Gift Ideas from Indie Utah Businesses: Davin Abegg Design

While our holiday experience this year might look like a chapter out of a dystopian novel, we can all find common ground in our venture to make this year’s holiday season as normal as possible. Still, our heart’s genuine desire to practice the love language of gift-giving remains unaffected by these tumultuous times. As we search for the perfect item for that perfect someone, we want to do so safely and invest our precious coin into people—not corporations. Here are seven local creatives and their products that say “I didn’t forget you amid the chaos” in a perfectly handmade way.

With the Instagram handle @idrawrandomfollowers, Davin Abegg’s side hustle pulls observers in at first glance. Starting off as an experimental project to practice and improve on his digital painting, the simple goal of drawing five random followers a week unexpectedly ended up unfolding into a profitable landscape. “I had no idea how it would grow,” he says. “I began getting commissions pretty frequently people wanting portraits of themselves, their family or their pets in my style,” a service that Abegg continues to offer.

Evidence of Abegg’s experience and careful artistic direction are evident in each portrait. While each is based on an already existing image, it would be inaccurate to assume that the illustrations halt at just a trace and color fill. Abegg takes these illustrations into his own world, dictating the colors, gradients and overall mood for each piece to depict the individual as artistically as possible. “I’ve been a freelance artist for over 12 years and have had the opportunity to draw and design for children’s books, movie and concert posters, catalogs, tons of album covers and whatever comes down the line, really. I love it!” he says.

Soon after starting this portraiture venture, Abegg discovered the significance of what he is doing. “I’ve really enjoyed the heartfelt feedback from people that might have been having a bad day and to hear how much I cheered them up from a random portrait I posted of them,” he says.” It’s nice that I get to do something to cheer up some folks a little in these weird times.”

When considering gifts for either the holidays or any other occasion, consider giving a gift that says “I like your face” with a commissioned portrait from @idrawrandomfollowers. “I sell them the original 12×12 file of the piece. It’s usually three days or less turnaround, depending on how many I’m doing at the time,” Abegg says. Put in your order by direct messaging Davin on Instagram where you can follow him and possibly be randomly drawn! –Bianca Velasquez