Happily Hummingbee

Happily Hummingbee is a card company run by a single illustrator who just wants to make people smile.
      That artist who just wants to do the thing she loves is me, Pam, and my heart is set on creating cards. Enthralled with watercolor and ink, most of my work frames fantastical life glimpsed alongside reality, with whimsical characters painted with vibrant colors, living lives not too different from our own. It’s through these fantastical narrative depictions that I intend to provide an ice-breaker to invoke a connection, start a conversation, or say sweet nothings at all.

      My goal is to create a monthly cycle of creation and production where I’m always making this month’s card set and manufacturing the previous month’s card set for sale online. Right now, the process is slow; the expense of ordering the greeting cards and packaging in bulk impedes me from putting my work on the market in a timely manner. This predicament is precisely why I’ve turned to Patreon; I’m confident I can consistently offer my process, illustrations, and digital patterns each month to share with those who are interested in my illustrative work, and in return, those paintings can become tangible platforms for connecting people from anywhere around the world.
     Until I can find more solid footing on Patreon, I'm working on a bi-monthly schedule, designing and releasing a card set and pattern every two months.
      Starting out, all that will be made are greeting cards, however, later additional artistic goals include different projects such as stationary, stickers, stamps, bookmarks, and maybe a whole illustrated storybook.

Current bi-monthly schedule for:
     Even Months
          ⬡ 2nd – Digital scan of last month’s print gift - early access, posted for all patrons
          ⬡ 4th – Concept page of this month’s card set - exclusive, posted for all patrons
          ⬡ 14th – Refined sketches of this month’s card set - exclusive, posted for all patrons
          ⬡ 16th – Concept page for this month’s card pattern - exclusive, posted for all patrons
          ⬡ 28th – Digital scan of this month’s painted illustrations for the card set - early access, posted for all patrons
          ⬡ 28th – Digital .PNG file of this month’s card pattern - exclusive, posted for respective tiered patrons
     Odd Months
          ⬡ 2nd – Digital scan of last month’s print gift - early access, posted for all patrons
          ⬡ 16th – Concept page for this month’s card pattern - exclusive, posted for all patrons
          ⬡ 28th – Digital .PNG file of this month’s card pattern - exclusive, posted for respective tiered patrons

      Pledging will help support the cycle of designing, producing, and selling narrative cards online, and in return you’ll receive exclusive insights to my projects; exclusive look at sketches, works in progress, access to downloadable, custom patterns (for respective tiered patrons); early access to completed illustrations; early or exclusive discounts on products or art for online sale; and print gifts of original illustrations (for respective tiered patrons).
     I feel that Patreon is a good platform for independent creators to communicate with a community who wants to see more of what they like in the world. More importantly, I hope this becomes a place to converse with the patrons who are invested in the narrative card market. I’m open to feedback and suggestions regarding what kinds of greeting cards people would like to see on the market as well as what tier rewards could be offered in the future.

      My name is Pam Kimball, and I’m an illustrator who grew up around the Michigan mitten. Through most of my childhood, I lived in the small town of Linden, graduated with my BFA in Illustration from Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, and I now currently live on the eastern side of the state. My favorite place in the world is the wild unknown hidden in the Straights of Michigan.
      I live happily with my significant soulmate and we’re the proud parents of two long-tailed cat children: a talkative, black and white boy named Fado and his piebald, ladylike sister named Saria. Since graduating college, I’ve worked odd jobs on and off, and though I’m trying to jump start a career in the sea of freelance illustration, my real passion lies in card making. Nothing is as grand of a feeling as hearing that my work has brightened someone's day and I hope to continue making heartfelt connections like that for the rest of my life.

      First and foremost, thank you for stopping by a moment and browsing my Patreon page! I’m eternally grateful for any and all support for my work, monetary or otherwise; it's one of the most grand little things I appreciate in life. Secondly, I understand wholeheartedly that not everyone can budget for monthly donations or must cancel their pledge to budget for the rest of life. That's a-okay!
      If you’re seeking other places to show support, I’ve got a handful of social media sites that I regularly post on (and occasionally open casual commissions for), so feel free to buzz on by and see what's up.

As always, thank you kindly, and happily be!