Hoot Design Studio

This handsome hunk of metal arrived last week! 🤩 So proud to take home a Gold Crushie for best hard seltzer label design at the Craft Beer Marketing Awards. Humbled and still pinching myself. Seriously this is a heavy trophy! Shout out to my amazing client @recordstreetbrewing @tahoe_tessie_ for trusting me with your vision for the brand and allowing me to get creative. A special thank you to @jeremyfriend for the collaboration on the Tahoe Tessie logo design and lettering. #cmbas #craftbeermarketingawards #thecrushies #craftbeer #packaging #bestofpackaging #labeldesign #beerstagram #meettheartist #behindtheart #reno #tahoetessie #hardseltzer

Dead Guy Ale! 💀Hyped at the creative opportunity to submit my illustration & design for #paintthecandead2021 by @rogueales 💀 Here’s my official label entry! 🤙🏻 #hootdesignstudio #rogueales #beerstagram #craftbeerdesign #beercandesign #craftbeer #beerlabeldesign #labeldesign #craftcans #beerart #beerdesign #beerlabel #packagingdesign #bestofpackaging #beercan #beertography #beercanart #canart #brandidentity #visualidentity #craftbeerpackaging #branding #craftbeercan #brewerybranding #beerpackaging #designinspiration #beerlabels #label #beerillustration

My feed has been filled with talent and inspiring eye candy! It’s really fun seeing so many creatives share their logo collections through @logoarchive @logoarchive.now WOW a boat load of incredible marks, identities and logo designs. I’ll admit, I’m feeling a little bit of imposter syndrome compared to y’all! It’s humbling to share a few of my own favorite logo designs I’ve created over the years. Like @kristy.thepinkpony mentioned - when you scroll through the tagged posts - there’s so many males who are logo designers. Some of my favorite lettering artists are males … but let’s go girls!! Lemme see your logos!! 💖💪🏻 #logodesign #brandidentity #logoarchive #graphicdesign #logoarchive_now

My Mom loves purple. Happy Mother’s Day. 💜💜💜 V is for violet. As I wind down my alphabet series, I am reflecting on several things: 1) Fresco is a lot easier to use than I thought. I love drawing straight in vector. Thank you @chrispiascik for the encouragement. 💪🏻🥳 2) As designers we don’t dabble enough. We get so consumed with client work we forget why we got into this field in the first place. Never lose your spark to draw for the fun of it. 👽 3) Social media doesn’t matter. Don’t post for the algorithm. Post what you make, whenever you want. If it’s good or bad, who cares. Just keep making shit! Cause your human and the world needs more authenticity now more than ever. 👌🏻 #flowerillustration #humanmadeart #humanartist #handdrawn #vectorillustration

Ok, who has actually rode a unicycle before?? 😀 I need to know! U is for unicycle in my draw a day alphabet series. Drawn by hand layer by layer in Adobe Fresco. Vector seamless pattern created in @adobecreativecloud Illustrator. 💥 NOW more than ever in a world filled with perfection and auto generated images - it’s important to show your process. My work is hand drawn. Intentional and human made. Every shadow, highlight and outline drawn on purpose. Crafted, not generated. #handdrawnart #handdrawn #vectorilustration #illustrationartist #vectorartwork

In a world of polished perfection and endless AI-generated images, authenticity stands out louder than ever. 🦜 Hand-drawn illustration carries something technology can’t replicate — human decision making. Every color choice, imperfect line, texture, and composition comes from years of craftsmanship, observation, and creative instinct. Real illustration isn’t just about making an image look good. It’s about translating personality, emotion, and intention onto the page. My toucan illustration reminded me of that while I was working through the color palette and details. The piece wasn’t generated instantly … it was built layer by layer through experimentation, refinement, and skill. That process matters. People can feel the difference between something manufactured for speed and something thoughtfully created by hand. As AI becomes more common, I believe human-made artwork becomes even more valuable. Authenticity is the new luxury. Craftsmanship, color sense, and personal style are what make art memorable in a world flooded with polished sameness. The future of illustration isn’t choosing between technology and artists … it’s recognizing the irreplaceable value of human creativity. 🥳 Shout out to @longodesigns and the @dgdcpod for this recent episode about just this - how showing your process is becoming more important than ever! #Illustration #HandDrawn #HumanMade #AuthenticArt #IllustrationArtist

