I turned a birthday into a brief.

December is usually busy with a lot of corporate work. 2024 was the exception, thanks to parental leave.

It was also my first time celebrating both Christmas and my birthday as a mom. That month, I had more creative energy than usual.

So I gave myself a present: a portrait challenge with four prompts. And one clear direction: to explore a more refined style.

Snowflake. Glasses. Christmas Tree.

I knew I’d need time to finish all four illustiatons. So I decided early to keep the Christmas references subtle.

The snowflake is quiet. The tree is there, but not center stage. There’s a bit of glitter if you look closely.

And the lights in another illustration could just as well belong to a summer evening.

This was the first portrait I started, even though it was Prompt 4. Maybe I wanted to face the holiday one first.
Maybe I wanted to see how much I could strip back without losing the prompt entirely.

Here’s a glimpse inside Procreate. The illustration is still in progress at this stage.

Button up with a smile

I worked through this piece slowly, in short pockets of time.

Between naps, dishes, and the other things that fill a solo mom’s day.

The colour choices took the longest.
I kept circling back, testing combinations until it finally clicked.

The smiley buttons stayed from the beginning.

A small reminder that you can incorporate joy in any detail.

I kept the season in the background. It’s there, but only just.

Drawn more like a shape than a texture. Less curl, more rhythm.

The white hair leads, but nothing steals the scene.

A moving silhouette with dancing candles. A festive scene with a bit of class.