Tuesday 18 December 2007

Whiskers on kittens


I had to gaze at the walls and pace around nervously for a long time before I came up with this design.

It's a custom Christmas card project I completed earlier this month, and it needed to show: Kristen and Brian; their cats Dusty and Maisy; a lot of holiday spirit and some moving boxes (they're in the process of relocating from Manhattan to a riverside home of their own, north of the city).

Kristen loved my retro cards, so I pulled all the details into a 1950s-ish design full of off-register colours, melamine shades and boxes and kittens. We actually ended up with more kittens than originally planned — Kristen had sent me photos of herself and Brian and their two cats, and when the card was nearly done, one more photo came in. It was Oliver, a tiny little bit of a kitten they'd rescued.

Who can say no to a brand-new kitten at Christmas? So Oliver made his Christmas-card debut just in time, playing with an ornament near Kristen's feet (you can see him in the picture below).

Custom projects make me nervous at the start — every time. Staring at a blank page (well, screen) with every idea and option untouched is daunting. And sending the completed design to a client for the first time feels, to me, like walking out on a stage. But the process is inspiring, and the rewards are great. I love knowing that little drawings can help capture the spirit of a moment — big or small — in people's lives. I love the feeling of having done a great job, and breathing that sigh of relief.

It's always a little stress at the start and a lot of happiness at the end. A bit like Christmas.

10 comments:

  1. Congratulations on an amazing art design card. Your image is beautiful!

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  2. this card is so dear to us, helen. thank you for taking the time to make something so special and beautiful. working with you was such a joy - and i hope your holidays are, too! xo, kristen

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  3. That design is gorgeous! Great work!

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  4. So precious, I love the custom card! You did a great job at including everything going on in Kristen and Brian's life and my favorite is the kitties :) Fabulous darling!

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  5. Very pretty! You do such amazing work.

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  6. It's gorgeous! How wonderful that Kristen liked it!

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  7. You did such a great job, I love everything about the card!

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  8. That is one super-duper card. You put my cgristmas efforts to shame. (Yes, there were efforts, but the result was so poor I decided to pull out last minute).

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  9. it's genius!! so sweet. and although perhaps your clients might object, it would make a great general holiday card for next year! :)

    happy holidays, helen!!!
    cheer,
    jen

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