Occasionally Thoughtful

Congratulations to Julia Bryant, Design Challenge Winner, October 2017

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. 

When I was thinking of what to do for this challenge, I wanted it to be humorous and capture a cat’s attitude. I enjoy cat memes and other stories about cats and their attitudes. I wanted the cat to express his displeasure with its owner for making him wait. I think the frown on the cat says it all.

Your winning card perfectly captures a cat’s sassy attitude.  What cat experience did you draw from?

My friend posts about her cat on Facebook. He’s really feisty and I think it’s so funny. Honestly, I’m a dog person but I do enjoy reading and watching videos about cats and their attitudes.

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

Get out of your comfort zone for the challenges. I think they are great for drawing out one’s creativity and making you think outside the box. Really assess what the challenge is about and then add your flare to it. The more challenging the better, in my opinion.

You have created quite a few cards using GCU’s Stock Card Creations. There are so many images to choose from.  Can you share how you go about choosing an image?

I usually look for something very specific when I start my searches on BigStock. I always add adjectives to the searches, so instead of ‘Santa’, I add ‘funny Santa or humor Santa’. And, I always choose the type of image I’m looking for like ‘Photo’, ‘Illustration’, or ‘Vector Art’. This gives you more results in that medium.

Which card is your favorite of your Stock Card Creations cards and why?

Bailey the Dog Balancing a Cake on her Nose for Birthday card is so funny to me. The other dog looks he’s waiting for the cake to drop really sums up that whole image.

The holidays are coming!  Tell the truth, do you send holiday cards and if so do you send one of your own cards or send a design by a different artist?

I do send them and usually choose from my own collection. When I design cards, I have my friends and family in mind, so it usually pertains to them and something they can enjoy.

Ok, now for the fast five, fun questions …

Fun Facts / Ice Breaker Questions:

What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Rocky Road. Having all those textures and flavors in one ice cream is heaven.

Whom would you call for bail money? Nobody, most people I know would leave me in jail.

What is your hidden talent? I can watch two TV shows at the same time and not miss a beat.

If you had to eat a worm, how would you cook it? Grill it for a good flavor.

What is your favorite scent / smell? Vanilla. I love vanilla for everything.

May Challenge Winner by PamJArts

Congratulations to our May Design Challenge winner, Pamela Jorgensen from PamJArts. Her winning card appears above.

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

I did win best victoria sandwich cake at a village flower show in England when I was 12 years old. That was a worthy accomplishment in my small village, unrelated to my artistic leanings but totally worth a mention. I previously belonged to a local art society and earned some minor awards for oil paintings and pencil drawings but generally I have not participated in contests.

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

Cold Get Well Soon Trapped Bug in Medicine Cups Humor card

I chose this card because it was fun to imagine and create a nasty little bug. I made various versions for a few of the common illnesses, and this series was inspired by a co-worker who came down with a case of laryngitis. At the time our own household had seen a round of colds and it seemed the little medicine cups were constantly out in the bathroom. I am very picky about cleaning them out well and that led to the idea of a nasty bug trapped in two medicine cups. I also had fun with the verse because I feel laughter is the best medicine.

Quirky Hipster Retro Gal Valentine’s Day for Husband card

This is a very recent card inspired by playing with simple emojis that I call my hipster girl. She kept evolving as I added more details and took on a retro feel. I was very happy with how she turned out and I hope to adapt her for various other occasions. I did make her into a bride on a recent version, who knows what she will become next. I am not the most disciplined designer. I love the journey and seeing where it takes me.

Braces On Congratulations – Peace Sign Smile Enjoy Braces Girl card

Another card inspired by real life. We went through two rounds of braces on our two girls and it was braces, braces, braces for a long time. This was another design that kept evolving. I created one initial brace and wire and then went on to create various versions, making different colors, different presentation shapes, the possibilities were endless once I had done the groundwork. Thankfully, the braces days are behind us but I still remember the fun I had creating the braces for this design. My family thought I was a little obsessed.

