Every collection starts somewhere. For Gathering Season, it started with a whole lot of painted paper.
It's been a little while since I've shared a proper studio update, so I thought it was about time for a little peek at what's been happening around here. And as it turns out… there’s been quite a lot!
I've been spending the last few months developing my latest collection, Gathering Season, and I'm finally getting to the part where all those little pieces of artwork start becoming actual, tangible products. It's been a long (and very educational) process, so let's catch up a little!
🎨What’s On My Palette is a studio log series where I share the art supplies, creative workflow, and behind-the-scenes of my current illustration projects. Perfect for artists, stationery lovers, and creative entrepreneurs curious about process and materials.
If you want to see more, check it out here: What’s On My Palette
Lots of color mixing, experimenting, and making a frankly ridiculous amount of painted paper.
A change of plans (and a new collection)
The idea for Gathering Season actually started taking shape over the summer. I'd been playing around with some summer-themed collection ideas and sketches, but with the kids home from school and my studio hours severely truncated by summer mom duty, I quickly realized I wasn't going to bring those ideas to life THIS summer.
Rather than fight it, I decided to switch gears and start planning an autumn collection instead. My thinking was that if I could get all the brainstorming, sketching, and planning out of the way while the kids were home, I'd be ready to jump straight into making once school started again.
By the end of July, I'd shifted my focus to fall, and by mid-August, I'd settled on the theme, developed my motif list, and established a color palette.
Then came the best part - the paper!
Each little element is cut, layered, assembled, and finished by hand. This is definitely the most time-consuming part of the process!
Keeping things analog
One thing that's so important to my illustration process is keeping the analog aspect to my work. I work primarily with hand-painted papers, which I cut, layer, arrange, and build into little illustrated elements before adding details with colored pencil and pastels.
Could I create this style digitally? Absolutely. But it's just not quite the same. There's something about the texture, the imperfections, and those little unexpected details that come from working with actual materials. They give the finished artwork a warmth and character that I don't want to lose.
I spent the rest of August and most of September painting papers and hand-building approximately 40 individual motifs for the collection.
Well…forty-ish…
And here's something I didn't quite anticipate: this part takes SO. MUCH. TIME.
Which makes sense, really. Every little piece has to be made individually, and when you're working with limited studio hours, those hours add up. Some weeks I have more time to devote to my business than others, and some weeks motherhood gets pretty much the whole lot. Such is life!
Luckily though, it's also my favorite part of the entire process, so I have to be careful not to get too carried away. It's very easy to convince myself that I need just one more version of a particular sprig or another tiny little filler element. Sometimes you just have to put the scissors down and call it a day!
As it turns out, I didn't even end up using all the artwork I made. Oops…
But that's alright. Everything gets added to my growing element library, and I'm sure those little extras will find their way into another project eventually. Nothing wasted!
A little color story for Gathering Season.
From painted paper to actual products
Once the handmade elements were done, I started scanning and digitizing everything in Photoshop. I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly this stage came together. It took about a week and a half to get everything scanned, cleaned up, and ready to design with.
And then came the fun part: making art!
I started working out which patterns I wanted to create, what illustrations I wanted, and what additional artwork I'd need for the products I had in mind.
I had expected this stage to take considerably longer, but once the artwork was in place, everything seemed to fall together. I think I reached a bit of a flow state that week because I managed to get most of the patterns, illustrations, and product designs figured out in about a week!
It was one of those weeks where I really locked in. I'd finish a studio session, look back at my to-do list, and realize just how much I'd managed to tick off. There's something SO satisfying about that kind of momentum!
Of course, it didn't last forever. Another bout of anxiety and household-wide illness brought things to a rather abrupt halt for a couple of weeks.
And that's on chronic illness and motherhood, amiright? 😉
I did manage to finish formatting the final artwork and products for print during that time, and now I'm finally at the test-print stage.
We're getting somewhere!
Once the handmade motifs were finished, it was time to bring everything into the digital studio.
So, what's coming out of Gathering Season?
