Author: Andrea Casals

Hello friends!

I’m beyond happy to share the big news: my Introduction to Modern Calligraphy Course is available online here!This online course is perfect for beginners. You don’t need to have any artistic experience nor a good hand-writing; I’ll guide you step by step with all the details of Modern Calligraphy so that you’ll be able to create at home the thin and thick lines so characteristic of this art using a straight pen holder and a professional nib.

During the course besides all the technical details of this art, a detailed video instruction with warm-up exercises and an alphabet sample, I’ll also give you all the tips on the best tools and materials which is just so important. When I first started, I had to pretty much discovered them by myself, buying, trying and deciding. It was a big waste of time (and money!) so I added these details on my online course since it was something that I really would have wanted to have from the beginning (plus, it would have saved me also so much frustration!).

Now let me tell you a little bit of the “behind the scenes“.

First of all, Victor -my husband- has always been the one that encouraged and supported my artistic journey and to whom I owe so much of the joy that I’ve discovered by being able to now work doing something I love! And he was the one telling me for about forever to create courses and offer them online.

On my side, I also started thinking about this possibility after having some people interested in attending my workshops but they didn’t live in the area. Like many of my friends in New York and Argentina.

So, in January this year, we started filming in my studio in San Jose and now, after all the editing and the online platform is ready, we are sharing  my course with the world!

I’ll still continue to teach my in-person workshops in San Jose but that will re-start after my maternity leave, in the summer. I’ll keep you posted about that as soon as I have the dates set.

That’s it for this week, and what an amazing week it is!

As always, thanks for reading folks and thanks for sharing and recommend my work to your friends and family! I’m always thankful for all of my clients, my students, all the people that have worked with me and recommend me to their friends and family.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! So much love to all of you!! <3

Have a great week, friends!

Hi friends!
I’m 36 weeks pregnant and the nesting syndrome has kicked in with all his power. I’ve been trying to finish a lot of projects that this baby inspired me but my energy is so low that is a bad combo having so many things to do with so little time and energy.

Anyway, as one of my favorite Lisa Congdon’s poster says, I had to begin anyhow.

If you follow me on Instagram, you might already seen a few weeks ago that I posted this picture of the name of my baby that I wrote using my own Modern Calligraphy.

I wrote it using a Tachikawa T40 pen-holder and a Nikko G nib. After that and using a light pad, I traced over a piece of fabric the names using [amazon_textlink asin=’B002B55YD0′ text=’this pen’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’andreacasalsa-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’0dee361f-21c1-11e8-8e83-734d209fddb2′].

This pen is MAGICAL, I love it because it’s a gel pen with a fine point but its ink is erasable! Yes, you’re reading this! You can trace over fabric and then just use a warm iron over your illustration or lettering like in this case and it will disappear!

Now, let’s go to the second part. I used a 7 inches wooden embroidery hoop and some Singer black cotton thread.

Then, of course, the hard work started. I chose the very basic, simplest stitch since I didn’t want the stitch to take much attention from the composition of my lettering; it was also going to be faster (remember the first part of this blog post… I’m running out of time and my nesting syndrome is at full steam!) and finally… it has been a thousand years since the last time I did some embroidery! So, the simpler, the better.

I used tighter stitches that were closer together to fill in the thicker lines.

After I finished, I used a warm iron over my design to erase the lines of my pilot pen tracing.

Then, I put it back in the wooden embroidery hoop and cut a little bit of the extra fabric on the sides and hanged it on one of the walls of Luca’s nursery (which at the time is a little space in our bedroom).

Of course I can see some imperfections here and there but still I’m very happy with the result, specially considering that I hadn’t done any embroidery since my Catholic elementary school years!

It was a nice project and it looks super cute on the wall next to the crib.

I hope the info about the erasable pen is useful for you too and let me know if you decide to try to transfer your hand-lettering or modern calligraphy designs to other surfaces and mediums, like fabric and embroidery. I’d love to know about it!

See you next week, friends!

