I'm the artist and creator behind Pride Pals, and this little studio is where all the ideas come to life.
Pride Pals started unexpectedly in 2024. After spending an entire day painting at my easel, my back was begging for a break—but creatively, I wasn't finished yet. So I grabbed my iPad, opened Procreate, climbed into bed, and started doodling.
That's when I sketched an adorable, demure little fox.
I decided to make her tail stripes rainbow, and suddenly I had a cute sticker design I couldn't stop smiling about. At the time, I worked alongside people who represented many different identities across the LGBTQ+ community, so I started customizing the design to match their pride flags. First came lesbian, then bi, non-binary, and trans versions. Initially, these were just cute little custom stickers I wanted to surprise my coworkers with.
Then I had a realization:
"Wait... what other animals could I do this with?"
The dragonfly came next. Then the penguin. Then the otter.
And the ideas just kept coming.
Before long, I wasn't creating a single sticker anymore—I was imagining entire collections. Woodland creatures. Ocean animals. Mythical creatures. Every new design felt like another member of the family.
At first, Pride Pals lived as a small section inside my existing art shop - SorolentiArt on Etsy. Alongside my wildlife paintings, prints, and other artwork, these colorful little animals started finding homes of their own. People connected with them immediately. Sticker sheets sold. Posters sold. Most importantly, people smiled when they saw them.
Many of my earliest supporters were friends, regulars at my job and coworkers in Asheville, North Carolina—a wonderfully welcoming and LGBTQ+-friendly community that helped encourage me to grow Pride Pals from an idea into something real.
When I began building my Sorolenti Art website, Pride Pals once again had its own section. But something didn't feel right.
The Sorolenti Art website had a clean, minimalist style. Pride Pals deserved something different.
It deserved color.
It deserved personality.
It deserved a place built specifically for the people it was created to celebrate.
So I stopped working on the other website and built Pride Pals its own home.
Today, Pride Pals is a growing collection of stickers, prints, gifts, apparel, and accessories designed for people who want to celebrate their pride everyday while also signaling to others that they are an ally, a friend, a safe place. Some designs are loud and colorful. Others are subtle and cozy. Every one of them is created with love, from my home and studio.
I plan on releasing new designs each month and new blogs each week. I promise, one day I will get better with social media. My goal is to one day have a physical storefront and studio in Asheville, NC. Somewhere I can work on new designs while also meeting and mingling with my local community.
Thank you for being here and for helping my Pride Pals find their way into the world.
With love,
Courtney
P.S.
Yes, Pride Pals is LGBTQ+ owned.
In a world full of soft beautiful women and strong handsome men, why limit my options to one? <3 #BiPride
