Posts by Holly McCaig
Turn Lettering Into Mosaics with Adobe Illustrator
Turn Lettering Into Mosaics with Adobe Illustrator
For this video I wanted to show you how you can turn lettering into mosaics with Adobe Illustrator using the Artifex Forge’s Mosaic Builder for Illustrator.
I am a vector fan true and true so I love that I can do this popular trend I see done in Procreate or Photoshop done in a way I can scale it without loss of quality. YAY!
What Is the Mosaic Builder?
The Mosaic Builder for Adobe Illustrator by Artifex Forge consists of brushes and pattern swatches for Illustrator so you can create mosaics in vector format that you can easily scale.
Watch How I Turn Lettering Into Mosaics with Adobe Illustrator
In this video I’ll walk you through the process with a brief overview of what you get in this product and then turn my letter h that I drew in Procreate into the mosaic.
Tools I Use In This Tutorial
- Adobe Illustrator CC
- iMac Pro
- Wacom Intuos
- Artifex Forge’s Mosaic Builder Brushes and Patterns for Illustrator*
Music In This Video
Be sure to join the Vault by scrolling down and signing up! It’s free and you get access to lot’s of fun downloads.
Plan with Me March GoodNotes Digital Stickers
Plan with Me March GoodNotes Digital Stickers
Plan with me this March 2019 as I set up the Monthly Spread of the Pixel Planner using our new March digital stickers for GoodNotes. This walk through will show you how I set it up, plus I’ll show you inspiration from our Pixel Planner Ambassadors and how they use this set to create their GoodNotes planner layouts for the month of March.
Get the Official Plan with Me March GoodNotes Digital Stickers
Holly designed our stickers this month and you can get them here in the shoppe.
Get Inspired – Plan With Me
Watch me work though a week spread using these stickers, then stay tuned to the Pixel Planner Ambassador inspiration spreads!
Tools Used in This Video
- iPad Pro Gen 3 256 GB 12.9
- Apple Pencil Gen 2
- GoodNotes
- March Stickers
- Music: Sunsets and Daydreams by PRIZM:
https://app.soundstripe.com/songs/7319
Get the Matching Embellishment Kit and Journal Cards too!
We also have matching 3d embellishments for added flair to your Pixel Planner pages as well as journal cards for creative journaling. Check them out!
Folk Florals and Lettering Using Image Trace in Adobe Illustrator
Folk Florals and Lettering Using Image Trace in Adobe Illustrator
Do you use Image Trace? The answer is yes. I use Image Trace in Adobe Illustrator on my lettering pieces because I want to maintain that hand lettered feel.
Image Trace isn’t perfect, but you can get it close and I’ll show you how I take this folk florals lettering piece and use Image Trace on the lettering and complete it.
This video is more for those familiar with Illustrator. It’s not a slow, walk through video. Those take time, so slow down the video if you need to understand better (you can do that in YouTube settings).
Watch the Process of Using Image Trace in Adobe Illustrator
Tools Used in This Video
For this video I use:
- Adobe Illustrator CC 2019
- I’m on an iMac Pro
Join the Vault
Be sure to join the vault for a copy of my Image Trace Settings. I did tweak them recently and what’s in the Vault makes me much happier!
Doodle Prompts for February | Holly Doodle
Doodle Prompts for February | Holly Doodle
I hope I’ll be seeing you participating in the Holly Doodle challenge each month. Here are the doodle prompts for February – all about the Love puns!
Holly Doodle Challenge How It Works
We finished an entire year of challenges last year and it was fun. Over the year I moved on from just doing lettering to introducing illustration into my work. I feel like hand lettering is illustration too. Drawing letters is just as much of an art form. So I restructured the challenge to be a Doodle challenge that lets you do whatever you want. Doodle a picture, or draw letters. The choice is yours.
- During this month’s challenge feel free to:
- Draw every day – using every prompt
- Pick and choose days you want to use
- Do it when you can!
- Letter or draw
When you draw more frequently you get better and develop a style. If you’re just starting out or just need a warmup, set a timer. Try and draw something from the prompts in five minutes.
Doing more drawing allows you to look back over time to compare where you begin and where you’re at now. Don’t overthink the prompts, have fun!
The Doodle Prompts for February
Here are the doodle prompts I came up with for February 2019. Be sure to tag me on Instagram or use the hashtag for the month: #hollydoodlefeb so we can find your work and I can share some of the stand outs in my Insta Stories.
