Who knew a pineapple could transform the image of a city, not just visually but culturally. My husband and I recently took a trip to Charleston and learned all about how the pineapple is the symbol of hospitality and the origin of how that symbol came to be. We learned so much history on so many levels, we certainly enjoyed our trip! Once I got home, I thought about the things that stick out to me the most. And if I had to describe Charleston in just six images, how would I do that? Well, this is how…
Tag: Watercolors
Personal Touch
What is more fun than a personal card! I love making cards for people because I think it adds a sweet touch of servanthood that speaks through the illustration, in addition to the words themselves. In my opinion, Art (especially through personal cards) has the power to sometimes carry more weight and emotion and love than words themselves. At least for me when it comes to my writing ability. I love drawing, so people who receive a personal illustrated card from me know that there is a lot of love behind the card.
I coach high school volleyball and at the end of the season I decided to make personal cards for each of the seniors. I wanted to capture their personality and stand out features with each depiction of them. I’ll write a personal note to the right of the drawing before handing them off. I hope they like them!!
Visual Itinerary
I recently got married and my husband and I decided we wanted to make most of our decor/signs/guest gifts by hand! We made a welcome bag for all the hotel guest and included an Our Favorite Things To Do card, so out of town guests could go exploring during their visit!
With each to-do item I drew and watercolored a little illustration to accompany! It was a fun activity and I think it make the card even more exciting to peruse! 
It’s a Girl!
My best friend is having a baby girl! This is baby number two for her. When her first little one was born, I made her a baby rocking chair out of recycled window jams (last image. Their last name starts with a T and the room theme was florals and pink). So for this new baby I wanted to make her something as well! (Gotta share the love 😉 )
I asked her the theme of the nursery and my friend told me it was going to be baby animals and a neutral color palette! I was so excited because watercoloring immediately popped in my head! I had been on a kick of drawing and watercoloring elephants so I felt like this prepared me well! The tricky part was to make them cutesy and fun but still realistic. These animals were so fun to design and make! I gave them to my friend at her baby shower this weekend and she loved them! Yay! Now we are eagerly awaiting for the little one’s arrival!
The Gentle Grace of Giants
I love elephants. These animals are incredibly massive but they have such a gentle grace about them. Maybe that’s because we typically see them moving slowly, or standing still. But their creation is such an odd but beautiful balance of swift grace found in a large creature. It almost makes them appear like and huggable. I wanted this watercolor to enhance that feeling. I wanted this beautiful creature to reflect its small and gentle spirit.
Hosting with Character
I hosted a “Christmas in July” Party the other night, and went all-in with the food. There were traditional Christmas deserts but I took a spin on some things since we were in the heat of summer. I often see place cards at buffets and such, so I decided to take my own spin on place cards.
My goal: Fun and Witty Characters that portrayed each food item in style. Some characters are a play on words, and some are all about their expression!
These were super fun to make and experiment with Character design! So much can be conveyed by a raised eyebrow, arm position and ever posture of a character. And the place cards were a hit at the party! 
Look at the Stars
More experimenting with watercolors. My own interpretation of The Lion King, of Simba talking to Mufasa. This time I tried to be less hesitant and just go for it, dive in and put the brush to the paper. This too roughly 20 minutes from sketching through watercoloring.
I am enjoying how watercolors can show texture and shadows in a different manner than sketching.
Do you want to build a snowman?
I decided to use a different media for this piece, watercolors. I started with a detailed sketch, then used a black pen to outline a few defining lines and the took a stab at watercoloring.
Much respect for those who watercolor, very tricky and time sensitive. And watercoloring can evoke expressions in a powerful manner differently than hand sketches. I’d like to continue experimenting!
Megan Carpenter 