Making "Winter Wonderland"

The inspiration for this year's card came from a walk I took in late November, just as the first snow of the season was falling. There's something magical about that moment when the world transforms from brown and gray to pristine white.

I knew I wanted to capture that feeling of warmth-within-cold—the way a lit window looks so inviting when you're standing outside in the snow.

The design process started with several thumbnail sketches. I tried different arrangements: the cabin centered, off to one side, viewed from different angles. Eventually I settled on a three-quarter view that let me show both the front door and one side of the building.

One challenge was deciding how much detail to include in the trees. Too little and they'd look flat; too much and they'd compete with the cabin for attention. I ended up using a layering technique that I'll describe on the next page.