Illustration by Heather Castles © Image Craft Inc.

This greeting card design (V08172 for Image Craft card line) is a rework of this graphite illustration I created for Image Craft, Inc.

lllustration © Heather Castles

I had the morning free today and enjoyed working on an idea I had a couple months back and hadn’t got around to… another design for Threadless.com: Twisted Sister. How cool would it be if Princess Leia got out her angst with electric guitar! Unfortunately, I didn’t get a notice when the design was posted up for voting and it all ended before I had a chance to blog about it… SAD!

If you like this post, you might also like to read this New York Times article about Recycling Used Guitar Strings : How Rock Bands Go Green

This time around I decided to spend more time sketching before I started drawing on the computer… and I’m glad I did, am much happier with the result than my Kantina illustration. Drawing on the computer just isn’t the same as working with pencil…it’s a great tool for rendering, but I don’t find it to be a good starting point. Below are a few of my of the illustration in progress as I vectorized my sketches in Illustrator CS2… (Read on …)

Illustration & Design by Heather Castles © Image Craft, Inc.

This is probably one of the most versatile illustrations I created for Image Craft, Inc (SKU#W88539 Thoughtful Moments). I got the idea from an 80’s greeting card that was in archives at Image Craft, Inc. The photograph of roses in a ring was very outdated, but thought if I illustrated it, it may look classy. So I spent an hour or so illustrating a ring of roses in pencil, (Read on …)

I just finished my third shell mosaic… I really like the white on white, and tried a smaller one this time (a quarter of the size) compared to the mosaics I’ve done in the past… I also have a few more shell mosaics in progress.

Beautiful, isn’t it? Ben (my husband) & I love to garden, and spent about $15 on about seven tomato plants, five chili pepper plants, and some basil which we have lovingly been nurturing for the last three months. And the fruits of our labours? ONE bloomin’ tomato. sigh.

We also started a compost… and seriously reduced the amount of kitchen waste that ended up in our garbage! It’s pretty easy to set up… we bought a cheap rubbish bin, poked some holes in the bottom, added dirt, and dump our kitchen scraps in every day, give it a stir… and voila, compost!!!)  Composting is pretty easy, you can read about how to how to compost here!

I’m just getting started on a few more shell mosaics. Went to IKEA and they were sold out of the large frames! So I’m doing four little guys. And I’m gettin’ smart after a couple of these… (Read on …)

I’m really excited about this book of Kinuko’s illustrations being released in 2007, it looks just beautiful! (Read on …)

These are the finished signs I illustrated & designed for Parks Canada, Georgian Bay National Park. I’m really pleased with how this project turned out, and had a lot of fun working on it! It was a super quick turnaround, I had to burn the midnight oil to complete these paintings in two weeks (from research to sketching to painting to scanning to graphic design.)  Whew, I’m really ready for the weekend! The four signs (1.5 x 2 feet each) are going to be posted this March 2007 at the Georgian Bay National Park, to explain why the new boardwalks have been put in to protect the Canada’s beautiful natural beaches. I tell you it made me really homesick working on this while I’m here in Australia!

…and here are some close ups of my favourite bits, I had so much fun painting these.

My husband made it his personal duty to make sure that the bass looked beautiful!

…and this is my favouritest favourite bit of all, Mr. Toad.

Illustration by Heather Castles © Parliament of Canada
I’m FINISHED! I had the pleasure of working with a couple of friendly people at the Parliament of Canada on an Open House Guide for tourists. I haven’t created a final product entirely with digital illustration before, so was a challenge! Each of the rooms is completely vectorized illustrations in Illustrator CS2, (discovered transparencies in Illustrator, it’s now my new best friend!) so (Read on …)

When you design for greeting cards, flowers are one of the most popular choices for subject matter…but it’s good to be aware of their meaning! Here is a little list Hallmark put together that you might find helpful.

“…In Victorian times, giving meanings to flowers became a great fad, with various lists circulated and books published to help lovers communicate without saying a word. Here’s what some of the flowers you might be sending (or receiving) really mean.” – Hallmark Magazine

Bird of Paradise: Something wonderful is about to happen

Chrysanthemum: Hope in dark times

Ferns: Fascination

Gerbera Daisy: Purity

Grasses in a bouquet: Mean the sender is submissive

Hydrangea: You’ve been boastful

Ivy: Marriage and fidelity

Jasmine: Good luck

Jonquils (a kind of daffodil): Please love me

Lavender: I don’t trust you

Lilac: First love

Orchid: Ecstasy

Peony: I’m bashful!

Pine: Implies pity

Red Rose: Love

Red Tulips: Declaration of love

Rosemary: Remembrance

Sweet Pea: Lasting pleasure

White Lily: Innocence

White Rose : Purity

Yellow Carnations: Disdain, rejection

Yellow Lily: You’re lying

Yellow Rose: Jealousy

Violet: Faithfulness

If you liked learning about the meaning of flowers, you might also like :

Tips for designing & Illustrating Greeting Cards

Tips for designing cards for Valentine’s Day

Tips for designing cards for Mother’s Day