The Card Designer Highlight is a sequence that includes impartial makers whose greeting playing cards you could find in Paper Supply shops. Meet and be impressed by a brand new designer each month on our weblog!
This month we wish to introduce our card designer Lichia Liu of Gotamago. Learn how Lichia makes use of her platform as a illustration of private identification whereas that includes motifs like meals to diversely join folks and share her greeting playing cards nation extensive.
How did you start your card-making profession?
I’ve stored journey sketchbooks most of my life, documenting what I see in overseas environments. After one notably lengthy interval away from house, working and travelling in Asia and Europe, I started sharing a few of my sketches on-line – first simply with household and pals, after which extra broadly on social media. To my delight, I started receiving inquiries from strangers on the place to buy my artwork. To start with, I made them into artwork prints and offered them on Etsy. It wasn’t till a retailer requested if I’d take into account making them into greeting playing cards for consignment that I realised I’ve chanced on one thing thrilling. I spent the following few weeks instructing myself how you can create a wholesale stationery enterprise, and shortly after, launched Gotamago with eight card designs at a neighborhood artwork market.
Through the years, I’ve come to know that playing cards are a particularly democratic approach to share artwork. Whereas unique work is probably not inexpensive for everybody, a greeting card makes for an accessible and versatile piece of decor. When our clients share their photographs of playing cards framed on their partitions, I’m heartened to know that my artwork is part of their on a regular basis lives.
The place do you draw inspiration from? Meals? Pop Tradition? Timeless Motifs? Playful Puns?
I all the time begin from issues that I really like: cultural change, city sketching, and phrase play.
After I first began designing playing cards, I didn’t see any of my Taiwanese-Canadian identification represented within the playing cards accessible on the North American market; so, I made them myself. Meals is among the best methods to attach cultures, and so Asian meals is a distinguished theme in lots of my designs.
City sketching was a pure development from my journey sketching days. I’m part of a world artwork community referred to as City Sketchers, whose mission is to doc the world via sketching. I’m fascinated by the methods folks work together with their environments, and may sit for hours sketching on website, absorbing the city panorama round me. It’s my favorite approach to uncover new cities.
And at last, wordsmithing is a robust power behind my creativity. Typically the phrases come after I’m strolling the canine or doing dishes, and I’d be so excited that I textual content my husband Christopher and see whether or not he laughs. If it’s unique and humorous, it’s a winner.
What does your day appear to be as a card maker and designer?
After dropping off my youngsters in school and daycare, I head to the studio to start out my work day. We function out of a small constructing in a sleepy neighbourhood in East Toronto; on the entrance of the studio is our flagship retail store, Silver Antelope. I make espresso, and spend a little bit of time basking within the quiet earlier than the group arrives. That is my artistic time, and I’ll generally draw, or do some planning and strategizing, relying on my temper.
Our group begins filling the studio round 10am. I test in with Heather, Kelly and Ellie about our present workload, wholesale and retail order fulfilment progress, and all of us chuckle over the most recent reel that Amy’s made concerning the mysterious googly eyes which might be popping up all around the studio. Rowan and I talk about new window shows and issues which might be low on the retail cabinets. I discuss with Lauren and Amy about newsletters, social media posts, upcoming design releases and artistic workshops. Christopher takes away the day’s order deliveries and provide lists, and I ship out buy orders for merchandise which might be working low. We don’t print something in-house, however we work intently with our native printers and producers at each step of the method, one thing that I’m very pleased with.
Within the afternoon I attempt to ignore emails and social media, and deal with bigger artistic tasks. Then it’s off to do faculty pickups and make dinner! After the youngsters are in mattress, I could curl up on the sofa to do bookkeeping in entrance of the TV.
On a regular basis looks like a whirlwind, however we’ve an unimaginable dream group, and I really feel very fortunate to have the ability to spend a lot time with my household whereas doing what I really like.
What’s your most popular medium?
Although I’ve all of the digital devices, I nonetheless love drawing immediately on paper the most effective. Most of my illustrations are completed with ink and watercolour, and plenty of of them are taken immediately out of my sketchbook. Although not as refined as work completed within the studio, sketchbook drawings convey a sure “within the second” feeling that may’t be duplicated.
Extra lately, I’ve been experimenting with direct watercolour – that’s, spontaneous watercolour portray with none ink or pencil outlines. It’s difficult and runs opposite to all of the methods I’ve labored prior to now, however it additionally provides me a rush of freedom and pleasure. I’m a planner by nature, so studying to embrace the unpredictable facet of watercolour has been a humbling course of.
What does your artistic course of appear to be?
When concepts come to me, I jot them down in my sketchbook, regardless of how arbitrary. Typically the smallest doodle will bounce again at me years later and grow to be a gorgeous design; it simply wanted incubation time! As soon as I’ve settled on each the illustration and the greeting phrase, I begin making ink drafts.
I’ve a lightpad, which I exploit as a information to attract the ink outlines again and again so as to develop muscle reminiscence and nail down the best expression. (I used to be delighted to be taught that Quentin Blake makes use of the identical methodology.) After I’m happy with the define, I transfer on to my favorite half – including watercolours and seeing the illustration come to life.
Lastly, I scan and edit the illustrations digitally, after which hand write the greeting with my Apple pencil. I used to do that half with fountain pens and scanners, however shifting it onto the ipad has sped issues up significantly. As soon as every little thing is edited, we are able to transfer to structure and formatting for the printer.
What are you most pleased with as a creator and card maker?
Seeing my work remodeled into merchandise which might be shared and loved world wide is the most effective feeling. Through the years, I’ve obtained letters from great strangers, telling me how my playing cards have touched their lives. There are tales of my playing cards utilized in marriage proposals, in private correspondence to presidents, and as phrases of encouragement throughout powerful occasions; I accumulate these tales like pearls on a necklace, and revisit them after I want a reminder of why I make artwork.
I’m additionally extremely pleased with the enterprise we’ve constructed collectively as a group; we’ve created not only a studio and store, but in addition a neighborhood hub, with a robust custom of giving again. When my daughter tells me she needs to be like me when she grows up, I really feel like I’m doing one thing proper.
Any private tidbits? Particular abilities/enjoyable details?
During the last 12 months, I’ve been instructing myself seen mending, largely as a result of my youngsters preserve tearing their garments, and I can’t bear to ship them to the landfill. It’s splendidly meditative, although perhaps not probably the most sensible artistic outlet; because it seems, my youngsters adore the visibly mended garments and can put on them much more vigorously after they’re mended, leading to…yup, extra tears!
Discover Gotamago Playing cards, akin to Lager Than Life Birthday Card, and Rarest of Them All Father’s Day Card at our native retailer or on-line at papersource.com. For extra inspiration and behind-the-scenes motion, comply with @go.tamago on IG.
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