Hey First name / friends!

 

One of my most favorite activities while I'm traveling is to catch a sunset or a sunrise. It's free, it's gorgeous, and it always fills me with creative inspo.

 

From watching the sunset over my neighborhood temple while the monks chant here in Chiang Mai, to cracking a beer on the porch at sunset in the Rocky Mountains with friends, to watching the sun dip below the horizon on the beach in Bali, it's always magical and always special. 

 

Sunsets are a universal experience too, which makes them a great motif for licensing. Sometimes the sunset from the airport window or the Costco parking lot is just as vibrant and breathtaking as the one you see from a Balinese beach. 😅

I've licensed a lot of sunset illustrations during my career. (The most recent one was on my latest collab with Happy Planner!)

 

But they all have one thing in common. They're stylized in some unique way.

 

Here are two examples of sunset-inspired designs that got licensed:

 

My Retro Sunset collection with Happy Planner was created with a trendy maximalist color scheme and cute, retro iconography. It all started with one sun illustration, but turned into an entire collection that got licensed on all kinds of fun products. I also got to spot some more of my sunset illustrations at Michael's when I was back home in the U.S. recently! 

 

 

My popular acrylic sunset illustration used trend-forward retro themes and thick, painterly acrylic brushstrokes to make it stand out. It wound up on bedding in Target!

The key in both of these collabs was that I took a motif that was a popular seller (sunsets), created it in my unique style (bold colors, thick brushstrokes), and infused trending elements as well (retro design, on-trend color palettes). 

 

This is where strategy comes into play with your portfolio. 

 

Instead of just thinking about the motif, you also want to think about the other elements that will make the piece truly stand out as a marketable design.

 

And on top of all that, you need to make sure you're staying true to your own artistic voice. People ask all the time if they have to abandon their style in order to follow trends. Nope! You just need to find where there is overlap between your style and trending elements or motifs. 

 

This week, your #CreateWithCatCoq challenge is to come up with a stylized sunset of your own.

 

Think about what kinds of trends and popular stylization choices you can incorporate. Whether it's a color palette, a specific drawing style, or a funky take on a classic scene, you have the freedom to choose what feels true to you. If you need some extra inspo, check out my 2025 trend report to get an idea of what's popular these days!

 

To participate in the #CreateWithCatCoq challenge, simply follow the prompt and post a photo of your work on Instagram with the hashtag #CreateWithCatCoq and tag me @catcoq in the actual photo. Instagram has made it harder to find hashtag posts these days, so tagging me in the photo itself is the best way to make sure I see it.

Here are a few of the submissions from last week's foodie challenge!

 

If you want to be featured in this newsletter and on my Instagram stories, make sure to use the hashtag #CreateWithCatCoq on Instagram and tag @catcoq in the actual photo you post so I can find your work! 

Have a fabulous week!