Please list any of your professional social media sites.

I am not very active on social media but you can find PamJArts at PamJArts (pamjarts) on Pinterest

What were your inspirations for your winning card? Please walk us through the process of how this card went from idea to greeting card.

The moment that the challenge was posted it was instant inspiration. I have been living gluten free for around 6 years now. Additionally, one of my daughters has the same gluten sensitivity with the addition of dairy sensitivity. This severely limits our options for eating out and at birthday parties we usually just watch everyone else eat the cake. When I found this cat with its sassy expression I knew this was the image to use and the “ Do I look like I eat gluten?” question just popped into my head. I will add that we are not as sassy as this cat and more than happy to skip the cake. 🙂

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

I was always drawing or making things. Growing up in the English countryside, I loved drawing mice in imaginary poses, mushrooms and toadstools, the horses that roamed free, the flowers and fauna. At school I used illustration in my schoolwork as much as possible, my notebooks had many colored drawings in between the pages of writing. As a child I was inspired by the art of Beatrix Potter and John Constable and in later years the Hudson River School artists. I have played with most mediums and my creativity was never limited to painting on conventional canvas or paper. I have painted on rocks, furniture, walls, fabric, etched in glass and now create digital art. Wherever the muse takes me, I create.

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

I have not had any formal training, I am self-taught but it has always been and remains simply something I love to do. I did take a couple of photography courses back in the days of film that included learning the darkroom process when I was in my early photography phase. Then came digital cameras and Photoshop and that opened up a whole new exciting process to master.

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

The work I have on GCU is created entirely in Photoshop.

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

I have never formally worked as an artist aside from a second job when I was a teenager fixing typos or errors on advertising posters for a local advertising representative. I have had many different jobs through the years and I have always enjoyed learning new skills. After moving to America I worked as an aircraft parts broker servicing worldwide accounts before marrying and settling into being a stay at home mom. Currently, I am chief operations officer of home and work on my PamJArts ventures.

What GCU artist(s) do you admire?

There are so many artists here who I admire and appreciate for many reasons. The artist community at GCU is like no other.

Doreen Erhardt for her professionalism across the board in creating and marketing her cards and for her generous and supportive work for the artists on GCU. Since we both joined GCU pretty early I was fortunate to get to know Doreen and she never ceases to inspire. I love Betsy Bush’s sense of humor and love the fresh look she brings to her cards and the artwork of Barbara Schreiber, she has so many classic and pretty cards with great sentiments. I have a soft spot for Bad Poetry Cards because I like the style of humor, Penny Cork always has great designs and Sue Nollmeyer of Sueshine Studio, and Gail Pepin, are the most thoughtful motivators for their kind card reviews.

Looking at your storefront, you feature some adorable little critters.  Are they part of your menagerie?

We have been pet free for a numbers of years now but in the past we did have hamsters. I have a love of rodents. My daughter just recently got a baby Dalmatian tortoise.

What would we be surprised to learn about you?

I love working on mechanical things and fix my own home appliances. I made the Barbie cake once with an actual Barbie in there. It is legendary at our house and one of my proudest achievements of domestic glory.

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GCU March Design Winner Tammy Moody

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

Over the years I have won numerous awards (including Best of Show, First, and Second place awards), for my still life, wildlife, and horse art in local art shows. I was also published in Horses in Art Magazine several years back. Then I was honored to be invited to show a collection of art at the Grand National Rodeo Art Show in Los Angeles. I was one of 500 artists worldwide to be invited to the event.

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

Jesus Our Savior Easter Card

This is one of my favorite recent card designs because not only was it my first attempt at a full digital portrait painting, but also a first attempt at creating a portrait of the Savior. I like having the opportunity to offer cards for Christians in my store front as well as cards for everyone else. This design allowed me to offer a very meaningful, uplifting, unique design with a more contemporary feel that is unavailable anyplace else. In fact, I created a series of cards with this design to fill a need in the marketplace and appeal to Christians of all ages.

