GIVEAWAY: Derek Sullivan Prints and Cards

First of all... I'm back!! It was such a long trip from Russia to Idaho - I'm still jet-lagged. I am becoming old hahah But seriously, I left home in Moscow on Monday night and I got here on Wednesday evening! Three airplanes and four car rides. In other words, I'm really tired. On my 3 week trip it was impossible to reply to all the comments and emails, I'm going to do it soon! For the next couple of days I'll try to get all my things together and make clear plans for the nearest future. To celebrate my reunion with Idahome I prepared something super cool for you. I hope you enjoy it! So...

Let me introduce you to one of my favorite finds on Etsy - Derek Sullivan Prints and Cards Shop! I love the animal illustrations so much - my top list from this shop consists of Dodo and Narwhal prints. And moreover there is a Visit Idaho print that just melts my heart! We just moved to Idaho but whenever we move forward to a new place in the future I'd love to take a print from my state with me. 

I was curious about the story behind this shop and organized a little interview. Meet the talent behind all this awesomeness - Derek Sullivan!

Derek, you are currently in Seattle, WA, right? Are you originally from there?

-Yes, I've lived in Seattle for the last 6 years or so. I grew up in Vancouver, Washington, just outside of Portland.

How did you develop your style? Did you go to school for graphic design or arts?

-I pretty much started developing my style from a very early age. When I was in first grade I would draw Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck for my classmates, and then a couple years later it was characters from the Simpsons. After high school I moved up to Seattle to go to the Art Institute to get a degree in animation. I then went up even farther north to Western Washington University and got a degree in graphic design, which is where I started to be more graphical with my approach and incorporate typography into my work. So now my day job is as a freelance graphic designer and illustrator.

What inspired you to open a shop?

-I opened up my shop when I was working at a design agency and I felt like I needed an outlet to create prints just for fun and not for a client. It's been very rewarding to be able to create prints and cards whenever I'm inspired to and get positive feedback from people. 

What do you use to make your prints and cards?

-I create my prints and cards using Illustrator and Photoshop. I first draw out the basic layout, then scan it in and draw again using bezier curves. Then I take the vectors into photoshop and paint on the shapes and add textures.

Any big dreams for your future?  

-My next big goal is to publish a children's book. I have a few pages finished and once I have a few more I'm going to try to get a publisher interested. It's a long shot, but a fun process no matter what happens.  

Thank you, Derek, for helping to feed my curiosity! My very best wishes to you and lots of luck with the children's book! And now it's time for something absolutely fantastic! Derek is giving away $20 shop credit to one lucky reader of Chestnut Mocha! I wish I could win it! I would get a couple of prints for sure.. or maybe a tshirt.. ahh to hard to choose! Just follow the rules below and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway