Paper Raven Co. Blog

Happy April! For this month's illustration, I was inspired by all of the little things blooming around my neighborhood. I hope you enjoy it! :)

* To Receive the April Desktop Wallpaper, click the Graphic Below! *



I'm always happy to see your new backgrounds over on Instagram - be sure to snap a pic and tag me!

Plus, a Special Announcement:

We have a lovely new collection dropping on Thursday, April 13th! 

Be sure to put a note on your calendar! We will have a whole bunch of new greeting cards, stickers, books, and other goodies!! I'll be sending a few more emails out with details as we get closer - make sure you're on the list!!! - plus, we will be having a mega sale on newly retired items! 

Can't wait to see you there as we unveil all the newness!
Warmly,
  

Update: If you are coming from the future (2024, lol!), you are in the right place! 

A few weeks ago, I fell and injured my wrist on my dominant drawing hand, so I have not been able to make work at the same capacity recently until it is healed up! I’m not one to April Fools, so I wanted to make sure you had a wallpaper in your inbox this morning, even if it was a re-run :) The dates for this wallpaper are indeed correct for 2024, and I hope you will enjoy a fun Throwback Edition of my April Wallpaper! Click the image below to receive your wallpaper.

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Happy April! :) I hope it's been feeling like Spring wherever you are! This is the first Spring we are in our house, and we have been discovering all kinds of plants and trees that we didn't realize we had in our yard - like daffodils, a dogwood tree, and a Japanese Maple tree (Dan's favorite). As we've made these discoveries, it's truly felt like a little bit of magic. I also feel a shifting sense of energy: an excitement for things to come and a renewed sense of joy. So with that in mind, I created April's Desktop Wallpaper for you, to share a little magic with you too. I hope you like it!

*** Click on the image below to receive the Desktop Wallpaper. ***

 

If you like these, I would love if you'd share a snap of your space with the newest wallpaper with me, and I will be reposting them on my Instagram Stories!

* Be sure to check out my "Wallpapers" Instagram Story Highlight to grab some free backgrounds for your phone!

Thank you so much!
Warmly,

Happy April, and Happy Easter, for those who celebrate. If you don't celebrate, then cheers to more sunshine - which we are finally having here in Atlanta! And what inspired April's Wallpaper. On my quest for more color, I have fallen even more deeply in love with royal blues and bright yellows. I hope you enjoy this happy wallpaper! Sending you good vibes at the start of this month.

Click on the graphic above to download the free desktop wallpaper. And check out a peek at my inking process below.

If you like these, please tell your friends about it, and tag me on Instagram with a pic of your desktop or phone in your feed or stories, and I'll be sharing them on my Stories :) Cheers, Enjoy, and hopefully you are eating lots of candy today... for reasons that are your own ;) My personal fav? Those Cadbury Creme Eggs. Ugh yes.

One of the best parts of my day, as the weather has warmed, has been walking my sweet dog Patty in the afternoons. Our neighborhood is in bloom, and we have a ton of bird species nesting in the trees. During our outings, I like to pause and take a moment to intentionally appreciate nature, to notice details, and welcome that peaceful mental state into my work. If that sounds a little "woo-woo" to you, maybe it is. But in an increasingly chaotic world, especially when the environment and the planet is at such risk, it's become a focal point of my day to stop and be grateful for the beauty around me. Nature teaches us so many things: persistence, balance, harmony; I find that very comforting, and I've strived to make those principles an integral part of my illustrations.

So for April's Desktop Download, I give you an illustration based on my favorite scene from Alice in Wonderland: you can learn a lot of things from the flowers. Click the image below to grab it. 

Here is the full illustration (but click the image above for the download!), and a detail shot of me drawing it. I start with a pencil sketch, then ink in the leaves with India Ink, and then ink in the lines. Finally, I bring the illustration into Photoshop to finish it. Happy Spring!