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September 2023 Lettering Round Up

We’re officially in Autumn mode now! I’m glad for a change, this summer was … interesting. As always my artistic endeavors are shifting and changing. I focused on spending as much time in my art studio as possible. I had some wonderful painting sessions just making marks and experimenting with compositions and various media. I fell in love with acrylic ink and very watery acrylic paint.
Much of this takes time for me. I do a lot of pausing and waiting for layers to dry while I decide what needs doing next. This also means my calligraphy just isn’t getting as much dedicated focus and time. I made less, and when I did I focused on simple pieces. It feels like I’m balancing my new artistic interests with something I’m much more confident in, the calligraphy. To balance the fear of sharing something new and untested with my proven calligraphy skills. I’m glad for the days I can lean back on what I’ve worked so hard on for the past few years with my calligraphy. But I’m excited by the thrill of trying something bold and new, in spurts of bravery. I don’t know what the future holds, or which way I will wander, but I hope you can enjoy the journey with me. And I imagine you artists out there can relate! Happy Fall everyone.

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August 2023 Lettering Round Up

Honesty time… I’ve been slowly falling into an uninspired era. I was trying to fight it, but I think I just need to accept that this phase is here to stay. So I’m going to be taking the best care of myself possible in the coming weeks. I think there is no particular reason for this phase, or maybe it’s just a reaction to having a very productive couple of months. It felt good to be making lots of progress and creating new products for my shop. But all things ebb and flow and I need to nurture my natural rhythms for now. It’s probably a good time of year to take a little step back because the holiday season will presumably be quite taxing and busy. Lots of promotion and content I will need to create to keep up. Maybe you needed a reminder to be kind to yourself and hopefully I can provide that for you if you are in a similar headspace. Consider this your permission slip to take time for yourself. Rejuvenate. Relax. Accept good enough. Sending you creative kindness and compassion.

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July 2023 Lettering (And Art) Round Up

Another month bites the dust. I focused a bit more on illustration this month than my usual lettering and calligraphy content. I am finding myself a bit stuck creatively and starting to fight against burn out. So I pivoted to another interest I haven’t explored in quite some time… digital illustration! I do design digitally for my shop products quite often but I usually stick to typography or lettering.

I haven’t done a portrait or figure in many moons. I’m still not sure what spurred me to try it again but I am so glad that I did. I feel refreshed and renewed by trying something new. I am a beginner again and the growth I can make from one piece to the next is exciting. I think the changes in my calligraphy were becoming less noticeable as I got more skill and got further along in my learning. The excitement of something totally new is one of my absolute favorite parts about being an artist. Maybe it’s a curse, or maybe it’s a blessing but I do like to change things up often. I have been staying with calligraphy for almost 3 years. I’m not saying I’m leaving it by any means. I still love lettering and calligraphy. But I do want to mix in other art forms here and there and I really hope you don’t mind. I’ll add the two illustrations that I made into stickers for my shop below. See you next month!

(Oh and as always check out the links to my social media to see the videos and detailed photos that go with each image.)

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May 2023 Lettering Round Up

Did May feel really long to anyone else? I can hardly remember how I started the month. I experimented with more fountain pen content and had an absolute blast with it. I will totally be including more of that in the future. I don’t have a daily journaling practice but sometimes it helps me recenter my focus and get rid of some brain clutter so I might need to remember to journal more often. I’m also going to be experimenting with a traditional bujo calendar and a digital planner to see if either help me. Often times it’s just fun to set up the pages but not something I refer to a lot. I’m going to see if I can make them more useful somehow and compare the traditional and digital vibe to see which matches my moods and productivity more. I hope everyone has a safe and happy June!

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April 2023 Lettering Round Up

It was a bit of a strange month for me creatively. I had a lot of energy and motivation but I focused on spring cleaning my house most days. It was work that needed doing but ultimately pushed my art practice down the list of priorities a bit. I also finished up my typography class with the design you see for a patch. I have been working almost every day with a production company to add these to my store but since it’s my first time making a patch it has been a slow process. Hopefully we can finalize the design in the next week and start getting them made. I’m super excited to hold one in my hand eventually. Welcome to May everyone, I hope it holds fresh energy for everyone.

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March 2023 Lettering Round Up

Lots of fun with my pointed pen this month. I was starting to feel a little uninspired by my usual brush pens and markers so I decided to challenge myself. I’m still very much a beginner with my pointed pen but when I do get a few lines just right I find it so beautiful. There really isn’t a lot of room for indecision or a lack of control so it can be scary to share these pieces that feel less than perfect. But I actually found more excitement in the challenge which I was desperately needing. As always, follow me on social media to see the videos that go with these pieces. Happy April!

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February 2023 Lettering Round Up

I almost forgot to post this months round up because the month felt so short. But here are all my best posts from social media this month. As always be sure to follow me @jwinsorart to see the videos that go along with these pieces. And check out my Patreon for the satisfying real time videos. Happy March everyone!