Artist Insight: In The Studio with Adan Chung
Adan Chung
Hallmark Artist
The Keepsake Studio caught up with Hallmark Artist Adan Chung to talk about what’s ahead in 2026 and to share a look at an ornament he designed for this year.
Cozy Critters
10th in the series.
Adan: “Oh, that would have to be Cozy Critters #10! This ornament is a chubby, little Purple Finch sitting on a branch, enjoying a brisk winter breeze. I inherited this series, so I approached this design trying to retain as much of the existing feel as I could, while still bringing in my own artistry.
I knew the series featured North American birds in winter, so I first had to decide which bird to do. I did some research, came up with a list and picked one that seemed to fit well with the series. All the previous ornaments featured a bird, branch and clothing, so I wanted to keep all those pieces. But I have an animation background, so I decided to add a little bit of expression to the bird’s face. I designed it with closed eyes and a great big smile! I also wanted the scarf flowing as if the bird were enjoying a gust of wind blowing past. I chose the colors, drew the sculpt from a bunch of different angles, then started on the approval process. It was so fun seeing the paint colors and details when the first samples arrived. That part always feels like magic—voilà!
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2026 Artist Insights: Newest Keepsake Studio Artists
All about our artists
Learn more about the newest artists to join our Keepsake Studio.
Bruce Bibler
Hallmark Keepsake Artist
Bruce has worked at Hallmark for 24 years and just celebrated his 1 year anniversary as a Keepsakе artist. He’s a self-proclaimed morning person, and with his sunny personality, we aren’t surprised! His favorite time of year is autumn for the crisp air and beautiful colors.
Black coffee drinker, Star Wars™ fan and retro design lover Ramon was born in Santa Clara, California, after his parents and older sister emigrated from Cuba in the late ’60s. After college, he took a job at Hallmark that’s turned into a 29+ year career. In January 2025, Ramon brought his versatile artistic talents and love of learning to the Keepsake Studio.
Ramon Olivera
Hallmark Keepsake Artist
Iman Zadrozny
Hallmark Keepsake Artist
When she’s not creating adorable ornaments, Iman can be found thrifting, eating good food with good friends and crafting-usually with an iced caramel coffee or strawberry matcha in hand. Iman studied illustration in college, became a Hallmark summer intern in 2021 and joined Hallmark full-time that fall. If you see her at a signing event, please talk to her about crafts!
Morning person, night owl and toddler dad Adan joined Hallmark in 2005. The first ornament he collaborated on was the 2010 Smiling Soldier, which has inspired him to work hard, be reliable and always have a smile on his face. His coffee order? A chai tea latte-with a splash of chocolate, just for fun.
Adan Chung
Hallmark Keepsake Artist
Sam Bassett
Hallmark Keepsake Artist
The proud new artist of the Father Christmas and Brilliant Butterflies series, Sam loves a Saturday morning trip to the bookstore with his wife and an afternoon bike ride with his two sons. He could eat Mediterranean food every day, and his favorite color is yellow because it feels like a smile you didn’t know you needed. He started working on Keepsake Ornaments in 2023.
“All about our artists.” For Keeps 26 Spring 2026: 5
Artist Insight: In The Studio with Kristina Gaughran
Kristina Gaughran
Hallmark Artist
The Keepsake Studio caught up with Hallmark Artist Kristina Gaughran to talk about what’s ahead in 2026 and to share a look at an ornament she designed for this year.
The Perfect Tree
Playful Penguins
Kristina: “Sure, one of my favorites is The Perfect Tree. As I was concepting, I thought back to the first magic ornament I created with my penguins, where they were dancing around the tree. I started wondering—what if they brought that tree home—and if they did, what would it look like? This ornament tells that part of the story. I also wanted to add a little something special to the scene. I know we have some KOC members and collectors who hold a special place in their hearts for red birds, so I felt like that would be a sweet addition.”
Artist Insight: In The Studio with Emma Leturgez-Smith
Emma Leturgez-Smith
Hallmark Artist
The Keepsake Studio caught up with Hallmark Artist Emma Leturgez-Smith to talk about what’s ahead in 2026 and to share a look at an ornament she designed for this year.
Snowball and Tuxedo
26th in the series.
Emma: “Snowball and Tuxedo! This is my first ornament since I took over the series. While I was working on it, I had years of old Dream Books opened on my floor so I could study past designs all at once. The sweet and happy expressions on their little faces were my favorite part to work on. I’m excited to have inherited this series and to keep on creating it.”
Artist Insight: In The Studio with Orville Wilson
Orville Wilson
Hallmark Artist
The Keepsake Studio caught up with Hallmark Artist Orville Wilson to talk about what’s ahead in 2026 and to share a look at an ornament he designed for next year.
The Sith Lord Strikes
Rogue One: A Star Wars™ Story
Orville: “This ornament was both fun and interesting to create, because we were able to implement a new lighting technology for the first time. It allows us to show Darth Vader’s™ light saber work just like you see in the movies, where the light draws out from the handle of the saber itself.
I also enjoyed animating the ornament’s light show to give an idea of how the lights could play with Vader and how many there would be. I did a bunch of renders, put them together within Photoshop and then created an animation that showed how the lights and sound would work together. That was given to our sound studio, and they were able to work from the animation to configure the sound with the lights. Vader has a red light saber but other lights on the ornament reflect when he comes into the door. It’s cool to see the motion of light within the ornament and how it works along with the sound.
Another interesting detail is that Darth Vader might change, even if just slightly, throughout the movies. If you’re just watching the movies just for entertainment, you might not notice that. But hard-core fans will notice subtle differences in helmets or other body features as the movies progress. It’s details like that we pay attention to because we want to represent everything properly for the licensor and for fans.
This ornament required a lot of collaboration with the sound studio, editors, engineers and our partners in manufacturing. I sculpted it and got the main structure developed, but then others helped make the sound and light come to life. There are a lot of details that go into magic ornaments, and we all worked together to get it just right.”