Drawing on Boxes: Custom Art for Customers

So we recently unveiled a new way to buy Kim & Jason greeting cards and get your hands on some original art. The WOW Greeting Card Box Set is packed with 48 cards spanning all of life’s big moments, and the box top features a little drawing by moi.

I have to say that I am loving the opportunity to get back into drawing and inking the characters I grew to know so well while doing the daily comic strip from 2000-2007. Since every box is different (customized based on the information specified by each customer), I thought it would be cool to give you a look at some recent creations.

The box above is the first one I did. It was for Brenda, who said she enjoyed reading and that turtles were her favorite animal. First I sketch things out in pencil, and then finish them with india ink, applied with a brush, just like the comic strip. I love the variety of line weights you can get with a brush, and I was delighted to discover that I wasn’t too rusty with my inking skills.

Marci is a superfan who goes WAY back. Anybody who has Kim & Jason Annual #1 will find a mention of her near the end of the book. She upgraded to color, which meant I had to break out my trusty colored pencils. She left things pretty open-ended for me, but noted that she loved the outdoors and eating anything chocolate.

Lea also wanted a colored one. She explained that she enjoyed kayaking with her husband, so I knew I wanted to use that as my main theme. Notice that Jason is ill-prepared for such an excursion. Her favorite animal was a tie between a snow leopard and a sea otter. The sea otter won out in this case. You know how cats feel about the water.

And this one I had to show off because I LOVE how the panda turned out. It was Jamie from Vermont’s favorite animal. A love for martial arts also allowed me to mix in a little nod to Karate Kid and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

I got some neat e-mails back from some of the recipients, so it’s cool to know that the work is appreciated. My Dad says these are way underpriced, but we’ll stick with the introductory price for little while longer. If you’d like to commission your own custom box of greeting cards, go for it. First come, first served!