I know that I have said it a million times before, but experimentation is one of the best things I can recommend for any type of creative. I find that it is the best way to learn about a tool, about a process and about your own work. If you don’t push the boundaries of a tool, how are you going to use it to create the best work that you can make?
Read moreTag: creativity
Creativity – Use the Good Stuff
Use the stickers, the candles, the nice markers, the fancy paper! DO IT!
It’s that time of year where resolutions start clearing out closets, vitamins re-enter the diet and new habits make an entrance. One of my resolutions for this year is to use what I have, and use the good stuff!
We all have those things in our home. A fancy bottle of wine. The really nice candles and dishes. That extra special shirt. All for special occasions. My resolution is to use all of those things! Burn the fancy candle. Have a glass to the fancy beverage for any personal victory at all. Use the fancy things before they expire, don’t fit, or gather too much dust. You deserve it too!
One thing that I know a lot of us have is that pile of stickers without the perfect space to put them. They build and build, and we worry that we won’t be able to find the perfect place for them. What if they get ruined!
A few months ago, I took all of the stickers I had, and I took care of this issue once and for all.
I took the stickers, all of them, and I stuck them to random pages within my new notebook. I tried to spread them out, but didn’t get too worked up about perfection. I spread them out on different parts of different pages without overthinking it too much. I will be doing the same with the sketchbook I have on the go. Maybe these stickers will inspire or get incorporated into the illustrations that end up on the page!
Check out the reel here to see how it turned out!
Now I don’t have a pile of stickers losing their stickiness. They aren’t staring at me while I add to the pile. They aren’t stuck and forgotten, they are all there waiting for me as I work my way through the notebook and sketches. Now, it’s a fun surprise as I come across one with every page turn! They
This is one of my favourite solutions so far. Now I feel way less guilty about buying new stickers!!!!
How do you use your pile of stickers? Or your version of that pile of stickers?
New Year, More Magic!
Happy New Year!
It’s a new year and I am getting myself into a groove for the new year. I am in a battle with myself in between the strength of “vacation Erin” and the momentum of “studio Erin”. We will find a balance, I am confident.
My first starting point is to get all of my plans out into the open so that I can have you all hold me accountable. Here’s a few things that you can expect from the Hues & Tones space this year.
Tarot:
This year is the year! November 2026 is the launch! Brace yourself, there’s lots of work to do still, and I am so excited to see what you all think. Watch the live streams every Monday to see where things are at.
I am also hoping to have a lot of different content surrounding the deck available for all who are interested. That’s all I’ll say for right now. Lots more to come!
Socials:
I have a few things I am going to be adding to the social media content and YouTube channel.
First will be a meditation stream. A tiny few minute video of some drawing and relaxing music. Something that you can draw along with, or just watch and breathe. You’ll start to see this content in February 2026.
I also have a series that, at this moment, is very precisely named ATTSHBA (Art Things That Sound Hard But Aren’t). In these videos I will be going through something that feels daunting in the art world, but really can be made simple. This will be fun, come watch! These will be launching in March 2026.
Blog:
I am hoping to revamp the blog a little more this year as well. Not necessarily just tarot and project launches but more of the Creativity content that we started with.
Shop:
Quite a few of my pieces from the pandemic era of the studio are having milestone birthdays this year, so each one will be getting its proper feature and focus. Along side the features there will be some content available in the shop related to those pieces.
Traditional Work:
I am hoping to get back to a few more of my art tools this year outside of the digital realm. I am hoping to start some of my art in a traditional realm before finalizing each piece digitally. I’ll be featuring some of these on my live streams, meditation videos, and social media as well.
Livestreams:
The live streams will be continuing every Monday at 7PM EST on a regular schedule again this year.
Creative Jams will also be back starting in February! Keep an eye out to see who my first special guest will be, and when we will be streaming. Don’t miss these, they are going to be extra good this year.
Out in the Wild:
I also have so many plans to have Hues & Tones out in the world this year too. I’ll be in shops and markets again in 2026! Looking right now to lean more towards the second half of the year, because I will have lots to prepare to get ready.
Whew, well I’m tired… anyone else? I need a cookie and a special coffee after all that. No? Water and vitamins instead. Booooooo.
Make sure that you are following me here and on all of my platforms to be sure that you are catching all of the content as it flies into the world. Here’s a quick refresh for any that you might be missing:
December Newsletter – 2025 in Review
2025 was a huge year for the Hues & Tones studio. A lot of new things have been happening… so let’s get started.
This year I did something huge, and applied to be in-store at The Barntique, and I am so glad that I did! It was an amazing experience and Jen is truly wonderful in her support for the vendors and team. What an amazing way to start this new adventure for the studio.
I started with a small shelf to see how things would go, and then graduated to a whole bookshelf in the fall so I could display my gnomes AND tarot content at once.
