April - 30 Days of Bible Lettering
Monthly Theme:
I was to collaborate and participate in the 30 Days of Bible Lettering challenge by hand lettering daily verses! I really wanted to focus on my ability to portray sentences of words, not just short two or three word strings. Though the project was difficult, I’m really happy with the results, and excited to share these top 5 verses of the month. Be sure to check out the rest of the month’s designs here.
1. Give Thanks to the Lord – Psalm 136:1
His love endures forever.
In the book of Psalm, this phrase is repeated 26 times in this verse, declaring the never ending love of Christ. I think the repetition is to establish the eternality and steadfastness of this promise, that this love is one that has no end and has no limit. This design was particularly fun to work on, utilizing the brush lettering that my style has become known for, and applying a 3D floating text effect over the gold foil cube.
2. The Lord is On My Side – Psalm 118:6
The Lord is on my side! Wanted to take you into my lettering process for today’s post! Using procreate, I sketch out the words I’ll be lettering in a general outline, focusing on capturing the form/flow. Then, I create guidelines and move through to slowly perfect each letter. Finally, I’ll add some shading and special elements to polish off the look! This whole piece was crafted using the standard 6B pencil brush in Procreate. I try not to spend too much time in these daily lettering challenges, but pieces like this really carry me away!!
Definitely check out the Instagram post for this one, where I share detailed photos bringing you into my process of lettering these pieces (the last frame is even a full time lapse!). Lettering these designs can take quite a bit of time, but when they end up like this it all seems worth it.
3. In This Hope – Romans 8:24
“For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”
Brush lettering clusters are some of my favorite pieces, working in the directional brushstrokes and spatter to make the text form together. I think hand lettering is so exciting to me because I feel you can go so far beyond words to capture the tone and expression of a word or phrase, giving you that much more insight on the messaging. Plus, I just love the all caps brush lettering style.
4. All Things Work Together – Romans 8:28
Recently had conversation with our apartment maintenance guy on this topic… hardships make purpose feel foggy, and the easy answer is to feel that there must NOT be a reason for what goes on in your life. But, take a moment to look back. Smooth seas never made a skillful sailor, and in life it takes the nightmare to appreciate not being it it. It may seem that you’re lost in darkness, but hold fast. There is a plan, and perspective will be granted in time.
Apart from being the name of Lecrae’s tour (which I was honored to create these ads for), “All things work together” is the promise of a bigger picture. So, I really wanted to capture that message in an intertwining script design. Crafting the flow and layering of this effect takes time, but the end result is well worth it! I love how the textures and shadows make this feel so composed and whole.
5. Our Victory – 1 Corinthians 15:57
Our victory is in Christ!
Christ’s side is that of victory… it is already won! This 30 Days of Bible Lettering challenge has taught me TONS on combining phrases together in a cohesive design. Biggest tip I learned was in super rough sketches to start out with. Don’t worry about fonts or ligatures in the beginning, just capture the general flow and composition of your design, and worry about fonts and exact forms later. So excited to continue sharing with you on this journey!
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March - Designisms
Monthly Theme:
Outside of my hand lettering, I’m a big marketing and design nut, so I wanted to dedicate March to some of my favorite Designisms. Struggling with finding yourself in your online identity, or searching for a few tips and tricks to help your following get to know you better? I think these 5 tips will get you started. Be sure to check out the rest of the month’s designs here.
1. Always Triple Check your Spelling!
Typos are embarrassing. They’re even more embarrassing when you spend 2 hours crafting the letters by hand. But hey, everyone makes mistakes, and I’ll be the first to laugh at it! Don’t take yourself too seriously, roll with the issues, and make something better tomorrow!
I’m always embarrassed to let a spelling error out in the wild through an email or caption. Even more embarrassing when you spend hours hand lettering one! Always triple check your work! Poor use of language and grammar gives your audience a bad first impression of who you are, and can kill some level of respect or detail almost immediately! This one is getting framed for the office (bonus points if you can find my typo!)
2. Just My Type!
Get it? Because typography? Share with that special someone to let them know they’re just your type!
This one was meant as a demonstration piece, and was one of my favorites through exploring dimension in my hand lettering. As I always say, design isn’t about just making something look good, it’s about creating an experience that your viewers want to participate in and share with the people in their life! Go ahead, visit the post on Instagram and tag your special someone!
3. Make Something Today
In the words of Stefan Kunz, make something today… EVEN if it sucks. And sometimes it’s gonna suck. But hey, that’s growth! Love seeing all these daily challenges people are pursuing for growth. Keep at it!
The daily challenge mentality has definitely taken off in the last couple years, encouraging artists everywhere to stop dreaming and start doing! There’s a fine line between perfecting a piece of art, and obsessing over details and delaying actually making it happen… so make like Shia LaBeouf, and just do it! Inviting your audience to witness your growth and struggles is not only encouraging, but also incredibly inspiring to your vision and mission behind your craft… use that to your advantage!
4. Be Your Self
Don’t be a faker. Being you is the best way to communicate with other. Especially in this weird world of likes and shares, engage people by being yourself!
It’s so sad to see people transforming themselves to conform with algorithms and popularity… you have been blessed with an awesome individual personality, and exactly zero other people have that same capacity! Capitalize on your quirks, and don’t be afraid to be a little uncomfortable. In a world of stereotypes and trends, someone acting like themselves is a fresh breath of air, and something that sets trends instead of chasing them.
5. Choose Optimism
You can’t control the things around you, the challenges you face, or the outcomes of others. But you can dictate how you respond to them. Optimism isn’t blind hope for a false possibility, but a perseverance to leave everything you touch better than when you found it.
