My mother turns 78 this week.  She has always loved to sing and perform, so I decided to focus on her talent for music, and the thought of a songbird came to mind.  Though I enjoy cartooning, I wanted this time to approach the task in a more painterly, slightly more realistic direction with the bird and surrounding decor.  My desire was to make the lettering represent the look of notes on clef bars.  The bottom painting is a flower added to the inside of the card as a little bonus and having fun with watercolor.  I'm betting the note added inside combined with the artwork will bring a little tear to moms eye.  It doesn't take much now days to get the waterworks flowing. :)

It's hard to believe my friend Kenny and his buddies have been doing this event for 28 years!  Each season they travel to different locations, and a new design is commemorated on t-shirts.  I was commissioned years 5 through 7, cartoony versions of their drunken antics combined with golf.  They went a different direction for the ensuing years until this one when Kenny asked me again.  Though I love to do cartoons, I decided to try a more serious design like approach and practice my pathetic Photoshop/Illustrator skills.  It took me an eternity to accomplish, but after all my plodding, cursing, trial and error, I did learn some new techniques and like how the finish turned out.