I draw on scrap paper (used copy paper from the office) more than I do on sketchbooks. It’s less stressful because you don’t have to worry about “ruining the pages”. In fact, the opposite is true. When you draw/letter on scrap paper you’re embellishing something that was considered waste and oftentimes it is saved instead of being tossed out.
So get your lettering practice on and pretty up some paper, no matter how tiny the piece might be. 
Note: This is one of my favorite pens. I bought mine at Michael's but you it's also available on Amazon. Here's my affiliate link, for your convenience:  Kuretake ZIG Writer

Just a little lettering inspiration for those who have purchased my calendar templates. Don’t forget to tag me @PaisleyInParis on Instagram so I can see the pretty lettering artwork your calendar!

If you’re in need of a calendar you can customize to your needs, click on the button below. Buy these templates once, print as many as you need and stay organized for years to come.

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.