THOUGHTS, TUTORIALS & UPDATES

of Katie Leavens

'Fears can be alleviated with information' written in blue digital copperplate on yellow watercolor wash background

Commissioning Artwork

what to expect | Oct 25, 2018

Commissioning an artist can be a great to decorate your space, a meaningful gift, or a treasured family keepsake—all while supporting an artist, not just a big company. But it can be terrifying. Not only do you have to share an idea you have with someone you see as ...

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moving gif of hand drawing an clockwise oval on lined paper with a pencil

Fixing your handwriting

improve your fine motor skills | Jul 11, 2018

When you google “improve handwriting” you will find a bunch of listicles telling you to hold your pen a certain way, loosen your grip, slowing down, and writing the letters over and over. These tips will definitely help, but they are exactly what we were taught it school. If they ...

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grid of illustrated sea creatures entwined with their alphabetical name in calligraphy with flourished title 'A B Sea'

A, B, Sea

a letter-a-day project | May 19, 2018

In the month of April, I joined an Instagram challenge to create one letter everyday. This really did become a challenge. I already usually draw everyday, but usually I skip the weekends to give my hands and mind a break. So coming back everyday for almost 4 weeks was hard! ...

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annotated calligraphy homework with oblique calligraphy pen in forground

Why I took a beginner's calligraphy class

| Feb 23, 2018

I recently finished taking a beginner’s copperplate class. I’m not a beginner, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t learned things from it. If you go into a space looking to learn you can usually find something, even if it’s not something the teacher expected to teach you that day. Firstly, it ...

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tea & post-its

Purposeful Goals

an introspection fest to objectives & key results | Jan 19, 2018

During my holiday break, I realized I needed to step-up and make some changes on how I was running my business. Aimless and taking it only one problem at a time, wasn’t getting me where I wanted to be. I had lost sight of where that even was and what ...

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card tucked in black envlope an illustrated leopard at the top with lettering 'after dark all cats' in italic

All cats are leopards

| Oct 26, 2017

After dark all cats are leopards —Native American Proverb I’ve been thinking a lot about the meaning of success. How do I define success for myself? Where do I want my art to take me? What are my dreams and how do I get there? How do I start living my ...

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