Alphabuds

JoAnn DeJoria Smith JoAnn first used her Alpha-buddies in 1978 when she made her daughter a birthday card. “I certainly didn’t consider myself an artist,” she says, but the family of Alpha-buddies has gone on to be used in a corporate Christmas card, two children’s books, and in counseling for children in crisis. The Alpha-buddies today are a set of more than 350 graphics – letters of the alphabet made up of pets, people, flowers, and all sorts of other images. Her art style is eclectic: she uses water colors, acrylics, colored pencils, or the computer for each sketch, with water color washes or a hand-painted picture for the backgrounds. “I may use an old sponge or glue Kleenex onto paper and then paint over it,” says JoAnn, who then scans the individual pieces into the computer for a more finished look.