Coleen Austin Art & Design

06/15/2026

I have been working on some new greeting cards at my desk. It has been fun taking my black and white illustrations and pairing them with these colorful backgrounds, and I have more to come.

​These will be available at the Kindleberger Summer Festival in Parchment on July 11th from 9am to 3pm.

​Do you have a favorite out of these three?

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06/12/2026

And last but not least, the Downy Woodpecker completes my Michigan Birds series.

Thank you all so much for following along with this collection. It has been such a joy to draw these native birds. Which one from the series ended up being your favorite? perfect backdrop for this little woodpecker's patterned wings and soft feathers.

Thank you all so much for following along with this collection, it has been such a joy to draw these native birds. Which one from the series ended up being your favorite?

06/11/2026

Next up in my Michigan Birds series is the White-breasted Nuthatch.

These little birds have so much personality, and they are always a favorite to watch at the feeders because of how they climb down trees upside down. For this piece, I really enjoyed using my fine liner ink to capture the soft, fluffy texture of its chest feathers against that solid, dark cap.

Do you get these busy little guys visiting your yard too?

06/10/2026

06/10/2026

I am so happy to share my latest piece in the Michigan Birds series, the Cedar Waxwing.

Cedar Waxwings have such a distinct, sleek look to them, and capturing that smooth silkiness using only black fineliner ink on paper was a really fun challenge. I spent a lot of quiet hours at the desk building up the tiny lines to get the soft shading on the feathers and the texture on the branch just right.

Have you ever spotted a Cedar Waxwing out in your yard?

06/09/2026

A little rainy day studio magic. ✨

​Since the weather isn't cooperating for outdoor prep, I've taken over the living room to test run my display tables for the upcoming Kindleberger Summer Festival. It’s so exciting to see these framed originals and stacks of prints ready to find new homes.

​Which piece catches your eye first?

06/05/2026

Gallery night! ✨ So proud to have "Elegant Strength" hanging in the KVCC Alumni Art Show. This graphite illustration took a lot of patience, but seeing it on display makes every single pencil stroke worth it 🐍

Drop a comment below and let me know what you think! 👇

06/05/2026

A few of the bookmarks are packaged and ready to go. This is just a handful of the designs I'll have with me at the Kindleberger Arts Festival on July 11th, but it's nice to see them all coming together.

06/04/2026

I'm incredibly honored to have my artwork, Elegant Strength, included in the upcoming Kalamazoo Valley Community College Alumni Art Show!

​The opening reception is this Friday, June 5th, from 5:30 to 8:00 P.M. at the Center for New Media & Arcus Gallery in downtown Kalamazoo. It's going to be a fantastic night celebrating local talent, and I’d love to see you there!