Duck Blue is a greeting card and illustration company based in Maynooth, Co. Kildare. Established in 2009 by Ruth Cahill. Her imaginative illustrations are created using pen and watercolour and she designs, prints and packages all her cards & prints in her light filled studio using only the finest papers, paints and uses only biodegradable packaging. Her ethos is simple she creates ‘Cards you want to keep…’ Why not pop them in a frame to enjoy forever.

What’s a typical day in the studio like for you?

Being a busy mother of two and entrepreneur my days are busy! Firstly packing my two teens off to school then I love nothing more than a hot coffee, turning on the radio at 9am and sitting down to my day ahead in my light filled studio with its beautiful maple tree by the window and my bird feeder full of birds to keep me company.

I usually spend the morning fulfilling my website orders, I print to order so there is no waste and when all the orders are ready for dispatch I settle down with my paints and a fresh page and start a new drawing. These drawings can be followed using the hashtag #duckbluedailydrawing.

On a good day I get a new drawing finished, photographed and made it into a digital format that can be turned into a card if it reaches my exacting standards. I want my drawings to be simple, colourful and to draw my customer in to feel nostalgia or a warmth from seeing it. Perhaps it evokes a memory or a place or someone they love. My ethos is to create ‘Cards you want to keep…’ I like the drawings to do the talking, not text. Just the simplicity of the image.

I usually finish off my day by heading to the post depot with my orders. A good day done, one I always enjoy.