One of my original goals was to make a shopping pad and some recipe cards for my own kitchen. I've wanted to take my illustrations and turn them into my own stationery for YEARS, so I figured this was as good a time as any to finally give it a go!
And the collection has grown a little beyond those initial plans…
Here's what's currently on the studio table:
An illustrated shopping list pad.
A recipe card design, with both printed sets and printable versions available.
A set of four notecards.
An illustrated sticker sheet, along with a few larger die-cut stickers.
A selection of digital art prints, formatted in multiple sizes for at-home printing.
I'm particularly excited about the stationery! There's something very satisfying about taking artwork that started as little scraps of painted paper and turning it into something useful that someone might keep in their kitchen, send to a friend, or use in their everyday life!
I can’t wait to share them soon!
From individual motifs to finished illustrations and coordinating stationery.
A few things I've learned along the way
This collection has been a bit of an experiment in figuring out what it actually takes to develop a cohesive collection of artwork AND products. A few things have become very clear:
You need a LOT of artwork.
I don't think I fully appreciated how many individual elements go into creating a collection of patterns, illustrations, and coordinating stationery. It's not just a matter of making a handful of pretty motifs and arranging them into patterns. There's a surprising amount of artwork needed to give everything variety and cohesion.
Know when to put the paintbrush down.
The hand-building stage is my favorite, but it's also where I can lose a considerable amount of time. Next time, I'll be a little more intentional about limiting the number of motifs I create. Not every little idea needs to become a finished piece of artwork!
Templates are your friend.
One of the things I've really enjoyed developing alongside this collection is a library of reusable templates. Photoshop layouts, print templates, cutting templates... if there's an opportunity to create something that saves me from repeating the same steps over and over, I'm taking it.
I cannot stand wasting time doing the same shit every time. A little preparation now makes designing the next product so much easier, and consistency is a lovely bonus.
Not everything needs to be used immediately.
I didn't use every motif I created, and that's fine. I'm building a library of original artwork that I can pull from for future projects. Not every piece needs to earn its keep in the collection it was originally made for.
And perhaps most importantly, I've learned that I really, really enjoy this process. Which is good news, because there will absolutely be another collection!
One of the first products taking shape: an illustrated Gathering Season sticker sheet!
What's next?
This week, my main priority is finishing test prints, making any necessary color adjustments, and finalizing the product lineup.
I was waiting for my last-minute order of supplies, so now I'm finally able to start seeing how everything looks in its intended form. There's a little back-and-forth involved in getting colors right between my screen and home printer, so I'm expecting a bit of testing and tweaking before everything is ready.
My goal is to have the collection released within the first two weeks of November.
Is that a little later than I'd originally hoped? Sure. But I'm also trying to let go of the expectation that every collection needs to immediately turn into a big moneymaker. I'd rather get these products out into the world, learn from the experience, and have something tangible to show for all this work.
Even if it’s for nothing other than the fucking plot, mate! 😅
After that, I'll be shifting my attention toward product listings, marketing, and creating content around the collection. Which, as luck would have it, should coincide beautifully with the season of heavy-lifting holiday parenting and inevitable household illness. 😂
I'm already thinking about what I'd like to do differently next time, and I'm leaning toward starting with fewer motifs and perhaps choosing a slightly more evergreen theme.
Perhaps….
I'm not giving up my seasonal collections! Every good witch woman knows seasonality is essential to alignment.😉
For now, I'm looking forward to getting Gathering Season out of the studio and into the world. It's been a long few months, but I've learned an enormous amount, made artwork I'm genuinely happy with, and finally started bringing an idea I've had for years to life.
And that's something worth celebrating.
Until next time,
Back to the studio!
Studio assistant. Questionable work ethic. Excellent morale.
🎨What’s On My Palette is a studio series where I share the art supplies, creative workflow, and behind-the-scenes of my current illustration projects. Perfect for artists, stationery lovers, and creative entrepreneurs curious about process and materials.
If you want to see more, check it out here: What’s On My Palette