Be a beacon of hope, not a spiral of hatred. Remaining optimistic means constantly pushing yourself, shooting for the stars and exploring uncharted waters! Yes, it means welcoming in occasional failure, but it’s like working out a muscle; the only way to grow and thrive is through the pain, fighting for a better tomorrow!
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February - Motorsports Quotes
Monthly Theme:
February was Motorsports month! One of my biggest hobbies is motorsports, working on my ’84 Porsche 944 in the times I’m not behind a screen. So, I wanted to share some of the motorsports quotes that I believe are inspiring even when you’re not behind the wheel of a meticulously assembled automobile. Here are my 5 favorites of the month!
2. Life is Too Short…
Life’s too short to drive boring cars! It‘s also too short to keep fixing them…
I needed to buy a winter car a couple years ago, preparing my Porsche for my honeymoon road-trip, I had two requirements for a winter vehicle: It had to be all wheel drive and stick shift. It would be too easy to buy any variety of winter beater vehicle, but I opted for something unique, enjoyable, and with maximum smiles per gallon. What a great motorsports quote… Sometimes life needs a little more than just A-to-B. Find enjoyment in between, and take the scenic route.
2. No Race is Won in the First Corner…
The first turn can’t win you the race, but it sure can lose it for you! Be patient, persistent, and go for gold!
Nobody wins on spontaneous effort, but on consistent hard work and determination. Quick wins are easy… but are they sustainable? If you effectively plan for your “first turns” of your endeavors, you’ll win more races, and have a more predictable approach to your success.
3. No Traction? No Problem.
The art of steering with throttle… No traction? No problem. Thought this was appropriate for the snowstorm currently happening outside our home.
Counter-steering a drift through a corner is one of the most amazing feelings when piloting an automobile, and one a lot of people need to learn in life. When driving in Wisconsin snow, often you lose traction around the corner (not always by accident), and you are stuck with a split second decision. Losing traction is obviously a bad situation, but handling that bad situation correctly results in a thrilling experience, and also not totaling your vehicle (or yourself). Learning to react properly to the negatives you’ll inevitably experience will leave you better than you were before the corner, and ready for the next one!
4. Save the Manuals!
Let’s hear it for the best security system in America! But for real, who still knows how to use three pedals?
Driving a manual transmission is something I hope to never go without. Not only does it keep you engaged while driving, but it really makes you aware and connected to the mechanic workings of your vehicle. Having complete control of your vehicles engine with your right foot, and drivetrain with the left, you are completely in control, managing the power output and application applied. Now let’s apply this to marketing. Automation can be a great tool for efficiency, but if you lose the feeling of human interaction and attention, your efforts are in vein, and you become disconnected from your audience.
5. Always Have a Backup Plan
You can run out of one, but three strikes and you’re out buddy!
You can run out of one or two… but all three and game over! Life doesn’t always go as planned, and having backup plans or safeties set up is not only wise, but necessary. Things that matter require taking some amount of risk, and not all risk results in reward. Define and establish your steady sources, so you can take risks and experiment without betting the farm.
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January - Inspirational Lettering
Monthly Theme:
During the month of January, I explored and some of the quotes and sayings that have been inspiring me lately, some of which are now hanging on my office wall! I would love to hear which posts were your favorite, and what quotes inspire you! Without further ado… here’s my favorite 5 posts from January!
1. Leadership 101
Leadership is all about communication, enthusiasm, and persistence. When one of those elements falls by the wayside, so does your chances of succeeding.
I’ve got this design pinned to my office wall as a reminder that leadership is so much bigger than face value. True leadership involves teaching, translating, assisting, and exciting those around you. Having a vision is great, but lacking the ability to translate that vision into excitement and passion to stakeholders leads to missed potential. Inspire those around you, take the extra time to speak to the “why”, and get others as excited as you! The results will speak for you.
2. Quit Talking Start Doing
Quit talking and start doing! There is a difference between strategizing and stalling…
Planning is important. Necessary, even. BUT, there is a huge difference between moving through a plan, and beating around the bush. This lettering piece was much inspired by my efforts to launch my own website, always finding something else to critique or change, some reason to put it off further. Don’t waste time in meeting after meeting, don’t drag out reasons why not. Plan what you can, and fly by the seat of your pants! You’ll figure it out.
3. Inspire
Who inspires you? It’s so important to have that mentor, that inspiration to look at for ideas and motivation.
I’ve got this design pinned to my office wall as a reminder that leadership is so much bigger than face value. True leadership involves teaching, translating, assisting, and exciting those around you. Having a vision is great, but lacking the ability to translate that vision into excitement and passion to stakeholders leads to missed potential. Inspire those around you, take the extra time to speak to the “why”, and get others as excited as you! The results will speak for you.
4. Bitterness is like Drinking Poison
Bitterness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. Fantastic sermon today at church, reminding us that bitterness only holds up our own minds, blocking any opportunity for growth.
Self-crippling, a bitter mind festers on past struggles, keeping them at center stage. Forgiveness and letting go of the wrong is essential to moving forward, otherwise you’ll drink the fool’s cup of bitterness. Be the bigger person, and set yourself free.
5. Design Should Be Honest
Whatever you do, let honesty be the anthem. Don’t talk up a product you can’t stand behind, don’t fudge the numbers.
I’ve always admired the branding standards from Porsche. Founder Ferdinand Porsche, a guy who couldn’t find a sports car he was satisfied with, went out and built his own. Putting his family name on the sports car line, every move that Porsche made was carefully analyzed and perfected to ensure the crest was honored, and the product stood for honest design. Design should be honest in nature; not fudging numbers or stats, but setting apart a product or service worth offering.
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