Flourishing are the fancy swirls that you add to letters to glam them up. While mastering this technique takes LOTS of practice, we can break the process into different steps to help you become a pro one step at a time.

LETTERING TIP
The best way to achieve smooth flourishing lines is to draw them quickly. The slower you draw the more “jumpy” your curves will look.

And don’t forget that it takes a few minutes to warp up your hand and lots of hours of practice under your belt for this art form to feel natural to you.

Do not feel discouraged if you don’t like what you see at first. It gets better, I promise!

Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram and mention me in your caption so I can see your work. I still have a lot to learn, so let’s share our work and encourage one another.

You can also sign up for my newsletter to receive occasional lettering tips and product updates directly to your email inbox.

​If you follow me on Instagram, you know that colorful digital lettering is my jam. What you might not realize is that I’m actually a pen hoarder too and once in a while I like to dig into my stash and reach for my favorite pens to break the routine, create something some fun and horrible. Yes, I said horrible. It’s like when you exercise regularly by running miles and miles a day. It’s not easy to go into the gym and lift some heavy weights all of a sudden. Your body is not used to it. Same with lettering. Once you start creating great artwork with the tools you’ve mastered (in my case, the iPad Pro), it’s almost like starting all over again when you try new pens.
 
As you can see in this video, when it comes to real brush lettering, I totally suck at it – ha! In this video, I used the Pentel Brush Pen which allows me to create these raw, crazy-looking strokes. I love it! And boy do I see room for improvement, but that’s where the fun comes in. The fun doesn’t come from mastery, it comes from the journey to mastery.

I purchased my pen on Amazon so I’ve included my affiliate link for your convenience. However, I have also found similar pens at Michael’s so you can always check there if you’re out and about. ​

Now tell me in the comments below, what are some of your favorite lettering tools?

Just sharing a few lettering tips to help you get started with my new 2019 Calendar Template & Planner Set. The printable set includes three PDF files with:

• An 8.5x11, 12 month calendar
• A blank monthly template page with space for notes and doodles (of course)
• Daily/Weekly planner page that you can adapt to your routine by lettering different headers on them.

You can print as many as you need all year round and for years to come!

As an artist I always enjoy seeing other people’s creative process. If you’re like me, check out this postcard I drew for my sister’s new pup welcoming him into the family. It will be sent on behalf of my own dog, Paisley. ❤️

Below is the video I posted on Facebook sharing my creative process. Hope it inspires you to pick up a pen and draw. 

​They say necessity is the mother of invention and I couldn't agree more! This year, along with my Christmas gifts, I am including hot cocoa spoons with gifts to my family and friends AND I'm also offering them in some of my coffee mug gift sets. 

Since gluten and milk products trigger migraines and inflammation in my system, it is imperative that I read all food labels. This led me to create these cute little gift tags for others who are also gifting homemade hot cocoa mix or chocolate spoons. People with food allergies will forever be grateful that you took the time to include an ingredients list with your gift!

The card measures 2x2 inches, it features my original hand drawn artwork on the cover and the text on the back can be customized to include your list of ingredients, instructions and can be personalized with your name.

Now, as far as the chocolate spoons I made, I used @enjoylifefoods semi-sweet, diary-free, vegan and gluten-free chocolate chips to ensure EVERYONE can enjoy a cup of hot cocoa regardless of their dietary restrictions. I just melted the chocolate chips, poured them into each spoon, topped it with crushed peppermint candy, placed in the fridge to cool or a few minutes and wrapped them up to gift. 

Because I like to taste the chocolate in my hot cocoa, I use two spoons in 10 ounces of hot almond milk and add a dash a cinnamon. Yum! The chocolate spoons can also be used to sweeten your coffee and make a hot mocha. If you’re a chocolate lover, these treats will totally hit the spot!

By the way, I still have a few mug sets available with gluten-free cookies and these diary-free chocolate spoons.  Treat yourself or a loved one. You’ll love them! 😋