Chocolate & Strawberry Love Romance Card

Another newer design I like is this Chocolate & Strawberry Love/Romance Card. I liked the whole concept of this design because it illustrates how two very different individuals can come together and make a great combination. I tried to think of things that go together well, like peanut butter and jelly, but for love and romance I wanted to use something people would associate with love, so naturally chocolate and strawberries came to mind. I really enjoyed bringing some animation to the chocolate drop and the strawberry on this one. And the verse brings the whole design concept together perfectly. I created custom Valentine’s Day cards with this design so people could personalize it and send to a grandchild, spouse, or boyfriend or girlfriend. It is just a cute and unique way to let someone know you think you go together well!

Bunny Easter Egg Hunt Card for Kids

Another new design in my storefront that I really like is this Easter Bunny Maze for kids. I enjoy creating art for children. When I was a kid, I always liked mazes, puzzles, and activity cards. So as an adult I try to include a few of these types of cards for kids who like to do the same. I think activity cards of any kind are a fun way to send greetings to any child. I hope in the future to work on activity cards for autistic kids as well.

Please list any of your professional social media sites.

Tam Moody Greeting Cards Facebook Page

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 had seen news stories of adults dressing up like super heroes and visiting kids with cancer in the hospitals and I know cancer affects so many people, including many children. So many families like my own have been faced with cancer, so I know firsthand how scary the diagnosis and treatments can be. I had recently heard a story about a little boy who had finally lost his battle with cancer. While he was alive, I was very touched the way the community rallied around him and talked about how amazing this little boy was because even though he was fighting his own battles, he was still able to put a smile on his face every day and be a light in the community. So that is where the idea for this design originated. I thought so many kids out there are just like him and face so many huge obstacles while fighting this horrible disease and still manage to get up every day, put a smile on their face, and go about their daily lives. And I thought this is something that takes incredible inner strength and courage. So I wanted to do this card in honor of these kids, to reach out to them, but yet bring more awareness to how truly inspirational they really are. When the Super Hero Theme became a design challenge, I thought it was a perfect opportunity to bring this idea to life and address the subject for kids and families going through the cancer fight. Many cards available are designed with adults in mind, but I wanted a special design for kids. I thought it would be a great way for hospital staff, churches, community members, schools, or friends and family members to let a child know how much they admire their courage and let them know they are thinking of them and supporting their fight. So I thought there was no better way or time to do that than to portray these kids as the real super heroes that they are and that was the inspiration behind my design.

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

I came from a large family of crafters, artists, mechanics, and builders. So I was introduced to all kinds of hobbies at an early age. I picked up on art early in life. By eight years old, I was frequently creating my own artwork and by twelve, I was drawing advanced, detailed portraits and still life art. So art has always been a huge part of my life.

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

I am a self-taught artist.

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

I sometimes draw and scan artwork into the computer, but most of the time I create from scratch in Photoshop. I like working in layers and some of my work will have hundreds of layers involved in a final piece.

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

Art was always a side career for me, at least until 2006. Since then, I have been working more steadily in the art world. In 1996 I began learning about digital photography and printing which helped me begin dabbling in digital artwork and since then, I have been creating art regularly and uploading images for greeting cards and print on demand gifts and apparel.

What GCU artist(s) do you admire?

I have always admired Corrie Kupiers, Susan Allison, and Makiko Kimira. They all have a bold, unique style that is fun and easily recognizable. I can look at a thousand images all at once and know their work when I see it.

What advice would you give artists who are hesitant about entering a Design Challenge?

I would say enter the contests to broaden your horizon and build your card portfolio. You will design for categories you may not normally think about which will help your sales. Then if you win, that is just an added bonus.

We understand that you illustrate books. What is your favorite part about book illustration?

I like to bring the characters to life and help the author tell their story through pictures. It is fun. You can tell ten different people a story and all ten will envision it differently, but when you have the opportunity to show others how you envision the story, then readers will see the characters through your eyes. My favorite part is designing the book covers because I like to make the image pop so the book grabs a reader’s attention and leaps off the shelf.

