From Sketch to Shop: The Making of Three Favorite Pieces
I opened my shop this May (a huge thank you to everyone who placed an order in those first few weeks!), and I wanted to share a bit of the story behind three of the pieces in my shop—how they came to be and why I chose to include them in my collection.
Thanks to Procreate, I’ve got process videos for nearly everything I create digitally, so I thought it would be fun to share those as well.
Here’s a closer look at three of my favorite pieces and the inspiration behind each one.
The Bear and The Butterfly Print
I love this drawing! It began as a character study for a children’s book manuscript (which my agent is currently submitting to editors and publishing houses). This was the first version from that character study:
At the time, I was pregnant with my second child and really wanted to adapt the drawing into something I could use in his nursery—so I transformed it into this:
And here it is, finally framed! This piece is especially meaningful to me—not only because it’s tied to my children’s book project, but also because it was created specifically for my little one’s room.
It holds a special place in my heart, so I wanted to offer it in my shop so others could enjoy it too. I’ve already heard from a few people who purchased the print and hung it in their kids’ rooms, which absolutely makes my day!
River Goddess Print
Folktale Week is special to me—it was the art challenge that helped me realize I wanted to pursue children’s illustration.
This particular image was one of my favorites from Folktale Week 2021. I had been drawing on my iPad for a year, but I was creating aimlessly and feeling a bit lost about what project to start next.
Folktale Week gave me the direction I needed—a structured project that pushed my skills and held me accountable to finishing multiple illustrations on a deadline.
I’m happy to say I completed six of the seven prompts and posted them on time! The prompts were:
Prompt #1: Moon
Prompt #2: Dream
Prompt #3: Awakening
Prompt #4: River (my favorite piece from the challenge!)
Prompt #5: Feast
Prompt #6: Bird
During this challenge, my decision to pursue illustration as a career really solidified. That’s why I felt this print deserved a place in my shop—it marks such a meaningful turning point in my creative journey.
Wander Often, Wonder Always Sticker
This image began while I was taking a few classes on pattern design and art licensing. I initially created it as a hero image to pair with some fall-inspired patterns—but as I worked on it, I found myself heading in an entirely different direction… into the world of sticker making!
This started as a traditional gouache painting. Here's the original painting in progress.
At first, I planned to keep it entirely traditional, but once it was finished, it felt like it needed a digital layer to really pop. So I added that next:
And when I saw the final piece, I immediately thought: this would make a great sticker! So I dusted off Adobe Illustrator and got to work on my very first sticker pack. I was happy with how they turned out:
I wanted to highlight this piece because it marked my very first step into making stickers—and that experience has opened up an entirely new creative path for me. I'm currently figuring out a process so I can print my own stickers at home, and I can’t wait to create more designs for my shop!
Thanks for Following Along!
I hope you enjoyed a look into my process and the stories behind my artwork—along with what inspired each piece.
Now that my shop is open, I’m excited to be offering prints, stickers, and cards, and I can’t wait to continue adding new items (hopefully each quarter).
If you’d like to stay up to date on what’s new, you can follow me on Instagram or sign up for my quarterly newsletter, where I share a deeper look into the projects I’m working on, new releases in the shop, and the work of other artists who are currently inspiring me.
