Where the magic happens
This is my drafting table, where all the Lola cards are created. Note the stuffed animals and the bottle of Snapple. Toys and sugar are a big part of the creative process around here. I also have my brushes, disposable palettes, watercolors, pencils, erasers, spray bottle and t-squares on hand and in easy reach. You can't see one of the most important tools of my trade in this photo - music! I make sure to put something on that will inspire the particular image on which I'm working. In this case, there was a lot of travelin' music like "King of the Road," "Born to Be Wild," and "Highway to Hell."

Rough sketch
I do several rough sketches of any given card idea before deciding what to actually put on watercolor paper. I knew I wanted to go for an "Easy Rider" feeling to this card and I would have to find just the right bike and background to really capture the feeling. The southwest immediately sprang to mind, and I knew I'd have to do some visual research to find the perfect bike. I also needed to concentrate on getting the feeling of speed and wind into the drawing so I made Lola's fluffy cheek fur and whiskers bend back in the breeze. The helmet with space for the ears of both Lola and the Lolettes was my favorite touch to the initial sketch. I knew I had the feel of it down in the lower sketch on this page of her face. The expression was just perfect.

Reference materials
For an image such as "Biker Babe Lola," visual references are a must in order to get the realism that really brings Lola's props and backgrounds to life. For much of the card artwork, I can create places or items that I want to feature from memory, but in the case of the motorcycle Lola rides, I needed a more concrete image. I found this on-line and it's a 2002 Indian Spirit. I checked out a number of vintage and modern cycle sites before this image just popped out at me and said "Lola!"

Transfer of final outline
Now that I have a solid idea of what the final image should look like, it's time to commit it all to paper. First I cut the watercolor paper to size (approximately twice the dimensions of the card front) and tape it down on a pad on my desk to keep the edges from curling due to the watercolor. Then, working carefully, I sketch the final image directly on the paper, using a light soft pencil. Sometimes I draw a pretty exact copy of my final rough sketch, sometimes I continue to improvise and add or subtract features directly on the final outline. In this case, the background mesas and the lizard on the rock in the foreground were added at the last minute. The bike and figures were pretty close to the last rough sketch.

Blocking out blacks and shadows
Now I start adding watercolor. First I use Payne's Gray to begin filling in Lola's dark fur and any parts of the drawing that will be very dark. I add a light gray wash to any areas that I know will have a shadow, just to make sure I keep the angle of the lighting consistent.

Filling in the colors, characters first
Next come the colors and I always start with the characters and any clothing or props they have on them. Lola generally tends to wear reds, pinks or purples and the Lolettes, as careful observers have already probably noted, all have their individual signature colors of red, yellow and blue. Once I block in the basic colors of the characters, I can get a better sense for what colors might harmonize in the background. In this particular painting, I was a little nervous that the dark leather jacket might be too close in color to Lola's fur, but I solved my dilemma by adding a dark brown tone to the jacket which made it very distinct from the rest of Lola's body. Whew! Disaster averted!

A little hue adjustment
This photo looks awfully similar to the previous shot, but if you look carefully you'll see that I've slightly altered the brightness and tone of some of the colors, particularly the road and the red on the cycle. The first pass of color is almost always a bit lighter than the final colors are, because you can always darken a shade in watercolor but it's very difficult to lighten it again. I've also started adding some detail and outlining to the front wheel of the bike. I normally wait to add all outlining after all the colors have been put in, but I was kind of nervous that this image wasn't working and I wanted to test it before I did any more work. If I needed to scrap this and start over, I wanted to lose as little time and work as possible. Luckily, it all started coming together when I added just a few dark lines, so I kept on working. Art can be a nerve-wracking process sometimes - especially when there's a deadline involved!

Background colors take shape
Once I'm pretty satisfied with the characters' color, I begin to block in the background, once again erring on the side of them being initially too light rather than too dark. On some images, I deliberately make sure the background colors are a bit paler or more muted than the ones I use for the characters just to make sure they pop out a bit.

All the colors are there
I've finally got all the colors for the foreground, background and characters in place and to my liking. At this point, the image often looks a little fuzzy and out of focus since there aren't many sharp delineations between the shapes or colors. But, you can see what the basic final image will look and feel like.

Final outlines, highlights and fine details are added
This is possibly the second most fun part of the process for me, after the initial drawing. I carefully begin adding outlines and subtle shadows, highlights and shading until the image becomes crisp and the personalities of the characters really begin to sparkle and come alive. The very last details I add before putting my signature on it and calling it done are Lola's white whiskers and the two white highlights in her eyes. Once the twinkle is in her eye, Lola really begins to seem almost alive to me.

The inside cartoon
Now that the main image for the front of the card has been completed, I work on the text and the inside "bonus" black and white cartoon. This is sort of like dessert after a great meal for me - light, fluffy and sweet. I try to add something that you haven't already seen on the front of the card, but that complements the outer image. Route 66, the famous American highway of yesteryear, seemed to have the perfect feel with this card. I once again did a little internet visual research to find an authentic route sign to copy the shape and lettering as closely as I could. As "cartoony" as these images may be, I always want them to be grounded in real, recognizable props and backgrounds.

Putting it all into the computer for final layout
Once all the images for each card are finished, I scan them into the computer and use Photoshop to crop the edges, resize the images and correct any errors or smudges that I might have made. I put in the text, using Cinderella, our signature Lola font and add the little bonus fun on the back of the card, along with our logo. Then I make a test print of each card using my laser printer to make sure everything lines up and looks good. As you can see, I often have "help" in the form of one of my four cats. In this photo, Sumi is holding down the fort for me. What would I do without them?