Yesterday, I was waiting for my computer to update. It took HOURS! So, I decided to mess around on Procreate.
I figured out how to import a reference photo and used an old one of me (I don’t have that hairstyle anymore!). And…um..yeah.
It’s my first ‘proper’ go at drawing digitally, everything else has been just playing. So was this really, but I didn’t trace it, I actually drew it freehand and used layers. The time-lapse is hilarious, but I don’t think I can upload videos here.
On the plus side, I can only get better from here, right?!!
I finally got the Canva Pro account a week or two ago and I’m loving it!
Who knew being able to export a PNG with a transparent background could lead to the possibility of creating this little fella here?
Isn’t he a cutie?! All made with their free stock media too…
And I like the fact that you can choose which page to export too. Oh and the curved text feature.
Which allows me to create this lil lady here…
And there’s even a way to share copies of files without changing the ‘Master’ copy. That part is genius.
If you’re not great with the technical elements to design then Canva is a great place to start- they have free option too, just less flexibility with the free option.
I’ve been playing with fonts too and uploading them into Canva. I wish there was some way of categorising or sorting them once you’ve uploaded them, that would be helpful. Like, having different branding sections of the upload page, but oh well. You can’t have everything!
Not quite at the sell your font level yet…but this is a vast improvement from my first one a few posts ago, right?!
The kerning is a little off. Kerning. I love that word, it means the spacing between the letters (I think!).
Isn’t it funny how you start with one idea or purpose in mind and then end up with something totally different! Like, you start down one path and end up going in a completely different direction.
I’ve been looking at a lot of things to do with digital downloads and design software lately, getting to grips with design tools and elements and trying to figure out vectors for drawing and designing (I have NO graphic design experience or qualifications whatsoever by the way).
And then one day, after watching so many design videos on Youtube, I found a few videos about making your own fonts and I was hooked.
There are a few options as to how to make your own font, I should add I’m only looking at free ones or maybe pay a few pounds for an app. I’m not looking to spend thousands on professional design software!
There are apps such as ifontmaker or there’s Calligraphr. Which is what I used.
You sign up for a free account (or you can buy a paid one which gives you more characters to choose from – the free version only gives you 75 characters which isn’t very much, so if you wanted to make fonts to sell, then you would have to create a few more characters than 75).
Then you download a template, import the template into an app such as Procreate, which is what I used, write your letters or characters, export as a PNG and reupload it back to Calligraphr, mess around a bit with spacing and letter height and then create your font.
Once you download your font from Calligraphr, you can add it to your design software, I uploaded mine to my Canva account and I wrote the page below in Canva.
Now, this might sound like a lot of back and forth, it certainly looks it when I come to write all this out, but believe me it’s not. The whole process was quick and easy and a lot of fun.
But I now realise how terrible my handwriting is!! :O
Proving I had NO IDEA what to write when making this!!
And the pictures are my hand drawings from Procreate too. I can’t believe how the last month has been WHOOSH of technical stuff.
I dont know where this saying comes from but I feel it’s appropriate for me right now:
‘I didn’t know what I didn’t know!’
Want to have a go at creating your own font? Head over to Calligraphr it’s really easy.
You could create a birthday card or type a letter for someone if you wanted. Maybe even make an e-book with it. Or even sell it if it was any good.
What kind of challenge I hear ask…any kind you like! Weight loss, Fitness, Crafting, Reading, Writing – literally ANYTHING you want to do!
I am still figuring out the line thickness in Canva…if I did this again I would add a few more much thinner lines, but I know for next time. The trouble with Canva is that something looks fine on the screen, but when you print it off you realise just how MASSIVE the text and the lines are!!
I think I’m going to do a 30 day writing challenge and try and get some blog posts scheduled, some actual digital download printables created and maybe work on my e-book some more (don’t ask me about that one, I have about 3 ideas on the go right now, with bits and pieces of different ones in different places – creative minds and all that).
I did write one out for February for writing but I made my goals things I couldn’t do in one day such as write a chapter, write 20 blog posts – hahaha! This time I will make ACHIEVABLE goals (is it STEM or something for goals?!).
Anyway, here’s what the printable looks like (with a couple of extra lined pages in the file under the 30 day challenge one for general notes).
Write what your challenge is on the top line and either write in a specific task for each day or simply colour in the boxes as you progress through the challenge.
How about a UFO challenge for you knitters and crocheters and sewers out there where you work on one of your Unfinished Objects to try and get it finished? Or how about you just knit or crochet for 20 minutes every day?
And here’s the printable for you to download for your own personal use.
It feels ages since I’ve had anything to properly post about crafts and fibre stuff but it’s only been a few days! That’s because I’ve been busy having fun playing with colour on my I-pad and uploading random designs to my RedBubble shop which I also opened last week (see previous post).
I have loved making silly colouring pages too on Procreate too, it’s all practice with the software and using the stylus…also knowing what brush and how to use layers helps.
