May 2025

Hello, my dear friend,

This month’s letter will be short, as life has been quite busy lately. I want to show you the dragon pattern I made, my daily sketchbook, and a ladybug brooch. Let’s start with the dragon pattern!

This pattern is inspired by a Romanian fairytale, Prâslea cel voinic și merele de aur. It was my favorite story as a child, and the part I enjoyed most was when the hero kicked the dragon’s butt. I did grow up to be a completely non-violent person, I promise!

You can find this pattern as a free digital wallpaper for you, on Spoonflower and Redbubble.

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Sketchbook

I still haven’t missed a day in my little square sketchbook—at least not that I know of! Here are the pages from May:

This coming Saturday, June 7th, I’ll be in Halle leading a workshop on how to make a Romanian Mărțișor—a traditional brooch that celebrates the arrival of spring. Here are some try-outs I did with my family to test the process:

You can read more about the event here. We’ll also be painting eggs, and I’ll have a stand with some of my cards, notebooks, and posters for sale. I’d love for you to come!

Till next time,

Ema

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Find all my patterns and illustrations below:

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As an illustrator and pattern designer, I believe in the power of imagery to bring joy.

My work centers on hand-painted repeating patterns, inspired by the fantasy and magical realism stories I love to read.

I work in both traditional and digital mediums.

Long walks with my little dog are one of my favorite pastimes.

If you're interested in collaborating on a project, feel free to reach out and ask about my availability.