Shaina learns Brush Script

I have been completely smitten with Kal Barteski’s script art for a long time…she turns simple words into magic with her brush. And so I was so excited when Studio Calico made the announcement that Kal was teaching a class for them called Life : Scripted. I was not missing this opportunity!

And let me tell you, I have not been let down. Kal’s love for this art and the supplies she uses to create it just ooze out of her. And she is a great teacher. I watched her do it and felt like I could do it too. So I got my supplies out and ready and for the first time dipped my special bamboo brush into gouache and then touched it to paper.

Too much water…making the paint was too lean. So I loaded up again and got so excited when the color looked just like I wanted. Attempt number two:

And then once I got the feel for water to paint ratio figured out for my brush I just kept drawing lines…line after line after line. Big fat lines, skinny little lines, some really dark, some lighter…all fun! I just felt my smile getting bigger and bigger on my face.

Then I tried diagonal lines and swirly lines and shapes. I was getting the feel for my brush and loving it!

And then it was time to move on to letters. I was trying to connect them, not connect them, use thin and thick lines, focus on the shapes and just get a good handle on how the brush works on actual shapes. I did lowercase and uppercase and this is my absolute favorite page of uppercases. I added a heart at the end cuz it made me so happy.

After pages and pages of letters and lines I wanted to try my hand at my One Little Word for the year: THRIVE. I wrote it a bunch, using different types of letters and combinations. My first page of “thrive” was my favorite in the end.

I added some drips for good measure and they made me extra happy. In the end I’d used tons of gouache and tons of paper. My whole office was covered and it just made my day! My plan is to use my scripting in my Project Life for 2014. Been waiting for this class to share those pages so they would be complete.

I am so glad that Kal and Studio Calico came together to offer this class. I know that this is something I’m going to fall more in love with the more I do it. I can’t wait to practice and practice some more and really learn my brushes and the shapes that I like.

Hoping to share lots more of the process and progress!! Thanks for peeking.

What is a new form of art you want to try?
Have you tried Brush Script before?
Do you love it or hate it?

pitter patter of my heart

lately i have been spending time thinking about the types of things i am drawn to... like what captures my imagination visually, am i detail oriented or to i love big picture moments, what do i like to turn my viewfinder on.  i am searching deeper into who that makes me as an artist.  i am discovering my personal visual voice.  this is of course thanks to the lovely Vivian McMaster and her You are Your Own Muse class that i am so honored to be a part of.  i have learned a lot through this year's 52weeks project, but in just this first week of class my perspective has changed.  i know that i am not afraid to step into my pictures, in fact i love knowing that i always have a subject for my photos!  but my focus is shifting... i am yearning to tell more of my story. 

so in response to this yearning, i wanted to share something that has really caught my attention this week.  Nancy shared some artwork over at the SFTIO forum as a source of inspiration for our theme this month.  and one particular image really stood out to me... because i'd seen this artist's work before and i had forgotten how much it touched the artist inside me.

the artist's name is Stina Persson.  and she makes magic with watercolors.

this last one is the one that was familiar to me... i saw it in a magazine and still have the page safe in a folder somewhere. 

i am struggling with the words to explain why i am so drawn to these images.  i think they have hearts and souls of their own.  through line and color they tell a story. 

that is what i am aiming to do in my own art and medium of choice: self-portrait photography.  through line and color and heart tell my story. 

i think things are looking up!

let me tell you, its been a rough week. i've been physically hurting, and emotionally hurting, and just drained. i've started eating different, and i think its gonna take my body a bit to get used to it. but today i am feeling better. :)

"the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." -Lao Tzu

i have begun my journey to a healthier, happier me.
i decided to sign up for Ashely Wren's class, sponsored by SIS.
its complete motivation, inspiration, and support.
there are 21 days of class assignments that jump-start the process and message boards that will continue through the rest of the year.
i think this is exactly what i need.
:D