Friday 24 June 2022

Watch This Space (And Something I Said I'd "Never Do"...)

How've you been? 

Around these parts, it's been a strange and bitty week. With lots I'll be able to tell you about soon, I promise. But not yet, as it just isn't ready.

Which left me deciding to come clean, and admit that I was going to turn up here (pretty much empty-handed).

And then I made a hand-lettering discovery...

Now, if you've been round these parts a while, you'll already know I have/had, historically, a love/hate relationship with it. I *love* looking at it when other people do it, (and on the all-too-rare) occasions when it works out for me.

But I hate it when it doesn't...Too many memories of being told just how bad my handwriting is/was over the years.

And yet, all things must change eventually, or so it seems. Enter the wonderful online presence of Hayley Barry. Who I encountered during one of those wonderful online art workshop weeks (and am horrified to realise, I can't remember now exactly which one it was).

But no matter for now, because you can also get a taste of Hayley's a-m-a-z-i-n-g teaching style and awesome hand-lettering skills in this YouTube video lesson (in which she guest stars on the HappyEver Crafter YouTube channel) and/or at Hayley's website, Type Affiliated.

I can't remember a time when a feeling of struggling with an area gave way to one of, "I *love* doing this," as when I encountered Hayley's teaching.

So, the obvious phrase to illustrate to practice everything from that lesson was, of course, "Watch this Space..." 
Watch this space in black hand-lettering on a white background.
The initial stage...



And then I did the thing I said I never would...

For reasons best known to myself (and which I don't understand very well) I have shied away from writing on dark backgrounds for the longest time. Something around feeling that they are depressing, not very uplifting or whimsical, I guess.

But something made me decide to invert the black and white of the original lettering. With results that I just thought I'd try out on Redbubble, for fun.

And then I ended up *loving* how it looked...

On the more usual items, like cushions and pillows...

Hand-lettered "Watch this Space" in white writing on a black cushion or pillow.
Click or tap here for more info...




But also on products that have appeared on Redbubble since I last did many uploads there...Pet blankets and bandanas...

Which of course, give me an excuse to post for your Friday pleasure (or whatever-day-it-happens-to-be when you read this) slightly gratuitous-but-totally-cute pictures of both a cat,

Photo of a cat on a watch this space pet blanket, with white hand-lettering on a black background.
Click or tap here for more info...


 and a dog...

Photo of a ,"Watch this Space," pet bandana on a cute cross-breed dog.
Click or tap here to find out more...



Hope that this floats your boat as well, and here's to changing self-imposed, but senseless, rules.

Thanks so much for reading down this far, and have a lovely weekend.