Hey First name / friends!

 

Happy December! In celebration of the holiday season, we're going to be doing some fun holiday prompts this month! 

 

If you want to get your worked licensed during certain seasons and holidays, it can be helpful to get a head start on creating that artwork. It's recommended to start as early as six months out since companies tend to source their holiday artwork in advance. This gives them enough time to solidify their product designs and get them produced before the holiday season. 

 

But there really is no wrong time to create art for specific seasons. Sure, creating holiday art right now means that it won't get licensed this season, but you can still sell it via print on demand or by creating your own products! Plus, you'll be ready to license it next year when companies are looking for holiday art ahead of time. 

 

 

The big takeaway is to draw and paint what excites you. You don't have to force yourself to follow a trend you don't care about or create seasonal art when it's just not flowing. 

 

 

I know it can be hard to paint cozy sweaters or candy canes in the middle of the summer. Trust me – I spend most of my year in tropical climates! This is why my artwork tends to be inspired by my surroundings. For example, when I'm in Thailand, I tend to work on art with lots of animals and lush foliage. When I'm cozied up visiting family in the U.S. over the holidays, I'm more inspired to create winter-themed holiday art. 

 

At the end of the day, art has so much more heart when you're creating something that inspires you. And customers and brands can feel that! 

 

I've been teaching my Art of Collections students that collections have so much more selling power when they have a story behind them. It's been so fun to help them work through the process of putting together strategic, story-forward collections and prep to pitch them. The program is going to be opening up again in 2025! If you're interested in my mentorship and guidance on growing your art career, click here to check it out and get on the waitlist!

 

Now, let's get into the festive vibes with a fun holiday challenge!

This week your challenge is to create a piece inspired by evergreen trees. I had so much fun recoloring this cute tree pattern! It's been a great supporting pattern to use in my holiday collections. 

 

Which colorway is your fave?

Don't forget to share your evergreen trees on Instagram with the hashtag #CreateWithCatCoq and tag me @catcoq for a chance to be featured! 

Here are a few of the submissions from our baking challenge. These desserts were making my mouth water! Be sure to browse the #CreateWithCatCoq hashtag to cheer on your fellow artists!

Have a fabulous week!