Meet Carlie Edwards: Creating Art with Meaning

We’re excited to introduce you to Carlie Edwards, a watercolor and pencil artist based in sunny Queensland, Australia. Carlie uses her talents to create premium art prints and greeting cards depicting gorgeous Australian wildlife.

Carlie grew up among the bush and beach in Byron Bay, and it’s no wonder that this lush, natural locale provided a foundation and inspiration for her work.

A unique aspect of Carlie’s art is that each subject she renders has a carefully studied meaning behind it. It is this symbology that is intriguing and makes her pieces highly collected and giftable. 

SUPPORTED BY THE COMMUNITY

To market and sell her art, Carlie is extremely active in the art show circuit around Southeast QLD/Byron Bay and it’s common to see her standing just like this in her Earthdrawn Studio booth. She participates in numerous shows annually, and while it’s hard work, she enjoys it immensely. (You can tell by her smile, can’t you?)

“I’m always blown away by the love and support from my community,” she says. “I am thrilled that what began as a weekend hobby blossomed into a fulltime business.”

FROM BRUSHSTROKES TO DIAMOND DOTZ

Upon exploring Carlie’s art, you’ll be drawn into an enchanting world of color, imagination and intricate details. Each piece is created with hundreds of colored pencils, paired with an enormous amount of love.

From tiny strands of fur or feathers, to the glisten in each animal’s eye, it all comes together one stroke at a time. Each element of the artwork is sketched out and refined before the color is added. Multiple layers of watercolor are painted onto the artwork first to give texture and set the tone. Then the magic happens when the pencilwork is added. A key part of every artwork – the eyes! – are always done last.

Above is the Kookaburra and Gum Blossom from Carlie’s Native Australia collection. Carlie first began working with Diamond Dotz in 2020 and this was one of the first pieces we interpreted into diamond painting.

The craft of diamond painting was new to Carlie, but she was intrigued by the idea of seeing her brushstrokes translated into a charted diamond painting canvas. The shading and attention to detail that the Diamond Dotz design team is able to achieve is pretty amazing and true to the original art! (We take great pride in this!)

THE NATIVE AUSTRALIA COLLECTION

In addition to the Kookaburra and Gum Blossom there are five other Diamond Dotz diamond painting kits interpreted from Carlie’s collection celebrating native Australian flora and fauna. As with their original art, each bird or animal has a special characteristic attached to it:

• Kangaroo & Kangaroo Paw – what a sweet face and personality to match. The Kangaroo is the true symbol of Australia.
• Koala & Eucalyptus Blossom – a lovable iconic Australian marsupial know for its cuddly appearance. Spiritually the koala represents physical and emotional wellbeing and teaches us to have an easygoing outlook on life. Also a symbol of kindness, motherhood and family.
• White Cockatoo & Warathas – tops the list of one of Australia’s iconic birds. This gorgeous parrot is very intelligent and highly resourceful, and with that can be very cheeky, too. Also represents internal happiness and awareness.
• Splendid Fairy Wren – features deeply rich blues and the intense colors of Australia. Each feather is meticulously drawn.
• Pink Galah & Banksias – this beautiful flamboyant Australian parrot is known for its bold pink plumage. Spiritually it represents freedom and empowerment; the galah encourages you to fly high and achieve your dreams.

Do you know someone who is a dreamer or highly resourceful? There is a diamond painting with their name on it!

THE BOHEMIAN SPIRIT ANIMAL SERIES

The iconic Bohemian Series, or “Spirit Animals” as Carlie calls them, began unintentionally when a surgery led Carlie to draw a regal bohemian lion as a symbol of fighting fear and being brave. After feeling the positive impact of creating the artwork and its symbolism, Carlie wanted to share this energy with others who were in a place of need.

Every animal in the Bohemian Series is carefully studied and selected for their beautiful meanings, which adds a personal touch to each piece and which is why enthusiasts love to collect them.

The two newest to the Diamond Dotz Bohemian Series are Bohemian Giraffe and Bohemian Owl.

