These days it's easy for me to become artistically complacent—not keeping up my practice with using traditional materials since most design work required of me is digital. I actually have to assign myself projects that require me to pick up my pencil and paint brush. As a designer and illustrator there are so many techniques I'd like to try as well as skills I want to work to improve. So, I force myself to do hand lettering, create animations, illustrate animals in a cartoon style, etc.. Because the more you work these creative muscles the stronger they get. And, when you leave certain tools behind, they get rusty.

Because I love to see other people's process, here are the steps I took to complete a "thank you" card I made—with traditional media: pencil, gouache, watercolor, and pen on watercolor paper.