This is my entry to the JazzaStudios challenge of the month, themed "Elf Motivation". This challenge prompts to make a motivational poster aimed at Santa's elves to work hard.

In my approach I take inspiration from the (I think) western tradition of taking children to sit on a Santa Claus's lap to tell him what they want for Christmas. Here in the U.S. this is often seen in shopping malls, where a 'mall Santa' is sitting on a throne and dressed in his traditional outfit, waiting for children to approach. I took that scene but changed it up and made the child in question more elf-ish in the way he dresses. This way the poster could be more relatable to the elves while still being appealing to humans.
Since Santa Claus lives in proximity to his elves, he isn't depicted in his traditional garb, but instead he is dressed as if he were in his own home, rather than outdoors riding a sleigh in the middle of winter. I thought it would make sense that Santa look as if he were at home, to not make him feel like some unknown 'Father Christmas', but rather a very real, close and caring older relative.

Follow the link below to see an animated gif of my progress in making this illustration:
https://www.newgrounds.com/art/view/leaf-mautrec/progress-believe-in-your-elf