Christmas in September

© Ellen Blonder

One of the weird things about designing holiday greeting cards is that you're always doing them out of season. So here's my upcoming Christmas card preview, finished in a September heat wave. The poinsettia was posted in progress earlier this year, but for Christmas, a brown background didn't seem right. I've silhouetted the flower against layers of text and a repeat pattern that I drew. The red area, when folded, will be the card back.

Poinsettia-Final

© Ellen Blonder

I think I'm done. I don't want to overwork the pinks and lose their softness against the creamy edges of the bracts.

Poinsettia-Day 7

© Ellen Blonder

I'm starting to lay in more color on the bracts, and I've added details to the tiny central flowers. And for the new year, I hope to be posting more regularly again. Happy New Year, everyone!

Poinsettia-Days 5 to 6

© Ellen Blonder

The green leaves are just about finished, and I've started shading the bracts roughly. The actual flowers are barely noticeable in the center of the colorful bracts.

Poinsettia-Day 4

© Ellen Blonder

I'm painting in the leaves when I can catch a little time, but I can't paint from life, since the real leaves have started to curl and fall off. I was hoping to have this finished by Christmas. Well, maybe New Year's Day. Happy Holidays, everyone!

Poinsettia-Day 3

© Ellen Blonder

Here's a slight close-up showing a detailed leaf and one pink bract. Holiday stuff is getting in the way of painting. Some of the leaves on this plant have curled up or started drooping, so I'll have to rely on the photos I took for reference.

Poinsettia-Day 2

© Ellen Blonder

I've filled in details and painted in the background color. The green wash is just underpainting to help me see which of the leaves are not going to end up cream-colored.