{"id":4244,"date":"2023-04-09T21:15:51","date_gmt":"2023-04-10T04:15:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.greetingcarduniverse.com\/blog\/?p=4244"},"modified":"2025-02-03T15:41:34","modified_gmt":"2025-02-03T22:41:34","slug":"m-m-anderson-design-challenge-winner-february-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greetingcarduniverse.com\/blog\/m-m-anderson-design-challenge-winner-february-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"M.M. Anderson, Design Challenge Winner, February 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Mothers Day Grandmother Azalea Pink and Magenta Flowers Custom card<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Please list the URLs of your 3 favorite cards in your storefront and why they are your favorites.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This ostrich art birthday card is a favorite because the bird portrait is quite whimsical and I feel the design came together well with my text. I also appreciate that it can be customized for any recipient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This daisy encouragement card appeals to me because it has such a cheerful look and message but it may also be customized to suit the needs of the buyer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This blank note card with winter berries is a favorite because it features seasonal artwork that I particularly love and also for the design\u2019s versatility. The inside may be customized for Christmas or for any wintertime event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please list any of your professional social media sites.<\/em>

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mmandersonart on Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

MMAnderson Art on Pinterest<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

MMAndersonArt on Facebook <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

MMAnderson Art on Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

MMAnderson on Mastodon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What was your inspiration for your winning card? Please walk us through the process of how these cards went from ideas to greeting cards.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I generally create the artwork first. I was inspired to do the azaleas in soft pastel after photographing the early blossoms in my own garden this spring. I always find the vivid magenta color of these shrubs striking when they appear after the drab winter season. These spring flowers with their delicate appearance and pretty pink hues, I felt, would lend themselves well to a Mother\u2019s Day design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What sparked your interest in art? Did you start as a young child?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a child, I did enjoy drawing but I did not become serious about art until I attended college and found myself trying to decide on a path that would make the most of my talents. My work has always been inspired by a love of nature and a desire to capture something of the way in which I see the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you have formal training or are you self-taught?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have a BA in art from the University of Lynchburg in Virginia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is your work done by hand and then scanned or do you work entirely on the computer?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I do most of my artwork by hand in soft pastel and then scan it for use at my various websites. Occasionally, I also do some graphic artwork on the computer but my heart is really with the traditional media. After I have the image saved on my computer I then tweak it in Lightroom to get the colors, contrast, etc. as close as possible to the original and clean up any scanner lint. I design my greeting cards in Adobe Illustrator utilizing my artwork image and choosing fonts and colors that I feel will work well with it. Finally, I export the card designs as jpeg files for upload.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have you ever\/do you currently have a job other than as an artist?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Originally, I had intended to teach art, but that never became a reality. Before I decided to try a full-time art career around a decade ago, I used to do data entry in an accounting office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What GCU artist(s) do you admire?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I admire all of the GCU artists because I know how much dedication it takes to create beautiful, unique designs that will meet the review standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking at your storefront, which is your favorite subject matter: flora or fauna?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It would be difficult for me to choose between flora and fauna as a favorite subject. I love working with both. I feel that alternating between the two keeps the work interesting for me. White flowers are a favorite subject of mine as well as birds of various kinds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What would we be surprised to learn about you?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Folks might be surprised to learn that, even though I currently live in a small town not far inland from the coast in South Carolina, I was born and raised in Central Virginia within sight of the Blue Ridge Mountains and I miss them. I\u2019ve never come to appreciate the flat coastal plains, wetlands and beaches, as beautiful as they may be and where I have lived for nearly three decades, as much as the hills and valleys of the Blue Ridge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mothers Day Grandmother Azalea Pink and Magenta Flowers Custom card Please list the URLs of your 3 favorite cards in your storefront and why they are your favorites. This ostrich art birthday card is a favorite because the bird portrait is quite whimsical and I feel the design came together well with my text. I … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4244","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t