One fun aspect of keeping a blog is meeting other bloggers with similar interests and being inspired by their unique perspectives. I have been following Joann’s blog, Chickypea, for a year now and enjoy her simply designed posts, playful watercolors, and thoughtful touches to whatever topic she is documenting. Earlier this month I contacted her to see if she was interested in making a few “cozywalls” watercolors for me, and look what she delivered! I can’t decide on a favorite, because there is something charming about each of them. What do you think?

About Joann: My love of fine arts started when I was a child. I adored drawing everything in bold bright colors, most of the time not paying attention to realism. Then transitioning to the academic world, everything had restrictions. What I could create, how I should create it, and how long it should take. Even years later as a Sr. Graphic Designer there are so many guidelines to heed, so I started doing illustrations, watercolor, DIY projects, and created a blog, Chickypea, to revisit the childlike curiosity I had in my youth and to design with no holds barred.

About her process: My process starts with research and mood boards. It’s a nice way to collect all your thoughts and if you are doing work for someone else it gets everyone on the same page. Then I start sketching. Once I have ideas that I like, I transition to either fine art tools or digital programs such as Photoshop and Illustrator. For this project, I tried to keep the process as freehand as possible to achieve a hand made look.

To contact Joann about projects, email her: joann@chickypea.com

Thank you, Joann, for being so swift and sweet to work with! I am also thinking about including “interview” posts on the blog now… we’ll see.