From Artist Block to Beachy Art: Creating My Saltwater Sayings Collection
SOMETIMES THE BEST IDEAS HAPPEN WHEN YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU’RE DOING.
My Saltwater Sayings Collection actually started during a serious case of artist's block.
I wanted to make something. I just... had absolutely no idea what that something should be.
Instead of staring at a blank Procreate canvas waiting for inspiration to magically strike, I decided to stop worrying about what the finished piece would become and just start putting down shapes.
Beachy shapes, obviously. 🌴
Carving out the shapes
I started with a simple palm tree and kept the entire illustration in a single color. Then, little by little, I began filling the empty space around it with whatever organic, ocean-inspired shapes seemed to fit.
Sun rays. Leaves. Waves. Little swirls and curves.
There wasn't much of a plan. I was really just looking at the negative space and asking myself:
WHAT SHAPE WANTS TO LIVE HERE?
The process started to feel almost like carving a design out of wood. Instead of drawing individual objects and arranging them into a composition, I was carving away at the empty space until all of the little shapes fit together.
And limiting myself to a single color meant I didn't have to think about palettes or shading or any of the other decisions that can sometimes make a blank canvas feel even blanker.
I could just focus on shape, line and space.
Which, apparently, was exactly what my artist-blocked brain needed.
And then came the words
Somewhere along the way, I had the idea to work a little beachy saying into the illustration:
SALTWATER CURES ALL.
And suddenly the whole thing clicked!
The combination of the hand-lettered phrase, simple one-color palette and all of those wiggly organic shapes gave it this retro, slightly surfy feel that I loved.
More importantly... it felt like something I could keep playing with.
ONE BEACHY SAYING WAS DEFINITELY NOT GOING TO BE ENOUGH.
One idea becomes a series
Once I knew I wanted to turn the concept into a collection, I created two more illustrations using that same process.
For High Tides & Good Vibes, a sea turtle became the centerpiece, surrounded by palms, waves, sunshine and tropical shapes.
And for Eat. Sleep. Beach. Repeat., I built the design around a big seashell and filled every little nook and cranny with coral, starfish, sunshine and other bits of ocean goodness.
And thus… the Saltwater Sayings Collection was born! Huzzah!
Each one is different, but they all follow the same little set of self-imposed rules:
One main beachy illustration
One color
A hand-lettered coastal saying
Lots and lots of organic shapes tucked into the negative space
I love how limiting the options actually made me feel more creative, not less.
From Procreate to the wall
These designs felt like art prints from the very beginning.
The larger size really lets all of those tiny shapes and details shine, while the simple color palettes keep them from feeling too busy.
There's the sage-green Saltwater Cures All palm tree print, the turquoise High Tides & Good Vibes sea turtle, and the coral Eat. Sleep. Beach. Repeat. seashell.
They're printed on thick matte paper and available in several sizes, so they can bring a little retro beach-house energy to a gallery wall, entryway, bedroom or anywhere else that could use some salt air.
But once I had three coordinating designs sitting next to each other...
YOU KNOW I COULDN’T JUST LEAVE THEM AS ART PRINTS.
Turning the artwork into happy mail
One of the things I love most about creating collections is figuring out how artwork can live beyond its original format.
And these designs were practically begging to become paper goods.
I turned all three Saltwater Sayings into postcards, so they can actually head off on their own little adventures through the mail.
They're printed right here in my Florida home studio on thick matte cardstock, with space on the back for a message, address and stamp.
I also turned the designs into blank greeting cards for beachy birthday notes, vacation thank-yous, just-because mail or anything else that calls for a little sunshine.
You can pick your favorite design individually or get a mixed set with all three.
A little saltwater for the fridge, too
Apparently I also decided notebooks and walls shouldn't get to have all the fun.
The three illustrations became a coordinating Saltwater Sayings magnet set, which might be one of my favorite ways to see them together.
They're like tiny little pieces of beach art for your fridge, locker or magnetic board.
From artist's block to an entire collection
It's funny to think that Saltwater Sayings started because I didn't know what to draw.
There was no grand plan for a collection. I wasn't sitting down to design three coordinating pieces of coastal wall art and a whole family of stationery.
I just needed to make something, so I gave myself a few simple limitations and started filling the page.
Sometimes I think that's one of the best things you can do when you're creatively stuck: make the decisions smaller.
One color.
One shape.
One empty space at a time.
And see where it takes you.
In this case, it took me from one little palm tree on my iPad to an entire collection of art prints, postcards, greeting cards and magnets.
NOT TOO SHABBY FOR A DAY OF ARTIST'S BLOCK. 😉
