journal

I am pleased to say that Stationery Trends nominated me as one of the Ten Designers to Watch in 2022.  You can check out the article (that includes a Q&A) here.

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Oana

I love using wrapping paper for various craft projects and I had so much fun creating these gift bags using my wrapping paper from the shop as well as some of the ribbons.  The kids and I are putting together some little Christmas gifts for friends and this is a fun way to reuse wrapping paper scraps (or entire sheets). Plus, pretty gift bags are always a keeper!

Here are a few helpful gift bag tutorials: 1, 2, 3.

Earlier this year, I finished the art for this beautiful project with Eeboo Puzzles, featuring a woodland theme filled with critters and botanicals. It was a pleasure to illustrate, and my kids were extremely excited to see the actual puzzle arrive in the mail this summer. They have witnessed the process of me illustrating it, and it has been special to see them enjoy it. 

The puzzle is available to purchase here. Let me know if you got one! :)

I am happy to be able to offer a new selection of patterns that are available for Fabric and Wallpaper, through my Spoonflower account.  Fabric is so versatile and the creative possibilities are endless. I would love to see your creations, so be sure to share with me your projects!

A set of 3 coloring pages for you and your little ones to enjoy.

Share any colored-in pages on Instagram or Facebook by tagging me and /or using the hashtag #oanabefort. I would love to see them!

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DOWNLOAD THE PDF FILE HERE.

Please note: The illustrations are FREE for personal use only. Do not use for resale/profit or in any commercial way. 

© Oana Befort 2020

My husband and I took a trip to New York City a few weeks ago, and one of the most inspiring places for me was the NY Botanical Garden. We got there early in the morning before it got crowded and it was perfect. The lush foliage, florals, patterns, and textures are something out of this world. Although a bit intimidated, I hope to be able to express this inspiring place in one of my ongoing personal projects.

Below are only a few pictures out of many more. Hopefully, they can inspire some of you as well.

I had the pleasure of collaborating with the lovely people at Bespoke Letterpress again for a new collection.  

Besides new letterpress foil stamped cards, we also worked on a series of notepads featuring gilded gold edges, letterpress stamped writing sets and a couple of new illustrated double wrapping paper.   I am so happy about how everything turned out, and so honored for such a beautiful collab.

This grey January got a bit brighter because of these new lovely cards, printed in 3 soy-based riso ink colors by Risolve Studio.  I just love the textures, color overlaps and the macro zoomed halftones.

The two cards can be found in the shop.

Here is one of my favorite collaborations from 2018. I had the pleasure of working with the lovely Alischa Herrmann, the founding director and designer at Bespoke Letterpress. Bespoke is a letterpress studio all the way in Australia that designs and prints beautiful letterpress and hot foil stationery.

Our collaboration included gold foil stamped greeting cards, gift tags and stickers, double sided gift wrap and a beautiful Christmas tree ornament.

Pictures by Bespoke Letterpress.

In the past few months I have been working on a few illustrations inspired by the beautiful flora and fauna of the warm, cactus desert. It is a desert without camels or endless sand dunes, but one that is surprisingly abundant in amazing plants, insects and animals.

Using watercolors and gouache paints, the illustrations are unabashedly colorful with predominating tones of pink, yellow and green.  I am excited to show you what this is about, once this project will be available in the shop in August.  Can you guess what it is?

After a short, chilly spring, the days are getting warmer and summer break is finally here. The longer days spent outside while the kids play have inspired me to draw more freely in my sketchbook again, something that I haven't done in a while. 

I have been noticing peonies everywhere in the past weeks and I am excited to see the ones I planted last fall in the back yard bloom. I love painting them with their lush petals and pompom centers. So fun and beautiful!

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Two new giclée art prints featuring peonies are now available in the shop!

A little peek behind the scenes of one of my latest illustrations, inspired by Romanian folklore motifs and warm summer evenings.  I initially started with a pencil sketch then I painted it, scanned it and made a few digital adjustments in order for the image to be perfect for printing.

Materials:  Watercolors and gouache paints on Arches, hot pressed watercolor paper, 100% cotton. Original artwork size: 18 x 24 inches.

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