Meet our new Artist of the Month... Susana Restrepo. Based in Colombia @colors.by.mee loves experimenting and exploring different things with her lettering. Read on to find out more about our Artist of the Month!
What is your background and when did your passion for Calligraphy and Lettering begin?
I started to become interested in the calligraphy and lettering world in 2018, while I was still in college and loved to take notes using different fonts and letter styles, and decorating them with my personal touch. It helped me be more focussed in my classes, and little by little, I started to see it as a way of meditating as I could centre my attention in the present moment, the strokes, lines and colours, and flow with them.
Who / Where do you take your inspiration from?
I take inspiration from nature and the things that surround me. I really like appreciating the colours of everything I see and I try to use them on my compositions, besides, I really enjoy music, so I’m always inspired by the music I listen to. I also appreciate and value the artworks from some lettering artists that I follow on instagram.
What in your opinion is the hardest and the most rewarding parts of working in a creative industry?
The most rewarding part, in my opinion, is the support that I get, and feeling part of a community of lettering artists around the world, who share their artworks and always motivate me to grow and challenge myself to try different styles. The hardest parts are the lack of time, since my job isn’t related to the designing field, sometimes I don’t have as much time as I would like to dedicate to my artwork, and also, when my creativity is blocked, I struggle to come up with ideas to create.
Do you have a favourite style?
I love experimenting and exploring different things with my lettering, my favourite thing to do is blending, I love how the colours fade and mix, and giving little details that make each composition unique.
What are the most exciting projects you have worked on and what are you working on at the moment?
What excites me the most, is doing collaborations with other artists where we can share our different styles and come up with a piece together. It is also very exciting for me to collaborate with brands such as I’m doing now with Manuscript Pen Company, I’m loving to try and use all of the different materials. At the moment, I’m working on my own instagram art page, creating content to share with the lettering community.
How does your work relate to your everyday life?
As I mentioned before, my work isn’t related to art directly, since I am a teacher, however, I have used lettering to label things and decorate different spaces in my classroom, which helps me share my art with my students too. In my personal life, I use lettering as a way of meditation and it has significantly helped with my mental health, since the quotes I try to letter help me keep a positive mindset.
What are your favourite tools to use?
My favourite tools to use are brush pens and watercolour markers. Since I really enjoy blending the colours on my designs, water based markers, water and a brush are great tools for nice art compositions. I’m also trying to explore other modern calligraphy techniques such as dip pens, and would love to try some glass pen calligraphy as well.
What would your advice be to people new to the creative industry and any tips on how to get started?
I would advise to be consistent, practice constantly, even if it is just using a pencil and eraser. I would tell new lettering artists to try to practise every day, and stay positive about it, little by little you will make important progress. And the most important thing is to enjoy the process, take it as an opportunity to create something that is valuable, but also to spend time with yourself and relax.
To see more of Susana's work you can follow her on Instagram. Remember to follow @manuscriptpenco on Social Media where we will be showcasing her work throughout the month.