Hi there!

Besides being an artist, you also know that I’m a mom, and one of the things I enjoy a lot is when I get to use my artistic skills to help at my kid’s classroom or in general with his school.

I’m also one of the room parents for his class so I get to be involved in the organization of the events that we plan. It’s a nice experience for me also because since I didn’t go to school in America, I get to learn a lot about how this whole thing works here.

Now. This week I want to share a simple brush lettering idea that I used for the Kinder’s Valentines Party.

Materials:

• Pink paper (Dollar Tree)
• Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bleed-proof White Ink (already thinned with water)
• Water-color brush, round (I use these from Winsor and Newton)

This backdrop is super easy. It doesn’t require you to have a nice hand-lettering since you’re just going to write XOXO using print uppercase letters and doodle some heart shapes.

But even something so easy, can turn out super cute!

We used some photo props like mustaches and silly glasses and I also created a white frame using a foam-board to re-create the frame of the Polaroids/Mini films.

For that frame, project you’ll need:

• White foam board (I got this one)
• X-acto knife
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Markers (I used pink molotow and sharpie gold oil based)

Using your ruler measure then trace with the pencil a rectangle shape on the back of the foam board. Remember to leave a bigger space at the bottom, resembling the frame of a polaroid/mini film. Cut it with the X-acto knife being very careful.

Then use your markers to write the phrase of your choice at the front-bottom part of the frame-board. I wrote “I love you” but the pink didn’t show as much in the final pictures, just the word LOVE really popped.

I think this idea is a super easy DIY backdrop for photoshoots and you could even try it for other holidays! From St. Patrick’s to birthday parties!

Now, to finish this post…Here’s a time-lapse video of the brush lettering process in my garage.

See you next week friends! Happy Valentine’s Day!

—

***More brush-lettering ideas here.

Since about June last year, I decided that I wanted to slowly start creating more art that were meaningful to me and take less custom-orders.

Then, I got pregnant and I was super sick until week 20 and I barely created anything. But still I kept working in that direction. That’s how the “This Too Shall Pass” foil print came to life for instance.

Well, now that I was pregnant I wanted to have a registry of the moment but truth is I’ve never loved being pregnant. I don’t have a romantic view of pregnancy. Yes, of course nature is amazing and experiencing making and nurturing a little human being is out of this world. But that’s it. It’s not my favorite part of my life and that doesn’t change at all the fact that I adore my children.

Truth is pregnancies are hard for me, almost since the beginning I start feeling all the symptoms. And this pregnancy specially has been really hard with severe morning sickness, losing a lot of weight, barely eating… It was super difficult until week 20. Then it got better, I can now eat and keep my food down but of course… a lot of other symptoms came along!

Anyway. The thing that I want to share is that besides all of this I wanted to take some pictures of me and my little bump growing (slowly slowly) but never felt like to, never had the energy or a decent face to take a picture. There was no way I could do a weekly bump picture because I didn’t feel good.

That’s how I had the idea of this printable. I decided I wanted to do 3 cards for milestones of the pregnancy, I knew I wasn’t going to take the weekly bump but I could take 3 good ones in 40 weeks! That would be enough.

So, I started working in this “First, Second and Third Trimester Printable Cards”

It took me longer than expected so when I had it finished, I was already in the third trimester! But I know that there must be other mamas like me in this world who would appreciate this cards too!

These printable cards are available on my etsy shop. It includes 3 (three) JPEG files (one for each trimester) and 1 (one) PDF file with the three cards. You can print them in smaller sizes (like the one I’m holding in the picture below which is 4.5inx6.5in) or even go bigger like a letter size. Maybe even framing it can be a great idea to give it a fancier look to all the beautiful flourishing!

As always, the words in the printable cards where created using my own Modern Calligraphy skills with a straight pen holder, a nikko G nib and sumie ink. Later digitized in Photoshop.

I hope you like my new product! See you next week folks!

Hi folks,

This week I want to share a tip that has helped me to be more consistent with my Modern Calligraphy practice.

