New Designs from Jacqui Lee

We're big fans of Jacqui Lee's work here at Hello!Lucky, as you may have noticed from the many collaborations we've done with her in the past. Today we're excited to talk to her about her latest release with us, birth announcements and kids stationery. We thought Jacqui's beautiful watercolor paintings and sweet designs would be perfect for such an important life announcement and we are thrilled with how they turned out. We talked to Jacqui about her latest release with us and her process.

These new designs are adorable! What was your process for making them and how did you decide on which animals to pair with each letter? 

Thank you! I had a lot of fun making them. Animals are always a favourite subject of mine to work on, so this was a dream project for me. In the beginning there was a lot of brainstorming to match up animals with each letter, and sometimes it was super tough to choose just one. For the letter A, an aardvark lost out because I felt I could create a more visually interesting image with an alligator. Many of the final decisions were made based on which animal and letter combinations had the most character.

Do you have a personal favorite? 

It's tough for me to pick favourites with this series, but I admit I have a soft spot for the letter L. I remember the lion was giving me a bit of trouble and I ended up doing a lot of revisions on him. I really like the way he turned out in the end.

Where do you draw inspiration from?  

For this project, I had a clear idea that all of the animals and letters in the alphabet had to be simple. I ended up taking a lot of inspiration from one of my favourite illustrators, Charley Harper. He was a master of creating distinctive animals using mainly shape and colour. 

Who are some of your favorite designers? 

There is so much great work out there that I have many, many favourites. I feel like there are too many to list, but I will say that I have always admired Louise Fili's work and her distinctive design aesthetic. As for illustrators, again, there are so many! Some of my favourites will always be mid-century illustrators such as Alice and Martin Provensen, Art Seiden, and Roger Duvoisin. 

What are you currently working on? 

I'm currently working on a children's book! It's actually the third in a series that I started on back in 2011 with Simply Read Books - the first is titled Murilla Gorilla: Jungle Detective. It has been an amazing experience so far. Jennifer Lloyd (the author) and I have been getting some fantastic reviews, and I feel really lucky to be paired up with such a great writer and publisher. Right now I'm still in the sketching and planning stage, which is probably my favourite part.

Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us Jacqui, and thanks again for another awesome collaboration. We can't wait to work with you again!

You can see all of Jacqui's designs for Hello!Lucky here. View more of Jacqui's work on her website, follow along with her on twitter & tumblr.

New Jacqui Lee Wedding Invitations

Hold on to your hats! The brand new Jacqui Lee collection has completely blown us away. The four invitation suites each have their own magical theme, but all have one thing in common - they were hand illustrated by the insanely talented Jacqui Lee. It's easy to see how much time and consideration was given to these mini artworks, all suitable for their own frame. These designs are now available just in time for spring, and just in time for your wedding stationery needs. Flora and Fauna (above and below) includes all the tiny elements of spring that we adore. And with Jacqui's charming critters and characters making appearances, they are perfect for an outdoor celebration.

Classic Parisian delight inspired this French Bicycle suite. With dreams of strolling the cobblestone streets and picking up a fresh bunch of flowers at the local market, this design is c'est magnifique.

It's time to channel your inner princess! Happily Ever After is exactly how you'll be living after a wedding inspired by this fairytale suite.

And Adventure sets the tone for a lifetime of romance and thrill. We love the evening enchantment of this suite, which would suit a celebration under the stars just magically.

Meet Jacqui Lee. Currently living and working in Vancouver, BC, her painterly style shines among a growing world of graphic design. Her holiday cards last year were such a hit, we honestly couldn't wait to collaborate for a wedding collection. Jacqui give us some insider information about her process:

1. What was your inspiration for this collection?

A lot of my inspiration came from imagery I associate with spring. I was working on this in the middle of a rainy and gloomy winter, so it seemed natural that all the ideas I was sketching down were bright and fun.

2. Did you like designing for a wedding collection?

Yes! I think there is so much opportunity to get really creative when designing for weddings. I've been seeing a lot of really great wedding work lately, so it was a ton of fun to try my hand at it. I was really trying to get into different niche personalities for each suite, and I hope that people can really connect with them.

3. What usually inspires your illustrations?

I'm always very inspired by the work of mid-century designers and illustrators.

4. If you had to pick one which suite would you chose?

Honestly, it's a tough choice. I worked on all of the suites simultaneously so they sort of grew off one another, yet there are separate elements in each that I really like. However, my initial starting point for the whole collection was the Foliage design, so I would have to say it's closest to me.

5. You illustrate so many adorable animals, is there anything behind that? Which is your favorite to illustrate?

That's funny because I never considered myself an illustrator who especially enjoyed drawing animals until they started showing up everywhere in my work. I decided to just embrace it, and then it became very natural for me to start using animals as different personalities. As of yet, I don't think I have a favourite...but bears have been popping up a lot in my work lately.

Check out the entire Jacqui Lee collection right here!

Featuring Jacqui Lee and H!L Giveaway!

Today we're checking in with our featured designer Jacqui Lee! Jacqui is an illustrator currently enjoying life in Vancouver, BC. Much of her work is inspired by decades past, and she hopes to take some of that retro charm and add it to her own creative endeavors. We love her hand drawn text and illustrative qualities in each of her holiday cards. It must be fun to live inside her head when she's coming up with such hilarious designs like Fa la la and Animal Sweaters. Who doesn't love a band of musical woodland creatures? So glad Jacqui is a part of our collection!

What inspired your design for the holiday collection?

To be honest, there wasn't any specific thing that inspired me. It was more of a group of things. What I can definitely say is the enthusiasm shown by the Hello!Lucky team when we were first going through ideas was a huge inspiration. It was a great starting point that propelled me through the whole process. Oh, and I may have listened to some holiday tunes on repeat.

What are you currently working on?

Something really exciting that I can't talk about (yet).

What influences your style the most?

This is a tough question! I feel like I'm always being influenced by the new and different things coming out of the creative community. If I wanted to try and pin a specific influence down, I would have to say mid-century illustration, especially children's books. During my time in art school I was definitely influenced by all of the amazing work surrounding me, but I think I've always been drawn to the whimsical and charming work done by illustrators like Art Seiden, Cliff Roberts, and Charley Harper. Visually devouring all of this work has probably made a mark on my own to some degree.

What's your favorite holiday tradition?

Baking cookies! I must have my gingerbread men.

Best holiday memory?

My childhood home had a very large hill in the backyard where we would have all-day-long toboggan parties with friends and family. We would hurtle ourselves down that hill all day long until it was dark out. Then we'd retreat inside to eat cookies, drink hot chocolate and warm up by the fireplace.

To enter to win a $100 gift certificate to Hello!Lucky (which you could use to order Jacqui Lee’s holiday cards!) head over to her blog today where she’ll be hosting a giveaway! Best of luck!

**A winner has been chosen! Thanks for participating!**