Studio News! July 2024

Hello Quillify Studio Friends

Studio 3.0 is functional, creative and colourful. I’m still making a few changes so that I can paint more but you don’t need the details of desks and plan drawers taking up your time (he, he).

I’m 95% there and working in my new studio as much as possible so that I can learn to make the most of the light days and waves of inspiration. My studio has 2 sets of glass doors and a large window which is great. So far, I have seen owls, deer families, sheep, cows, hawks, foxes, woodpeckers, jays, robins, hares and many types of garden birds. I better get painting, the decision of the day is what to paint next!

Anatomy Of A Brush

Anatomy of a brush is important for those wanting to get the most out of the tools used for painting and calligraphy. Knowing how to get the most out of brushes with the different tips, heads, sizes and styles is important. Also keeping them clean is an integral part of an ‘artists’ knowledge box.

Anatomy Of A Nib

Understanding the anatomy of a nib is important for those wanting to get the most out of the tools used for dip / pointed pen calligraphy. I explain the nib in detail during my sessions with students. Knowing how to activate new nibs and keeping them clean is an integral part of a ‘calligraphers’ knowledge box.

Quillify Studio - Holding The Brush Pen

How we hold a brush pen is so important for ensuring a long and healthy life for your pen. But more importantly to achieve the all important artistic lettering strokes that look beautiful on paper.

Check out the free download in the ‘Freebies’ section of the Quillify Studio Shop.

Practice Makes Progress

Creative Hand Lettering Session - 2 hours

Creative Hand Lettering Session - 2 hours

Pens and Pencils

Starting off with the appropriate tools for the task ahead saves time, being organised makes the journey more enjoyable and less frustrating.

The good news - Hand lettering for beginners does not need to be expensive. A pencil is a great tool to start with. A mechanical pencil will do but if you want to achieve thin upstrokes and thicker downstrokes grab a standard HB. Pens – there is a world of pens and it can be confusing. Go for a Pentel Touch Sign Pen or a Tombow Fudenosuke, try the hard and soft tip set and see what you think (WS-BHS-2P Hard and Soft Tip).

 

Paper

Any smooth paper is great for starting out. Printer paper, the cheaper the better as it should be smooth and receptive to the pen / pencils being used. Tracing paper is ideal, also graph paper.

 

Warming Up

Do some basic hand exercises moving those fingers around and giving them a good stretch. Spend a few minutes making sure you’re comfortable and assessing your senses. Can you settle in for a while and immerse yourself in lettering land.

Now do some easy warm up lettering, starter exercises to help you practice those strokes, curves and letters.

 

Let’s Start

You’re comfortable and warmed up. Let’s practice! You may have a word or phrase in mind that you’d like to achieve by the end of this session. Take the progressive steps needed to have a go.

Lettering Piece

Take the word or phrase and have a go!

Date this piece and note the tools used. This will be a great reference for future practice.

 

Practice Makes Progress

Watercolour Wash - Quillify Studio Workshop Notes

During my creative workshops, I like to pass on as much information as possible and support my students excitement about what they have learned. Although I think I get more excited than they do, as I love sharing information and helping people learn something new. Whilst in the excitement bubble, important information and often key steps of a process can often be forgotten. So I like to give my students access to support materials, often used to jog their memory and help them have a go once they get home.

Here is a workshop guide on how to create the several types of a watercolour wash. Enjoy!

A watercolour wash is a layer of diluted colour that can be quite transparent. In preparation, the colour / pigment is diluted with water to achieve the preferred water to pigment ratio. Commonly, a wash is applied to create a background or to help the user achieve layers of colour. Watercolour layers are based on building layers from light to dark, so mastering watercolour washes is a great way to progress.

Learn more about how to create the various types of watercolour wash in my free download, see below.

Watercolour Wash - Quillify Studio Workshop Notes
£0.00

This free resource was put together to support my workshop students. You may or may not have attended one of my workshops but I hope this may help you on your watercolour journey.

Add To Cart

Watercolour Colour Theory - Quillify Studio

Basic workshop outline notes to support Colour Theory and the Colour Wheel with practical exercise worksheets. Free workshop notes available to download, see below.

Watercolour Colour Theory - Quillify Studio
£0.00

This free resource was put together to support my workshop students. You may or may not have attended one of my workshops but I hope this may help you on your watercolour journey.

Add To Cart

Watercolour Lexicon - Quillify Studio

Here is a workshop guide on watercolour terminology. Enjoy!

This watercolour resource has been created with a view to being updated every now and again. If you think of a watercolour term that needs adding, please let me know.

Free workshop notes available to download, see below.

Watercolour Lexicon - Quillify Studio
£0.00

This free resource was put together to support my workshop students. You may or may not have attended one of my workshops but I hope this may help you on your watercolour journey.

Add To Cart