I'm a better cook because I letter

As I've mentioned quite a few times here, I'm enjoying a Sketchbookery class. This week, beyond making a sketchbook or two, we had demonstrations and lots of ideas around lettering. Pam Garrison showed some calligraphy methods. Here's a look at one of her fun designs:

Pam Garrison's wonderful art.

You can find more of her work around the net. But I say, start here.  

The lettering she demoed was similar to this style: 

To see the real lettering you're just going to have to take the class. Take the class!

It's a simple direction. Light on the upstroke, press down on the down stroke. Simple. And so confusing. Especially if you're trying to write in a lettering font style the same way you actually write. I find that I get ahead of myself and the simple instruction confuzzles me rather dramatically. 

So, I stopped. 

And looked at the video again and noticed that she was going slow. Slow. Enjoying the practice of getting the letters onto the paper. (For us to learn.)

I don't know if she goes slow when she's home alone in her art studio. But she demonstrated slow for us chimps in class and I had one of two rather brilliant AH HA! experiences today: Slow allows space for creating. It invites time to just be time which we can take to do what we truly love or want to learn or practice, etcetera, etcetera.

I slowed down and even decided to break the pattern of "trying" and zipping through. (Oh my gosh I know this so well. Why did I forget? When I was seriously working out violin passages all those days ago I went slow, slow, slow before I ever went fast. I know this in my bones.)

I made myself create the upstrokes and downstrokes separately -- breaking the writing pattern and they looked much closer to the demo.

Muscle memory is good. 

I remembered slow. 

And applied it. 

It was fun.

Then I returned to my comfortable artistic home, cooking, and made my kiddos their favorite Saturday Apple Dumplings. 

Taking time. 

Enjoying slow. 

And they really were more lovely than ever. 

A good morning indeed!

I've been too busy. 

Honestly. 

A little work, time with my kiddos, my husband and my lovely, lovely Sketchbookery class. (The class starts again in December. Take it. Really. It's wonderful.) My doggie has needed attention and received it, but not the garden so much. So this morning I did what I used to do every morning. I took a little garden walk. 

See what I found? It's about the size of two baseballs. It was hiding beneath the strawberry leaves. And, there's another one too. 

After the garden stroll, I came in and looked back out the door to find my lovely companion and bestest pal, Max.

A good morning indeed.

Altoids Traveling Watercolor Paints!

Usually I go to the Art Store with my dear husband. He's happy to wander with me supporting my love of supplies. I'm happy to have him there and without saying a word, he's my Jiminy Cricket keeping me from potential overspending.

Well, I went by myself this week. During the day. Alone. And what happened? Well, I ended up with a follower, an artist guy looking for my expert opinion. I kept using the word novice and he kept asking questions. Before I meandered off without my paper he asked if I'd made an Altoids Travel pan. Well, no, I have a little travel set, but I heard him out. Upcycler that I am. Kinda.

Today curiosity got the very best of me and I found that unfinished box of Dark Chocolate Dipped Peppermints (ick - what were they thinking?)

Well, voila! The upcycled travel pan. I bet you could even add six more lids to the top and just close it when they dry. 

So, whadaya think?
Workable?

What are you making?

I'm going back to my balloon page.

Oh, and thank you art guy. Hope you found that paper for landscapes.

Peachy!

In my Sketchbookery class, we did a complete page. What fun! 

I'm reaching back into my pre-kiddos days when I used to lug a sketch pad on airplanes and draw whatever I saw: ice in glasses, table settings, food and when that was over, shoes and feet. 

I'd forgotten I'd even done that. 

My dear reminded me that I used to sit and contour draw on our apartment floor. 

And now there's color. 

Our teacher, Mary Ann Moss, did a fun strawberry study. I'm super grateful my boyo is so very into peaches. I had a whole box to choose from. 

And, surprisingly, all the colors were just, well, there.