About Us
Wendy Mason and Earnest Merritt, wife and husband duo, formed Dear Hancock in 2010 as a way to combine their love of painting, drawing, and paper goods. Dear Hancock’s painterly aesthetics and narrative details represent a mix of nostalgia, humor, and everyday life. Mason’s and Merritt’s art backgrounds and humor are evident in this unique brand, notably in Hancock the Punny Rabbit, a beloved character who is depicted hopping around humorous situations with a steadfast expression.
All Dear Hancock Paper Goods originate from a hand-painted illustration created in collaboration between Wendy and Earnest. Dear Hancock paper goods are printed on recyclable, FSC approved, green-e certified soft white eggshell paper stock. The 100% recycled kraft envelopes are sourced from a hydro-electric paper mill and all Dear Hancock goods are printed in the USA.
Dear Hancock operates out of a beautiful vintage schoolhouse in Richmond, VA
Our Creative Process
After graduating with MFAs from CalArts, we began creating illustrations at our dining room table. Now we have a big studio but still seem to gravitate toward creating artwork in our dining room.
We start with sketches that Wendy creates on sticky notes, on the back of bills, in sketchbooks, or from lists of card ideas. It’s a challenge to keep her doodles in one place but part of the fun is having the freedom to draw anywhere. Earnest uses these sketches to develop a series of working drawings on tracing paper and creates the final card composition. Once we transfer the final version to hot press watercolor paper, we are ready to paint!
See more behind the scenes on instagram @dearhancock.