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What’s with all the Christmas posts lately, Mishka? Aren’t you Jewish? Don’t you make Hanukkah cards?

Why, yes I do. Though to be sure, I need to make a few more of them!

I wish I could tell you more about what inspred this illustration. But to be honest, I am not sure I can write it down correctly as it was more of a feeling that needed to come out as an image.

I pictured something like the traditional Israeli art that often seems to have a combination of melancholy mixed with joy. This is the human condition as well as the Jewish story.

And this illustration is a story of hope, which, I belive, is the real reason for this season. The hebrew on the arch says, shalom (peace) and the name of the street is simcha (joy).

This is also one of the few illustrations I’ve ever done that looks exactly the same in real life as it did in my head before I set pencil to paper. That just doesn’t happen.

And, by the way (I love getting good news over morning coffee), this card is featured as the Design of the Day on GCU today!

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“Congratulations, your card (Hanukkah: Peace on Joy Street card PID#1341344) has been chosen as today’s Design of the Day, and will be featured on the GCU homepage for 24 hours and be automatically entered into our Design of the Month Contest on Facebook. Thank you for helping make Greeting Card Universe great!”