Shauna Lynn is a hand lettering artist and illustrator based in Chicago, where she works from her home studio with her puppy, Teddy Bear. She specializes in illustration and lettering for editorial, packaging/labels, book covers, and work focused in the young adults and children’s markets. You can find her collection on Postable filled with delightful greeting cards for every occasion from holiday to birthday cards.
1. What’s your favorite book?
I have two physical books and two audio books:
Physical: Secrets of the Model Dorm and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s StoneAudio: Waiting to be Heard: A Memoir by Amanda Knox and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone specifically the one read by Jim Dale
2. Favorite movie?
It’s a tie between Center Stage and The Devil Wears Prada
3. Favorite TV show?
Will & Grace
4. Favorite song?
Bigger Than Us – Josh Groban
5. Favorite food?
Sushi
6. Drink of choice?
Non-Alcoholic: Espresso
Alcoholic: Joel Gott Sauvignon Blanc
7. Go-to karaoke song?
Ummm…. I don’t do karaoke but my go to singing in the car song right now is Someone Gets Hurt from Mean Girls the Musical
8. When did you realize you wanted to be a designer?
When I found out what graphic design was when I was 14.
9. Did you go to design school or teach yourself?
I attended the University of North Florida originally for a degree in Opera Vocal Performance, switched a semester later to Fine Arts with a concentration in Digital Media (aka graphic design). Switched to illustration as my focus a few years after college and everything I do now for the most part is self taught.
10. If you had to describe your style with only three words what would they be?
Whimsical, spooky cute, child-like.
11. When did you start your company?
Officially February 1, 2012, the day I got fired from my agency job.
12. Where is your studio located?
Chicago
13. What’s your favorite card of yours on Postable?
This one is tough, but I think I love “Congrats on not earning coal this year”
14. What artists, past or present, inspire your work?
Mary Blair, Ann Shen, Jamie Green, Anoosha Syed, Syd Weiler, Felicita Sala, Gabby Zapata, Anna Daviscourt, Joey Chou, and Yas Imamura. There’s a lot more but that’s just a small handful.
15. If you had to choose a spirit animal what would it be and why?
A mantis shrimp because I, too, am colorful but deadly.
16. When was the last time you laughed really hard and why?
When my sister fell off the fishing boat. We were stationery, and she lost her balance and there was a moment of realization in her face that I will never forget when she realized there was no saving herself.
17. How would you spend your dream Saturday?
Wake up and have my espresso. Pull myself together to go ice skating (if winter somewhere outside), afterwards go to the local coffee shop for a chai latte, and end my day watching movies with my dog and some sushi.
18. If you weren’t allowed to work for 12 months, what would you do?
Do I have unlimited money? Because if so, I would travel if this were the pre-covid times. Go to Disney a lot. Ride Haunted Mansion as many times as I could. My ultimate goal is to ride Haunted Mansion at every disney theme park.
However, I would still be creating things. It is not in my nature to stop working completely so I would find a way to circumvent it by making things and giving it away for free. So I’m technically not “working”.
19. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
Right where I am honestly. I love Illinois. Though I would love to do a stint in NYC.
20. How did you spend the extra time at home this year?
I made more art. Used the time to explore different styles. Hugged my dog a lot.
21. Your dream travel destination for the (hopefully near) future
Scotland.
22. Any goals for 2021?
I would like to exhibit in more galleries, specifically WonderGround Gallery. I would also like to pitch my children’s book to publishers. 🙂
23. Favorite part of the holiday season?
Time with family. I’m in a fortunate situation that I’m living with my immediate family, so we have been able to spend more time together as a result and it’s been wonderful in that regard.
24. Do you have any unusual holiday family traditions?
I’m not sure how unusual our traditions are because they’d be normal for us, but every thanksgiving we watch Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, and every Christmas we watch Opus: A wish for Wings that Work. I guess the most “unusual” would be that my mom is a Christmas baby, so we have birthday cake on Christmas day.
25. Was this questionnaire too long?
Nope!