In a world drowning in AI-generated content, human-made is becoming the real luxury. 🐍 Every imperfect line, texture, and tiny detail in this snake illustration was drawn by hand — not prompted, generated, or mass-produced in seconds. There’s something special about art that carries the fingerprints of the person who made it. “S is for Snake” from my alphabet draw-a-day series. Trying to make each letter feel alive while keeping that bold illustrated style I love. The future of art isn’t perfection. It’s personality. ✍️ #Illustration #SnakeIllustration #HumanMade #ArtistsOnInstagram #DigitalIllustration

I’m as full as a centipedes sock drawer!! 😂😂🦎 How is it a week already since @cropcons 😭🥹 I absolutely miss everyone so much!! Thank you @staygrayponyboy for getting so many like minded weirdos together in one room! The energy was incredible. I’m so grateful for the connections, the conversations and the talented people I was surrounded by. Austin filled my cup and I consider ya’ll family!! ❤️🤠 Hail short Kings! We love you Adobe Daddy!! GAH! IG will only let me tag 20 people! 😭😂 Plz tag yo-self in the comments my amazing friends. #designconference #austintexas #cropcon #creatives #designers

One of the most meaningful parts of building First Sip Studios has been the people.⁠ ⁠ The partnerships. The collaborations. The connections that started as business… and turned into something so much more.⁠ ⁠ We’ve had the opportunity to work with so many incredible individuals, organizations, and fellow entrepreneurs over the years, people who inspire us, challenge us, and remind us why we do what we do.⁠ ⁠ And then there are the ones who have been there from the beginning-ish.⁠ ⁠ Jen, our graphic designer, is the owner of @hootdesignstudio . I had been following her work on Instagram for a year before I finally told Dennis that we needed a professional, and I knew just the one. Jen has designed so much for us over the years. If you still own any First Sip Brew Box shirts, she most likely designed them! She has also created this beautiful logo for us to celebrate 10 years! One of our proudest moments with Jen is creating the Make Peace not War video with her designs and our storytelling and winning our marketing award with it, for best cause-related video. ⁠ ⁠ Julie, our forever photographer until she tells us otherwise😂 @juliekahlbaugh , we have known since 2019, I think. She was working at a beer festival that Kennywood used to put on, and had taken some great pictures of us. After talking, we asked her if she would be willing to do our branded photos. Here we are... 2026, and she still captures us and our goofiness.⁠ ⁠ What started as working relationships has turned into genuine friendships, and we’re so proud to watch them build and run their own successful businesses.⁠ ⁠ This is what it’s all about.⁠ ⁠ Supporting each other. Growing together. Building something bigger than ourselves.⁠ ⁠ To every partner, collaborator, and friend we’ve made along the way, thank you for being part of our story. We truly couldn’t do this without you. 💛🖤⁠ ⁠ ⁠ #SmallBusinessSupport #CreativePartners #Grateful #WomenInBusiness #10YearsInBusiness

Tell me you’re a little chaos gremlin… without telling me.🖤🦝 R is for raccoon…and honestly, is there anything cuter than these tiny masked bandits? This little guy was so fun to illustrate, from the scruffy fur to that curious, slightly guilty expression like he definitely just knocked over a trash can five minutes ago. I love how raccoons somehow balance being total troublemakers with being ridiculously adorable. The tiny hands, the waddle, the midnight snack missions… true icons. Part of my alphabet illustration series, where I’m letting myself play, explore, and draw things that just make me smile - no client brief, just creativity (and apparently a soft spot for “trash pandas”). Would you let this little thief into your backyard… or your heart? 🖤 #alphabetseries #raccoonart #trashpanda #illustrationartists #drawdaily

Ok, I’ll be honest Q was a hard pick! You guys had some great suggestions. I ultimately went with Q is for Quail as I love animals! Stay tuned for R in this draw a day alphabet series!! This vector design is available! 👌🏻 #drawingchallenge #animalillustration #animalillustrator #vectorillustration #digitalillustrator

Anyone else struggle to create for themselves after pouring everything into client work? This little penguin is part of my Alphabet Draw-A-Day series—where I’m challenging myself to create consistently, even when inspiration isn’t loud. Especially as a freelance artist, it’s easy to give all your energy away and forget to make space for your own ideas… this series is me taking that space back. Not every piece has to be perfect. Some just have to exist. “P is for Penguin” 🐧 Soft shapes, simple lines, and a reminder that progress > perfection. What should I draw for the remaining letters in the alphabet??? Q R S T U V W X Y Z …. #alphabetchallenge #drawaday #illustrationartists #freelancelife #artistsoninstagram creativeprocess penguinart illustrationdaily