Hey First name / friends!

 

Today’s my birthday! 🎂 And you know what I want this year? 

 

A month of creative celebration with you. 🎉🎉🎉

 

I’m kicking off a brand-new Free Mini Collection Challenge starting right now, and you're invited! Over the next 4 weeks, you’ll create a small but mighty surface design collection that will be a strong addition to your portfolio.

 

Joining the challenge is simple!

(Think life’s special moments: birthday, wedding, anniversary, graduation, etc.)

 

Well, for one, it was inspired by my birthday week. 😉 But you know I don't do anything without a solid strategy behind it, too!

 

Celebration motifs are a powerhouse in art licensing. And for good reason!

 

They’re evergreen (people always celebrate special moments), they span multiple product categories, they often lead to repeat purchases, they tap into emotional connections, and they’re needed year-round.

We’ll wrap things up one month from now with a live celebration call and Q&A on Tuesday, July 22nd. I hope you’ll be there! I’ll be showcasing some of the collections you’ve created (I seriously can’t wait to see what you make), answering your questions, and just hanging out together as a community of artists.

 

And here’s the best best part…

 

If you complete all four prompts, you’ll be entered to win a full-ride scholarship to my mentorship program, The Art of Collections, which opens again on July 22nd.

 

Yep. One lucky artist is getting in totally free! 💃

 

So if you’ve ever wanted to join the program but weren’t sure, this might just be your moment.

As a special bonus during the challenge, I’ll also be sending you an email with an actionable business tip every week alongside your regular #CreateWithCatCoq emails. 

 

These are filled with the same kinds of strategies and insights I teach inside The Art of Collections. Practical, strategic ideas that can help you grow your art into a sustainable business.

 

So keep an eye out. We’re not just making art over the next four weeks. We’re building momentum. 💪🏼

A “hero illustration” is the main focal point of your collection. It typically dictates the collection theme, and is the perfect starting point when designing a collection. You can have multiple heroes in a large collection, but with this mini-collection we’re going to start with one.

 

When you think about designing a collection, it can be helpful to have a product in mind. Celebrations are a time when people send cards, gifts, and well-wishes, so products like greeting cards, gift wrap, and gift tags are huge sellers in this season.

 

I’m going to focus my mini-collection on greeting cards, but you can pick any product that resonates with you. 

 

Here's a collection I whipped up as an example. I went with a theme of sweet treats since I had a lot of artwork in my portfolio that already fit this theme and looked cohesive together. Work smarter, not harder, right? 🤗

 

The Hero Design in my collection is the piñata design.

 

I told you I wouldn't leave you high and dry! Every week, you'll get more than just a prompt. You'll get a full tutorial on how to design a stand-out collection!

 

Since we're just kicking things off, I wanted to share a blog post about how to plan a collection.

 

This will help you understand the different elements of a collection like the hero illustrations, secondary patterns, and simple blender patterns. It also walks you through how to plan your collection based on the product categories you want to target!

I’m soooooooooo excited to see what you create this week! 

 

Don’t forget to share your hero illustrations on Instagram with the hashtag #CreateWithCatCoq  and tag me @catcoq in the actual photo of your art for a chance to be featured in this newsletter and on my Instagram Stories.

 

I’ll be featuring submissions each week so you can cheer each other on and connect during this challenge! 

Let's make something worth celebrating! 🎉