A side point of me doing digital ‘art’ has been getting to grips with Photoshop. I have had it installed for a couple of years now but could never understand how to use it! Yes, I know there are a million tutorials out there but it’s confused me no end. I think the problem was Photoshop isn’t easy to just play about with – it helps to have a specific project in mind. But I’m using it for more than just uploading files as a Photoshop file – yay!
I even created a few repeating patterns, which I am quite proud of if I do say so myself.
I have to say these guys are about my level of skill hahaha!
So, I’ve been very creative lately…just not very crafty!
I did finish a loom knit cowl and the straight looms are put back away in the drawer under my wardrobe.
It’s getting a bit warmer now so I don’t really need to wear such a thick cowl out, but I have to admit to still wearing woolly hats…not for the weather but because of my hair lol!
I have done a few rows of my crochet shawl, I am midway through ball of yarn number 3 out of 4, so if I really push it won’t take that long, especially as it’s just a simple Granny Square pattern that I don’t have to think about.
But I haven’t done any more of the other projects at all. The Neon Fair Isle Bag is still 3/4 done and I haven’t even thought about the sock yarn shawl or the orange jumper.
I think it’s nice to have a change of pace for a bit, do something different, and also, the days are getting longer and lighter and I just don’t feel the need to be knitting winter warmers.
Normal crafty service will resume shortly though.
I have also been messing on Canva and have made some more printables (I did do a post with some a couple of weeks ago but decided I didn’t like them and took the post down…I also checked the terms of use on Canva site to make sure I CAN post printables for free/sale and it looks like I’m OK to do so as long it’s all my own design and I’m not using any stock images or premium content, so…yay here’s some more!)
Just a simple To Do List on A4 sized paper…one has little lines and one is bigger (ideal for kid’s hand writing maybe?).
I might try some designs for knitting and crochet, maybe sewing too.
Any ideas? I’m thinking project notes, pattern pages, checklists, that kind of thing.
They might not be super pretty, but they will be functional! So many of the printables I see on Etsy are pretty and colourful, but not very practical – there’s nowhere to write much sometimes, so personally, I’d rather have a practical and functional sheet than a pretty and useless one.
But I’ll have a go anyway. If you want to make easy sheets like these, head on over to Canva, there’s a free version and it’s a million times easier than Photoshop. Unfortunately, most of the downloads seem to have a same-y look to them on Etsy and other places but if you’re not great with graphic design like me, then it’s definitely worth a look.
You don’t just have to do A4, you can make Instagram and Pinterest posts, business cards, shop and website banners…the world’s your creative oyster! xx
After playing around with digital ‘art’ making in the last week or so (which is why there has been so little crafting going on!), I decided to open a RedBubble shop and see what happens.
Now, I am no graphic designer by any stretch, but once I got started I found I couldn’t stop!
I’m still figuring out sizing of images etc. and I’ll probably play around with images and uploads of what’s already there, but it’s early days and I can only improve in time 🙂
The first collection called Monochrome just jumped out of my head…now I’m thinking a NEON one next! Maybe even an 80’s inspired something…I’m not sure, I like the idea of a green leaves collection too. It’s just an explosion of creativity here right now 🙂
Still learning how to draw digitally so again, these are only rough, first tries..
I managed to make the egg by warping a circle – I felt quite clever doing that!!! (the squiggles at the bottom are meant to be coral in case you can’t tell).
And an ‘S’? Because S is for Sarah that’s why!
And here are the files if you want to have a pop at them:
Last year, I didn’t use my tablet much as I was unable to join wi-fi for much of it 😦 So, I didn’t use my tablet much at all.
But now that we have a new internet provider I’m loving having the ability to use my tablet again…and one app in particular – Procreate.
In case you don’t know what it is, it’s an app for design and drawing that lots of artists use to create digital artwork on. Now, I am the world’s worst artist but I do love to have a mess around.
I figured out how to work a lot of the selection tools by watching this video here…
I also figured out how to export to my computer and print off…I drew an A4 colouring page, which was terrible, but it worked!!
It’s very wonky lol! I’m still getting the hang of which brushes to use and how much pressure to put on the pencil and moving my hand around the page…but for a first go, it could be worse!
Here is the PDF download if you’re desperate to have a go…I won’t judge you if you don’t!
I definitely want to do a LOT more digital “artwork” in the future…watch this space because I have ideas for things…
I’ve also been messing around with Canva, which I love as I find Photoshop so incredibly difficult to wrap my head around. [I’m the one looking for Insert photo when you have to Place Embedded :O]
I deleted all my old designs in Canva from years ago and had a play around…a sample e-book cover looked pretty good if I do say so myself.
I’ve created business cards in Canva in the past before I had Photoshop, it’s a really easy and obvious platform to use and there is a free account option if you just want to have a play.
Technology has advanced so much in the last 2 or 3 decades or so, there is absolutely NO reason for it still to be difficult to use!
Woolly Orbit 