Googly Gooeys Watercolor & Lettering Workshop, Cymplified!

I have been commenting on and following the blog of Googly Gooeys since… I don’t know when. I always find it amusing, light-hearted and I could relate with most of the topics. The colorful cartoons the creator Tippy illustrates make me crack a smile or giggle silently. If I laugh too loud, my children would peer into my screen and probably take over my laptop since the site is very eye-catching for kids and for adults who love colors.

I mentioned before that I decided to take up watercolor again after rediscovering my college art materials. I also mentioned that I wanted to create more, as I have posted in the beginning of the year for my one statement instead of one word. As of now, I have watercolor papers of sketches and unfinished work, waiting to be written on using fancy lettering. Attending workshops is the easiest way to get a crash course on topics of interest now that I don’t have the luxury of time to get formal schooling.

Several weeks before Mother’s Day, my four-hour me-time was already planned. I was so excited I was already envisioning what I was going to wear. A few days before, though, I decided on black since I am way too clumsy; I might spill the whole cup of water for washing brushes on myself.

Watercolor Workshop with @googlygooeys – my Mother’s Day treat! 🙂

A photo posted by Cym M (@ceemee) on May 10, 2015 at 7:58pm PDT

I finally saw sexy Tippy in person and it doesn’t look she’s gorging on chocolate bars left in the fridge. She’s quite friendly and recognises me when I approached, probably because my avatar appeared very often on her blog comment box. Heehee!

I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop, although I felt a teeny bit bad that I was not able to quickly tour the store, my hubby and children were waiting for me after all. Here are what I love about the Googly Gooeys Watercolor and Lettering Workshop:

• We went straight to practice, there was no boring lecture. That’s what I like about workshops, our hands were busy right away, doing the watercolor techniques. It’s also because the time to cover all bases was very short.
• Next up were the strokes, first done in pencil, to prepare us for the many, many letters that we would write afterwards. My fingers felt like they were in high school again, penning down several pages of notes copied from the blackboard. I had to shake my right hand midway. But it’s a great exercise since my hand got to get acquainted with the brush.
• Tippy went around looking at what we’re doing, making suggestions and gently correcting us. She made short talk, too.
• Snacks were taken while doing the exercises. There was a short break, but I continued painting. I hope I had taken a walk and taken a look at the art materials for sale, instead. The pretzel sticks were delicious, yet I did not finish all of them. I shared some with my kids.
• Most of all, I have learned to start embracing my own style, and the way I write. On my Instagram feed I always see people do these beautiful calligraphy work and lettering; I always say to myself, “I can never do that!” All my life, I have always thought that my handwriting is not aesthetically pleasing. But, I could try! Attending this workshop gave me a little boost of confidence.

No, the cup of water did not fall on me. Thankfully!

Here is what my project looks like. We were to apply what we have learned that afternoon. There were many things I would like to change. But, I will not enumerate them here because I want to be in acceptance, and do better on the next one.

“Just do it!”, says Nike. My brain is sometimes filled to the brim with ideas that my body could not catch up. There’s so much holding back! That statement on my output was one I thought up to hopefully spur me to just do it. Paint that loved one! Start that blog feature!

Have you attended a workshop lately? What was it? How was it?