I think we all know I’m slightly obsessed with anything watercolor, so when I saw Candlefish added a Watercolor + Brush Lettering class to their Maker Break workshop series, I was sold.  I texted some friends, and Erin and I managed to get tickets before it quickly sold out.

Last Thursday we showed up to Candlefish, and had a little packet and supplies waiting for us at our seats.  We poured some wine, and were ready to start!

Danielle, aka The Town Serif, started the class by explaining some of the basics of calligraphy, and showing us the two tools we’d be using (black Tombow pen and aquash brush pen).  Then we spent some time playing with the tools and practicing letters.

I felt like I was learning how to write for the first time again… Pretty sure a kindergartener could have written some of the letters nicer than me.  They explained that calligraphy is all about mastering the basics, then breaking the rules and having fun with it, and practice is key.  Well, I need more practice.

They had some suggestions of sayings you could do for your piece, and since my letters weren’t looking too hot, I went with a super short phrase: Get Sh*t Done.  The less letters, the less room for error — seemed like a good plan.

After practicing with the aquash pen (and drinking some wine), I wrote my saying on the water color paper.  This was scarier to do than you think because I didn’t want to mess up!  I ended up writing “Treat yo’self” on the back of my scrap paper too.

The next step was learning about water color from Britt Bates.  I really like the tips she gave us — especially the one that wine helps.  I can definitely master that part.

We continued to use the aquash pens to create some greenery around our brush lettering, but had some green, yellow and brown water color paint to work with.  Starting with a pencil sketch of where you want the leaves to go, like it was the stem, I added leaves off it it.  Then you let it dry some, and layer on more and more color until you’re happy!

My leaves turned out much better than my letters, but I think I used a little too much water so they took awhile to dry.  I tried dabbing them some before we left, but my first print still smeared some.  Womp.

At the end we took a group photo of everyone at the end with their prints!

Everyone ended up doing sweet messages about love or something for mother’s day, and I ended up doing Get Sh*t Done.  In hindsight, maybe not the best choice?  Either way, Erin and I both enjoyed learning some new skills and chatting the the ladies by us!

Here’s my first print, with the smeared leaves and letters (I got them with an eraser by accident).

I think the second one on my scrap paper came out a little better.  It’s even in a frame and in the guest room for now.

When I got home that night, I showed Hunter my prints, and then sat and worked on my letters on the practice paper.  Maybe I’ll try another quote soon!

They’re planning on doing another class in June, so if you’re interested watch Candlefish’s event page and sign up quickly!