Mind Blown

I’m convinced. There’s nothing like seeing your work on something out in the world.

From the time I was a kid, after I had fun running around the park with my friends, I always enjoyed going home reading a book or finding something creative to do with my hands. We had video games back then. I played occasionally. But, that was mainly my brother’s territory. Still, he played them. Nowadays, I live in an age where kids enjoy watching others play them. Hence, I spend quite a bit of time motivating kids to actually make art (you know, with their own hands). But, I’m convinced that once they see their art out in the world, doing something, they’ll be forever hooked.

Case in point, these photos here show an illustration for a cover I worked on for a project with my school’s music teacher (first photo above) while the other shows a card I lettered for my daughter’s birthday. They both come straight from my sketchbook. You can see my sketches below.

Pretty much all of my lettering pieces start in my sketchbook. Then, they find their way onto my IG account and this blog. Occasionally, they get printed on something like these items. When that happens, I always feel this sense of awe about it. Like a little kid!
There’s a story behind that…
A while back, a friend of mine thought my little lettering projects would be a great fit for Etsy. I love Etsy. I think they’re right behind Amazon in terms of my addictions as a consumer. But, realistically-speaking, I wouldn’t have the time for Etsy throughout the year. I’m a teacher-and an art/specials teacher at that (specials teachers know what I’m talking about). The thought of rushing around to inventory, package, and make it to the post office during a normal work week to send out anything frankly exhausts me. I would not get to cultivate any relationships with anyone interested in my work because I know I’d be too busy. But, I’m not opposed to putting up a Print-on-Demand shop. While I doubt the money ever truly pours in for the average POD shop owner, they’re likely easier to maintain since the platform does the majority of the work. I also think it’s nice to have a place to point to for those who might be interested in buying your work in some form. Besides that, how cool is it to see your work on anything from pins to t-shirts, to even backpacks! Mind blown!
Watch this:

I always start with making thumbnails in my sketchbook. I pick one that I like to develop from whatever I make in there. The final sketch may or may not resemble the initial sketch. But, it’s a starting point. Since I’ve always had a thing for 70’s style lettering…I chose the one in the lower left hand corner. You can see the process video below.

I thought the theme paired well with a retro-inspired RV, so I added that into the sketch.

Look how one sketch in a sketchbook takes on more life outside of it…

Nice right?!

I can’t wait to get more acquainted with Illustrator and Photoshop for lettering to see where all these little projects can go. But, right now, I’m just amazed at what a little sketch can do! 🥰