Autumn is finally here - the season of cosy jumpers, hot drinks, and pumpkin picking! To kickstart the autumnal spirit, we met with Louise (@doodlelou.co), who has some exciting ideas to help you make the most of this beautiful season. So, grab those brush pens and embark on a creative journey with Louise as she shows you how to create an artistic bucket list for the coming autumn season!
STEP 1 - Plan and Prepare Your Page
First, gather your materials and choose a colour palette. I’m using a warm colour scheme full of red, orange, yellow and brown hues - fitting for the autumnal season! The ABT Dual Brush Pens will be perfect for this spread because I can create beautiful lettering with the soft brush pen and can use the fine tip to draw precise lines and accents.
Take a piece of scrap paper and write down all the things you want to do this autumn! Once you’ve noted everything down, you can sketch out each of these ideas in pencil. I like to compose the page with my header in the centre and the lettering and illustrations placed around this. Remember to leave a good amount of space between each section so it’s easy to read and to account for any misjudged spacing. You can then fill in any gaps with doodles and colour if needed at the end!
Top tip: When you are sketching your ideas, use light pressure so it’s easier to erase your pencil marks after!
STEP 2 - Begin Drawing and Adding Colour
I start by using my ABT Dual Brush Pens to draw the lettering I’ve previously sketched out. To keep some movement and excitement in the design, it’s a nice idea to try out a variety of lettering styles; I’ve used a mixture of bouncy brush lettering, block letters and serif fonts. The thick brush nib is great for creating organic brush lettering whereas the fine nib is perfect for monoline lettering.
Let’s also experiment with colour and blending to keep each element looking interesting. Create contrast by using opposing colours to make a statement or use tonal colours to keep harmony in your colour palette. Personally, I love to use two tones of the same colour to subtly draw attention to each word or to blend two colours together for a gradient effect.
Top tip: When adding colour to the page, begin with the lighter colour and build up to darker colours from there.
STEP 3 - Add The Final Touches
Once your design has all been drawn out with colour, you can go ahead and add the final details.
Use a fineliner like the MONO Drawing Pen in 0.1 to neaten the edges of your lettering or illustrations. A lighter coloured fineliner pen will give definition in a softer manner.
Add emphasis to selected words with the fine nib of your ABT Dual Brush Pen or use the brush nib in a light colour (I use shade Cool Grey/N95) to create a drop shadow.
If there are any gaps you want to fill in, draw some simple decorative elements - I’ve doodled some black bats (I use shade Black/N15) and red and green apples (I use shade Carmine/845 and Light Olive/126).
I’ve finished the spread with a bright border around the edge in Light Orange/025 to complete the whole look and feel of the page.
Your Autumn Bucket List!
And there you go - a completed autumn bucket list ready for the new season. Remember to erase your pencil marks and now let’s show the world your creation!
Alternatively, this could just as easily be turned into an ‘Autumn Highlights’ page packed full of the fun activities you did over the autumn for your future self to look back on!
Pen colours used: Port Red/757, Gold Ochre/946, Orange/933, Carmine/845, Light Orange/025, Light Ochre/991, Sap Green/245, Light Olive/126, Dark Olive/158, Holly Green/312, Brown/879, Saddle Brown/977, Sand/992, Light Sand/990, Cool Grey/N95, Black/N15.