Thanks Y'all!

Thanks Y’all is a message card project I created for my friend and business coach, Sanae (@sana.tx_coach). She and her family are returning to Japan after living in Texas for several years, and she wanted to send a heartfelt thank-you message to the friends and community who supported them during their time there.

Though I’ve never been to Texas myself, I started sketching ideas based on what Texas means to me—and more importantly, what made it sparkle for Sanae. At one point I considered featuring bluebonnets, the Texas state flower, but then I remembered one of my signature styles as Charlie Yellow: turning everything into a character! So, I landed on a friendly cactus tipping its cowboy hat in farewell.

I added other Texas-inspired touches like the Southern phrase Y’all, Western-style typography, and of course, a cactus stepping out from the shape of the state of Texas—something Texans take great pride in and love. In the lower right corner, a small group of cactus friends has gathered to see him off.

During our emails, I offered to draw a family portrait as part of the design. Sanae loved the idea, so I used a photo of her family as reference to sketch them into a banner reading “From the Miura Family.” I think I managed to capture everyone’s likeness pretty well, and I’m really happy with how it turned out!

The final card was printed at my go-to spot, Spudnik Press, using green, yellow, and fluorescent pink risograph inks. I even designed a matching graphic for the inside of the card, so it’s a joy to open and look through. The final result is a hand-sized 4x3 inch message card—and the yellow envelopes we paired it with? A perfect match!

I'm so honored my illustration could help Sanae and her family send such warm farewells. Wishing the Miura family all the best on their next chapter!