A couple of weeks ago I opened my Christmas Shop and mentioned that I wanted to do more animals for Christmas/seasonal cards. So I thought I'd show the making-of of a reindeer card. This is part 1 and shows the first stages of what I do to get inspired.
Make it cosy
To get into a wintery mood, I like to make it cosy, especially since it is actually cold outside now. So candles are a must, some good music and a cup of tea.
Get stuff to draw and craft
I already know what I like to sketch with, so I don't go full out. I suppose you could add a lot more like charcoal, crayons, water colour etc. I like to keep it simple with a bunch of white paper to draw on.
Do the research
I have been lucky enough to get close and almost cosy with a reindeer in real life, but even so, I like to do my research on the animal I am making into a card. I searched for different types of reindeer across the northern hemisphere, young, old, different shapes of antlers and my own photos I had from that magical encounter.
I think at this stage anything goes. I don't limit or edit myself. That is a process that comes later whilst drawing in different styles.
Get going
I looked through what I collected and start drawing with the first photo that inspired me. I try different pens and pencils, different styles. It kind of just evolves once you draw enough of the same thing and eventually I find what stands out to me and makes it unique.
Depending on how inspired I feel, I might continue until I get the magic formula or stop and let it be for a few days and return to my drawings to get inspired by them rather than the photos I collected for my research.