So Now I'm Painting in Watercolor

As previously written, I joined a Brush Lettering Workshop last October 2016.  We tried a few tricks to prettify the words we were writing.  I've since beefed up on my wreath doodling skills, banner-scroll-drapery skills and flower painting-leaves painting skills.  The last one, I initiated, since it was not offered during the workshop. 

Roses and leaves for me are easy because I've had some experience in Face Painting (another blog entry to be sure) so "loading a brush with paint" and "handling a brush" or "brush pressure on paper" are easier to transpose to watercolor techniques.  It's really easy, I promise and swear, and so I've added that to my own workshop syllabus.

April 22, I joined a Basic Watercolor Techniques in Greenbelt 5.  They presented a few of what I'd already discovered through Google.  These (links) are the best and most complete so far from the web:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDawbOO8XY (Part 1)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxK1dTJ4Nhk (Part 2)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLOvMS2CmAI (Part 3)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttbbXnQsMiw (Part 4)

I received a watercolor palette with little dabs of watercolor paint in them plus two aqua brushes.  There were water cups and tissue rolls to share, too.

 They provided a sheet (Canson Watercolor Paper) with a pre-printed (in light gray) outline, which we painted together with someone on stage painting, real time.  The sponsor was CBTL so we all painted the same thing :)  

My take home nugget of wisdom was to make shadows in the complementary color!  If we do yellow, we complement with violet.  Red complements green and blue complements orange.

 Last Saturday, I also joined a Craft Central workshop on Loose Florals using Watercolor.  One class for P1,350 and two classes for P2,500.  I liked the idea of the P500 savings but for the take home kit that I got, I was not totally impressed.

All the techniques but one (the peony, lone flower painted below) were nothing new.  I'd been doing them already.  The speaker, Patty, made it more complicated when it shouldn't have been!  Maybe it was her delivery (artists do not automatically make great speakers and teachers).  I'm not hungry and am just being factual, since I'm a speaker myself, I have a base for comparison.

Next night, I tried my own flowers based on the lessons I took.  Here they are.  I need work on having the same light source and same brush technique.

The following are Pinterest inspired.  Enjoy!

Pahabol.  Someone asked me to make her a wreath so she could use it for her Instagram pic.  This one is for @pink_osh.  Last I checked, she had not uploaded it yet.

Everything is a work in progress.  The only way I'll know that I can do it, is if I try.  Why don't you stop thinking you can't and that you're not as good as me (or others), and that you don't have time or that it's hard.  JUST TRY.  You'd be surprised with yourself.

Confidence (or feeling confident), just like any skill, TAKES OODLES OF PRACTICE.  Just face the mirror, point at yourself and say out loud, "YOU'RE ENOUGH.  YOU MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS.  YOU'RE READY" everyday.  As I now always say, PRACTICE MAKES PERMANENT! 

So I Have Control Issues

It's not I may have.  I know I have control issues.  Not the grab-the-boyfriend-by-the-balls type. Boys, you may sigh in relief!

Through this long list of values during my Masters Certification in Neuro Linguistic Programming, I was able to pinpoint what I valued the most.  Guess what it was?!  STRUCTURE!  The least I valued was CITIZENSHIP, FYI.  Can you pick/rank your top 10?

So the simplest truth that was just pointed out to me:  You perceive things, you act on, you react and make decisions based on your values.  Makes sense, right?  If you're the president and you do not value Life nor Peace nor Equality nor even Tolerance, then you will act accordingly.  If you're a teacher in a preschool classroom and you don't see the value in Obedience, Consistency, Excellence, Empathy and Joy, then please don't teach and ruin the lives of our future generations!  If you're a restaurant owner and you don't care about Efficiency, Diversity, Credibility, Hard Work and being Law-Abiding, then just close shop!