If you attended one of my workshops, you already know that I always say that calligraphy takes time and it requires a lot of practice. As any other art, building the habit of practice helps to improve it.

But with calligraphy is not only that, but also the fact that we use a special pen holder and a nib, tools that are new for us, that we need to learn to handle, to “apply pressure and release that pressure”.

It’s a lot, and a lot of new.

Now, life happens. We are too busy, we all have schedules, work, family… How to find time to “unwrap” and practice this art that not only requires time but also space for our inks, nibs and cleaning supplies and a steady table? Well, not always we’ll have those two. But if you have time, or better saying, if you can make time for your practice, don’t feel discourage if you are not in the proper place or don’t have the calligraphy tools with you.

Think of the easiest choice. A pencil and a paper.

I can see your face reading this, like what? How can I practice calligraphy with just a pencil? Well, in fact you can practice the shape of your letters, the consistency, the spacing and even play with the flourishing that you’ll like to add to it.

Later on, when you get to meet those two “time” and “calligraphy tools” at the same place, you could ink that sketch or recreate it using your actual pen-holder and favorite nib. But in the meantime, a pencil could be super useful!

So, next time you have 15 minutes while waiting at the coffee shop for your friend to arrive or even while binge-watching your favorite TV show, grab a pencil and start sketching. Start writing, soon you’ll notice you’ll be… drawing letters!

Stay healthy, friends, and have a lovely week!

Today is National Handwriting Day in America!
A fantastic day for us, pen and ink enthusiasts, to remember and celebrate this old but -yet- not forgotten art.

Fun fact about this day, did you know that it’s celebrated on this day since it’s closer to John Hancock’s birthday and he was the first one to sign the US Declaration of Independence?

Take a look at his signature! So beautifully hand-written in the middle… “I guess King George will be able to read that!” right?

United States Declaration of Independence – Image by Wikipedia

So, I thought that National Handwriting Day was be the best one to tell you about the last adition to my Etsy Shop: Printable Modern Calligraphy Practice Sheets!

Yes! That means that now you can get buy and print these practice sheets at home! It’s a PDF file that includes some calligraphy warm-up exercises, an uppercase and a lowercase alphabet plus numbers for your calligraphy practice.

I want to give you a suggestion on which paper to use to print and direct-use this guide right away. Definitely choose HP Premium Choice laser jet paper. This paper it’s not expensive and it’s good for practice since the sumie ink will not bleed on it like it will on a regular printing paper.

Now, If you’ve taken a workshop with me before, take a look at your mailbox this week, I’ll be sharing a special offer, stay tuned!

And those of you that want to learn this magical art of pointed-pen, join me on February 4th for my last workshop before my Maternity leave. Register here.

Enjoy the week, folks! And Happy National Handwriting Day!

Hi friends!

January is going so fast! Maybe I feel that because I have so many things I want to do before Luca arrives to our lives and I’ve been so extremely busy with that or maybe because time feels that it goes faster when you’re doing something you enjoy…

Either way, there’s only one more Introduction to Modern Calligraphy Workshop coming early in February and then I’m taking some time off until I’m back from Maternity leave.

My idea for now is to be back teaching around May/June but we’ll see how life goes by that time 🙂

In the meantime, I want to share some pics of yesterday’s class at A Work Of Heart Studio in San Jose, CA. I had a smaller group this time, with 5 (students) but we had a great time learning all about this beautiful art.

I have to tell you, I always try to keep my groups on the smaller side, no more than 12 students, so I can have some time with each one of them to answer to all of the doubts and questions, go over all the details on how to properly grab their pen holders and be able to get these thin and thick lines characteristic of this art. That special 1:1 time is so valuable when you’re learning this art!

For this session, I chose some Manuscript marbled/gold pen holders for their Calligraphy kits. These pen holders are just so pretty!

As you may know, each one of my students gets 2 (two) different nibs and two small jars with professional calligraphy ink in black and white, a lesson handout and some papers/envelopes/tags in assorted color and sizes.

