A short, sweet, and to the point newsletter from an illustrator, book designer, and all around busy bee. π By day, I work in the publishing industry as a book designer and illustrator. By night, I indulge in my inspirations and grow my creative business with slow, intentional steps. Every month, you'll get insights into living a creative life, what's currently inspiring me, behind the scenes peeks of works in progress, the stories behind the work, and freebies to help nurture your own creativity.
A New Studio Note has arrived! π March 2026 Edition
Published 11 days agoΒ β’Β 2 min read
Studio Note 03/26
Hello Reader,
I hope February treated you well. There was a lot of bad weather that hit much of the midwest, southeast, and northeast. Somehow, my area dodged the worst of it, and we just dealt with very cold temps and a little ice but no snow. We did have a temporary pipe freezing issue we had to fix quickly. If you're reading from one of the areas that was affected, I hope you stayed warm and safe!
Here's a little summary if you're short on time :
painted two new pieces in February (women and florals)
found a new producer for fine art prints and will be bringing back additional sizes
Art Notes
My time and energies are limited right now, but I've been managing to complete small studies and drills in my sketchbooks and plan for future pieces. I began working on a piece intended to submit to a fantasy and mythology themed gallery show happening later this year (more news on that later if I actually get accepted). I also finished up two small pieces featuring some of my favorite subjects - women and florals. I haven't painted the human form much in the past year or so, and want to change that this year!
Combining a subject I haven't visited in a bit with a limited palette was a welcome challenge. :)
If you're interested in prints of these, hit reply and let me know! I'll add them to the queue for the next shop update later this year.
"Love Hurts" watercolor, 8 x 10"
"Miriam" watercolor, 5 x 7"
Shop Notes
Multiple sizes are coming back! I've settled on a new print provider and their system makes offering multiple print sizes so seamless and easy! I'll be bringing back 5 x 7" and 8 x 10" sized prints to the print shop.
The paper I selected is a beautiful, 100% cotton, cold-pressed fine art paper that makes my watercolor reproductions look just like the original!
Print orders will also now receive a mini-print that doubles as a thank-you card and coupon for your next order! The card features my Jackalope and Wildflowers painting (from the Mythical Creatures series) . It's one of my most beloved paintings ever and I want to put it on EVERYTHING. I'll periodically update the artwork on the thank you card, too, so there will be variation in them with orders.
Extra Notes
I moved the Sketchbook gallery from blog format to portfolio format. This may seem minor and probably not work mentioning, but seeing the dates on the old format was bothering me. I'd rather not be reminded that I haven't shared a sketch in a long time!
from Catherine Herold - Illustrator & Graphic Designer
A short, sweet, and to the point newsletter from an illustrator, book designer, and all around busy bee. π By day, I work in the publishing industry as a book designer and illustrator. By night, I indulge in my inspirations and grow my creative business with slow, intentional steps. Every month, you'll get insights into living a creative life, what's currently inspiring me, behind the scenes peeks of works in progress, the stories behind the work, and freebies to help nurture your own creativity.
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