Illustrated Greetings Cards

I feel a little bit excited, and a little bit nervous, to share these with you.

Over the past few months, I’ve been working on something new alongside my jewellery… a collection of illustrated greetings cards.

The illustrations began during the winter, while I was sitting on the sofa in front of the fire. I love a cosy evening with the lamps low and a few candles lit, but it isn’t always the easiest light to work in! Learning to draw on my iPad gave me a way to keep creating through those darker evenings.

I loved drawing when I was younger, and I think I was hoping to find my way back to it. It took a while. I tried lots of different things, made plenty of drawings I wasn’t happy with, and wondered a few times whether I should give up. Then, slowly, the little scenes I’d been imagining started to come together.

Like my jewellery, the cards are inspired by nature and the changing seasons. Some of the animals you might recognise from my jewellery have found their way into the illustrations too. I’ve loved being able to give them their own little worlds, with a touch of magic and whimsy.

 

I wanted the cards to feel connected to my jewellery in another way as well. My jewellery is made from painted birch plywood, so I’ve added a soft wood grain texture behind the illustrations. You might not notice it straight away, but it’s a little nod to where these characters began.

On some of the cards, the illustration doesn’t stop at the front. It wraps around the fold and continues onto the back, giving you a little more of the scene to discover when you turn it over.

It’s been lovely to spend time drawing again, and I’m so pleased to finally share the finished cards with you. I’d love to know what you think, and whether there’s an illustration you’d like to see as a print one day too?

Layla x