What would we be surprised to learn about you?

Ironically, I am a visually challenged artist. I was born with a lazy eye that is useless except for seeing blurry objects. So I rely on only one eye for everything- including creating artwork. Many times I have to close one eye when creating larger bodies of work so I can see clearly.

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GCU February Challenge Winner Michelle Lanoue

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

I was thrilled to have my children’s books published a few years ago after going the self-publishing route. But sadly, the publisher, Crafty Canuck, closed shop.  I am back to self-publishing although I have been putting more energy into my GCU greeting cards as of lately.  I am always on the lookout for another publisher. You just never know! This is a page from my book, The Dinosaur and Ladybug in Heels Christmas Nativity Story. I have a few more in the series and a few different books other than the series. I have also illustrated a few children’s books for other authors.

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

I think Christmas cards have always been my favorite card to illustrate. I have such wonderful memories of my children and Christmas, plus my own childhood memories of Christmas. So, this card, Peace to all with Santa at the mailbox, is a bit of whimsy, along with realistic. It shows a lot of the style I love to paint with. A lot of color and texture.

Another card which I would pick would be Father’s Day card, boy fishing on beach.  This card was inspired by my grandson:)  I actually get a lot of inspiration from my two grandchildren.  They are the ones who inspired me to write the children’s books I have written and illustrated.

This card was all about color.  This card was sketched in color pencil and then finished on the computer. Again, whimsy with color and a bit of realistic style.

Please list any of your professional social media sites.

The Amazon Author Central site shows all the children’s books I have written and illustrated. I also have a web site. 

What were your inspirations for both of your winning cards? Please walk us through the process of how these cards went from ideas to greeting cards.

The Christmas Season’s Greetings card was inspired by the Christmas song Walking in a Winter Wonderland.  I was humming the lyrics to myself  and a lot of it came out onto paper.  Like I said, Christmas cards are my favorite:)

 The second card was more about whimsical and cute! I was aiming for an Easter card without the traditional Easter symbols such as eggs, bunnies, etc. I added tulips and a white picket fence for a spring like Easter feel along with the mainly green and pink colors.

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

Oh yes. I was drawing from an early age. I loved doodling and portraits with pencils and charcoal mostly in the beginning stages of my artwork. I progressed to painting with mostly acrylic paints during my teen years. I didn’t paint too much while raising a family but now that my children are all adults I am back to illustrating. I went on to buy a computer art program within the last 4 years and now 99 percent of my work is painted digitally.

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

I did take a few college courses but did not major in art.  A lot of my training was self-taught.

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

As I mentioned before, most of my work is now done digitally. I find for the artist without a lot of time, digital is the way to go. I will be painting along and discover I don’t like what I have done and it isn’t much of a problem because I can delete it and start fresh.

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

I do. I actually work two jobs. I work at a local furniture shop as a sales aid coordinator and then as a  waitress at a local restaurant. I always look forward to coming home as to get creative and paint!

What GCU artist(s) do you admire?

Oh gosh, there are so many.  I must admit I first fell in love with Carol Kearns and Christie Black. When I first started on GCU I thought to myself that I wanted my cards to look as professional as theirs did.

I was in the midst of learning my digital art program and although I am still learning, I have become more comfortable and am able to create cards much more proficiently.

Looking at your storefront, all of your designs incorporate such lovely colors.  Can you share how you choose your color palettes?

Well thank you for that. I guess when I look at a color, I don’t see a flat color. To me there are many blended colors in that  one color. I think that is where learning to paint with acrylics paid off. To make a desired color, I would incorporate many colors to bring life to the painting. I am still looking at different textures and digital paintbrushes to get desired effects with my computer program to simulate the lovely colors one can get on paper like with acrylic.

What would we be surprised to learn about you?

I am actually quite shy!  Once I warm up I am fine:)

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