Because STRUCTURE means so much to me, these parts of my life are where I am affected:
- I'm very outspoken when it comes to people breaking rules and going against signed contracts.  This goes back to STRUCTURE.
- I will wait in line even if I get a sunstroke.  I will let people who cut the line know that it isn't allowed  That's the rule.  STRUCTURE.
- Late at night, even on an empty intersection, I stop for all red lights.  STRUCTURE.
- If things are too asymmetrical or out of place, I easily notice them for the eyesore that they are to me.  STRUCTURE.
- I like lists and contracts that have clear stipulations.  I also expect anyone who signs my contracts to have read and understood them (since I find I do very comprehensive non-lawyer-y but wordy ones).  A signed contract to me is a bond that will not be broken.  I go crazy fulfilling my end of the bargain and I expect others to do the same (not go crazy but keep their end of the deal).
- I like Brush Lettering because the practice of it makes the letters really awesome.
- Under my breath (or not), I complete words that don't sound complete.  Pinoys like to eat their T's, P's, B's, D's and CK's so I succinctly finish them for people. STRUCTURE.
- I cringe when people don't speak, nor enunciate correctly.  I cannot stand jologs spelling, lazy spelling, no spelling!  STRUCTURE.
- I have a color coordinated Appointment Book,  Things are planned way ahead of time.  If things don't roll the way they're expected, I get very troubled.  STRUCTURE.  This Appointment Book, truth be told, does have its positive side, I'm a master at doing many things so it's great to be able to compartmentalize when and where I need to set my attention on.
- ENTER Zumba® Fitness.  I am so appalled at so many of my countrymen who see Zumba® as a livelihood where anything goes.  If you've read my other blogs, I have been and still am pretty vocal about those who wear Fake Zumba® Wear, perform instead of teach, have geriatric students twerk like there's no tomorrow and those instructors who drive prices down that teaching a class has become a joke. It's a thankless job but someone's got to do something.

I think I've also been blessed with FORESIGHT.  It is sometimes bothersome because I tend to see the train wreck way before the tragedy has happened.  It almost sounds negative, I know! FORESIGHT has saved me time and money, to be sure, when planning for the school year calendar or when I bring extra clothes in the car for surprise classes or out of town trips.

I also have an annoying need to get social affirmation which started 40 years before Facebook got popular with their "likes".  Is it because I'm unattached at the moment and this is the barometer I have available to validate my actions and thoughts?

Through NLP, I've also already toned down my reactions from incredulity to being subtly irritated and to being less vocally upset (THANK YOU TO BRUSH LETTERING FOR THE STRESS RELEASE!).  I realize too, that these are MY values and so MY perception to certain stimuli and MY decisions on how to act on them are unique.  I should not foist mine on others.  I just wish others could also be more aware that what they do aren't always taken in the correct context.  Further, I wish, every one were more mindful of their actions.  I feel many, if not all, are careless, carefree and unmindful of the consequences of their thoughts, words and actions.

I share these with you so you know what idiosyncrasies drive me.  If you can at least know where I'm coming from, then maybe your perception of me will soften around the edges.  I hope that you will at least appreciate the CONSISTENCY and SINCERITY from which I operate.

I leave you with a newly minted thought.  I'm so proud that I was able to to make my own saying/motto just yesterday!  I truly hope it becomes a reminder for all those who pick the stage, a position of power or influence, or those who go into teaching.

"IF YOU DECIDE TO BE A LEADER, THEN CHOOSE TO BRING EVERY ONE INTO THE LIGHT."

So I'm Into Brush Lettering

Having a 32-letter name challenged me to practice writing it all the time so my speed would improve.  During exams and quizzes, writing "Rosario Anna Crisitina C. Araneta" slowly ensured that I'd miss up to the third question/item that was recited by the teacher.  I practiced and practiced so that I would not be left behind.

My mom, Mitos, also had a beautiful script she'd copied from the Paulinians.  Ate Lisa also had consistently elegant writing!  

At four year old, I remember asking my Yaya Maria to teach me how to write in Cursive.  The first letter she taught me -- I don't know why -- was "y".

During my grade school years, I was also inspired to write nicely by my then best friend, Mari Brias.  She is now married to a Fresneda and they reside in Spain.  We had the same bubble-type script, that our teachers in Poveda had a difficult time telling each one's penmanship apart!  

With my block letters, which would have put any engineer to shame, I was also able to write many a romantic novel with the then popular Puerto Rican singing group, Menudo, as my heroes.  

