

What GCU artist(s) do you admire?

The GCU artist I admire is Doreen Erhardt. She is a very talented artist and gives so much of her time to help other GCU artists.

You’ve entered several GCU’s Design Challenges, what advice would you give to other artists who are hesitant to enter?

The advice I would give other artists who hesitate to enter the contests is why not, what do you have to lose? It gives you the opportunity to challenge yourself and forces you to leave your comfort zone. It is not about winning, it’s about growing as an artist but if you do win you get a lot of exposure which is great for your store so why not give it a try?

What would we be surprised to learn about you?

What someone who knows me might be surprised to learn about me is I have a fear of horses. The reason they would be surprised is that I am fearless when it comes to wild animals, insects … I have rescued animals stuck in fences, in attics, under houses, you name it, I’ve done it. Snakes, bats, raccoons, coyotes, beavers, just to name a few of the animals I have rehabbed. I think horses are beautiful, magnificent animals and I have always wanted to be around them more to overcome my fear but I have always been too busy with my wonderful family, work and animals.

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 wish I had some words of wisdom here but this one was pure luck! I was thinking of creating a new Coronavirus card and up popped this image in the stock card search results. Once I saw the expression on the dog, I knew I wanted to make a card from it. That dog is priceless, he looks like he is evaluating every word the kitten is sharing, maybe a little judgment going on there but obviously coming up with a wise solution as he lends a sympathetic ear. I love images that appear to tell a story and take it from there, hence it seemed a great fit for the challenge and I decided I would enter.  I like to laugh and so do my closest friends, so being true to who I am, the inside verse has a lighter side to it in addition to a sincere thank you.

This isn’t your first GCU’s Design Challenge win.  What advice would you give to other artists who are hesitant to enter?

I would say don’t feel shy about entering, you have nothing to lose and a few goodies and some exposure for your work if you win a place in the challenge. The GCU artist community is very friendly and supportive and it is an opportunity to have a little fun within the GCU community with no pressure. I would wholeheartedly encourage you to take the plunge and enter and join in the fun!

Like this winning card, many of your cards feature funny animals filled with personality.  What is your favorite animal and why?

My favorite animals are small rodents, it’s a thing, ask my family. I don’t have any as pets now, but hamsters, mice, chipmunks, if they are tiny with tiny beady eyes and tiny hands, they just melt my heart. Check out a Sengi Mouse and tell me that is not the cutest thing you have ever seen. That nose!

You’ve been a member of GCU’s artist community since 2008.  How have you seen your card designs evolve or change since the early days?

Yes, I have been here a long time. When I found GCU I thought it would be fun to create cards from my many floral photographs. No idea what I was doing and I was totally new to greeting cards outside of my usual holiday cards that I made for personal use. My daughters were elementary school age at the time and this was my little creative escape. I also at the time had a very early version of Photoshop and was teaching myself how to use it to edit photos and played around with creating all sorts of digital effects that were so overdone. I can honestly say some of those early designs left a lot to be desired and are long gone.

As the years went on I learned more Photoshop skills from practice and online sites (there is so much help out there) and I started to put more thought into creating greeting cards with a purpose and message. I started to appreciate how the use of different fonts and text placement are just as important as the image when creating a greeting card, how all these things working together made it more appealing and professional. More recently I have played with combining Photoshop effects and hand painting and that is what led to some of my funny animal cards. Lately, I have been revamping some of my old photo cards by going back to my original photographs and creating digital paintings through a combination of Photoshop effects and using my pen tablet, essentially hand painting over the image, much as I would if I were doing an oil painting. That way I can bring out what I want in the image and change anything that I did not like in the original photo. I am always trying something new and love any chance I get to create and play.

The Design Challenge was Happiness is …  How would you finish that sentence for yourself?

Happiness is finding anything that was lost.

This was a Stock Card Creation (BigStock) only challenge.  Any tips on finding the perfect stock image?

Outside of a nice sharp image, I would look for one that tells a story like the dog and cat image that I used. Look for images that will catch the eye of the shopper or make them want it because it is cute, dramatic, romantic, silly, etc.

There are many rewards for the Design Challenge Winner.  Which is your favorite and why?

I certainly like the card credits, always helpful, but it is also nice to have some badges to display on my storefront because I started this venture in 2008 knowing nothing and now I can show my family (that thought I was crazy) that I wasn’t crazy after all. Ha!

Mid-year is a good time to start design cards for the Winter holidays.  What are your plans?

I’m thinking about getting a new digital painting underway, maybe a winter floral or maybe a winter scene. I am leaning toward natural, simple designs this year. We shall see what comes forth!

Ok, now for the fast five, fun questions …

• If you were a superhero, what would your superpower be? – The Mastery of Chi
• What is one thing you miss about being a kid? – Running forever and NEVER getting tired.
• What makes a good friend? – Courtesy, kindness and honesty.
• Would you rather be a giant rodent or a tiny elephant? – Tiny Elephant, for sure.
• What is your favorite scent / smell? – It’s a toss up between bacon or magnolias!

Congratulations on first place winner status for both February and March design challenges for GCU artist Linda Gladman of Bright Star Cards

February Design Challenge – Wild About You

Please list any awards or contests you’ve won outside of GCU.

I’ve won a few gardening and photography challenge awards including a few on Facebook.

Please list the URLs of your 3 favorite cards in your storefront and why they are your favorites.

This card was my very first ever design!

I had a creative vision out of my love for nature and animals of the design and from there I was challenged to bring it to life.  I did not have any formal training, teachings, research or knowledge on how to accomplish this.  I just pushed through with trial and error and loads of perseverance.  To my surprise this design was my top selling card of 2019 and earned me 2019 “Hottest Seller” award.   I’m very thankful!

Please list any of your professional social media sites.

@brightstarcards on Instagram

The Decor Nest on Facebook

What was your inspiration for your Wild About You winning card? 

Simply my imagination!  As soon as I read the design challenge words, “Wild About You”, I immediately envisioned a chubby, lovable hog.

What was your inspiration for your Shower, Showers, Showering winning card? 

The design and idea just popped in my head.

What sparked your interest in photography?

My passion and love for nature and animals sparked my interest in photography.

Back in the day (lol) on my 18th birthday, I received my first “real” camera from my mom.  To this day this is one of my fondest memories.

A year later, I was married and at that time being a photographer was not considered practical so I went to business college and pursued a career in office management and bookkeeping while still embracing my passion for photography on an amateur level.

Do you have formal training or are you self-taught?

Self-taught

Honest answer.  Easier models, people or pets?

Pets

What would we be surprised to learn about you?

Possibly, that I’ve never eaten seafood.

I have, however, won a 35 lb lobster at a charity event.

(I gifted the couple that sat next to me)