Category: Uncategorized

Maricar Concepcion Ramos is an artist, educator, and entrepreneur based in the Philippines. She runs Seven Brushstrokes, an online teaching resource and popular Instagram account. Maricar is the author of Modern Calligraphy. We asked her a few questions about her artistic process.

Quarto Creates: How did you first become interested in calligraphy and hand lettering?

Maricar Concepion Ramos: I first became interested in calligraphy during the time when I was experiencing great anxiety from my former job as a telecom engineer.

I needed a creative outlet that would break my everyday routine: eat, sleep, work and repeat. While browsing on Instagram, a friend shared a photo of her artwork and I felt an instant connection to the art. Her caption has the hashtag calligraphy so I started browsing through that hashtag. When I saw the beautiful lettering artworks, I immediately fell in love and told myself that this was the hobby that I was looking for. I want to learn how to do calligraphy. Since then, I became more interested to try new tools and lettering techniques.

QC: Have your finished products ever turned out different than your expectation, and how do you deal with that?

MCR: I am the type of artist who likes to go with the flow and so, I don’t really set too many expectations for my artwork.

When I have an idea and it turned out different than what I have planned, I just let go. I could try again and redo it if I need to, or let the process surprise me with the result.

QC: What is your advice for those who want to try calligraphy but aren’t sure where to start?

MCR: I advise them to start with small tip brush pens because they are easier to control and use smooth-quality paper.

Also, learn the basic strokes first before jumping into writing words because if you’d like to have consistent and beautiful calligraphy, the secret lies in mastering the basic strokes.

QC: What’s changed in the art and craft world since you started your creative career?

MCR: I’d say the way artists share their art on social media.

Before, people would post a static photo of an artwork with a beautiful flat lay. Now, artists are more open to sharing process videos and behind-the-scenes of how their artwork was created.

QC: What is the most important lesson you’ve learned from creating?

MCR: I learned that creativity is a process and not a destination.

It’s more important to be in the moment and have fun while creating than to think too much about the outcome.

Learn more about Maricar’s work on Instagram @sevenbrushstrokes and online at sevenbrushstrokes.com. Be sure to order your copy of Modern Calligraphy available wherever fine books are sold, including:
Amazon – US  UK  Canada
Bookshop – US  UK
Barnes & Noble
Books-a-Million
Booktopia
Waterstones
Book Depository
Indigo

Lauren Bergstrom was born and raised in South Africa and has been doodling and crocheting cute things for as long as she can remember. When she’s not drawing or painting, she spends her time designing crochet patterns for little stuffed animals at mohumohu.com and making video games with her partner at Studio Any Percent. She lives in Canada with her family, in a small home filled with cute and fluffy things. Lauren is the author of 101 Super Cute Things to Draw. We asked her a few questions about her artistic process.

Quarto Creates: How did you first become interested in drawing?

Lauren Bergstrom: I’ve been drawing since I can remember!

As a child I always loved arts and crafts, my school books were covered in little doodles and decorations, and I would spend hours drawing and painting. New stationery and art supplies were always my favourite things to get at birthdays and Christmas time!

QC: What is another medium you would love to try?

LB: I love to try all sorts of different things, so it’s difficult to pick just one.

But I would love to find time to create really detailed oil or acrylic paintings – the kind that take hours to finish. I’m a huge fan of  lowbrow art and pop surrealism, and would like to bring more of those elements into my own work.

QC: What is the biggest challenge you face when creating?

LB: At the moment, my biggest challenge is adding those little details and finishing touches that make an illustration pop.

It could be a character’s facial expression, a great colour combination, or a cute pattern. Sometimes you just need that little something extra to turn an illustration into something special.

QC: Who was your most influential teacher?

LB: My high-school art teacher had a huge impact on my journey as an artist, and as a person.

She gave me a really good understanding of the fundamentals, like form, perspective, and lighting. But more than that, she encouraged me to push boundaries, to do what I want instead of what I’m told, and to move past the expectations that others had put on me.

