Who wouldn’t love to receive a frog birthday card for their birthday?! Exactly. So I’ve been working on a few more frog birthday card designs to complement the Frog’s Bucket List book series. I’m going to focus on birthday cards and Christmas cards initially. And I have a couple of frog birthday designs to show you today, with plenty more to come.
Frog’s Bucket List – ‘Summer Holiday’ Update
But before we get onto the greetings cards, just a quick update on my next Frog’s Bucket List book since last time.
The illustrations for ‘Summer Holiday’, my second book in the series, are now complete! I’m in the processing stage now; creating the pages in digital format ready for printing. I’m still aiming to have the book published by the end of the year.
Looking forward to seeing it in physical form!
Until then, please feel free to visit the official Frog’s Bucket List website for more information on my froggy characters, Frog and Frog.
Ideas for a Frog Birthday Card
Sometimes it feels like I have more ideas for cards than I have time to draw and paint them all. To be honest, as an artist, that’s a nice place to be in. With non-Frog related projects, I know what it’s like to stare at a blank page not knowing what to paint. Artist’s block. It’s no fun. But with Frog and Frog, the ideas keep coming (for now at least), so I try to jot them all down as I think of them. I don’t want to take this creative tap of froggy ideas for granted.
I keep several scribbly lists of possible bucket list (or greetings card) situations. Then it’s just a case of working through the lists when I have some moments to sketch out the ideas.
My latest scribbly ideas that I’ve yet to sketch include: Frog and Frog baking a birthday cake together, Frog and Frog on a birthday picnic, and Frog and Frog painting together. These would all work for a frog birthday card. And I can use them in future books too.
But today, the two latest frog birthday card designs I’ve drawn and painted are: ‘Find the Birthday Gifts’ and ‘Play Pin the Tail on the Donkey’:
The Frog’s Bucket List Creative Process from Start to Finish
As mentioned above, it all starts from an idea.
It might be a fully formed idea that is very clear before I even put pencil to paper. Or it might be more abstract – something which unfolds and becomes clearer as I sketch.
‘Find the Birthday Gifts’ was mostly clear in my mind before I started drawing anything. Just a couple of details which became apparent whilst drawing (like having Frog carry a birthday card in an envelope).
‘Play Pin the Tail on the Donkey’ was less clear. That was something that needed a bit of experimentation after I’d started sketching. For example, before I started sketching this one, I didn’t really know what stance to have Frog in while blindfolded! I subsequently created movement by bending his legs slightly and having his free arm reaching out rather than just having it by his side.
I keep the sketches in a separate Frog-dedicated sketchbook (I’m actually onto my second Frog sketchbook… I’m hoping to fill hundreds someday! So many frogs!). They’re often quite rough drawings.
I’ll then grab my watercolour paper and replicate the sketch in pencil, but neater.
Then I draw over the pencil line with pen and erase the pencil.
After that, it’s time to bring the illustrations to life with watercolour paints!
Developing the Frog’s Bucket List Online Shop
I’m working on having more of an online shop on the Frog’s Bucket List website. As well as the books, I would like to sell other products (frog birthday card, anyone?). The books of course, and the greetings cards, but also art prints, notebooks, stickers, mugs, cushions… maybe even t shirts! All featuring the wonderful Frog and Frog! I’m so excited!
But small steps. I’m currently in the process of building the shop on the Frog’s Bucket List website – I will keep you posted on the progress. And also on the ‘Summer Holiday’ book.
Watch this froggy space.
Take care and be kind to yourself.