1. Concept, Visual Direction & Illustration Style
I chose to work with watercolors inspired by children’s book illustrations because of they often feel messy yet intentional: soft, expressive, and deeply nostalgic. This style evoked childhood comfort and warmth
I also wanted to connect this theme to my other interests: self-care, cooking, journaling, and slow living. These practices ground me, and I see them as rituals that, when shared with pets, become even more meaningful.
The Companion Archive was my way of exploring joy, mindfulness, and emotional presence
2. The Process
The process began with hand-painted watercolor illustrations. I experimented with depicting dogs and cats in various poses and personalities.
After completing the paintings, I digitized them and post-processed the illustrations in Photoshop. This step helped refine colors, clean up compositions, and unify the visual language.
This hybrid process allowed me to explore how traditional illustration can transition into modern, functional design systems
Puppy Eyes and Blush -
the concept of Neotony in my Illustrations!
While painting these illustrations, my aim was to dial the „cute“ factor up to an eleven. Here was my headspace:
The Eyes: I made them oversized and low on the face to mimic a baby's proportions. I added those bright highlights to give him that „soulful“ look like he's looking right at you, asking for a treat or a hug.
The Blush: I dropped those soft pink washes on the cheeks to give him some personality. It humanizes him and makes him look a bit shy and sweet.
3. Process Reflection and Learnings
These illustrations represent my initial phase of exploration, where I focused on understanding color relationships, texture, and form in watercolor, and also refining and understanding composition
Experimentation & Early Challenges
One of my primary goals at the beginning of this project was to experiment with children's book–style illustration. I was drawn to the looseness and emotional warmth of this style.
In my early attempts for the project, I was sometimes struggling with:
- Controlling pigment spread
- Maintaining consistency across multiple illustrations
- Avoiding overworking the paper, which led to muddy colors
Balancing Messy & Refined
Another major challenge was finding the balance between a handmade aesthetic and a digitally refined outcome. After scanning my watercolor paintings, I noticed that:
- Some textures were lost in digitization
- Colors appeared flutter on screen
Fine details (like fur and facial expressions) needed clarity
4. Product Series & Applications
1. Stamp Journey
A walking-based game designed to encourage quality time with pets. Each stamp represents a place visited together, turning routine walks into a mindful, exploratory experience. Once completed, the stamps become a keepsake.
What inspired me to do this?
Walking a dog can be exhausting, and often times the walk is done in the same few areas, the exploration, and reward elements are missing, and I wanted to invoke that
Serving as an archive shared of moments that strengthens the bond between us
2. Pet-Friendly Cookbook: Fancy Feasts
Cooking is one of my personal self-care rituals. This cookbook was created from my own frustration with not being able to safely share food with my pets. The recipes are designed to be dual-purpose, allowing owners and pets to share meals safely. The book emphasizes inclusion, ritual, and togetherness around the table
What inspired me to do this?
I think abt times my pets would look up at me, asking for food. Unfortunately, I frequently couldn't share my meals with them, as they weren't safe for pets
3. Cooking and Shopping Accessories
The goal was to create accompanying products that could enhance this shared kitchen experience! I thought to myself, what's more trendy than an apron and a tote bag?
4. Pet Index (Affirmation Archive)
Inspired by encyclopedias and children's books, the Pet Index combines factual information with emotional affirmations. Each animal speaks in the first person, sharing wisdom alongside identity traits. For example, a Great Dane affirms strength and gentleness simultaneously. This format allows children (and adults) to absorb positive affirmations while learning about animals
What Inspired me?
The choice of learning about the animals, and at the same time getting the chance to reframe thought patterns or read things from the Animal's perspective
5. Self-Care Journal: The Internal Archive
Journaling has been a big Go-To for me to stay in track, and also process my emotions.
I created this self care journal that uses pet imagery as a gateway to mindfulness. It includes prompts, to-do lists, and reflection tools designed to help users feel grounded. The illustrations create a soft, comforting environment that encourages slow, ritualized self-care rather than productivity-driven planning
Reflecting Back
The Companion Archive became more than an illustration project. I tried to evolve it around the concept of care, presence, and shared rituals. By combining personal memory, I was able to explore how joy can be archived through everyday moments with pets.
This project reaffirmed my interest in designing for emotional well-being, storytelling, and creating objects that feel intimate, comforting, and purposeful.
Most importantly, it allowed me to reconnect with my childhood experiences and translate them into a body of work that celebrates companionship in its purest form.
fun fact - They're all named after family pets!
Post Card for Dessau Design Show
I wanted to create something that could be doubled as a Get Well Soon, or Greeting card, focusing on a very warm feeling
