Behind the Scenes | South of Market

One of our favorite ways to keep Studio Calico designs fresh is by collaborating with new artists. We always have our eyes open for a style and viewpoint that will fit our kits and collections, and today's featured artist is proof that we don't always have to look far to find it!

I'm sure you all know Creative Team Member Nicole Reaves from her gallery here at Studio Calico - her streamlined and colorful Project Life® spreads have found their way into many of your inspiration books. Her bright and engaging photos set the tone for her pages, and she personalizes many of the cards with her own handwriting. Here's one example - we love the bold script captions on several of her cards!

Given the comments on many of her projects, we're not the only one who has noticed her gorgeous handwriting - we see our members mention how much they love it time and time again. And since we are totally in agreement with how awesome her script is, we asked her if she'd be willing to design some handwritten papers for our South of Market line. Here's a look into the process behind the handwritten transparency you'll find in South of Market :

Last fall, I was given an amazing opportunity to design a paper for the South of Market mid-release. It was really exciting to get a first glance at what the creative minds at Studio Calico had envisioned for this new collection and I loved being able to put my own little handwritten touch on this beautiful line.

When I got a peek of the inspiration for South of Market, I started making a list of my favorite short phrases and quotes. I loved the farm / market theme to the collection, but wanted to tie in some everyday expressions as well. After I came up with a list of about 20 phrases, I narrowed it down to a dozen that really went together as a group.

Once I had an idea of what words I wanted to use, I had to figure out how to fill the page with them. There were so many directions I could have gone with here. Should I mix sizes? Should I mix line weights? Should I print or write in cursive or script? I thought a bit about how this paper would be used in paper-crafting projects, from layouts to cards to Project Life®, and knew I wanted the words to be legible whether you used a small scrap or a larger piece in your project. Writing the phrases out true to my handwriting size and just filling the whole page as if I was journaling is what felt most natural to me.

Not only did I practice what style I wanted to write in, but I brainstormed about how to distinguish between the phrases. I pulled out my stash of favorite black pens and wrote – a lot. I ended up choosing two different pens, one with a slightly thicker tip, to alternate writing the phrases out with. I like the end result and how it separated each saying just enough.

While I could have written the phrases once and then digitally copied and pasted them, I chose to write out the entire page by hand, which was a lot of fun! The biggest challenge was making sure my lines were straight and the spacing was consistent. After sending the first scan to Studio Calico headquarters for review, we discussed a few minor revisions to make and I created the final product, which was then scanned and digitized to create the South of Market transparency and the Made with Love patterned paper.

I can’t thank Studio Calico enough for this fun opportunity and I hope you all enjoy the South of Market line!