The Materials
What materials do I use to draw and make my products?
Homemade, as sustainable as possible and recycled - for the sake of the environment and us!
Colours and Pens
In most cases I start my drawings with a pencil sketch. I prefer to use a mechanical pencil for this, so I always have a sharp lead at hand!
I try to avoid using erasers as much as possible - if I don't like something, at least I know what I can improve!
After the pencil sketch, it's time to rework the lines with my favorite ink pen. This gives my drawings the clean lines and a touch of colouring pages.
Once the ink has dried well, the eraser comes and erases the pencil.
The watercolours are the real star of my pictures. I use different brands and sometimes gouache or gel pens for details.
Anyone who has ever painted with watercolours knows that they are quite unpredictable. The picture often looks different when wet than when the colours are dry and sometimes even run into each other.
Of course you can achieve very precise effects with certain techniques, but working with watercolour still gives me a feeling of lightness and freedom every time.
The right paper for the right product
Sketchbooks
My search for the right paper for my sketchbooks ultimately led me to 250gsm recycled paper, perfect for all techniques!
The cover is made of a rubbery cardboard that protects the artwork inside from water splashes!
Stapled? No! Hand tied!
Cards
I print cards (and prints) directly onto high-quality 300g/m² cold-pressed watercolour paper - which I also use for painting!
The cards also come with an envelope made of craft paper.
Both are packaged in compostable PLA.
Notebooks
100g/m² recycled paper in natural white is great for writing and drawing - it is also much more stable than conventional printer paper!
The cover is either colorfully printed watercolor paper or lineart on craft cardboard.
Of course, these booklets are also bound by hand by me!
Does sustainability work as a small business?
From the beginning it was clear to me that I wanted to make as much of my products myself as possible. For anything I can't make on my own, I try to work with other small companies.
Saskia makes my lovely keychains and pins:
https://www.saskiasatelier.at/
Apart from that, I pay attention to quality and durability when selecting my materials, same as origin and ecology.
Wherever I haven't succeeded yet, I'm always looking for a solution!
All of my products are drawn by myself, scanned, processed on the computer, printed, folded, bound, cut by myself and approved by my cats. If a cat hair has crept in, it is a sign of purrfection.*
* Of course, I make sure to manufacture and package my products as allergy-friendly as possible, but I can never be 100% sure...