Plus, there’s always a “special something”. For this occasion, it was a hand-lettered pouch with different phrases for each one of them.

Last, don’t forget that besides all of that, snacks and beverages are included when you register to my workshop!

This Sunday we enjoyed some blueberry muffins, raspberry chocolate brownies (so yummy!), organic bananas and Italian sodas.

Want to join the next one? Don’t miss the opportunity!

Register now here, remember the class is for 12 students max.

I hope to see you then!

Hi friends!

You might remember last week, I told you about my favorite marker to letter on wood.

This week I want to tell you something that will sound a little bit funny actually, because that same weakness that I mentioned last week about the Sharpie Water Based became a strength for this project and it made me choose the Sharpie marker over the Molotow one.

First, let me tell you more about this project.

So, I had to write 20 signs on black paper 8*11 in. These signs were going to be used as props in a photo-shoot at a school in San Jose, CA.

They wanted this idea of black backdrop/white ink kind of a chalkboard thing but didn’t want to use actual chalkboards (better buying paper vs. buying 20 chalkboards) so I thought that the best tool for this project could actually be the Sharpie Water Based!

Why? You already know it! The Sharpie acrylic water based marker isn’t very uniform, it’s also not as opaque as the Molotow and it is even a little bit transparent/watery sometimes. All of those reasons helped to actually give a similar appearance as the regular chalk. 

You see? There’s no ONE marker for all of the projects, no ONE marker that magically works with all of them (although, there is the a ring to rule them all 😛 remember I’m a little bit of a LOTR fan).

There are projects and tools. And we’ll need to find what’s the best union for each one.

Have a nice week folks!

A few weeks ago, I’ve shared with you a lot about my process when I create a wood sign.

Today I want to share my favorite marker to letter on wood.

Sometimes, after the wooden piece is sanded, stained and ready to be lettered, I start by lettering first using regular chalk and after the sketch is done, I start the inking process with my markers.

At the end, I just use a wet cotton swab to erase the chalk.

Other times, I just go free-handed and start lettering directly using my marker. Depends on the day and the design mostly.

Now, to the most important part of this post! Yes, as you can see in the next picture, my favorite marker for this kind of work is the MOLOTOW One4All Acrylic Pen Marker.

The main reason why they are my favorites is that they are quite opaque.

The kind of transparent white ink on the upper part of the filling inside the letter “d” was made using a Sharpie Water Based. The bottom part, was filled using the Molotow marker.

Can you see the difference?

The lettering really stands out when the ink is opaque and not translucent.

Which one is your favorite marker? Let me know in the comments!

Have a lovely week and stay warm <3

Last week I was preparing handmade presentsand I wanted to wrap them in a special way.

Of course, hand-lettering is the answer to anything that comes to my mind when I think about creating something “pretty” or “special”. So I decided to write on Kraft paper using a watercolor brush and Dr. Ph. Martins Bleed-proof White Ink.

Now, since the kids that were going to receive these presents have Venezuelan parents (either their moms or dads), I thought that it could be a cool idea to use the lyrics of an “aguinaldo” which is a Christmas carol from Venezuela.

I particularly like the one I chose for this project, I think it’s called (if Google doesn’t fail me) “El Niño Criollo” because it tells the story of what would have happened if the Virgin Mary were from the Andes and St. Joseph from the plains lands of Venezuela. Then baby Jesus would have been Venezuelan, would have slept in a “chinchorro“(a hand-knit hammock), he would have dark brown eyes, etc. The songs continues given all these examples and I find it very sweet and I like it a lot.

Maybe also because I always like to think alternatives to the reality we’re in now, kind of a “What if?”. It gives me the reminder that reality is something that we build each day, is not something naturally given, it’s a human construction. Ok, enough of the old psychologist in me! 😛

Now, here are some pictures of the final piece…

And the afterwards, once the paper was cut and I wrapped the presents with it…

What do you think of this idea? I’d love to know!

