Happy July!
Welcome to any new subscribers and welcome back to everyone else! It means so much that you're here, and it keeps me motivated to know that I'll be able to share my journey with you every month!
On the first of each month I’ll send you some updates on current projects as well as any new products in the online shop. Make sure to scroll down for your free phone background!
What I have for you this month:
Greeting Cards and Prints: Summer is great season to refresh your space with a bright plant print, or maybe you’re feeling energized by the warm weather and want to send some notes to friends!
Commissions: Commissions are open! I have one space left for July. And finally I can share the wedding map with you from last month! I was so honored to be a small part of a the happy couple’s big day.
This month I will be working on a new wedding map, and last night I received another map request for a wedding anniversary. I’m so happy you’re all enjoying the maps, because they’re really fun to create! I enjoy being able to draw each icon individually and then put them together into a finished piece. If you're interested in a custom project, sign up here to get a spot for July.New product update! I ordered some sticker samples from three different print shops, and I picked a vendor who I will order from. So now I’m ready to prep the file below and send it off for printing! I’m working on other designs for sticker greeting cards, specifically a holiday one, and maybe a travel inspired one (postcard stickers anyone?). If this is your first newsletter, here’s what I mean by “sticker greeting cards”:
Freebie: Here’s your monthly phone background with a pattern of some summery fruits. I couldn’t decide between a white or purple background, so I’ve attached both as options. Enjoy!
What I'm working on this month and updates on last month:
Now introducing… Illo Guild! One year ago, I joined a group of 12 illustrators who are working towards careers in children’s illustration. We have met twice a month since last spring, and it has been so inspiring to see everyone’s growth. Many of the artists have found agents or finished illustrating a book since we started! Because the group has been so valuable to us, our first goal is to show others how to set up a critique group, so go check out Illo Guild on Instagram, Twitter, and Substack for tons of illustrations tips!
New newsletter format: If you’ve been here for a while, you know you’ll receive one monthly newsletter on the first of the month. Since both Illo Guild and my business are growing, I want to trial sending a weekly email. These emails will be written to support and grow alongside fellow artists, but everyone is welcome to follow along! The monthly newsletter will stay the same, so if you would prefer to receive only the monthly newsletter, just send me an email at any time and I can adjust that for you :)
Illustrating Children’s Books Class: The best class of the year just ended, and it flew by! Here are the assignments for a character page and the cover. You saw the first round of characters last month, and the double page spread is at the top of the email. I hope to carry this momentum into July! If you were in ICB too, let’s connect on Insta so I can gush over all your beautiful work!
Reflecting on year’s Illustrating Children’s Book Class: Below you can see my work from last year’s class. To the illustrators have joined my newsletter— I hope you can look at the work above and below and see growth. I still have a lot I want to do in terms of style, colors, characters, etc… but I feel so much more confident than I did a year ago. I hadn’t even drawn a character digitally yet! With just one small step everyday, I have learned so much over the year. If you make time for your art, it will grow. I promise. So just know that you’ve got this! Now go draw! :)
In case you missed it… My art business was featured on Michella Hand's blog! Read the interview here!
Thank you so much for reading!
Katie
Curious about other work I've done? Check out my portfolio.
Follow me on instagram: @katiestackillustrates
Interested in a custom project? Visit my commissions page.
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