Draw Near Designs is a collaboration between Marian Adams and Caroline Gann - two Orthodox Christian mothers in Louisville, Kentucky. Our focus is creating education materials for Orthodox children to help them learn about and strengthen their Faith.

Our Story

Marian had a dream about an Orthodox children's calendar in December 2016 after seeing her friend Abigail's beautiful paintings of children with their icons, and she just couldn’t shake the idea from her head and heart. After hearing her idea, Abigail and Caroline were just as enthusiastic about it! There are more American children now than ever before who are being raised Orthodox, and we wanted to create something that they could hang in their rooms and really use, a constant visual reminder of how their faith and the church is a part of their everyday life. The Orthodox Children's Calendar proved to be the springboard for Draw Near Designs-- a business dedicated to creating educational materials for Orthodox children, through our own published works and supporting other Orthodox artists and small businesses. Eventually, Abigail stepped away from the business, and Marian and Caroline have continued the work!

Our Mission 

We believe in the importance of this work with all of our hearts, because raising children to love Christ and His Church is the most important task set before us. Our faith isn't just for Sundays; it's about finding God in every moment, every day. Our vision is to create an engaging and beautiful products that can be used by children and their parents to enrich their lives, create new traditions, and draw them closer to Christ and the Church.

What We Offer

The "Shop" section of this website showcases the products we are currently offering for sale. Every item offered is either created by us or by another Orthodox artist or small business. Many products are exclusive to Draw Near Designs, and our goal is to create a way to support many Orthodox makers and businesses in one place.

Bulk discounts are available for churches, so please direct inquiries to hello@drawneardesigns.com. We also offer freelance illustration and graphic design services, both individually and as a team.

Thank you for supporting our mission and our small business!