Using Dr. Ph. Martin's Radiant Concentrated Watercolors with Pointed Pen

Hi all!

It's good to be back! My husband got a new camera for me to record my YouTube videos and I was so amazed by the result that I couldn't wait to share this with everyone. It took me awhile to get off my butt and start the editing process. Then it took *days* for the video to get uploaded onto YouTube (that was my bad) and when it finally got uploaded, lo and behold... a spelling error on the actual lettering.

Why I didn't catch this the thousand times I had to look at it while I was editing the video? I do not know. I only know this: I am dumb.

For previous video on using watercolors with pointed pen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFOX6Q-WWY4 Blog post and links found here: ●●●●●●●●● L I N K S ●●●●●●●●● B L O G : http://www.inkerella.com/blog/ I N S T A G R A M : https://instagram.com/inkerellacards/ F A C E B O O K : https://www.facebook.com/inkerellacards E T S Y: https://inkerellacards.etsy.com P I N T E R E S T : https://www.pinterest.com/inkerella/inkerella-cards/ ●●●●●●●●● S U P P L I E S ●●●●●●●●● * Dr. Ph.

So in short, sorry for the ridiculous of this would-be inspirational quote: "don't just fly sore" :P

Supplies

• Dr. Ph. Martin's Radiant Concentrated Watercolors —— https://goo.gl/lIrvXB
• Strathmore 140 lbs Watercolor Paper  —— https://goo.gl/AhUZc1
• Daiso Watercolor Palette —— Found in stores (vary by location)
• Brause Rose Nib —— https://goo.gl/aoQPqK
• Tachikawa Straight Nib Holder —— https://goo.gl/uFZ3h1
• Pentel Aquash Waterbrushes —— https://goo.gl/FXqyVX

How to Develop Your Own Style

Hello Readers!

I think it's been quite a long while since I've written my last blog entry (and I'm not counting video blogs), so hola!

I thought I'd deviate from the usual weekly video and offer something different! I've gotten a lot of questions regarding calligraphy style and how someone might start to develop his/her own style of writing. Modern calligraphy is great because it's so free and there are many differences in everyone's style of writing from whimsical to elegant to delicate--there are little nuances that really make a calligraphy lettering style unique!

Everyone develops their style in different ways, and I'm just here to share how it happened for me. So here are a few tips on how I've learned how to write like ME.

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Recreation of a quote from the book Think Happy, Be Happy

Get the Basics Down

The first thing that I would have to suggest before even thinking about lettering style is getting comfortable and well-acquainted with writing with a pointed pen. This means doing calligraphy drill work, practicing thin and thick strokes, working on individual letters, transitioning between letters, spacing between words, you name it! 

It may not be fun all the time (well for me, it was most of the time hehe), but building a strong foundation in the act of writing with a pointed pen is so crucial in being able to write with ease. You don't want to have to pour all of your mental focus on the fundamentals of writing while you're crafting your calligraphy style. So practice, practice, practice!

Day 2 of #handletteredABCs brings us to 🅱!!!!

"Day 2 of #handletteredABCs brings us to 🅱!!!!"

Watch the above video and other videos of me doing letter drills on Instagram! My handle is @Inkerellcards or you can search for #inkerellaabcs for the videos of calligraphy letters I did for the #handletteredabcs challenge!

Have At Least a Few Models

I'll admit, when I first started, all I wanted was to have my writing look "JUST LIKE _____'S" I wasn't even thinking of developing my own style because I was sure that I wouldn't be satisfied with a style that I created on my own. 

I started off really wanting to write like Molly Suber Thorpe because she's amazing and her writing is gorgeous. Plus, her book was the first one that I had bought and read to learn about modern calligraphy! So when I first started writing, I used the examples in her book as a model for how to write my letters. The words that I wrote looked really different from hers even though I used her letters as models for what I wanted mine to look like. Eventually, I started to tweak elements of my writing to fit in other elements. Some of the elements were things that came about from playing around with different styles and other elements were from other calligraphers on IG (e.g., "I love the way he writes his s", "her e's look so stylish").

