In February whilst
winding down from a busy Spring Fair International at the Birmingham NEC, I was
approached by the Special Projects Manager from Highgrove about my British Bird
illustrations on my trade stand. After a lengthy talk about my illustrations
and how the cards are produced, we agreed to work together after the show on a
special collaboration for Christmas.
We met again in
Tetbury, Gloucestershire, where one of the Highgrove shops can be found, and
deliberated over my designs, the finishes, and the possibility of also
translating the designs onto Christmas tree decorations. It was great to have a
creative meeting and work out the finer details of the project. It was really
important for Highgrove to fully understand my process of design and my ethics
as a designer/publisher. From day one of producing my cards, it has been
important for me to use only FSC boards and envelopes and biodegradable
packaging. I believe it’s very important to be aware of your impact on the
environment, and this resonated with Highgrove.
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| Robin and mistletoe Christmas card pack. |
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| Bird tree decoration. |
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| Christmas Robin greeting card pack. |
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| Tree decoration. |
Four designs from my
’12 Days of Christmas’ collection were selected for mixed packs and I was
specially commissioned for two other Christmas robin illustrations. It was so
exciting to keep the project under wraps for 8 months, creating unique designs and
I was really thrilled to see my designs on Christmas tree decorations. Licensing
my work for other products has been something I have wanted to do for a while.
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| Four Colly Birds mixed pack of Christmas cards. |
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| Colly Birds tree decoration. |
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| Three French Hens mixed pack. |
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| Three French Hens tree decoration. |
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| Partridge in a Pear Tree mixed pack. |
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| Partridge in a Pear Tree decoration. |
Although I have done
commissions before, this has been an extra special project which has really got
me involved in seeing the products develop. As a greeting card designer, the
opportunity to license my designs has been a thoroughly enjoyable process. It’s
been such a pleasure and an honour to work with Highgrove.
The greeting card packs
and tree decorations are available from Highgrove in Tetbury and online.