February Bullet Journal in Procreate with Start Packs by Holly Pixels
February Bullet Journal in Procreate with Start Packs by Holly Pixels
Let’s continue this bullet journal process digitally! I’ll show you the February Bullet Journal pack and how to edit the files in Procreate so you can quick start your bullet journaling with GoodNotes.
What is a BuJo Pack?
I make it easier for you to unleash your creative side by giving you pre-made illustrated and lettered objects for your bullet journal in Procreate. These files are layered so you can color them to your desire. Then, you can export the files like a sticker as a PNG and import them into your bullet journal in GoodNotes.
Watch the February Bullet Journal Pack
You can grab the bullet journal pack for February to use in Procreate here. Then, be sure to check out our blank bullet journal books! We have a black and a white one that each comes with 4 paper types to download.
More Info on Bullet Journals
Watch the January video here for more details on installing Procreate files.
Be sure to join the Vault down below to get access to free downloads for your iPad!
Procreate Tutorial | Love Wallpaper | Lettering with Ian Barnard’s Letter Builder ToolKit
Love is in the air and with Valentine’s Day around the corner I wanted to combine a lettering project with the holiday. This Procreate tutorial is a partnership with Design Cuts and I’ll be using Ian Barnard’s Letter Builder Toolkit to make this Love Wallpaper for your iPad.
Watch This Fun Procreate Tutorial
- Start with a screen default size for Procreate
- Using the Letter Builder Toolkit, map out your LOVE. I struggled with dragging my brush so I simply duplicated my grids for each letter.
- I used my Colo Mono brush to outline each letter using the grid to guide me on their own layers. Use the Quick Shape option in Procreate to draw your circles!
- Next I drew in some sketch lines down the centers of each letter on a new layer to help guide me with creating the decorative serifs.
- Erase away the portions of the letters you drew that will be eliminated by the decorative serifs. And, fill each letter with a solid color.
- Duplicate your word so you will have a nice drop shadow to work with.
- Create a new layer above your word layer and make it a clipping mask. Using a default soft airbrush begin painting multiple colors for an ombre effect.
- Fill your word shadow layer with a darker color and use the arrow tool to select it. Then, tap your finger in the bottom right corner to offset it.
- Using the same color as your shadow layer and the Colo Mono brush complete the corners of the drop shadow.
- Add some inlines and dots with white as I did.
- Finally you can add some decorative flourishes to your work. I like to draw them out first, then reduce the opacity and draw a clean version on a new layer.
Tools I Use In this Video
- iPad Pro Gen 3 12.9″ 256 MB
- Apple Pencil Gen 2
- Procreate 4.2
- Ian Barnard’s Letter Builder ToolKit*
- Colo Mono Brush from my Colorado Brush Set
Where to Get Ian’s Letter Builder Toolkit
You can purchase the toolkit here via my affiliate link. When you purchase through my links you allow me the ability to continue doing these types of posts for you showing you how to use these tools with fun projects. So I do appreciate it!
If you’re looking for another amazing resource by Ian, check out his Procreate Layout Composer. Sometimes putting multiple words together is tough. These guides will help you build your quotes in a pleasing way and easy to do in Procreate.
Download the Free Wallpaper
Join the Vault (it’s free) by scrolling down and signing up. Inside you can download this wallpaper design for your iPad. Plus I have a free Procreate brush, color swatches and practice guides for your lettering!
Plan with Me February GoodNotes Digital Stickers
Plan with Me February GoodNotes Digital Stickers
Plan with me this February 2019 as I set up the Weekly Spread of the Pixel Planner using our new February digital stickers for GoodNotes. This walk through will show you how I set it up, plus I’ll show you inspiration from our Pixel Planner Ambassadors and how they use this set to create their GoodNotes planner layouts for the month of February.
Get the Official Plan With Me Stickers
Kate designed our stickers this month and you can get them here in the shoppe.
Get Inspired – Plan With Me
Watch me work though a week spread using these stickers, then stay tuned to the Pixel Planner Ambassador inspiration spreads!
Tools Used in This Video
- iPad Pro Gen 3 256 GB 12.9
- Apple Pencil Gen 2
- GoodNotes
- February Stickers
Get the Matching Embellishment Kit and Journal Cards too!
