Drawing has always been my passion – though I didn’t even know illustration was a thing until a tutor at art college suggested I study it at University. This was a definite light bulb moment and I knew it was the path for me. Once I graduated, I landed a dream job with a top greeting card company and loved it. I worked there for over 15 years, gaining so much invaluable experience which helped me start my own illustration business!
I’ve been self-employed since then and am now in my 8th year of business. Initially, I just worked for greeting card companies but I slowly found my own style and everything blossomed from there. I’ve worked for companies all over the world and have illustrated children’s books, clothing, packaging, toys, homewares and much more. The last few years have been magical with some amazing projects and clients - and I’ve loved every minute.
Meet Klara Hawkins
Hello, I’m Klara from Klara Hawkins Illustration and I’m part of Cardly’s community of independent artists. I’m a British illustrator that lives on the outskirts of London and I work in a lovely new purpose-built studio at the bottom of my garden. Molly my rescue cat usually keeps me company, sleeping in a cosy box on my desk.
My Path Through Illustration
Cute, Colourful Greeting Cards
Greeting cards are my true passion though and this year I published my own cards to sell to shops. I launched my card range at my first ever trade show in 2022, which was a huge success. It still feels like a ‘pinch me’ moment as it’s been a dream of mine for a number of years to do this. I now have over 40 stockists predominantly in the UK, and I’m looking forward to expanding my ranges and growing this side of my business.
My style is quite graphic, cute and has a naivety about it. Although it’s probably more suited to children, it appeals to all ages and people really seem to like it, which fills my heart. I’m very inspired by nature and mostly focus my work on animals and foliage. Colour is huge for me and I love finding new palettes and playing with different combinations.
How I Work
Originally I painted with acrylics, however now I work completely digitally. Adobe Illustrator is my favourite program, I love the freedom it gives to play with scale, composition and colour. It allows me to create results I probably would otherwise never arrive at. It has become second nature and I simply couldn’t work any other way now. I don’t have much patience for sketches and normally have a rough idea in my head then jump straight on my computer, drawing with a Wacom tablet.
I feel so lucky to be on this journey as it’s my true passion - I do what I love and love what I do. I’ve been an artist with Cardly for several years now and have loved watching them grow from strength to strength.
I really like that you can live in the UK and send a beautiful, personalised card to Australia, America and most of the world that’s posted from there the same day. Cardly is also amazing for sending greeting cards to friends and family in the UK too with their free first class postage – cards arrive really quickly!
Thanks for reading about me and I hope I can help you find the perfect card for whatever occasion you’re looking for!
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How quickly do you print and post orders?
Orders placed before 10am Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) local time will ship the same day. Orders placed after 10am will ship the next business day.
This time is based on the region your card will send from:
- US orders - GMT-5 (Michigan)
- Canadian orders - GMT-4 (Toronto)
- UK and Europe - GMT (Kent)
- All other orders - GMT+10 (Brisbane, Australia)
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How long will it take for my card to be delivered?
A card ordered before 10am Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) will ship the same day, and we'll print and post from a location close to your recipient for the quickest delivery times. Once in the post it will take the following estimated times to arrive:
- Australia: 2 to 6 business days for regular post, or 1 to 3 business days for Express post.
- New Zealand: 7 to 12 business days
- UK: 1-2 business days
- Europe: 3-5 business days
- US: 2 to 4 business days, or 1 to 2 business days for Express post.
- Canada: 2 to 5 business days
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Where do you deliver?
You can send a sympathy card to over 60 countries around the world and we offer free postage to Australia, the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and most of Europe.
Postage times vary according to where you're sending to and the schedule of local mail carriers, however most countries are able to deliver in under a week. Please see our full FAQ for more details.