PS: Want to see other DIY gift wrapping paper ideas? Check this one… or this one that is even older!

A few weeks ago, I introduced you to my This Too Shall Pass gold foil print.

Now, I want to tell you a little bit of the story about how I created this piece and my creative process.

Ever since I heard the popular story about a king asking the wise men for some advice to have in mind for bad times and the “This too shall pass” phrase as that piece of wisdom to remember in bad but also in good times, it kind of always stayed with me.

This popular saying has helped navigate some difficult moments in my life, to put things in perspective; but it has also helped me to be more aware of my present and really try to enjoy it what I’m living at the moment I’m living it.

That’s pretty much why I decided that I wanted to have this saying hanging on one of the walls of my studio, a beautiful reminder for my life.

So I started this project with my sakura pencil on my sketchbook. And from then on, I started doodling different ideas. After I got one concept that I liked, I decided it was time to start the inking process.

But I wasn’t sure on the medium, so I tried pretty much all I had! I tried with microns, with a water-brush, watercolor brush, brush markers, Pentel brush marker… But I still didn’t like the results.

From left to right: First sketches to the final one. The bigger pieces are water brush and pentel brush

Then it was like they say in Lost in Translation: “sometimes you have to go halfway around the world to come full circle…”

So I went back to my first love in Modern Calligraphy: my favorite “beginner” nib, a Nikko G, and my Tachikawa n40 straight pen holder.

And finally, I was happy with a result! I still had to clean it a little but I had something I liked a lot, with a beautiful dance of thin and thick lines!

But I thought that I still could make this piece even prettier… That’s when the idea of making it a foil print appeared on my mind and this is the result!

Gold Foil on Black paper

Gold Foil on white paper

I’ve made this print available for sale on my etsy shop, so you can now order your favorite version (black or white paper) clicking here.

It will take 3-4 days to process your order and then it will be ready for shipping and more news… now also I can ship this print internationally!

Ok folks, as always, thanks for reading and let me know in the comments what you think about this foil print! I’d love to know!

Have a lovely week!

my “this too shall pass” on one of my studio walls

Hi friends!

This year, I found these marbled vellum envelopes and fell totally in love with them. I decided I had to get them and use them for a very special occasion. A hand-written note for the holidays to my special clients sounded like the perfect one!

That’s how I created that “Merry everything” card and then I thought that I also wanted to share it with you, my friends and followers who read me and always encourage me with your comments!

I made a slightly different version by adding the watercolors on the upper right corner and now, you can download this digital “Merry Everything” here.I hope you like it! Enjoy the season friends!

Hi friends! This week I’m writing to share with you that I’m introducing a Gift Certificate option for my upcoming workshops!

This year, you can surprise a special person in your life by giving the gift of learning the beautiful art of Modern Calligraphy by attending one of my workshops at A Work Of Heart, right here in the South Bay Area.

click here to get a Gift certificate! 

Be sure to follow the instructions and choose the “Option 6 $95” and if you have any trouble deciding, feel free call 669.292.5001 and someone at A Work Of Heart sure will help you out.

Choose something different this Holiday Season and give a thoughtful and beautiful gift… the gift of learning!

Hi folks!

Recently, I’ve been working lettering on wood signs for a special event organized by a local Catholic school.

As I shared the process on social media (Instagram stories), I received a lot of questions and comments from followers and friends that were surprised at how much work needs to be done in order to create one of these precious signs.

Wood requires a lot of work, a lot of preparation in order to create a good quality and beautiful piece.

Well, that’s mostly the reason why also custom-made wood signs are more expensive than acrylic or mirror signs. Besides the obvious part than it’s the material itself, a wood piece is of course more expensive than an acrylic one and sometimes even mirrors or chalkboards.

Also, this work can be dangerous and most specially if you’re allergic or pregnant since you’re working with hazardous materials.

Today I want to share what I use every time that I prepare a wood piece. Disclaimer alert: The materials and safety supplies listed in this blog post are the ones I use. I’m not a Safety and Health professional. Always check regulations and look for professional recommendations before working with hazardous materials.

