love letters

'Tis the season: love's gonna get me through the blizzard outside. I've got my valentine making station all ready.

If the power goes out, I still have hands, glue sticks, scissors and paper. I've been thinking about the power of old fashioned love letters lately. Who still sends them?

What a joyful greeting this door made when I visited my dear friend Mary Anne Lloyd!

We share a love of snail mail and fond attention to hand lettering, groovy stamps, and stickers. Oh, and illustrative tape, too! Here's a recent batch of my mail on it's way.

My love of letters could be one reason I seized on the chance to illustrate the poster for Portland Stage Company's upcoming production of A Song at Twilight by Noel Coward. The play turns on a batch of old love letters, with considerable drama.

These are a couple of sketches I liked that didn't get picked:

This sketch got the nod for further development:

It so happens I came across a batch of old letters in my parents' basement that became a reference point in my illustration.

And here's a little known fact: my almost 25 year marriage was born in a long-distance exchange of love letters. Got 'em stashed somewhere...

So then I sent this color sketch:

Marketing director Carole Harris was not keen on the red here, so I ditched that in my final, and she was, as always, right on the mark.

Meanwhile, valentines must be crafted. I've got all the fixin's...

I invited my fellow paper vixens over to make a fine mess.

 

Eda French, Nancy Gibson Nash, Mary Anne Lloyd, and Daisy Braun made the day so sweet!

Here's a few of our confections:

What's not to love about pink paper and polka dots? Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! Check here in the next couple of days for some downloadable valentines.