So last October 2016, at 44, I was reacquainted with a new form of writing using Brush Pens, Aqua Brushes and Paint Brushes.  The Little Apprentice Preschool teachers bonded over a 2pm - 5pm Brush Lettering Workshop handled/led by a former parent and our schools' t-shirt supplier, Mommy Margot Uy (@artsymargot).  Her slant was to prettify our letters to make them #inspiredbrushlettering.  She is into Bible verses and making notations of her pastor's teachings. She had a great presentation aka visual spread with flower centerpieces, free katsa bag, and materials. I was impressed and so it was a great start for me and Brush Lettering!

Brush Lettering is a type of penmanship using a pen with a brush tip (with pre-installed ink), a paint brush (think Chinese calligraphy but only not so big in writing proportion) and an aqua brush (a paint brush with a built in water-well that you use with watercolor).  The strokes are less rigid than the old style letters where metal/angular/straight nibs or tips are used (think Speedball) and therefore the resulting letters can be more fluid and flowery.  

You can use this penmanship to write key words, mottos, inspirational lines, philosophical lines, Bible quotes in pretty ways.  You could go even as far as making framed posters, place cards, thank you notes, invitations and signages that are deeply personalized and meaningful because of the effort you put into your work/s.

The strokes are easy to remember:  Go hard on the down strokes and go light on the up strokes.  The rest is consistency brought about by practice!  

Here is a sample of my lower case Alphabet letters done in Zig's pink and red pens, then blended with a Tombow N002 brush.  It was further given a shadow effect by adding a black outline and a very light gray brushpen shadow.

The great news is, that this skill can be learned, just like singing.  People who don't have good penmanship will have great penmanship if only they practiced, for PRACTICE MAKES PERMANENT and always remember that THE SKY IS NOT THE LIMIT.  YOUR MIND IS.

And so, I practiced like a madwoman. I opted to finish a lot of sketch pads and just write anything instead of go out for Christmas.  I wrote and wrote and wrote and wrote.

I wrote on menu cards, my planner's cover, old newspapers--anything I could get my hands on for practice!  I poured over visuals and video clips from Instagram, Google Images, Pinterest and YouTube because of my thirst for more knowledge!

I've ventured into flower wreaths and painting with watercolors because of the endless embellishment possibilities for my brush lettered messages! 

At some point, I decided to start using the water color I got as part of my take home kit, to paint florals and leaves with.  I'm self taught, with a whole lot of memory of Bob Ross and his 30-minute landscape How To's.

Today, I'm actively teaching my own workshops at The Roxy Events Place on Tomas Morato Ave., QC and in private locations all over Metro Manila and Alabang!

See my FB page for my upcoming schedules!  Check both WORKSHOPS BY ROXY and ROXY ARANETA.

Here is the poster for April 28 at TLAPreschool, Evia, Las Pinas.

Here is the poster for May 7 at The Roxy on Tomas Morato, QC.

Here are some more visuals to help inspire you to try this very relaxing and creative hobby!

Combined brush pen colors with highlights and shadows for a wonderful 3D effect.

If I know before hand who my participants are, I try to personalize my handouts with wreaths bearing their names :)

Using colorful backgrounds and white ink, you can make eye-popping messages!

Getting my old brush pens from 2008 a run for their money!

Adding shadows to words make them more noticeable.

Brushpen at work.  #Hugot

Here is a black surface plus a white gelpen that gives a stark effect.

When I waited for my GrabCar, I cracked open my sketchpad and here's what I wrote:

So far, the most popular workshops that I've done are:

Reconstructing Your TeeShirts
Tarot Card Reading
Action Greeting Cards
Scrapbooking
Vision Boards
Brush Lettering
Getting to Your Goals
Better Communication Skills
Persuasive Selling
Balloon Twisting
Making Home Made Spa Products
Party Hosting
Event Planning
Prioritization 
Stress Management
Making Mission/Vision/Goal Statements
Yaya Seminar
Boredom Busters for Kids Using What's Already In Your House
Discipline VS Punishment
Praise VS Validation
How Kids Learn
Music and Movement



For your very own private or money making workshops, for fun, for bonding, for personal enrichment or for team building, just get in touch with me through the following:

Cell : 0917.8111655
IG : @rosannearaneta
Email : imaninspirationtoothers@gmail.com
Link to FB Workshops By Roxy 
https://www.facebook.com/events/272281293196684/?ti=icl