"Calming" (or BP?) journal :D

So, even though I have few followers on my blog, I still thought I'd share this idea of mine, in case it would help someone else! (and yes, I know there are similar items out there one can buy but I don't like mandalas for me, and I wanted to make my own creations -- which I had SUCH fun doing!)

The reason I came up with this idea is to keep me occupied in the waiting room before any dr appt's where my bp is taken. Just the thought of going to the dr at times can raise my bp! I was told to buy an at-home bp monitor and I noticed that if I had been doing my art for a while, I felt rather relaxed, and it was at those times that my bp was at its best! (unless I was stressed out about my art -- haha!) SO, I thought I'd create an easy convenient "travel" journal.

I also have a mini w/c travel thing but I don't want to have to worry about my aqua brush and water.

I found this awesome 5x7 blank journal (and the pages are GREAT too -- no bleeding or feathering!) and decided to create fun marks in it to color-in. But what started out as abstract creations then became mini lettering pieces of which I could also color-in!

And I already had this multi-color Pentel mechanical pencil that I never use -- how perfect! (comes with refills too)

So easy to carry along (as long as I remember to bring it with me!)

Below are some of my entries:

"i make me happy" in brush

then added connecting block lettering below (original poem) as well as more overlapping script lettering.

I love this poem

a border piece -- pp and gold ink 

(not sure yet what or if I'll put in the blank part.)

another original poem about creating (layout was from a Pinspo piece)

FWP fountain pen ink

I'm also including some lovely greyscale photos I found online (but want to have some of my own too).

I lettered the Harry Styles lyrics to his Sunflower song around the border.

Started to color in

And for now, here is a brush piece in which I tried to emulate Yves Leterme's work.

So glad I thought of this!

You can also just buy a cheap notebook too (but these journals weren't that expensive -- and I'm all about inexpensive art supplies!!)

Also, (you can barely see as I outlined in white pencil) I'm going to letter something on the cover. Right now, it's "breathe" but I might change to something else.

I am...(ABC's)

Back to Black again!

Ok, a little more color on my blk journal pages.

this looks better in-person. I lettered, "I am healing" in white (broad edge Callig marker) then outlined it with white India ink (in pp). I then turned the page and in script lettered my "am's" in conjunction with the alphabet (see below)

again lettered "i am healing" at the bottom in pp script.

and "i am" at the top in glaze gel pen.

Used various Poscas for the "am's":

Artistic

Brave

Creative

Dependable

Enthusiastic

Fun & Fabulous!

Grateful

Honest

Inspiring

Joyful

Kind

Learning, Loving

Maternal, Mindful

Natural

Open, Observant

Passionate, Poetic

Quick

Realistic

Spirited

Thoughtful

Unique

Validated

Worthy

Xenial

Youthful

Zealous

Abstract piece (MariB inspo)

Discovered Mari B in my IG feed and saw her do a demo and oh my... I had to try it! 

My marks aren't as dramatic as hers but I'll get there! (I need to let loose more: cover my carpet, don an apron/old clothes and not worry about splatters or making a mess.)

Lots of layers (wish i had "documented" from the get-go). 

I started with my white grease pencil and gesturally lettered "make play". I then painted walnut ink over and while still wet, dropped in some other ink colors.

Then, using my Handwritmic Brody pen, I lettered, "Make time to" in black and "play" with some fun FWP ink.

After that, i colored in with some color pencils (to match the dropped-in colors) and added more lettering on top (gold Posca).

Although it liked it, I wanted to add more (my "signature" border lettering). So, in pp, I added "make time to play every" on the right with Dr. Martin's Black Sparkle iridescent ink, and on the bottom left, "day" in gold. I then filled in some of the lettering with the walnut ink.

Close up of some small block lettering with my glaze gel pen.

I still felt it needed more, so I added some "asemic" writing to the R side. Hope I didn't ruin it. (it was either that or an vellum overlay. I still may try that too.)

at the top you can see "to play every"

and here is the "day"

Here is the "Play" with the fwp ink. Isn't it pretty?

Before adding the border. 

Definitely needs splatters at least.

Had such fun with this! Cannot wait to create more.

Fountain Pen!!! (like a folded pen)

I bought this Sailor fountain pen last year as I was looking for a taller pen (I have a FWP one and although i like it a lot, it's short! I hate how short it is.) I use it to write script and asemic lettering.

However, the tip is bent! (made that way) *But now I know it's a "brush"-style nib. So, when I first got it, I was irritated but now (after almost a year) I've figured out how to use it and i LOVE it!!!

It's like a mini-folded pen!

So much fun! (However, it'd be better if the pen was thinner. BUT i realize the barrels of fount. pens are thicker for some reason.  :/

Close up of the bent nib. SO glad I figured out how to write with it!

And here's a little demo:

Brush pen play (and class)

I took Julie's brush pen class last year and instead of redoing (which i still want to do!) I decided to purchase another one, this time from Yves Letermen. (Don't you love his last name???)

Pretty exercises

trying to mimic his lettering

more play

Back in my Harry phase

Although i LOVE his work and am learning lots from his class, I also bought another one: This time a mini-demo class with Mike Gold.

I follow Mike on IG (as well as the other 2) and have always wanted to take one of his classes. And I'm SO glad I took this mini course, as I had fun playing with various tools (markers included).

Here is just one example that turned out.

and another layout for As it Was:

Need to make my M in Same look more line an M so it doesn't read "Sane"!

 

Bday abstract

Inspired by something I saw online recently (that I now cannot find!) I made a b-day insert for the SMC April list!

I started with an abstract watercolor design, then added color pencil on some parts. I then added script lettering (in white) around the border: Happy Birthday in various languages. (feliz cumpleanos, joyeux anniversaire, buon compleanos...)

Then (you can barely see as I used Black Sparkle metallic ink) I lettered happy birthday around that in pp "akim".

Before adding black sparkle.

Below is the first test piece I did with the lettering from the ELO song, "Hold on Tight":

Again, I started with watercolor then added lettering with a pp and watercolor ink (which bled a bit into the watercolor design) -- "hold on tight to your dreams"

After, I used a fountain pen and "akim" lettering and added the lyrics, "accroche-toi a ton reve"

So many possibilities!!!

Hold on Tight... (ELO!)

While playing in my art room the other day, this song came on, SO I decided to letter the French lyrics part on a postcard!

Accroche-toi a ton reve.

(Pilot Parallel pen and teal India ink)

*And, just for fun, found this little tidbit online:

"Hold on Tight" from Time. Also hidden in plain sight are the French lyrics for the third verse in Hold On Tight. The line is basically a direct translation of the first verse from English to French. The original Time album's liner notes credits this as "Accroches-toi a ton rêve, Accroches-toi a ton rêve, Quand tu vois ton bateau partir, Quand tu sents ton cocur se briser, Accroches-toi a ton rêve". At it turns out, Jeff and his family had a home in France at the time, which is where his daughters were living with their mother. At the time, Jeff was in Musicland Studios in Germany recording the song, and apparently called up the girls' nanny in France to get the translation. The French lyrics are not a 100% true translation, although they are very close. Translating the French lyrics back to English, they are: "You hang on to your dream; You hang on to your dream; When you see your ship is parting; When you feel your heart is breaking".