We also have matching 3d embellishments for added flair to your Pixel Planner pages as well as journal cards for creative journaling. Check them out!
Drawing Tiny Houses in Procreate New Workshop
Drawing Tiny Houses in Procreate New Workshop
A while back I was drawing tiny houses in Procreate and sharing them on Instagram. It received quite a lot of questions and I knew that it would be too much involvement to make a tutorial. So, Drawing Tiny Houses in Procreate is now a workshop!
What This Workshop Involves
This self-paced, online workshop will walk you through my process of drawing really cute, tiny houses in the Procreate app. Take your time and following along at your own speed.
- Review the free download guide with 4 house styles
- Setup in Procreate – how to get your canvas ready
- Mapping out your tiny house first
- Inking your tiny house
- Adding color to your tiny house
- Bonus lesson watch me draw a tiny house from a photograph
What You Need
This workshop uses: an iPad, Procreate App 4.2 + and an Apple Pencil. You may use any medium you wish to use. You simply need to be able to draw straight lines with a grid. So if you’re using paper and pencil use grid paper and a ruler. You can also use Adobe Illustrator and turn on grids. The Procreate app has a grid canvas feature.
Bullet Journaling on the iPad
Bullet Journaling on the iPad
Bullet journaling on the iPad is super easy now with our new bullet journal books. These books work with GoodNotes, or install our PDF files to your favorite note taking app.
I love bullet journaling, but I do so much better when I can do it on my iPad and take it with me. Plus, I enjoy being able to change things. With paper, I always felt like I was forced to commit to a layout.
Bullet Journals
Our new bullet journals come in both black or white options. But each comes with four paper styles. You can choose to download the one that meets your needs. The styles are:
- blank
- ruled lines
- dots
- grids
They are simple and easy to use with 16 blank hyperlinked tabs for you! Create stickers, or write on the tabs for your own use. Some people enjoy using them for monthly trackers, others for journaling. Being blank these are all for you to decide how to use them.
Bullet Journaling Procreate Packs
The new bullet journaling Procreate packs come with anywhere from 5-10 Procreate files and artwork ready for you to use. They make a great jump start if creativity is something you struggle with in your bullet journals.
I put together how to use the new January pack in the video below so you can see how easy it is to recolor pieces and move things around. Get them all ready and then save them as a PNG sticker to bring over into a GoodNotes bullet journal and start journaling!
Watch All About Our New Bullet Journals
00:00 – talking about the new Bullet Journal Books
07:00 – start talking about Procreate Bullet Journal Packs
Where to Get Our Bullet Journals and Bullet Journal Procreate Packs
We created a new section in the shoppe. Click on the Shoppe Menu for the drop down to see our categories. You’ll find bullet journals in the Digital Planning category. Or, click here. Look for new Procreate Packs released each month!
Join our Vault and get access to free downloads for your iPad! Scroll down below to sign up!
January Journaling Prompts for Digital Bullet Journaling
January Journaling Prompts for Digital Bullet Journaling
As we continue to build our digital planning products and resources for you, it was a given we would introduce bullet journaling to our digital products and tutorials. This week we launched our digital bullet journal that you can upload to your GoodNotes app. So, to help you even further we have built a set of journaling prompts to make 2019 full of memories.
January Journaling Prompts
Every month we will release a new set of journaling prompts for you to use in your digital planner or digital bullet journal. You may see some repeated but that’s only because that prompt may provoke a different response from you at another time.
If you have ever struggled with keeping a journal, these daily prompts will help you stay clear. Yes, journaling helps you stay clear and focused on your goals. It helps with anxiety when it feels like nothing is going right. Think of it as a way to heal and throw away the old junk in your life.
Here are the prompts for January:
How to Use The January Journaling Prompts in Your Digital Bullet Journal
Our journaling prompts for January will help you get started writing a little bit each day. Write just a bullet list, a sentence, or a few paragraphs. The choice is yours.
Be sure to check out our bullet journal in the shoppe to help you keep your bullet journaling digitally with an app like GoodNotes. Check out the inspiration from other users in our private Facebook group you can join by invitation only when you sign up for access to the free Digital Planning Library.
Download the January Journaling Prompts Sticker
Get this graphic of the January journaling prompts as a sticker file for your digital bullet journal in the Digital Planning Library. Scroll down to sign up for access today.