SIDE HUSTLE Nicki Traikos SIDE HUSTLE Nicki Traikos

My Top 5 Calligraphy Projects to Sell

Working from home as a calligrapher is something that I’ve done since 2012. Over the years, I’ve offered a huge variety of services and products to my clients. In this post, I’ve compiled 5 of my favorite calligraphy projects that I recommend you consider selling too!

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BE CREATIVE Nicki Traikos BE CREATIVE Nicki Traikos

Join me for the Free 5 Day Modern Calligraphy Challenge

Each day, for five days, you will get access to a video where I teach and demonstrate the stroke and technique for the day. You will also have access to a free printable practice worksheet, which you will be able to trace, and practice from. I have also added a bonus alphabet video demonstration for you to use to help give you a taste of what you can expect when you start learning more techniques and build your muscle memory to write in modern calligraphy style lettering!

In five days you will have a good starting foundation for dip pen and ink modern calligraphy and a taste for whether this new creative skill is a good fit for you!

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BE CREATIVE Nicki Traikos BE CREATIVE Nicki Traikos

A fun and meaningful contest for World Calligraphy Day 2019!

This World Calligraphy Day is going to be a little bit more special. I have the pleasure of teaming up with Manuscript Pen Co to offer some inspiration to practice your calligraphy, lettering, or even handwriting for a special cause for World Calligraphy Day this year. Along with participating, we have a great giveaway to share!

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BE CREATIVE Nicki Traikos BE CREATIVE Nicki Traikos

How to Easily use a Watercolor Brush Pen & Paint

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of watercolor and waterbrush pens. I teach workshops and online classes that feature a waterbrush pen to easily paint stems and leaves as well as create a variety of brush pen lettering.

As a designer and artist, I find that having a variety of mediums and tools to create with keeps my art interesting and fresh so that I stay inspired and creative.

I thought I’d share with you a few quick videos that I recorded using the Timelapse feature on my iPhone - I have to say, it’s quite an addictive feature to be able to record these timelapse videos!

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BE CREATIVE Nicki Traikos BE CREATIVE Nicki Traikos

What is Modern Calligraphy

I was browsing a few hand lettering groups on Facebook last week and discovered that quite a few people aren’t quite sure what Modern Calligraphy is and what the difference is between more traditional forms of calligraphy. I thought I’d create an easy cheat sheet to help explain what Modern Calligraphy is for us visual people! First, here’s a quick video that I created while making and digitizing the lettering for the cheat sheet!

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BE CREATIVE Nicki Traikos BE CREATIVE Nicki Traikos

How to write happy birthday in modern calligraphy tracing sheets

Tracing is one of the best ways to help you build muscle memory and grow your lettering practice! So I thought I’d make it available for anyone who is looking for a fun and easy way to help with learning how to write “Happy Birthday” in modern calligraphy with these tracing sheets!

The best part is, I’ve designed this practice sheet to be used with both a pointed pen and ink, or a small brush pen! I’m all about convenience and multi-purpose tools!

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BE CREATIVE Nicki Traikos BE CREATIVE Nicki Traikos

How to celebrate National Handwriting Day

National Handwriting Day is January 23rd and I’ve been busy thinking of ways we can build our hand writing muscles and celebrate it! First let’s start with a few reasons why it’s important to practice our hand writing and why we should make it a daily practice. Hand writing is brain food!! It is even argued that cursive writing offers more benefits to the brain giving it an opportunity to train, and trigger different parts within the brain. I’m no scientist, but what I know for sure is that I remember things more when I’ve written them down. I also notice that I commit to things more seriously if I’ve written them down.

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BE CREATIVE Nicki Traikos BE CREATIVE Nicki Traikos

My top hand lettering tools for beginners

For hand lettering and calligraphy fans, it’s such an exciting time to explore this skill and craft. There are many different lettering tools available on the market now to help you with your lettering projects. Far more than when I first started out for sure!!

Calligraphy and lettering is a large part of what makes up the design end of my business. I’ve even started teaching other the craft through workshops and classes.

I often get questions about which class to start with, or which tool to use, so I thought I’d share with you a quick video that I made demonstrating my top hand lettering tools for beginners!

To help you get a better understanding for all the lettering tools available, I’ve narrowed down my top hand lettering tools for beginners

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BE CREATIVE Nicki Traikos BE CREATIVE Nicki Traikos

Calligraphy practice sheet to help you write "best wishes"

Simply click here, to download your calligraphy practice sheet to help you write “best wishes”. Save it to your computer and print as many copies you need to help you practice!! The best part is, you can use a brush pen or a dip pen and nib to practice with!

If you missed my other practice sheets that I created for you, have a look at this post here.

Oh, and check out the free Christmas Gift Tags that I shared a little while ago!! They’ll help add style and will make a statement with your gift wrapping this year!!

Lastly, if you are curious about learning calligraphy or brush lettering with me, then check out these new online classes that I just created! They are at a low, introductory price for the next little while, so enjoy the savings while it lasts!

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BE CREATIVE Nicki Traikos BE CREATIVE Nicki Traikos

How to make seating cards

I shared on my instagram, seating cards that I was making for my Modern Calligraphy dip pen workshop. Some of you wanted more information about how to make them so I went live on Instagram and showed how I letter the seating cards using a dip pen and a simple painting brush.

The end result is really beautiful and the steps are actually super simple! I thought I’d demystify the process of making seating cards so that you can try your hand at making them for your next gathering, special event or meeting!

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BE CREATIVE Nicki Traikos BE CREATIVE Nicki Traikos

I'm teaching my very first online calligraphy class

When I started life i design just over 5 years ago, I had an idea about what I wanted to do for a new career/business, I just had no idea what I was doing

I knew I wanted to make art, sell art, and live a life that suited my personality and passions.  I just didn't know who I was as an artist, how to start a website, how to open an online shop or how to create graphics and take photos to help sell my art.

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BE CREATIVE Nicki Traikos BE CREATIVE Nicki Traikos

modern Calligraphy: everything you need to get started and grow your skill Part One

It feels like this past year has been all about teaching in-person, Modern Calligraphy and Lettering workshops! I have had a blast teaching my most favorite calligraphy style for lettering and observing how other learn, what tweaks I can offer to create more success for my students and just how inspired I am by others!  I often thought about how I could extend my teaching and offer the opportunity to those who are not in may local area to learn my personal method of modern Calligraphy. 

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BE CREATIVE Nicki Traikos BE CREATIVE Nicki Traikos

How to learn modern calligraphy

It's the start of the new year and time for us to add a few things to our bucket list.  Forget the resolutions for a minute.  What's on your bucket list? Do you want to take a special trip? Go bungee jumping? Maybe you just want to learn something new?  How about learning modern calligraphy!!?

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