Five for Friday

sketch cleaned with lettering Rx via besotted

I actually forgot to post my Five for Friday, because I had a four year old field trip hangover, or something like that. It was my daughter’s first big field trip and although it was  a total blast, my mind obviously turned to mush and forgot I had a blog, it happens. So I am here on Saturday giving you a Five for Friday, because that’s how I’ll have to roll for another 14 years, k?

I. I have to mention we are doing a giveaway for Lettering Rx, it was created to quickly clean and digitize you lettering but we have found it works equally well on line drawings (just make sure your lines are black and not too thin). This is my attempt at an Ellsworth/Michelle type botanical. I am actually pretty happy with the results! I used a 4b Derwent sketching pencil, the 4b being Michelle’s preference. The tip is nice and soft.

II. Have you read any good books lately? I used to only read biographies, but once Michelle and I started writing our book, I have fallen head over heels with reading books that have a magical element. The upside is most of them are for a younger reader so I can consume them pretty quickly. I just finished the ‘The Secret Horses of Briar Manor’, where a little girl during World War II sees flying horses in the mirrors, or does she?  The pick this week for my daughter is one of my favorite children’s illustrators who has also penned this book. It’s called ‘Colette’s Lost Pet’ featuring a giant parakeet named after Marie Antoinette? Totally in.

III. I made a goal to improve my skin this year, one of the ways that I am doing that is exercising. I found this instructor on line, and although visually it’s pretty much the antithesis of my aesthetic Cassey’s incredible positive energy keeps me coming back for more. I love that I can choose to do exercises in very small time increments and often times will convince myself to do just one 8 minute workout and end up doing much more. My face has a glow and bonus my arms are getting some definition.

IV. I received a Le Labo lip balm for Christmas and I think it just may be my favorite lip balm of all time (and I am seriously a lip balm fanatic). It’s not greasy, almost creamy, doesn’t taste like anything and gives the perfect amount of sheen. The packaging is pretty good looking too.

V. It’s still freezing in the Pacific Northwest, I am so happy that Michelle got me this blanket. My daughter has dubbed it the ‘Yeti blanket’. It’s so warm and cozy (very luxe). The other day my daughter had pulled it off the sofa in a rush and I came back to the livingroom to find my Frenchie laying on it on her back with her paws in the air and what could only be described as a delirious smile, seriously. It also is perfect if you want to add a little texture to your interior design.

How a pro calligrapher cleans + digitizes her lettering

Bespoke Strokes for Lettering Rx

I got a vey kind email this morning to let me know this post which I launched yesterday came up empty. Nope, I was not going extreme minimalism I think I had my first major blog blooper, my apologies!  We wanted to let you know that our friend the very kind and talented Chantelle Hoffman of Bespoke Strokes is generously hosting a giveaway of our beloved Lettering Rx on her Instagram feed, which she uses as a professional calligrapher to clean her lettering and get it ready for vectorization or digitized to share on social media (like this graphic which started out as a very quick Iphone snap and we were able to clean, remove background and place on a colored background in about 2 minutes!). Chantelle has been a professional calligrapher for 20 years and can claim clients such as Tiffany’s, Hermes, Louis Vuitton amongst others. This my friends is such an incredible endorsement for us that someone of this caliber and experience would trust our product to save her ‘endless hours of time’ as she’s said. If you have been wanting to take your lettering and illustration business to the next level, than Lettering Rx needs to be in your digital tool box. It is a Photoshop based product, but we pinky promise that if you can click a button you would be able to use our product.

Please visit Bespoke Strokes Instagram for more information on how to enter to win, all the links below!

//REOSURCES//

Bespoke Strokes Instagram

Bespoke Strokes Studio

Lettering Rx

Lettering Rx video

Five for Friday…

Trader Joe's rose hand lotion via besotted blog

Wow! Did this week fly by or was it just me? I can’t believe that it’s already Friday and I am here to share some of my five favorites this week. Michelle was busy with a huge (good) surprise email this morning, so this is just my lips flapping my gums, we’ll get her awesome input next week!

I. Trader Joe’s is getting into the beauty game in a big way with these beautifully packaged rose oil infused products. The fragrance seemed a little heavy for me (but I am very particular with scents). If you are looking for photo props I think they are totally worth having. I also got a rose face oil and I LOVE how only the tiniest drop comes out, I will use it just so I can re-use the bottle in the future.

II. I am loving the concept of this cooking space. In their own words, “Cook Space Brooklyn is a culinary studio designed to foster and build confidence in the kitchen – in an atmosphere where guests feel welcome, inspired, and emboldened to experiment.” I am no where near Brooklyn, but I am hoping this concept catches on cross country, because it’s brilliant. They even have a class where you can cook your meals at their kitchen for the month, just brilliant!

III. I have been having a hard time with my curtains, and this post helped me tremendous amounts. I will be shopping for new rods this weekend, because my curtains although lovely do look like ‘a well put together woman with pants that are too tight’, to quote the indomitable Emily Henderson.

IV. My 4 year old daughter is a prolific artist and has taken over the entire dining room with her creations. I am thinking that I need to figure out another solution for quick + clean display options. I found this one and I think I may just bite the DIY bullet.

V. I am always, always, on the search for new picture books, because I am addicted to them (and of course I read them to my child…sometimes). This one is stunningly beautiful, the colors, the patterns the creativity! The story was a little on the dark side, in a true folklore style, so I’ll wait a while to share with my daughter, but so worth getting a look at if you love picture books too!

Water as a muse…

PDX-moody-water-diptychOur photo prompt this week for our Foto Rx 52 is water. We want to make these prompts as accessible to everyone as possible, if there’s not a beautiful body of water near you, think outside the box–raindrops, bathwater even the stillness of a glass of water could be beautiful. We edited these images with our Portland Modern + Moody set, it instantly imparts a more moody vibe to your shot with the subdued tones, deep shadows and milky grays.  It’s not too late to start your Foto Rx 52 (so you’ll make it a 48 or 35 no biggie!), shooting consistently will be the fastest way to becoming a better photographer. Follow us on Instagram for more inspo and edit examples. Shoot this week’s prompt and use #fotorx52 so we can find you and cheer you on.

We have included some resources that include photographers that have water as a muse. We are hoping that these resources inspire you even if you aren’t a photographer, you could follow along and use the same prompts for illustration and even writing, get creative it’s the fastest way out of a rut (not just a creative one).

//RESOURCES//

Photo shot with Fuji Xt10

Image edited with Portland Modern + Moody

Edited in Photoshop CC

Some photographers we admire with water as a muse:

His horizon’s feel like modern abstract art, most utilize long exposure

A wedding photographer turning her refined eye to the sea

These swimming pool shots are aces

Speaking of pools these are not to be missed…

dyptich by michelle p.