• Disposable 3M N95 Mask
• 3M Coarse Sanding Sponge
• General Purpose Gloves
• Safety Googles (I got these for free at a Maker Faire)
• Stain + Sealant (color chosen by client, may vary)
• Matte Spray Sealant (to provide a permanent non-gloss finish and protect the artwork at the end of the whole process)

I usually do this kind of work in my patio, since it’s an open space. Now if it’s raining, then I work in my garage BUT I keep the door of the garage completely open so it keeps the area well-ventilated. I also use garbage bags on the floor when I’m painting so I don’t leave any stains on the floor.

The first part of the process is sanding, it’s the one that requires most of the physical work of course. I always wear a good quality safety mask because breathing the particles of the sanding process can be very harmful.

After the sanding is done (time may vary according to how many pieces or how big is the piece I’m working on) I move to sealing/staining part.

I specially love the Olympia brand since it provides both purposes in one single pot. It is also a good paint/sealer for exteriors so it helps that in case it rains during the event and the wood sign is outdoors, it won’t start staining all over.

I usually give it 2-3 coats on each side (waiting in between coats until it is dried) until I get the color I was looking for. How many coats takes will also depend on the wood, each wood piece is different. Some absorb more some less. You see? It’s a lot of work and time!

After my piece is stained, sealed and totally dried (12-24 hours after the last coat of paint/sealer) I can start my lettering.

Now from this part, it could also vary. Sometimes I sketch on them first using a chalk pencil or regular chalk. Since I’m also allergic to chalk, I always use nitrile gloves for this part.

Then comes the inking process with my markers, again depending on the color chosen by the client, this will vary but my favorite pen of mass creation is the One4All from Molotow.

After that, 2-4 hours to dry and last, a coat of spray sealant with a matte finish. It will help the artwork and it will give a natural non-glossy
finish to the whole piece.

The wood sign is now ready to be delivered!You’ll have a beautiful piece that will stay the same color for many years and the ink won’t disappear if it gets to rain on the day of your event!

*All the wood signs created by yours truly ;)

**First & last pictures by Quianna Marie Photography

Hi friends!

I’m so happy that November is here! I have always loved fall but this year specially, since being pregnant made me also hate the sun and the hot weather. And San Jose is a very sunny/dry city! We only have an average of about 60 days of rain around here!That might be the part that makes me miss other cities where I’ve lived because, you know, I’m not a normal person and I’m proud of that 🙂 I crave rainy days, I love grey skies, I even get to find great enjoyment in a thunderstorm (like the ones we used to have in New York or Buenos Aires). 

Anyway. Here I am and I like being part of this community. Every time that I get to teach a new workshop and meet new local art enthusiasts, my heart fills with joy! Yesterday, I taught another of my Introduction to Modern Calligraphy Workshops and we had -yet again!- a fabulous time. As always, two hours went by so fast while we talked and practice something I have found to love so much and enjoy, as I call Modern Calligraphy: drawing letters.

Class in session!

We also treat ourselves to some pastries, fruit, orange juice and Italian sodas. Because it’s all included, you know! All of this surrounded by a lovely bouquet of flowers and some delighting music at A Work Of Heart Studio. What a lovely Sunday morning!

Like Monet, I must have flowers always, always, always

The next weekend, I’ll be teaching the Modern Calligraphy: Holiday Envelope Art only session and then just one more of the Introduction to Modern Calligraphy will be left for our 2017 edition!

HAND-LETTERED PENCIL POUCHES – Freebies for my students

What’s for 2018? Well, I’ll be offering two more of the Introduction Workshop, one in January and one in February because after that… I’ll be going on Maternity leave! I cannot even believe that as I’m writing it down in this blog post!

But let’s take little steps at a time. Baby steps ^^

Let’s appreciate that it’s still Mid-November, that we still have plenty of football and baking season ahead of us and enjoy this time.

See you soon friends!