WHY (& HOW) I CREATED A CALENDAR
The WHY
I am a big believer that beauty belong in the everyday. I’m incredibly grateful to live surrounded by natural beauty, and one of my main goals as an artist is to capture that sense of wonder—to hold it still for a moment so I can return to it later. For inspiration. For a moment of gratitude. Sometimes just for a smile.
One of the simplest ways to enjoy art every day is through a calendar as it becomes a part of your daily rhythm, something you glance at in the morning or pause over as the day turns. I’ve dreamed of creating a calendar for a long time, and throughout 2025 I had no shortage of ideas. But working full-time is no joke, and I didn’t have the capacity to create multiple collections, which meant I had to choose carefully where my time and energy went.
In the end, I decided to create a collection that felt deeply personal. I named it Tangle & Thicket: Small Lives Among the Quiet Wild. This body of work focuses on the small, often unnoticed creatures—the ones passed over because they’re common, quiet, or easily overlooked.
It’s funny how familiarity can dull our sense of wonder. Wildlife that felt novel—like woodpeckers, nuthatches, and blue jays—are now part of my everyday landscape. And so wonder becomes a choice. One I try to practice. There is no shortage of beauty to notice, even when it seems repetitive; the alternative is complacency. And Creation, I believe, does not belong in the gaze of complacency.
The HOW
From the beginning, I knew I wanted this calendar to combine two of my favourite styles: linocut and watercolour. Two very contrasting styles: one loose and fluid, and one confined and rigid. Since I haven’t yet ventured into true linocut printing (stay tuned!), my plan was to draw each page on my iPad, print the designs, trace and transfer them onto watercolour paper, preserve the white areas with masking fluid, and then flood the illustrations with paint.
Some of the drawings kind of worked this way.
Others did not.
I struggled to maintain clean edges between the masking fluid and the paint, especially while preserving fine details. It may have helped to use smoother hot-press paper instead of my beloved cotton Arches paper—but I’m not entirely sure. What I am sure of is how discouraging it felt to watch so much careful work unravel in the final stage.
So I pivoted.
I chose to combine my watercolour paints with my digital drawings, and that’s how the calendar illustrations were ultimately created. Letting go of a fully analog process was disappointing at first, but it turned out to be an important lesson. It opened the door to new ideas—new ways of combining true linocut and watercolour without the hassle of tracing and masking fluid. I’m currently brainstorming and discovering different techniques, and I’m genuinely excited to share what unfolds over the coming months.
Another major reason this calendar exists at all is Liz Kohler Brown’s Calendar Bootcamp. The course includes Affinity Designer templates, a clear timeline, printing guidance, and honestly, everything you need to take a calendar from idea to finished product. I truly credit my ability to complete this project to Liz and the immense amount of time and guesswork her resources saved me.
I’ve been a member of The Studio by Liz Kohler Brown since I received my iPad in December 2023, and it has been such a gift. Through her classes, I’ve grown confident in Procreate, Affinity Designer, pattern design, and now calendar creation. The Studio includes live critiques, live drawing sessions, expert interviews, and a deep library of accessible resources designed to support creatives at every stage.
If you’re feeling unsure of where to begin—or overwhelmed by the idea of starting at all—I can’t recommend her membership enough. Liz offers free foundational courses in Procreate and Affinity Designer, as well as a free week inside the Studio so you can explore the community and resources for yourself.
For me, this year will be full of art, learning, creativity, and beauty. I hope the same is true for you. May your year be filled with wonder, your hands with making, and your days with small moments of beauty.