I got a commission for an invitation card for a common birthday party for people who have birthdays of an even decade. The location for the party has a circular rose garden.

My first thought was a cake with ten roses on it and the number 10 in the center.

My initial ball point pen sketch:

Then I did this sketch on the computer:

This was my first idea: 10 roses to represent the 10 year birthdays on a cake. My criticism of it was that the roses look more like tulips.

The clients decided against the cake idea. Also, the way the boards of the table were all the same size made it look as much as the side of a building as a table. They requested more of a botanical illustration. So, it was back to the drawing board.

-Troy Blum