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Hello Reader,

Just a reminder that I'm compiling the mailing list for issue #65 on Monday morning, so get those subscriptions, renewals and address changes in ASAP. thanks!

Use the code patternlove for 10% off subscriptions and renewals. Have an active subscription by March 10 9am MST to receive the subscriber bonus of a patterned paper. Subscribers also get free access to our online community, the UPPERCASE Circle.

patterns by Renée Stramel, Gisela Gilbert, Kristina Forrest, Leanna Baxter, Sophie Dufresne, Rachel Kroh, Ouss Mezher, Janine Vangool

UPPERCASE readers are all so talented, and I'd love for you to be able to make connections with fellow readers through this newsletter. Share the things you make and the things you love. Submissions to "All About YOU" and "Fresh" and other features for my newsletter and magazine are always open!

​USA TARIFF SUMMARY​

• Magazines and books are currently exempt from the tariffs

• American shoppers can still import USD$800 worth of goods without incurring any duties or tariffs.

• Should these exemptions be removed, all paperwork, procedures and payments are between the person residing in America and the US government. UPPERCASE will not be charging and collecting the tariffs.

• Glue and Feed Sacks won't be ready for a number of months. Any duties required by the US government at that time are not in our control and will be the responsibility of the customer.

"Fresh" Reader Submissions

Margaux Mays

I'm a self-taught illustrator living in Greater Chicago, Illinois, creating playful illustrations and comics that bring more diverse perspectives to the world of cartooning and sequential art.

After college, where I studied marketing and business, I craved a creative outlet. I started dabbling with different modalities and have found joy in blending analog and digital techniques to develop playful, cartoon-inspired illustrations. My work aims to make people smile. Whether bringing a humorous story to life or simply doodling an expressive character, I want to counter the lack of representation for Black women in the comics world with my unique voice and sensibilities.

I'm a new creative voice eager to share my work and connect with a wider audience. I hope to illustrate stories and publish a comic series or graphic novel. But in the meantime, I'm happy to contribute my fresh perspective and bring more diverse representation to the creative community. Instagram / Website​

Janet "Toni" Federico
Owl Medicine

I’m a mature, self-taught digital artist who just began learning to draw in 2020 by watching tutorials on YouTube and Skillshare and drawing on my iPad in Procreate. As I learned, I could replicate what the teachers were doing, and I was pleased to see that I was learning, but eventually began to despair of ever finding my own voice, my true artist’s self. Everything I created looked like what I believed art “should” look like and not at all like what felt natural and authentic to me.

It was only after my husband had a severe heart attack and we were waiting for him to have open-heart surgery that the chains on my artistic expression fell away. I did not have the capacity to self-critique any longer. In this liminal period of waiting, I found the courage to let go of any expectations and ask myself the simple question, “What if?” From those two simple words, my artistic soul was released, and I found my creative voice. These illustrations represent me finding my style and the courage to let it loose in the world.

I’m now building my portfolio and beginning to pitch my work while also accepting freelance design projects. I hope my designs will bring joy to people the same way they do me. Instagram / Website​

The power of creativity
Véronique Francoeur

My artistic journey as an illustrator and portrait artist is a process of exploration, creation and self-discovery. I officially returned to drawing while studying graphic design in 2015. This marked a significant career change, and since then, I've been drawing and painting with a sense of purpose focused on storytelling and well-being. I find inspiration from the women who came before me, the beauty of their stories, human nature as well as my own experiences as a mother and artist.

My background in biology also influences my work, as both art and science have much in common by questioning the world and revealing the unseen. My identity as an artist would be incomplete without my love of writing, which I exploit mainly in a monthly newsletter where I share my life’s journey, my sketchbooks and my thoughts on creativity.

After years of balancing motherhood with my art practice, I'm thrilled to now devote myself fully to creating. I aspire to see my art in books, homes, and public spaces, inspiring others and demonstrating the power of creativity. Instagram / Website​