Artist Journal: Kristina Gaughran (Kris’ Penguins)
Tuesday, May 7, 2017
Keepsake Artist, Kris Gaughran loves penguins—a fact that’s easily seen in her “Petite Penguins” miniature series and the trio of penguins she sculpts every year as a full-size ornament. “It seems that I’m sketching penguins most of the time,” she says. “To get one idea, I’ll sketch up a number of things before landing on something I like. Sketching is probably one of the things I struggle with the most, but that just means I need to do it more often!”
It’s Kris’s sketches that help her larger Keepsake team to understand the idea behind her next ornament. “Sometimes the sketch helps to convey the idea to the team,” she says, “But most of the time, it’s just a sketch. The sculpt always evolves as I’m working on making it the finished product.”
Kris’ Penguins Sketches
Kris also likes to bring her penguins to life in other ways that help her come up with ideas for her ornaments. “I’m always trying to come up with fun situations for the penguins in my ornaments,” she says. “I currently have many little projects in the works,” she says. “I’m even working on some needle felted penguins!”
And lucky for Kris, she has some inspiration at home as well. “My oldest son, Finn loves to do art with me,” she said. “I hope he’s inheriting a sculpting talent. I’m not biased or anything, but I think he’s the best little sculptor around!”
Other Gaughran Penguins
Discover the Magic: Joanne Eschrich’s Father Christmas #16
Go behind the scenes with Keepsake Artist Joanne Eschrich as her 2019 Father Christmas comes to life.
This old-world Santa, with a globe in his hands, and the scroll in his pack, reminds us of the community spirit that the holiday season brings.
Holiday Magic Begins Here: Nutcracker Sweet, Sugar Plum Fairy
Keepsake Master Artist Edythe Kegrize gets a once in a lifetime opportunity while researching for her Exclusive Nutcracker Sweet Sugar Plum Fairy.
The end result is a sweet fairy that’s sure to leave sugar plums dancing in your head!
Artist Journal: Terri Steiger (Noble Nutcrackers)
Wednesday, April 17, 2019
Keepsake Artist Terri Steiger’s new series “Noble Nutcrackers” debuts in 2019—perfect for nutcracker fans of all ages. What many ornament enthusiasts don’t realize is that months of work go in to creating a new series fans will love. Not only do artists come up with the idea for the first in series, they also gather inspiration and sometimes even sketch ideas for several ornaments to come in the series—making sure each ornament will surprise and delight fans long term.
“I like to start with gathering things for inspiration,” says Terri. “In this case, that meant looking at lots of different materials and colors when I was starting to sketch.”
Terri shared pictures of her storyboard for the series, where you’ll see inspiration for this year’s first in series “Prince of the Forest,” and maybe even a sneak peek or two of what’s to come later in the series!
Noble Nutcrackers
Artist Journal: Robert Hurlburt
Wednesday, March 6, 2019
When Keepsake Artist, Robert Hurlburt sits down at his desk to work every day, he has a wealth of inspiration at his fingertips ready to influence the next Keepsake ornament in the line. “I sit in the Innovation Center at Hallmark, so my work space is surrounded by all kinds of cool workshops,” he said. “From ceramics to fiber art to wood working/carving to laser and 3D printing—I’m surrounded by ideas and inspiration while I’m coming up with my own ideas for ornaments.”
But Robert also credits many of his great ideas to caffeine. “I’m a coffee-holic,” he said. “I can’t do anything without my cup of inspiration. I like to toss ideas around with Ken Crow while hanging around the coffee machine.”
When idea time is over and he’s ready to get sculpting on his latest creation, his workspace is packed with tools to get the job done. “My grinder tools from my engraving/die-making days are used a lot to create parts for other artists,” he said. “I also use them to do intricate detail work that would be difficult to do otherwise.”
When asked if his workspace feels conducive to creativity, Robert chuckled. “Well, it’s a creative mess with all the tools that I could need at my disposal,” he said. “But it’s also littered with examples of past and present work laying around for reference, and that’s always helpful.”
Also helpful is a gift from former Keepsake Artist, Sue Tague. “Sue made these little Calvin and Hobbes characters years ago,” Robert said. “They remind me every day of the wonderfully talented people I get to work with.”
