I always enjoyed creating birthday and holiday cards for family and friends, and must have made hundreds of them over the years.

Originally, I used a combination of colored pencils, watercolors, and felt-tip markers, but in the early 2000's I began using CG software & hardware and ink-jet printers to create the cards.

Since 2013, the stone columns at the entrance to Hirota Jinja (広田神社) in Nishinomiya have served as the backdrop for most of our New Year's cards.

Around 2018, after spending less time on commercial CG projects, I started creating birthday and holiday animations along with the usual printed paper cards.

Residing in Japan, with our children now in the U.S. and Canada, it's difficult to get the whole family together for our yearly "Holiday Card" photo. These days, I usually have to composite them into the scene using video or still frames they send beforehand.

The 2021 and 2023 card postings include "Making Of" videos, showing how various elements were brought together.