Making of a Hand Drawn Card

I was commissioned to make this card for Christmas last year (2008) Back then I wasn't 'blogging' so this is the first time I've shown it. At that time the 'doggie' people I work for had their own small business and the 'boss man' Francis, wanted to send cards to all his customers. I was told just what he wanted, a cartoon of himself talking to Santa, who had to be playing with something electrical. Fairy lights I suggested. Also the British Standard number 7671 had to be in the joke. (BS 7671 "Requirements for electrical installations")
This is the end result ... but this is how it all started off!

I did a few very quick drawings to get me in the mood and to give me some ideas. At first Santa started life on the roof of a house and Francis (boss man) was the Inspector guy who checks all the electrical work after it's done. He wanted to carry a clipboard because he said his customers were getting used to him telling them, he couldn't do a job in the way they wanted, as it, 'did not apply to British Standards'

I wasn't sure anyone would get the joke, so I added one of his dogs so that there would be a little gag from him, just in case the electrical one didn't work.

I roughly drew the drawing the way it would appear on the card. By now I'd added a waving snowman and an elf. I didn't put the speech bubble in yet as I wasn't sure where to put it, as I didn't want to cover up any of the back ground that might add to the picture. but...there was still something missing. The back ground!In this coloured copy I added some snow covered trees in the background...but I thought there was still something missing!

In this picture you can see the trees in the background but now I'd added a sleigh, a smiling Christmas tree with the waving snowman peeping out from behind it. I'd cut out the top of the drawing, and in between the small branches of the trees as I'd had an idea about how to do the 'night sky'

Because at that time, I was only using Whisper pens, water colour pencils and the odd Aqua Promaker pen I could scrounge, I was having trouble getting a good colour for the night sky. So after I cut out the picture, I fixed it onto a dark blue 'snowy' back ground paper.

I coloured it in, reduced the whole thing in size, scanned it, and then printed out about 50 then adhered them to A5 cards. After that I added a 'Season's Greeting' silver peel off, spruced up the colour a little more and added some Stickles Glitter glue. This was the first proto-type I did on 5"x7" card. When I used to draw cartoons years ago, they all had a spider hidden on them somewhere ...can you spot them?!

Just wanted to add a warm welcome and a ((((big wave )))) to two new followers!!! ((Yayyy!!)) Illusion142 who has some really lovely poetry over on Retrospection and some amazing pictures on Flickr. Also Sarah from Sarah's Little Creations. Some lovely cards over there, so pop over and have a look! Don't forget to say hi! Back tomorrow with....hmmmm??? Oh, that 'Snowy' card. Thanks for stopping by!!**
Up date...Thank Goodness I found photo shop!!!