The Card Designer Highlight is a sequence that includes impartial makers whose greeting playing cards you’ll find in Paper Supply shops. Meet and be impressed by a brand new designer each month on our weblog!
This month we wish to introduce our featured card designer, Amy Heitman. Discover out the trail that Amy has taken to get to the place she is right now and the way she juggles carrying many hats.
How did you start your card-making profession?
Card-making wasn’t one thing I initially deliberately got down to do. I taught artwork for 2 years after graduating faculty, earlier than turning into a mother. After deciding to remain house with our daughter I used to be on the lookout for a artistic outlet and created a portfolio web site with a handful of murals I’d painted all through the varsity district I had taught in, I threw some wedding ceremony stationery I had designed on the positioning as properly and commenced to have lots of inquiries if I might do customized wedding ceremony invitations/occasion stationery. I opened just a little Etsy store after being prompted by one among my husband’s co-workers, and one month later was placed on bedrest for five months whereas pregnant with our second. The Etsy store was such an unbelievable blessing within the midst of a darkish season because it gave me one thing to do and I discovered a brand new love for design and paper. After a number of years of doing solely customized stationery design, I designed my first line of greeting playing cards, with the thought that even when they didn’t promote it will be nice to have a set of playing cards readily available to be extra intentional and considerate with writing and sending playing cards to others.
The place do you draw inspiration from?
I draw inspiration in all places. Most of my inspiration comes from on a regular basis life, literature, touring, locations we discover, and artwork historical past. I’m at all times drawn to patterns present in nature and issues which have stood the take a look at of time.
What does your day seem like as a card maker and designer?
Every single day is totally different, and I additionally homeschool our three kids, so most frequently is kind of full in one of the simplest ways. Typically, although, my day begins with prayer/quiet time then normally a run or exercise and breakfast. Often, by that point, our staff is within the studio (which is in a pole constructing on our property) so I’ll cease on the market for some time to test in with everybody for the day, then head inside the place I spend the morning doing college with our three children, then we eat a late lunch, and I’ll test again within the studio, reply emails, log out on proofs and spend an hour or two on extra business-related duties earlier than heading out to late afternoon sports activities/social actions. Most of my design work, dreaming, and planning for brand new collections occurs later at night time when the home is quiet and my thoughts is a bit freer from extra task-oriented issues.
What’s your most well-liked medium?
Portray will eternally be my favourite, and nothing can substitute pencil on paper, however now after preliminary sketches, I create virtually all of my ultimate art work on my iPad in Procreate which is wonderful as a result of it permits me to work on designs wherever, whether or not we’re touring, sitting outdoors at a desk whereas the children are taking part in or splashing within the pool, or within the automobile at sports activities observe.
What does your artistic course of seem like?
My artistic course of begins with dreaming up new concepts, I’ve sketchbook pages crammed with lists and a Google doc the place I’ll begin writing concepts for brand new collections and playing cards earlier than I start sketching. I launch a brand new assortment 3 times a yr. As soon as I determine on a route for a brand new assortment I’ll collect inspiration photographs or create a temper board, then transfer into sketching concepts for brand new designs, and from there into extra ultimate art work. Nonetheless, I by no means finalize art work till I see the entire assortment come collectively.
What are you most happy with as a creator and card maker?
I’m undecided what I’m most happy with, however I’m so grateful for the chance to have the ability to create and see my concepts come to life, and to create one thing others can use to unfold a bit of affection and pleasure on the earth. My favourite factor is listening to somebody obtained one among my playing cards and I like that folks select to ship them to these they love crammed with considerate phrases. I’m so blessed to have such a tremendous staff that handles the achievement of all of our orders and retains issues operating daily and isn’t solely such a blessing and encouragement to me but additionally creates such a very joyous surroundings in our studio.
Any private tidbits? Particular skills/enjoyable information?
Our household loves mountain climbing, tenting, backpacking, and exploring outdoor. I believe our youngsters have been to thirty-something nationwide parks with us over the previous 7 or so years. We simply spent the final two weeks in Banff and Glacier Nationwide Park and are at present on the street house after mountain climbing over 75 miles. It’s so awing to see and expertise God via His creation and I like simply being surrounded by magnificence, there’s nothing extra inspirational.
Discover Amy Heitman Design playing cards and wrap, akin to Work Of Artwork Birthday Card and Birthday Information Reward Bag at your native retailer or on-line at papersource.com. For extra inspiration and behind-the-scenes motion, observe @amy_heitman on IG.
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