What an interesting few weeks. Our daily lives have been turned upside down with this virus and I can’t imagine a single person who hasn’t been impacted by what’s happening right now. I’m navigating what’s happening as best as I can and am happy that I have a business that is online based and that I already run from my home office. It’s a little more challenging for my husband and kids who are not as accustomed to being home 24/7.

These last few days especially, I feel very fortunate to have my creative practice where I get a reprieve from the news, social media posts and tv reports. The time I spend at my desk in the studio portion of my office, is a welcomed distraction, but it also fills me up with hope and joy and creative energy that spills into other parts of my life.

If you’ve been with me for a while, you’ll know that I’m a big believer of learning and growing. Courage is what helped me start life i design all those years ago. Courage is what pushes me to try something new and allows me to make mistakes so I can grow. Courage is something that I push myself to have more of and is what I encourage my kids to find within themselves.

A fun time lapse showing how I practice and play warming up my watercolor and lettering skills. Join me for a 6 plus hour watercolor for beginners class!

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!

Painting is something that I’ve done along side of my business for the last 5 years. For years I painted, exhibited and sold original art, quietly, in the background. It’s taken 5 years of painting and developing my style in order for me feel ready. To feel ready to pursue my goal of creating and selling my art more actively.

I share this with you because I know it’s hard when you are just starting out. You are witnessing most people’s work when they too have been practicing quietly for years and years. It’s tough some days to be comparing your work to others when our social media feeds are filled with edited, staged and styled photographs of what seems to be effortless displays of creativity and artistic expression. Some thing that I struggle with on days when I’m filled with self doubt and worry. We’ve all been there right?!

Not having enough time in the day seems like a common problem all around. I’m not sure if it’s because we are glued to social media, watching endless cute animal videos or perhaps it’s all the binge watching on Netflix, to which I am guilty of myself!

These time sucking activities are all inactive, non-participatory, and time wasting activities that we are all guilty of! This fall I set a few goals for myself and one of them being; to make more time actually make art!I have set in place a few tips and strategies that I want to share with you, to help you find more time to make art too!

This practice sheet and more, is now available in the Free Creative Library that I have built for my awesome subscribers here on life i design!

Perfect to use with your dip pen, small brush pen or even a pencil! Creating consistent practice is the only way to improve your strokes, your confidence and muscle memory.

Everyone’s journey is always so different and inspiring. I thought I’d share this lengthy post about how I got started with lettering and calligraphy as a hobby and a love for writing, and how I turned it into a home based business. Sit back, pour yourself your favorite bevvie and allow me to share with you my journey along with some practical advice!

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!

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!

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.

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

In a very random but powerful aha moment, I knew that I wanted to create art, share art, and inspire others to surround themselves by art. I knew that I wanted to continue to work from home, on my terms and with freedom to choose, when I worked and how I worked {My kids were still young, but didn’t need me as much}. I knew I wanted to maintain my independence while earning my own money and still be able to contribute to the family budget. I knew I was happiest when I painted, blogged and created.

There is a difference between hand lettering and calligraphy. Some would argue that there’s a big difference. I personally feel that any form of lettering, is simply letters that are “drawn” vs. “written”. In both cases, we draw strokes that are very purposeful and consistent. The difference between hand lettering and calligraphy is that the elements of those strokes vary. I recorded this video to help with explaining the difference between hand lettering and calligraphy in the hopes of helping to show how the elements of each art form vary.

Click play to watch the video.

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. 

How to make a Christmas gift tag is an easy way to add your own personality and charm to your Christmas decorating this year.  They are simple Christmas gift tags that are home made, use basic materials and have a lovely effect!  Read more here!

learn how to brush letter with watercolor in person or online.  Tutorial, worksheets and support to help you learn this beautiful lettering style! Video sneak peek!

This is what October means to me...

Part 3 of How to Create A Collection with life i design.  Everything from brainstorming, to sketching your ideas to bringing your creations to life.  www.lifeidesign.com