I caught the bug and then decided to keep going. I applied and was accepted into the brand new Handmade Haven Collective in St. Thomas, ON. I was also accepted into three hospital gift shop locations in the area. This is part of a new program that is underway to feature and support local vendors.
I will be continuing to look for opportunities in store for my products. You’ll be seeing me in familiar and new locations in 2026!
Markets were wonderful this year as well. The consensus among vendors is that shoppers aren’t spending as much as they have in the recent past, but who can blame them right now? Even with some lower sales, I found each of my markets to be beneficial, a great learning experience, and another great way to expand my bubble and network. I have met so many amazing people at my markets, and I am thrilled to have met some returning customers. That is truly mind-blowing to me. Thank you!
I will be back in the market circuit in the second half of the year in 2026. Keep an eye on the website for dates and locations.
In the background the studio has been full speed ahead! I was able to launch a new pocket sized colouring book and 2026 track your reading bookmark. These were both in high demand and I heard the call. Both are available on my website today!
There has also been no lulls in the tarot card progress. I am currently working on card number 46, and we are on track to be ready for launch in November 2026! This project is getting a lot of traction, and I will be thrilled when we get to the point of sharing all the work with you. Check out the progress on my Behance page now!
We aren’t done yet! Still more amazing new developments this year…
I was nominated by the lovely Jane Bradbury this year to join the Adobe Community Experts program, and I was accepted! I am now an Adobe Community Expert and getting the lay of the land. In 2026 I am looking to dive right in and see where I can contribute to the community even more!
2025 was also the year of collaboration! This time last year Dan Flores and I were working on the Joker card. This blew up into a world-wide collaboration further developing face cards for a deck. We had artists from Canada, the US and UK participating. Keep an eye on the socials for more updates on where this project took us.
And finally, I launched another big initiative for the Hues & Tones studio. The new Creative Jams series was kicked off, inspired by the super bash stream on Behance livestream shut down day in 2024. I wanted to ensure that the artists from the platform were able to collaborate and stick together throughout the adjustment to new platforms. I have been lucky enough to have amazing artist from all over the world join me on unique streams where we are able to work together and talk about our creativity. Definitely more to come in 2026! Watch out for the new schedule.
This is all just the beginning! I feel like the studio is really gathering momentum and I can’t wait to see where 2026 brings us. Keep an eye out here next month for an overview of what I have planned and where I want to see the studio in the new year.
Happy Holidays all! Thank you so much for all of your support.
VII – Justice
The first card of 2025!
Read more8 of Coins – Snake Charmers
Our fourth card in the deck is our second Circus card. The 8 of Coins is the Snake Charmers.
This card was inspired by the performances described as one moves through the circus from tent to tent. The snakes dance to the music and gradually change from white to ebony while under a starry sky.
Here are the Snake Charmers…
Read moreIV – The Emperor
Card number three is our first Major Arcana card – The Emperor.
This card was inspired by a very charismatic and troubling character in the book. There’s an incident in the book (I’ll try and avoid spoilers) where the character… shifts to a different state, let’s say. I knew that I had to use this element in the card to try and push the design along. Read more to see how this card came together…
Read more10 of Coins – Kittens of the Circus
I have had a project percolating for over a decade. I had the project fully ready and planned out, and then I stalled out when it was time to start executing it. I worried about style, I worried about the final plan, I worried about changing my plan part way through.
It turns out that my style just wasn’t ready yet. Late last year I did a little digging back into the idea to see if it was worth pursuing or if I should just toss it. A few sketches, and Firefly exports later I was off and running again. OF COURSE the style I had been working in recent years would be PERFECT for this project. It was sitting right there!
Anyway, all that to say that this is the start of that project… I give you the Night Circus inspired Tarot Deck!
Our first card is the 10 of Coins.
Read moreVector Magic: Ain’t No Joke – A Collaboration
November is bring a lot for the Hues & Tones Studio. One project I am very excited for is a collaboration between myself and the Delta Tango Mike.
“Vector Magic: Ain’t No Joke” is a collaboration where we are going to be collaborating over our own livestreams on a simultaneous illustration.
Watch the first stream tomorrow morning at 8:30AM EST with Dan Flores on Behance and YouTube.
I’ll be following up later in the day at 7:00PM EST on Behance, YouTube and Facebook.
Join us for the fun! Say hi in the chat, follow us both on the socials to see how things are coming together.
Pumpkin Spice Bookmark
I love how this bookmark came together. I really wanted a design that felt like fall, gave a little challenge to the colouring, and also looked good “as is”. I am thrilled with the final result.
I used some AI support from Firefly to help with some of the elements to the design. There are a lot of different directions this could have gone.
This bookmark is in print as we speak and will be available for purchase at my October 12 market, and online shortly after. Keep an eye on Instagram and Facebook to see how to get yours.
Hues & Tones 