Olivia is a brush lettering artist who shares her colorful lettering all over the internet. Her obsession with lettering has turned into the creation of printable, traceable, practice pages to help other people practice their way to their own beautiful brush lettering.

WHAT IS YOUR CREATIVE STORY?

After years of envying all the artists and calligraphers I saw online, I decided that I had to stop watching and start doing. I took a bunch of calligraphy classes, sat down and got comfy with my paintbrush and spent an hour or two every evening after work just practicing and practicing. Of course, this was way before having a baby, so I had a lot more free time. After practicing on paper, I started scanning my work and playing around with Photoshop to clean up my lettering. All that practicing has paid off and given me a skill that I’m proud to share. And it’s fun. Even now, lettering and painting is a way to decompress and relax.

WHAT TIPS DO YOU HAVE FOR BEGINNERS?

Just start throwing stuff on the page. It doesn’t matter if you hate it at first because you can always paint over it or glue something on top of it.

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT TO MAKE?

When I don’t know what to make, I just start making colorful marks on the page. I usually keep things pretty simple and leave things light and airy. Even just a mostly white page with some bright spots of color can be pretty. The other thing I like to do is look up color palettes online and just use those color combinations as inspiration.

WHAT ARE YOUR MUST HAVE SUPPLIES? WHAT IS YOUR JOURNAL OF CHOICE?

I like loose paper better than a bound journal if I’m making a page physically. I consider myself a hybrid artist, so I tend to scan things into the computer and mess around in Photoshop. Eventually, I’d like to get a printed bound photobook with all my pages. As far as supplies, all I need is some watercolor paint and a round watercolor brush.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TECHNIQUE TO USE AND HOW DO YOU USE IT? ANY TIPS?

I tend not to draw much, so I like to just repeat a bunch of words or phrases. You can use a brush, marker, or your favorite pen. Experiment with different lettering styles or even just a really fast scribble.

HOW DO YOU FIND TIME TO MAKE THINGS?

I just had a baby recently, so I tend to squeeze in time to make things when he’s napping. I’m generally going to bed when he goes to bed at night to make sure I’ve filled up my sleep tank in case he wakes up in the middle of the night or early in the morning. I have a craft room with supplies always out and ready, so I can paint or letter something really quickly. Quick techniques and splashes of color are how I can relax a bit and still feel creative.

📌 Pin this or share in Instagram Stories:

Olivia

Olivia is a brush lettering artist who shares her colorful lettering all over the internet. Her obsession with lettering has turned into the creation of printable, traceable, practice pages to help other people practice their way to their own beautiful brush lettering.