Creating with pen and paper has to be one of my favorite things to do. My Mom has many treasures from over the years.
I just can’t get over my love of real paper and pens.
I’ve always loved buying a new pen. Anything that looks cool or writes nifty has long sucked me into buying it. Over the years people have given us a small Wal-Mart supply of school pens and pencils.
My pen stash…I need a few more, right?
I’ve told myself that I wouldn’t buy another pen until that stash was gone.
I’ve been diligently using up those pens…..but I haven’t stuck to that “I won’t buy another pen” idea very well.
I’m not sure any pen can outlast a basic BIC pen. They remind me of the Energizer Bunny…they keep going and going and going.
I’ve put colorful tape on mine so I will hopefully use it up before I lose it. I know that may sound a tad neurotic, but I love the feeling of using a pen to the last drop.
I’ve found that when you want to use a BIC pen to the last drop you are in for quite the commitment. Those pens really do last forever, which should be a testament to the pen, itself. I doodle and draw and scribble and write and they just. keep. going.
I want to use my pen collection all up, so that I won’t feel bad buying a new one. As much as I applaud BIC for their never ending ink…it’s not a super cute pen.
I like basic black or blue ink for most of what I do, but does the pen, itself have to be boring? I know the quality of pen doesn’t change based on the outside appearance…but I just love bright and pretty things.
My dear husband was daring enough to let me join him on his office supply store visit a couple weeks ago. Taking me can be rather adventurous as I can rarely get out of there without a pen or a box of tea. Why do they sell tea there? I have no idea.
My new pens from the office supply store.
Look at what a fine tip this has! 0.4 is awesome. I love it.
A few years back I watched a YouTube video about Master Penman. The guy is amazing to see. It inspired me to try learning more about calligraphy….but as is the nature with my less-than-perfectionist self…I didn’t get that far.
In that process, I learned about brush pens and hand lettering. It’s not hard to be consistent when you’ve found something you really love.
I bought a couple books and read tons of blog posts. I find neat ideas and then try to replicate it. I’ve found composing my own work is challenging. Getting everything sized correctly and balanced is harder than it looks.
Some great Hand Lettering books. They’ve taught me a lot.
Trying to work out my own lay out and lettering formation. Its kind of hard.
So this is part of my journey…just learning more and having fun with it. I can endlessly work on hand-lettering. It takes me a long time to make anything that looks remotely decent. With each new project it is fun to see improvement.
My first piece I worked on. It’s a magnetic board that I hang my cords on. It’s pretty handy!
It’s easy to see how far I’ve come…(with a long ways to go, yet)…when I look at the first things I ever did.
One of my more recent pieces.
Sorry the picture is a little gray. This was one of my first attempts to work on canvas. I had it setting on my desk unfinished when my husband saw it and starting laughing. He said maybe I should just leave it like this…..Yeah…read it again. My kids laughed with us too. They teased me about it for days.
I think the best website I have seen so far with exceptional freebie helps is here, Lettering Daily. They have stuff that is just awesome and will really take you to the next level in hand-lettering. You should definitely check it out.
If you are a crazy crafter like me and have ever wanted to learn how to crochet, check out this page.