Meet our new Artist of the Month... Barbara Brodsky. Based in Santiago, Chile @barby_lettering loves blending and the magic that is created when the colours come together. 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?
Since I was little I have lived surrounded and in contact with everything related to art through different areas such as decorative painting, embroidery, my professional career (Graphic Design). I love everything that involves creativity and crafts, which makes me always seek to learn new things, that's how one day I found myself looking at the posts of great artists in the community and that instinct of wanting to learn and know woke up in me, how they did these wonders?, I started alone, with non-stop daily practices and my love for this beautiful world of letters grew more and more over time, that's how at the end of 2019 I decided to open my IG account (a bit fearful) in order to upload my work, have a testimony of my progress over time and share what I was doing with the rest of the community
Who / Where do you take your inspiration from?
For me inspiration is everywhere, in nature, in our daily lives, no matter where we look we’ll find that something that inspires us to create. When I have to do a new piece I always try to find the best color palette that manages to transmit the feeling of what I’m lettering, the shapes of the letters and where I should put the accents that accompany that composition to form a whole, also and not less important to know that we’ve our beautiful and supportive community of lettering where there’re also many sources of inspiration.
What in your opinion is the hardest and the most rewarding parts of working in a creative industry?
For me, the most difficult thing has been when I got frustrated with what I do and I feel like I'm going through a creative block and in those moments I feel like leaving everything for a while but then I think about it and I say to myself: "NO, you have to keep going, keep going until you get out of this” it’s difficult but so far it has worked. The most gratifying thing is all the support and the sweet messages of all the beautiful friends I’ve made in these years, thanks to the community I always have energy to continue learning.
Do you have a favourite style?
As an artist I always like to experiment with new techniques but my favorite so far is brushpen calligraphy and what I enjoy the most is the blending technique, I love seeing the magic that is created when the colors come together through water on paper, as I mentioned before I’m a person who always looking to learn new things so at the moment I’m exploring calligraphy with watercolor, modern calligraphy with pointed pen, classical calligraphy and my future project is to learn to painting with watercolors.
What are the most exciting projects you have worked on and what are you working on at the moment?
I have participated in many projects that we carry out together with the community for Christmas, New Year, protect ourselves from hackers, etc. I also had the wonderful experience of being an ambassador for a Japanese art supplies company for a contest for its anniversary in 2022 and now I have the great honor of being the Artist of the Month for this amazing company, Manuscript Pen, I’m immensely happy for this opportunity.
How does your work relate to your everyday life?
For me, calligraphy and lettering are my way to relax and disconnect from everything that happens around me, the problems of the moment, it’s the moment of the day that I have to connect with my inner self and be able to express myself. My letters are the best therapy.
What are your favourite tools to use?
My favorites without a doubt are the brush pens, waterbrush, fineliner pens, gel pens (metallic or classic).
What would your advice be to people new to the creative industry and any tips on how to get started?
The first thing is never to compare your work with someone else's, it’s the worst thing you can do, that will create frustration and will not allow you to move forward, each one learns at their own speed, but in the end with effort and dedication we will all reach the same point, also for me the art of lettering is something that is NEVER finished learning. My other advice is to practice, practice, practice, whenever you can, even 10 minutes a day, that will help you improve your style in an incredible way, for a reason it’s said that “practice makes perfect”.
To see more of Barbara'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.
