So yesterday I posted about designing a greeting card for my Father-in-law, who turned 80. I set it on the kitchen counter so my husband can take it and give it to him. Well guess what? He forgot it. He was frustrated with himself, knowing that I put effort into creating a card just for this special occasion. At first I felt annoyed. But then I decided to let it go. I figured we could just drop it in the mail. I didn’t want my husband to beat himself up over it.
They went to a nice restaurant, while I stayed home and watched our autistic son. We could have taken him, but because restaurants can be noisy, my son could only handle so much with his sensory issues. So, we thought it best to keep him home.
They ended up having an enjoyable dinner! That made my heart happy. When my husband got home he told me all about it. He happened to mention that my father-in-law had scotch, and suddenly it dawned on me. I should have designed a card for that. I had seen a lot of funny whiskey-themed cards at the store. Why didn’t I think to make a card with that theme? Brilliance sometimes comes slowly.
So I ditched the speedometer card and went to work on the whiskey themed one. The ones I’d seen at the store are a glass with whiskey on the rocks. Or a bottle, usually a parody of Jack Daniels. I started to draw a glass but wasn’t feeling inspired. I didn’t want to draw a bottle of whiskey. Then I wasn’t even sure what a bottle of whiskey looked like. I don’t drink alcohol so I don’t have a clue. I pulled up Google to learn more. I learned that Scotch is a type of whiskey from Scotland, while whiskey is made in the U.S. and Ireland. I saw different types of bottles in various shapes and sizes. I was starting to feel inspired.
In the end I created a shelf of bottles, similar to what you’d see if you want to a bar. I wanted the card to have a masculine feel and chose hues of brown, black and red. I also made the bottles a little ambiguous, so it could be bourbon (another alcohol I know nothing about).
The text says, “You’ve Aged Well”. I chose the Rye font. It has a classic, vintage vibe (and also reminds me of tattoos so it has a coolness factor based on that). I may give the text a grunge look, that may go well with the design. But for now, I’ll leave as is. The inside has another corny pun and says “Just giving you an OLD-FASHIONED card to let you know you’re TOP SHELF! We hope you have an amazing birthday with many more to come!”
So hopefully my father-in-law will enjoy this one, it’s more an artsy piece. Sometimes it’s hard for me to tell how a card will be received. Especially if it’s out of my element. I usually like to draw cutesy things and was very tempted to draw happy faces on the whiskey bottles. Kawaii whiskey bottles. Haha that sounds funny! As a commercial artist, we have to be flexible and make designs that take us out of our comfort zones. I guess that’s why if you look at my store, there isn’t a defined style. I may have a full-page illustration for one card, then a simple design for the next. I always wish I could be like other artists, when you look at their portfolios and galleries their style is consistent. But that’s not me. I’m always learning something new and experimenting. As a grow and evolve as an artist, my style will change. Maybe I’ll eventually find that one style that defines me, and I’ll settle into that.
