Illustration: Watercolor Christmas Cards [Process]

My day job in entertainment is awesome and fun 95% of the time and really stupid and frustrating the other 5% of the time. Luckily, I work with a really great, smart, funny group of people that make even the terrible days awesome. I really wanted to buy them all something for the holidays, but unfortunately, I've spent all my $$$ on art supplies for myself (classic ...) rather than gifts.

So I decided to make all 14 people on my team handmade holiday cards instead, and I'm going to show y'all how I did them! Honestly, this is a terrible introduction to my process, because I've done everything differently than I usually do. But whatever, it's the holidays, I do what I want.

(I apologize ahead of time for all the photos I'm about to post that look like I took them in a Siberian prison. My apartment has really terrible lighting.)

Turn on music

I always draw with a soundtrack. I figured I should be festive, but there's only one kind of Christmas music I like (the old-school-hymns-in-a-church choir type).

Gather supplies

Here, I'm using a pan of Grumbacher watercolors. I don't actually use pan colors at all anymore — they're too rough on my brushes, and I can never pick up enough pigment to get good saturation. But since I knew I'd be switching palettes very quickly 14 times, I didn't bother getting out my tube colors.

I'm also using Escoda Prado brushes, which were my latest art splurge. They're really nice and water like nobody's business.

The paper's just some whatever paper I picked up at the art store. It's cold press, which I dislike painting on, but they were perfectly card-sized, which is nice.

The process

Normally, I wouldn't draw directly on the paper, but since these were quick and easy little drawings (< 10-15 minutes each), I pencilled in the design right on the paper.

Then, the paint. I didn't get too fancy at all. You can see the exact palette I used. Purple's my go-to for adding depth — you add it to anything, and you get a great shadow color!

Then the ink. I used a Micron brush pen to do the lines, which is utter CRAP. The end of the pen frays really easily and doesn't hold a point, so it's impossible to get a smooth, clean line. Why do I keep using it, you ask? Because momma raised a fool, that's why. But if anyone has suggestions as to a good brush pen that'll actually, y'know, act like a brush, I'm open to suggestions!

There it is! That's one card, right there. For some reason, my paintings always come together after I ink it, so whenever I feel like giving up halfway through because the colors look bad or I've messed up the paint, I remind myself to stick it out and see how it looks at the end. Okay, time to do the rest of them.

4 hours, a lot of paint, and many Christmas carols later ...

I've decided these would all be holiday animal themed. Here is a holiday corgi!

A peppermint lion!

This guy on my team has a pet opossum that he found in a shed (don't ask), so he gets a holiday opossum.

Holiday fox!

And here's the entire set. Once they're all dry, the backside of them is where my message will go. Now, all I have to do is write a bunch of nice things about everyone and then deliver these.

Hopefully my coworkers like these, and hopefully you guys enjoyed this little process post. Next time I plan on doing a proper introduction to my process, so stay tuned!