THE BOHEMIAN SPIRIT ANIMAL SERIES: DOT ALL 6 OF THEM!

There are currently six designs in the Bohemian Series, each with special symbology. Take a look and get connected with each of them:

• Bohemian Elephant – the African elephant symbolizes wisdom, kindness and intelligence. She is strong, yet gentle; self aware, yet nurturing to others.
• Bohemian Giraffe – the dazzling giraffe, the tallest living animal on Earth, with a patterned coat that is unique to each. A symbol of being true to yourself and standing confident with your head high.
• Bohemian Bear – the magnificent brown bear has been worshipped through time as one of the most symbolic spirit animals. With eyes as pure as the Earth on which he walks, the bear has deep connection with nature and is a powerful bringer of physical, spiritual and emotional healing.
• Bohemian Alpaca – the eclectic alpaca symbolizes true confidence, and radiates endless positive energy and strength. Very focused, goal-driven and perseverant.
• Bohemian Owl – the mystic owl has soulful wisdom, patience and intelligence like no other. With piercing eyes, the owl has incredible intuition and brings guidance. Evokes creativity and connection.
• Bohemian Tiger – the beautiful white tiger symbolizes a strong will, personal strength and courage. A master of patience, guiding you on when to approach opportunities and when to hold back.

How thoughtful would it be to dot these for someone in need of some positive energy? Truly meaningful pieces of art – collect them all!

WHAT A GEM

To be as true as possible to the original art, there are a couple important things that the Diamond Dotz team includes in their interpretations.

The first is rendering these as partial-drill diamond paintings. What that means is that the animal itself is the only part of the design that is “dotted” or that is made up of diamond facets, and the background is printed. This is an intentional technique used to give focus to the animal itself, making it jump off of the canvas.

The second is the use of feature gems for impact. The large size of the gems really gives them a presence in the overall design.

SEE FOR YOURSELF

Take a close look at the feature gems on Bohemian Owl. Many of the animals in the Bohemian Series have ornate crowns or headdresses. Our diamond painting interpretations use a mix of large and specially shaped feature gems to mimic the ornamentation found in the original art as realistically as possible.

“It’s stunning the way you have captured the large gem stones,” Carlie said about the most recent Diamond Dotz kits.

And those eyes. Piercing, right?

THE MYSTIC SERIES

Dream and imagine. These are the sentiments behind the Mystic Series. Does one of them speak to you?

• Mystic Mermaid – stunning colors and incredible detail. This piece brings excitement and vibrancy wherever it is placed.
• Mystic Unicorn – a wonderful companion to the mermaid, also with vibrant colors and detail.

Carlie designed these with a girl’s bedroom or playroom in mind, but we think they are great for anyone who loves a bit of fantasy! Where would you hang these beauties?

DISPLAYING & DECORATING WITH DIAMOND DOTZ

Because of the thoughtful collections and thinking that goes into each piece of art, Carlie’s art is easy to display. Give a single piece a place of its own on a wall or shelf – in a nursery or office, you decide!

They are also ideal for grouping together by series on a ledge or wall. In fact, we have many diamond painting fans who dot each new piece of Carlie’s art as soon as they are launched because they collect and display them in unison. (Or gift them!)

If wall space is limited, or if simplicity is your thing, the pieces lend themselves to that as well.

The two new kits are impressive in size: Bohemian Giraffe measures approximately 20" x 20" and the Bohemian Owl 20" x 16", so they are certainly sized to stand alone and make a statement if you like.

We hope you are delighted to meet the artist behind the Diamond Dotz! Carlie is a fan favorite for a reason and we think it’s important to introduce you to the artist behind the artwork. In the case of Carlie’s collections, we also want to share the special meaning and inspiration behind each piece.

Check out all of Carlie’s Diamond Dotz diamond paintings and visit her Earthdrawn Studio website and Instagram account to learn more about her and see what’s she up to currently.

Have you completed one of Carlie’s designs? Be sure to leave a review on the item page here on our site and tell us how much you loved it! We’d love to see your finished works of art in social media, too.