QC: What is the most important lesson you’ve learned from creating?

LB: The most important lesson I’ve learned is persistence.

It takes practice to become good at anything, including art. Things often don’t look the way you want them to, especially when you’re starting out, but it’s important to keep going if you want to eventually create something you feel proud of!

Learn more about Lauren’s work on Instagram @mohustore and online at be mohumohu.com. Be sure to order your copy of 101 Super Cute things to Draw available wherever fine books are sold, including:
Amazon – US  UK  Canada
Bookshop – US  UK
Barnes & Noble
Books-a-Million
Booktopia
Waterstones
Book Depository
Indigo

With Paper Collage Workshop, you can experience the joy of creativity as you use color swatches to transform photos into original, lifelike mixed-media collages.

In addition to taking you through both foundational collage activities and intermediate-level projects, this book introduces you to a unique analog-grid system, a color-based collage technique developed by the artist Sam Price over the past 20 years. Whatever your age or skill level, you will be able to add focus and precision to your creations and turn life into art.

Paper Collage Workshop is available wherever fine books are sold including:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Bookshop

Books-a-Million

Thank you for visiting WalterFoster.com! Please enjoy these free downloads from Beth Hoyes and Mollie Johanson.

Learn to create a variety of birds following the newest embroidery trend: thread painting, in Embroidery Made Easy: Beautiful Birds.

Click here to download your free Calliope Hummingbird pattern from Beth Hoyes from her book, Embroidery Made Easy: Beautiful Birds.

Through a collection of 12 detailed, full-color patterns, aspiring and established embroidery artists will discover how to employ the art of thread painting to create a range of popular birds and waterfowl from around the world, including North America, the Amazon rain forest, and Europe.

For more beautiful patterns by Beth, check out her new book, Embroidery Made Easy: Beautiful Birds. Available wherever you find fine books, including:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Books-A-Million
Bookshop

With Cross Stitch Celebrations: Bundle of Joy! you can continue the generations-old tradition of stitching a birth announcement and other keepsakes for a new baby.

Click here to download your free Baby Owl pattern from Mollie Johanson from her book, Cross Stitch Celebrations: Bundle of Joy!

Whether you are completely new to cross stitch or already skilled in the craft, Cross Stitch Celebrations: Bundle of Joy! teaches you how to create highly giftable personalized keepsakes for a new baby. This step-by-step guide includes all of the basics you need to learn the art of cross stitch.

For more adorable patterns by Mollie, check out her new book,  Cross Stitch Celebrations: Bundle of Joy! Available wherever you find fine books, including:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Books-A-Million
Bookshop

Get outside and create this summer! Find all kinds of inspiration with these books.

Celebrate spring with our collection of instructional books to teach you to draw and paint flowers and plants of all kinds.

Learn to draw and paint your favorite animal friends with these great titles!

With so many options to choose from, 101 Mixed Media Techniques and 101 More Mixed Media Techniques have something for every artist and is sure to inspire new forms of creativity.

Pre-order My Time Capsule All About Me Art Journal and receive four bonus pages!

With creative and imaginative drawing prompts, My Time Capsule: All About Me! Art Journal is an interactive journaling experience that allows kids to record a slice of their lives to look back on later. 

This entertaining sketchbook journal is filled with quick and easy-to-answer questions and space to write and draw the answers. Also included are stickers, suggestions of things to tape or paste into the book, things to color and cut out, and tips on how to doodle everyday life. Once the last prompt is complete, journalers will mark the date to open the time capsule journal, and then put the book away. Their time capsule awaits their older selves!

To receive the bonus pages: fill out the form below. Once the form is submitted a confirmation page will pop up with your PDF download. You can keep the activities on your computer or phone or print them at home, with an online print company, or your local print shop! But please note that these files are for personal use only and cannot be resold or distributed. These bonuses will not be available after December 2022, so be sure to download them soon.