Hello November! It’s only day 2 and this month has started off well. Really well (more on that later).
Just a quick recap. In September, all my layouts were fall themed with leaves and fall colors- browns, yellows, and oranges. In October, all the layouts were Halloween themed and that was super fun. For November, I’ve decided to go about this a bit differently. I will use an edgier fall color palette. Something along the lines of glimmery metallics, dusty mauves, and deep jewel tones.
On another note, I was recently asked this question –
What brand of ink pad do I recommend?
That there is a question with a two part answer. I racked my brain to narrow my response to one brand and I’m not even sure if one of my responses counts as an actual response. *See my answers below.
Need a question answered? Leave a comment below or send me a direct message on Facebook or Instagram and I might just respond to it via blog post! See my previous Q and A here.
Supplies
- Notebook
- Ruler
- Brush Pens
- Washi Tape
- Drawing Pen
- Acrylic Block
- Days of the Week Stamps
- Fall Stamps
- Ink Pad
Step One
When creating calendars in my notebook, I like to start off with the main part, the grid of the calendar. Now, I don’t always stick with a uniformed design of a rectangle calendar with numbers in boxes (see my oval calendar and my circle calendar ), but today I am. I formed this grid with my ruler and brush pen (757). I’m becoming quite attached to this burgundy color. I used it on my November notebook cover here.
Step Two
Then, with my lightest shade of brush pen (992) I lettered the month. Because I wanted the month to have multiple colors in it, I divided the word into equal parts with washi tape and colored the sections with other brush pen colors (312, 757, 528). When doing this technique, practice the color selection before committing to it. Sometimes the colors don’t work well together and turn into a muddy color combination. Interesting in my lettering style? Learn my lettering method with my Chunky Letter Calligraphy Guidebook available on Etsy.
Step Three
After writing the dates in the calendar with a black drawing pen, I stamped-in the days of the week. These are the stamps and acrylic block I used. *To answer the question that was posed to me about my favorite ink pad, I’d say without a doubt, this Archival Ink Pad is my all time favorite. The ink doesn’t smear and when I watercolor stamped images, the ink doesn’t lift because the ink is permanent. The ink doesn’t seep through the paper or cause a ghosting effect (please know, paper quality plays a significant role). This ink pad is available in a range of colors too!
Step Four
Last, I used several leaf stamps to add a bit more design to the top of the layout. Here’s the kicker. Instead of using traditional ink pads on the stamp, I used one of my favorite methods, I colored the stamped images. I used my waterbased brush pens (FYI – alcohol markers don’t work, they dry too quickly). *Although brush pens aren’t ink pads, they work really well and come in all sorts of colors (Tombow Dual Brush Pens have 96 colors). I just attach the stamp to an acrylic block, color it with a marker, and then stamp it. If the ink dries before I have a chance to use the stamp, I just exhale hot air on the stamp to reactivate the ink (waterbased markers respond well to the moisture).
