How a Simple Watercolor Hobby Turned into a Small Business
At PrintingCenterUSA, we love helping artists turn their creativity into products that bring joy to customers year after year. Few projects capture that magic better than Kathryn Lavender’s Watercolor Kitty Calendars, a bright and playful collection inspired by her first cat and her love of color.
What began as an experiment with watercolor and movement has become a beloved annual tradition that customers look forward to flipping through month after month.
About Kathryn Lavender
Kathryn is a watercolor artist whose work is filled with expressive color, whimsical charm, and the personality of the cats she paints. Her creative process began with a simple idea. She would choose a color, let the water guide the movement, tilt the paper to shift the flow, and then build a cat’s expression or pose from the abstract shapes that appeared.
She called them her “tie dye kitties.” Over the years she created more and more of these bright, joyful felines. Her cousin and aunt encouraged her to make a calendar, but she never thought it was something she could actually do. It wasn’t until a local artisan market opportunity appeared that she decided to explore what it would take to turn her original artwork into a real, printed product.
A bit of research brought her to PrintingCenterUSA, and in her own words, the design features and reviews instantly stood out. Today, she is celebrating her fifth year printing Watercolor Kitty Calendars.
People tell me how a certain kitty looks like their own cat or how they save the surprise each month to flip the page, Kathryn said. Hearing how happy the calendars make people really inspires me.
The Challenge
Kathryn needed a printing partner who could capture the vibrant watercolor textures and flowing color movement of her art, produce a professional calendar suitable for artisan markets, offer easy-to-use design tools for layout and setup, deliver consistent quality year after year, and create a sturdy, reliable product that customers could enjoy every day.
As Kathryn’s Watercolor Kitty Calendars grew in popularity, she wanted a way to offer customers something they could enjoy beyond the calendar year. Many people told her they wished they could share her artwork with others, which inspired her to explore greeting cards for the first time. She needed a printing partner who could match the soft, vibrant look of her watercolor calendars in a smaller format and provide a professional, consistent product she could confidently sell at artisan markets. Offering both calendars and greeting cards meant maintaining the same level of quality across multiple products, something that became essential as her customer base expanded.
She wanted her final prints to honor the charm of her original paintings while offering customers a polished, giftable product.
The Printing Solution
Kathryn partnered with PrintingCenterUSA to bring her 2026 Watercolor Kitty Calendars to life. Every detail was chosen to preserve the vibrancy, softness, and personality of her art.
Desk Calendar Print Specs
Size: 8.5 x 5.5 inches
Quantity: 70
Type: Desk Calendar
Binding: Wire O
Pages: 26
Paper: 100 pound gloss cardstock
Ink: Full color throughout 4/4
This year, Kathryn added greeting cards to her product lineup, and PrintingCenterUSA helped her bring them to life with the same clarity, color accuracy, and professional finishes that her calendars are known for. The heavy cardstock and full color printing captured the textures and brightness of her watercolor work beautifully, giving her customers a completely new way to enjoy and share her art. By using our free design tools and templates, Kathryn was able to keep her branding consistent across both products, creating a cohesive collection that feels polished and market ready.
The gloss cardstock enhances the watercolor’s brightness without losing subtle detail. The wire O binding allows the calendar to stand easily on desks, tables, and shelves. The professional finish turns each month into a mini art print.
The Impact
Kathryn’s Watercolor Kitty Calendars have grown into a customer favorite at artisan markets and local sales events. People purchase them as gifts, keep them on their desks, and enjoy discovering a new kitty each month.
It’s wonderful to hear how delighted people are by the kitties and my art, Kathryn shared. The calendars bring people joy, and that inspires me to keep creating.
Her calendars allow her to share her art in a joyful, approachable format, reach new customers at craft shows and local markets, give people a functional product that doubles as artwork, build recognition year after year among cat lovers and art fans, and offer a high quality item that stands out from mass-produced calendars.
Adding greeting cards has helped Kathryn connect with customers in a new and personal way. Calendars bring people joy all year, but greeting cards allow them to share that joy with friends and family. The cards have become a natural extension of her brand, giving her additional sales at markets and helping her artwork reach even more people. Together, her calendars and greeting cards now work as a pair, increasing her visibility, strengthening customer loyalty, and creating more opportunities for her small creative business to grow.
How to Create Your Own Custom Cat Calendar
Have you ever created something so joyful or meaningful that you wished you could look at it all year long? That is exactly how calendars like Kathryn’s begin, with a piece of artwork that makes you smile every time you see it. Turning your illustrations or photos into a calendar is not just about making a product. It is about sharing a little piece of your world in a format people use every single day. Whether it is cats, landscapes, abstract art, or anything that brings you joy, a calendar can turn your creative spark into something that lives on desks, walls, and homes all year long and maybe even grows into a small business of its own.
Here’s how to get started!
- Choose your best cat or animal illustrations: Select twelve pieces that highlight personality, expression, and color. Look for a mix of moods and poses so each month feels fresh. Treat your calendar like a curated mini–art show, this means every page should stand alone while still contributing to a cohesive visual story.
- Build your layout: Upload your artwork into our free online design tool for quick drag-and-drop creation, or use our free Adobe templates for full creative control. Add dates, small notes, or titles if you like but keep your artwork as the focus. Clean, simple layouts always look the most professional.
- Select your paper: Gloss cardstock is perfect for watercolor or ink illustrations because it brightens color, adds clarity, and brings out subtle textures. It also gives your finished calendar a polished, boutique-quality feel that customers instantly notice.
- Keep your design simple: Let your artwork shine. Use consistent spacing, neat grids, and readable typography. Minimalist design makes your calendar look elevated and helps it stand apart from mass-produced options.
- Print in bulk: Bulk printing keeps your cost per piece low and ensures you have plenty of inventory for artisan markets, local fairs, online orders, and holiday shoppers. It also gives you flexibility for restocks, last-minute gifts, and repeat customers who come back every year.
Pro Tip: Add a small signature or artist mark on each month. It adds a personal touch, reinforces your brand, and subtly turns every page into a collectible miniature print customers will want to keep even after the year ends.
Ready to bring your own calendar to life? Design your calendar using our free online tool or Adobe templates and turn your artwork into a professional product your customers will love and all with fast turnaround and vibrant, gallery-quality printing at PrintingCenterUSA.
A Note for Fellow Cat Artists and Animal Lovers
If you create illustrations, watercolors, or pet portraits, calendars are one of the easiest and most joyful ways to share your work. They help customers connect emotionally with what you make, and they turn your artwork into something people look at every single day. Whether it’s kitties, pups, wildlife, or your own colorful creatures, a calendar can turn your art into a beloved tradition for your fans.
Calendars like Kathryn’s are a fun and approachable way to share your art all year long. Start your custom desk calendar today!
Looking Ahead
Kathryn continues to delight customers with her Watercolor Kitty Calendars, each one filled with bright colors, personality, and a touch of whimsy. Her work brings joy to homes, offices, craft markets, and collectors who wait for each new calendar release.
Explore more from Kathryn Lavender on her Instagram!
At PrintingCenterUSA, we are proud to support artists like Kathryn Lavender who use print to bring creativity, color, and joy into everyday life.
Start your custom desk calendar at PrintingCenterUSA.