Over time, I realized that there was a gradual shift from wanting it to look like someone else's writing, to wanting it to look unique to my writing style.

Continue to Evolve

My calligraphy style now is actually different from what it was a few months ago! It's important to keep learning and growing and shifting. I fully expect my writing style to change again--it might not be as dramatic as it was when I first started but as I'm learning and being inspired by fellow calligraphers, I don't expect to stay where I am stylistically. 

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Isn't that crazy?

I hope that this was helpful to anyone who might be looking to define their own calligraphy style! Good luck :)

-Jessie

Lefty Calligraphy Without the Mess!

Hi all!

If you're a lefty and you've always wanted to try calligraphy but didn't because of your handedness, don't fear! Lefties can do calligraphy too!

Today, I'm going to share with you some tips and tricks on how to write with both a pointed pen and brush pen without getting ink stains on the side of your hand (truly one of our biggest annoyances). 

I hope that was helpful and entertaining at the same time! :) 

Jessie

Using Gouache to Make Calligraphy Ink Colors (bonus video: how to mix different mediums)

Hi Lovelies

I've got another video today to show you how I like to mix my gouache in order to make different colored inks for calligraphy! 

At the end of the video, I have another bonus video. This time, I'm gonna show you how to mix different mediums (metallic watercolor + Walnut Ink, Pearl Ex + Walnut Ink to be exact) to create fun and unique looks!

P.S. Please excuse any weird audio inconsistencies! 

Thanks in advance for watching! Let me know what you think :) And please share: what do you want to learn about next?

Supplies

• Daiso Acryl Gouache —— Not Available Online
• (Emptied) Speedball Ink Pots —— https://goo.gl/aoQPqK
• Muji Dotted Notebook —— https://goo.gl/4cmjpb
• Dr. Ph. Martin's Bleedproof White —— https://goo.gl/zST5jk
• US ArtQuest Jewelz Watercolor Palette—— https://goo.gl/EOe7CW
• Jacquard PearlEx Solar Gold —— https://goo.gl/zT8Q8n
• Walnut Ink —— https://goo.gl/PZOubw
• Hunt Ex Fine 215 Nib —— https://goo.gl/MBJrpR
• Tachikawa Comic Pen Nib Holder —— https://goo.gl/ZSGldb

Faux Calligraphy Tutorial (with bonus watercolor pencil technique)

Hello again!

Today I want to share a quick and easy way to imitate pointed pen calligraphy if you don't have your typical calligraphy tools with you or if you're a beginner looking to try your hand at the modern calligraphy style. All it takes is a paper and pen!

At the end of the video, I will be sharing another way to faux calligraphy with watercolor pencils so make sure to stick around for that! :) 

Supplies

• Zen Liner Paintbrush —— https://goo.gl/Z3nics
• Muji 0.38 Gel Ink Pen —— https://goo.gl/LXaZRD
• Muji Dotted Notebook —— https://goo.gl/4cmjpb
• Derwent Inktense Pencils —— https://goo.gl/pj7KL1
• Bee Paper Aquabee Watercolor Paper —— https://goo.gl/yZD0PB
• Brause Rose Nib —— https://goo.gl/qEH8Ps

Masking Fluid Tutorial with Calligraphy and Watercolor

Hello all!

I wanted to share a quick video (and my very first!) on how I use masking fluid in my calligraphy using watercolor!

Let me know what you think of this technique and the other ways that you have used masking fluid, I would love to hear from you!

Supplies

• Bee Paper Aquabee Watercolor Paper  ——  goo.gl/yZD0PB
• Craft Smart All Purpose Brush Set  ——  goo.gl/MPkXKR
• Pelikan Watercolor Opaque Set of 24  ——  goo.gl/heKcMM
• Pebeo Drawing Gum  ——  goo.gl/qxUIDZ
• Brause Rose Nib  ——  goo.gl/qEH8Ps
• 3M Painter's Tape, .94-Inch by 60-Yard  ——  goo.gl/JpKfgt
• Recollections Embossing Heat Tool  ——  goo.gl/uBU76z