Watch Me Work - No Use Crying Over Spilled Coffee

The reality is, I'm MORE likely to cry over spilled coffee than milk, but I've spilled enough coffee that I might be numb to the entire situation.

In my latest (failed) attempt to not be a spaz, I managed to knock over my coffee cup and spill over my Little Dude's Immunization Record two days before I need to turn it into his preschool.

BLERG!! But did I get angry?

1. No. This wasn't my first coffee calamity, so I just reached for the paper towels.
2. I was pretty "Benadryl Drunk", hence the knocking over of the cup to begin with. Heck, I was one long blink away from falling asleep where I was standing.
3. I realized this would set the appropriate framework for the school to judge my parenting. At least when my Little Dude shows up with uncombed hair and Chocolate Pop Tart breath, NO ONE will be surprised.

First I made a watercolor background using simple circles and a hint of Gold Finetec.

Then I used watercolor to letter the word "Coffee" and brush pens for the rest.

I tried to get "fancy" and save my flourishes for the end. I kinda failed, but mostly because I also had planned on doing a flourish off the "l" in "like" and completely forgot. Oh Well.

Insight 💡: wetting the surface BEFORE I put the watercolor down made for a much more even distribution of paint when drying. You can see in the first dark brown circle in the upper left corner there are more noticeable variations in the paint after it dried than in the other circles.  

Anywhoooo. What's something important you've spilled on with coffee? 👇 Feel free to let me know I'm not alone in my clumsiness. 😂

MATERIALS USED (the following contains affiliate links, which do not increase an items cost to you, but does pay me a small commission if you are so kind as to make a purchase based on my recommendations)

Brush - Pentel Aquash Brush, I should have used the larger one for the watercolor background as it would have made painting the circles easier

Paint - Ecoline Watercolors, I started with the 10-Pack, but you can purchase them individually here (not an affiliate link)

Gold Paint - Finetec Metallic Watercolors, gorgeous paints

Brush Pens - Pentel Touch Sign Pen, FLEXIBLE TIP, make sure you get the flexible tip, or you will not get the necessary variations in your upstrokes and downstrokes

Paper - Generic Cardstock from Staples (not an affiliate link)

Instagram Giveaway (September)

Hello Everybody 👋 I'm currently hosting a giveaway on My Instagram Account - feel free to read the rules and enter. Giveaway runs from September 15th to the 18th, with the winner(s) announced on September 19.

MATERIALS USED (the following contains affiliate links, which do not change an item's cost to you, but does pay me a small commission if you are so kind as to make a purchase based on my recommendations).

Brush Pens - Tombow Dual Tips, I have the full 96 Pack, but the Brights Pack is a great starter pack (and it includes a blender pen! 🙌 )

Water Brush - Pentel Aquash Brush, I recommend the 3-pack because even in this video I used two different sizes

Paint - Dr Ph Martin's Bleed Proof White, one of the best white paints out there. VERY opaque, but also tough to work with 😅 )

Watch Me Work - Hand Lettered Name Art - Erica

It's always super-exciting when you get to meet an Insta-Friend IRL. It's even more exciting when  you can give them presents 😬 !!!

This past weekend, I was able to meet up with one of my earliest Insta-Friends, Erica of Avalon Sunshine (amazing, kid-friendly items, you MUST check out her shop!!). Obvi I needed to have something fun to give her, and I knew that Erica 💖s pink, soooooo:

(The lighting is terrible in these videos - I'm SO SORRY! I normally shoot at night to give consistent lighting, but I wanted to squeeze these in before we left for our road trip this weekend). I used my favorite plastic bag technique to create a custom background. I also "jazzed" it up a little bit by adding some Finetec Sparkle!

Next I used Dr. Ph. Martin's Bleed Proof White to create a crisp white lettered look. And because Erica is one of the brightest, sun-shiniest people I know, OF COURSE I had to dot the 'i' with a little sunshine. (If I had thought a little more ahead, I would have made the sunshine bigger so I could give him a smiley face >.< )

What should I letter on my next plastic bag piece?! Let me know in the comments, and I just might send it to you! 😜

MATERIALS USED (the following contains affiliate links, unless otherwise noted, which does not change an item's price to you, but does pay me a small commission if you are so kind as to make a purchase based on my recommendation)

Brush Pens - Tombow Dual Tip Brush Pens, but you could also use any water-based marker for this

Water Brush - Pentel Aquash Brush, I write this every time, but get the 3-pack and you will use all three sizes

Metallic Paint - Finetec Gold Palette, though this palette works just a well for a slightly lower price

Heat Gun - You can use something like this, or even a hair dryer, just be careful to not blow the papers off your desk (which YES I DID the first time I tried this!)

White Paint - Dr. Ph. Martin's Bleed Proof White, kind of difficult to work with, but the "gold standard" of white paint. It's very opaque and makes for a crisp paint job

Watch Me Work - Things My Child Says - This is CNNN

Sometimes when you're not sure what you want to letter, you just need to take a second and listen to the words floating around your own home. Fortunately for me I have a pre-schooler, so there is never a shortage of "interesting" things being said 😅.

Part I is the watercolor background for the piece.

This is a great technique if you wanted something that won't distract from your lettering. I used 1 color, but you can use multiple colors and blend them together to give beautiful backgrounds. I also used some metallic watercolor paints to help give it additional shimmer. It's important to make sure your brush is *really* wet when you do this, so the color blends more easily.

Part II is the lettering

I often struggle with composition, so I still think the last word placement is a little awkward, but I'm not sure where it would fit better 😑 (I'm open to suggestions). 

Anywho, this was an actual conversation I have with my 4 and a half year old Little Dude

Little Dude: Mom, I NEED to watch CNNN

Me: Why? Who do you want to watch?

Little Dude: President TRUMP! 

Me: Um, really? Who's your favorite to watch?

Little Dude: Jake Tapper!!

Me: Okay, do you remember who was on vacation this week?

Little Dude: Mr. Wolf Blister 

And of course, his favorite part is the channel announcement done by James Earl Jones. Though he doesn't *quite* have the word order correct 😂.

This was filmed with Hyperlapse and Edited with Flow (speed changes) and Chromic (visual edits). The materials I used were as follows (yes, these are affiliate links, unless otherwise noted, and do not cost you extra, but do pay me a small commission if you are so kind to make a purchase based on my recommendations). Thank you!

Watercolor Paint - Ecoline Watercolors. I used Pastel Red here, but by far, the best place to find them online are here (Blick Arts, NOT an affiliate link). If choosing colors overwhelms you, I do recommend this 10 color set 

Metallic Paint - I really love my Finetec metallic paints. Here's a comparable set from Blick Arts (not an affiliate link) that has really pretty gold and silver colors (though it's out of stock until Tuesday 😒) (This set is currently in stock on Amazon) . Also, this Kuretake Gansai Tambi set is supposed to be very similar in quality for a lower price.

Water Brush - perfect for watercolors, this set of Pental Aquash water brushes is by far the best price I've found. (And YES! You'll use all three)

Brush Tip Pen - the Tombow Fudenosuke Twin Tip is my FAVORITE brush pen of all time. It's perfect for practice and final pieces. (YES! Get the 3-pack! You'll never want to be without it, plus when it "dries out" you can just dip it in different color inks and create gorgeous ombre lettering!)

White Paint - You CANNOT use the Uniball Signo white pen on red - it turns pink. If you want to create details like I did in the video, you need to use Dr. Ph. Martin's Bleed Proof White. I used a dip pen to make my lines, but this ink works just as well with a brush / water brush too.