The Card Designer Highlight is a collection that includes unbiased makers whose greeting playing cards you’ll find in Paper Supply shops. Meet and be impressed by a brand new designer each month on our weblog!
This month we need to introduce our featured card designer, Amy Heitman. Discover out the trail that Amy has taken to get to the place she is at the moment and the way she juggles sporting many hats.
How did you start your card-making profession?
Card-making wasn’t one thing I initially deliberately got down to do. I taught artwork for 2 years after graduating school, earlier than turning into a mother. After deciding to remain dwelling with our daughter I used to be in search of a artistic outlet and created a portfolio website with a handful of murals I’d painted all through the college district I had taught in, I threw some marriage ceremony stationery I had designed on the positioning as effectively and started to have loads of inquiries if I might do customized marriage ceremony invitations/occasion stationery. I opened a bit Etsy store after being prompted by one in every of my husband’s co-workers, and one month later was placed on bedrest for five months whereas pregnant with our second. The Etsy store was such an unbelievable blessing within the midst of a darkish season because it gave me one thing to do and I discovered a brand new love for design and paper. After a couple of years of doing solely customized stationery design, I designed my first line of greeting playing cards, with the thought that even when they didn’t promote it will be nice to have a set of playing cards readily available to be extra intentional and considerate with writing and sending playing cards to others.
The place do you draw inspiration from?
I draw inspiration in every single place. Most of my inspiration comes from on a regular basis life, literature, touring, locations we discover, and artwork historical past. I’m all the time drawn to patterns present in nature and issues which have stood the take a look at of time.
What does your day seem like as a card maker and designer?
On daily basis is totally different, and I additionally homeschool our three youngsters, so most frequently is sort of full in one of the best ways. Typically, although, my day begins with prayer/quiet time then normally a run or exercise and breakfast. Often, by that point, our crew is within the studio (which is in a pole constructing on our property) so I’ll cease on the market for some time to examine in with everybody for the day, then head inside the place I spend the morning doing college with our three youngsters, then we eat a late lunch, and I’ll examine again within the studio, reply emails, log off on proofs and spend an hour or two on extra business-related duties earlier than heading out to late afternoon sports activities/social actions. Most of my design work, dreaming, and planning for brand new collections occurs later at evening when the home is quiet and my thoughts is a bit freer from extra task-oriented issues.
What’s your most well-liked medium?
Portray will ceaselessly be my favourite, and nothing can exchange pencil on paper, however now after preliminary sketches, I create nearly all of my last art work on my iPad in Procreate which is superb as a result of it permits me to work on designs anyplace, whether or not we’re touring, sitting exterior at a desk whereas the youngsters are taking part in or splashing within the pool, or within the automotive at sports activities follow.
What does your artistic course of seem like?
My artistic course of begins with dreaming up new concepts, I’ve sketchbook pages full of lists and a Google doc the place I’ll begin writing concepts for brand new collections and playing cards earlier than I start sketching. I launch a brand new assortment thrice a yr. As soon as I resolve on a route for a brand new assortment I’ll collect inspiration photographs or create a temper board, then transfer into sketching concepts for brand new designs, and from there into extra last art work. Nonetheless, I by no means finalize art work till I see the entire assortment come collectively.
What are you most happy with as a creator and card maker?
I’m undecided what I’m most happy with, however I’m so grateful for the chance to have the ability to create and see my concepts come to life, and to create one thing others can use to unfold a bit of affection and pleasure on the planet. My favourite factor is listening to somebody acquired one in every of my playing cards and I like that individuals select to ship them to these they love full of considerate phrases. I’m so blessed to have such an incredible crew that handles the achievement of all of our orders and retains issues operating daily and isn’t solely such a blessing and encouragement to me but in addition creates such a very joyous atmosphere in our studio.
Any private tidbits? Particular skills/enjoyable info?
Our household loves climbing, tenting, backpacking, and exploring outside. I feel our youngsters have been to thirty-something nationwide parks with us over the previous 7 or so years. We simply spent the final two weeks in Banff and Glacier Nationwide Park and are at present on the highway dwelling after climbing over 75 miles. It’s so awing to see and expertise God by means of His creation and I like simply being surrounded by magnificence, there may be nothing extra inspirational.
Discover Amy Heitman Design playing cards and wrap, similar to Work Of Artwork Birthday Card and Birthday Information Reward Bag at your native retailer or on-line at papersource.com. For extra inspiration and behind-the-scenes motion, observe @amy_heitman on IG.
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