Sophia spending some creative time at home with daughter Eleanor.

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A Christmas card Sophia designed.

Sure, there’s an art to helping customers achieve their financial goals. But when she’s not doing that, Brookfield Capitol personal banker Sophia Nuckols likes to flex her creative muscles a bit more colorfully, designing hand-drawn greeting cards for her family and friends upon request. “I try to design a new card to go with each Christmas gift I give, as well as for other holidays like Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day, and for birthdays,” Sophia says.

She talked to Shorelines about her designs.

Hot dog! One of Sophia’s delicious designs.

How did you end up designing cards?
I was an art major in college and was specifically interested in animation. And I have been doodling most of my life. My sister-in-law saw one of my drawings in 2018 — it was a Christmas tree with arms and legs, and it was holding a stack of presents. She really liked it, so I made it into a card to go with her gift that year.

The first card Sophia made (and her favorite).

What do you use to draw? What’s your artistic process?
Most of the cards I make for my family are done with fine-tip marker or sketched on my iPad with my Apple Pen, and only take an hour or two.

When I think of an image, I usually draw it out in pencil first. Then I decide what medium would work best and go from there. How long a design takes depends on how detailed the card is. I am working on animating some of my drawings so I can send e-cards, but none of those are done just yet.

How would you describe your work?
I like to use a lot of color. My cards are usually very bright and cartoonish.

Do you have a favorite card?
My first Christmas card, the tree holding presents. Christmas and Valentine’s Day are my favorite holidays.