Hey First name / friends!

 

I know I've been sending you a lot of emails over the past couple weeks. Thanks for sticking with me! As of this week, we're back to our regularly scheduled program of one newsletter and drawing prompt per week! 

 

In all the excitement of opening The Art of Collections, I haven't had a chance to share my 2024 Year in Review yet! 

 

Back in 2017, I started writing these Year in Review blog posts as a sort of “highlight reel” in my professional and personal life. It was a way for me to look back on the year and reflect on my accomplishments, travels, challenges, and growth. This marks my 8th year of carrying on the tradition and paying homage to the previous twelve months.

 

2024 gave me so much gratitude for my life, my family, my friends, my students, my neighborhood cats, and my business. And you are a huge part of that, First name / friend. Thank you for being a part of this community and for sharing your creativity with the world!

I'm back in Thailand after six weeks in the U.S. for the holidays. I'm so thrilled to be reunited with my favorite neighborhood kitties! My feline friends here in Chiang Mai are always a source of inspiration, and this week's challenge is inspired by them. (More on that below!)

 

This week's #CreateWithCatCoq drawing prompt is to create a tiger illustration! 

 

Share your tigers on Instagram with the hashtag #CreateWithCatCoq and tag me @catcoq in your photo for a chance to be featured!

This challenge is inspired by my evening walks to the temple complex near my house here in Chiang Mai. I love going at sunset to hear the monks chant while strolling around and petting temple cats. 

 

Fun bonus: This particular temple complex has a tiger spirit house filled with tiger statues. And more often than not, I catch a few little panthers blending in with their fearsome larger friends. 😅 Can you spot him in the photo below?

One thing that I teach my students in The Art of Collections is the power of storytelling with your artwork. I love weaving moments like this into my art. Commercial artwork can sometimes get a bad rap for being soulless since its created for mass markets. People think that you have to give up creating art that's meaningful in order to get into big box stores like Target.

 

But I've found that the opposite is actually true. Brands are looking for art from real people with real stories to tell. Yes, following what's trending is an important part of getting your art sold. But it's also important to create art in your own style that is meaningful to you! 

In the case of tigers, it's a win-win for me. Animals are an evergreen trend that brands are always looking for, and I have a personal connection to this motif. 

 

I can't wait to see what you draw this week! Don't forget to share on Instagram with the hashtag #CreateWithCatCoq and tag me @catcoq so I can find your work more easily!

Here are a couple of the freebies I created in 2024 that are featured in my 2024 Year in Review post. 

 

I always want to make sure I'm providing you with lots of value, and I hope that these will help you accelerate your surface design progress in 2025!

 

Have a fabulous week!