What is the 100 Day Project on Instagram?

I thoroughly enjoyed the classes from the Modern Calligraphy Summit and became incredibly inspired to create after watching the wonderful artists share their work. Since then, I've added doodling, watercoloring, and brush lettering to my growing list of creative outlets. I then furthered my watercoloring curiosity when I stumbled upon Etsy shop owner, Ana Victoria Calderon's Youtube and Skillshare classes. I've been hooked on watercoloring since!

I started researching non-toxic vibrant watercolors and invested in a few different pan sets as well as a few tubes to create my own 5-8 color palette. I even found time to putting it to good use and started mixing for color studying. It's been so much fun!

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But it has been challenging to find a consistent routine to create, until stumbling upon the #the100dayproject hosted by @elleluna on Instagram. When I learned about the challenge I was immediately excited by the thought of having a small moment to be creative in some way, every single day from April 19 through July 27. Then it dawned on me that I am surely to miss days in between. In fact I missed day 1!

What topic could I document creatively where the gaps in the 100 days could be a part of the art and story of the documentation? My subject is #motherhood to be filed under #pearls100daysofmotherhood2016 as a snapshot of what it's like for a regular working mum making life happen in Brooklyn, NY via Instagram. I'll express my lens of motherhood through a simple word, doodle, picture, memory, or watercolor exploration [almost] everyday for the next three months!

Come join me in my mini art journey! Here's what I've created and documented in the first week:

See you on Instagram!

The Modern Calligraphy Summit is Here!

Back in September last year, I unexpectedly came across the Modern Calligraphy Summit thanks to Instagram and on a whim, decided to begin 2016 with a learning opportunity. The online classes begin today. I'm so excited to learn from the awesome artists and teachers every night at my own pace.

Since signing up, I've found ways to put my nibs and ink to good use so I'm more prepared by now. Practice truly makes better. I'm no where near perfection or even close to consistency, but I've been warming up my hand and wrist to gain better control of my penholder and the way my nib meets paper.  I don't practice everyday because it's nearly impossible with mommy, work, and home responsibilities, but when I do, I learn something new about my letterforms. Here are some of my calligraphy projects along the way.

Finding the perfect nib for me. I started on Gillott 303 and 404 nibs. I then tried other kinds of nibs recommended for beginners and found the Nikko G nib to be most suitable for me. It's become one of my favorite nibs. I love the control I have when I use it because I tend to be a little more heavy handed and the Nikko G gives just the right amount of flex while being rather forgiving.

Updated Pearl's Pen Pals Etsy shop logo. My previous shop logo was created almost 5 years ago and a refresh was long overdue.

Practicing. Every few weeks, I find myself looking back at older calligraphy samples to see what I can improve. I always find something and so I keep practicing. I think I'm finding more comfort in my own penmanship. Just compare the differences in a few months. The same words but notice the different flow and pace in the lines of my more recent sample.

Turning calligraphy into a cake topper. For my babe's 2nd birthday, I vectorized my handwriting, die-cut it using my awesome Silhouette, and made a glitter cake topper for her kiddy party. After the party, I kept the topper and snipped off the dowels to use it as a scrapbook page keepsake/embellishment. It's one of my favorite calligraphy projects!

I'm looking forward to learning a ton these two weeks!

#nevertoooldtostartsomethingnew

Great Resources for Learning Modern Calligraphy

Happy new year! I can't believe it's already 2016. I've certainly slacked off on posting towards the end of last year, with my daughter's birthday planning and the holidays all back-to-back.

I've been trying new things with pens and nibs. I've also been working on a few side projects including two names, one for a business identity and another for personal stationery.

I discovered that I really enjoy using the Pilot Fountain Pen Custom 742 with the FA nib. There's a nice smooth feel to how it writes on paper and although sometimes, I get the occasional railroading, it generally is a great soft nib fountain pen. To reduce the railroading, I tend to write as I do with a pointed pen, really allowing the ink to touch the paper and letting it be a slow stroke.

Skipping between the fountain pen and the pointed pen is a real treat because I've realized just how little I write on a normal basis. After a long week of work, I always feel really rusty picking up the pens. Warming up is incredibly important to get wrists rotating and the fingers used to carrying the curves of the pen since my hands are so used to the shape of the keyboard throughout the week.

Since signing up for the Modern Calligraphy Summit, I've been doing a ton of research to get prepared. I've pulled out tons of old tools and books, but I've also found a lot of great resources online. Here are some that have helped me get started again on this hobby:

• IAMPETH - A wonderful set of resources around supplies and videos on how to write letter forms.
• John Neal Booksellers - My favorite go-to for all tools for calligraphy. I was first introduced to their catalog by Hannah Rose Calligraphy.
• The Goulet Pen Company - When I was researching on the best flex nib fountain pen for my needs, I found the reviews so helpful and learned all about the basics.
• Connie Chen Calligraphy - I first came across Colors of Christ on Instagram and was instantly drawn to her beautiful works of art. She also shares videos of how she produces her work on YouTube and it is mesmerizing!

Additionally, I found a few other great posts on how to get started on calligraphy from these blogs:

• Antiquaria
• The Postman's Knock
• Julia Bausenhardt
• Pieces Calligraphy
• Happy Hands Project

What are some good resources you've come across to learning calligraphy?

Falling Back In Love with Calligraphy

As the daughter of a calligrapher, I've always had my hand in lettering and improving my penmanship. Four years ago, my husband gave me the gift of a two hour intensive beginner's course to learn copperplate script from Hannah Rose Calligraphy and I was hooked! But then life got the best of me for a bit there and I simply had no time to practice or pick up the oblique pen again until recently. It's been awesome familiarizing with my pens and brushes.

I also happened to come across the Modern Calligraphy Summit on Instagram. On a whim, I signed up and now I'm excited to learn more come February. This was my first homework assignment -- in my best penmanship, let the world know I've signed up.

Although, completely unplanned and certainly not within my 2015 goals, I'm happy to add this to my list for daily practice. I'm also thrilled to begin 2016 with this art on my list. Always learning!

With what are you falling back in love?

Silhouette Cameo: "December" Handwritten Title

Hi there! How is everyone's December coming along? Today, I thought I'd share a bit about how I created the "December" handwritten die cut title in my

December Daily album

.

Anyone who has the 

Silhouette Cameo

 probably LOVES it just for this kind of application. I wanted my own handwriting to be captured in our December Daily, and the 

Silhouette Cameo

 is perfect for this.

Materials used:

See this

blog post

for details.

Here's a quick how-to:

1. Write your word in script using a tablet and pen in Photoshop and save it as  JPG file. Or write your word using a black Sharpie marker on a white piece of cardstock and scan the word into a JPG file.
2. Then open the file in your Silhouette Studio software.
3. Trace the area where the word is. (Menu > Object > Trace > Select Trace Area and create a box around the area you want to trace)
4. Play with the filters on the right side until you have a nice trace line around the word.
5. Simple remove the JPG from the background and you'll have a nicely traced word you can cut with the Silhouette Cameo.

I love this technique when you're looking for a nice handwritten title for scrapbook pages or even sentiments on cards.

Thanks for stopping by!

- KRAFTY pearl