The Tinsel & Tidings Christmas Card Collection
Okay, so the regular writing-centric newsletter will still arrive in your inbox tomorrow, but I wanted to let you all know about this:
My Tinsel and Tidings Christmas Card Collection is available at my InkBerry card shop on Etsy.
Each card is listed individually, and a bundle of all 5 cards is currently listed at 25% off. If you’d like to mix and match a large bundle, just give me a shout—either at Etsy or at HollySchindlerCreativeWorks (at) gmail (dot) com. I print the cards in-house and can work with you on a custom order.
So what’s the deal with illustration and digital art?
I was the art geek when I was younger—took every art class my high school offered, was a member of the art club, worked the All-School Art Exhibit at the Springfield Art Museum, etc., etc. When it was time to head to college, I went all-in on my writing (also a lifelong love).
The last few years, I’ve been itching to get back into drawing. For a lot of reasons. The writing life is so tough—and the pace is so demanding. I needed an outlet that was non-verbal. (And, hey, Carrie Jones, who also publishes multiple books a year, puts up a new painting every week for her Be Brave Friday social media series—so why couldn’t I find a way to squeeze art into my schedule????)
Late last year, I fell into a network of female commercial artists and graphic designers. And it has been an utter godsend. I learned Procreate. I upgraded my iPad. I began to hand-letter my own art pieces. I’ve been enrolled in online courses all year, taught by independent artists—I’m currently taking courses to learn the ins and outs of digital artwork (my own early art was done entirely in traditional media). I’m wrapping my mind around font design, seamless pattern design, Adobe illustrator. And I’ve been beefing up a few of those rustier skills by taking courses in figure drawing and portraiture.
The thing is, visual art tells stories, too. Often, the kind of stories you wouldn’t get a chance to tell verbally. Like this one—it’s a piece I did for a Scary and Sweet Halloween Drawing Challenge on IG. The prompt for this one was Aliens and Oddities—what, I thought, could be any odder than aliens coming to Earth to dress in masks and ghost costumes to trick or treat?
I absolutely love getting back into drawing—letting my mind go in a completely different direction than written work might. And taking what I learn from visual storytelling back into my books.