We were lucky to catch up with Marguerite Knowles recently and have shared our conversation below.
Marguerite, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
I learned what I do through lots of trial and error and practice! I began with acrylic painting and then moved into watercolours as it was the best medium, in my opinion, for my greeting cards. When I first started with watercolours, I was not very skilled and my card designs were very basic.
I think with painting in particular, it is one of those skills where you really do need to keep practicing. The more I paint and expand my repertoire, the more I learn and the better my paintings get! One issue with that is that when I get quite busy and am not painting as much, my painting quality becomes stagnant, so I’ve been trying recently to really keep practicing every day so that the quality of my handmade greeting cards continues to improve!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
My name is Marguerite and I am 24 years old. I am originally from Dallas but now live mostly in London! I began my Etsy in 2018 selling my acrylic paintings, and then during Covid transitioned to greeting cards. I am now focusing solely on greeting cards as well custom stationery!
I began my greeting cards as a way to bring in new clients who might not want to purchase a large acrylic painting from an unknown artist. Very quickly my greeting cards became my most popular product and I’ve transitioned my small business to focus solely on greeting cards and stationery.
I am most proud of the joy that my greeting cards bring. Greeting cards are ways that people show their loved ones they care on birthdays, holidays or just because. I love that my cards spread happiness and will be cherished by people who have received them from loved ones!
I try to make my greeting cards as joyful as possible with cute animals or beautiful floral motifs. Recently I have been aiming to expand my repertoire not only of product range, but also of the motifs I include on my products, so that everyone can find a piece of stationery that reminds them of themself or a loved one.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
This might sound quite obvious but when I first started making greeting cards, I didn’t know anything about the tools that can make card making easier. I had never watched a YouTube video or googled card making, I just launched right in using watercolour paper I found at home. I used to cut out all of my cards by hand and fold them by hand as well. It wasn’t until a friend pointed out my uneven edges due to my hand-cutting and showed me tools which can help make cleaner edges and straighter lines. I am now in awe by all the tools which can make stationery making much easier!
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
My main goal is to spread happiness through my greeting cards to as many people as possible. As mentioned before, my favourite part of my business, as cheesy as it sounds, is the joy my cards bring. I love when I show somebody their custom card order and I can see the excitement on their face, and I love when people tell me of friends that bought them my card for their birthday or for a holiday. For myself, personally, I save all greeting cards I am given, and I hope people do the same with my cards.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.margueriteknowlesart.wixsite.com/myart
- Instagram: @margueriteknowlesart
- Facebook: @margueriteknowlesart
- Youtube: Marguerite Knowles Art
- Other: Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MargueriteKnowlesArt/