Colorado Lovin

For the Love of the Outdoors

Tis the season for weddings, that’s for certain! From creating wedding art + display signs to attending them, I’m reminded of the joy it is to celebrate the festivities with my forever date, Mateo. This magical scenery was the backdrop for Amy and Roel’s beautiful Mackinac Island wedding 🥂

Let’s get cheesy for a moment…
Since my own wedding in 2020, I have become a sucker for weddings! I never imagined having an outdoor wedding myself but life is full of surprises. Thanks to the Pandemic, our wedding had to be moved from a church in November to a lighthouse on the Detroit Riverfront in September. I always imagined myself walking down the aisle of a gorgeous gothic style cathedral with my father beside me. Unfortunately, neither of those things happened. But, we did have a special ceremony as my brother walked me along the river towards Mateo.

Since then, I’ve been quite emotional about weddings. It is one of the most incredible days of a person’s life and it’s an honor to be a part of that as an artist. One of the sweetest things about working with brides on their wedding displays is that I get to relive the moments of Mateo and I working on our wedding. The excitement, joy, and memories we made flood back to me when I’m painting a ‘Welcome Sign’ or creating unique menu signs for an upcoming wedding.

Sneak Peek
The current wedding signs I am working on are all about celebrating love in and for Colorado! The bride and groom love the outdoors and want to include it in their wedding in the best ways. My favorite part of this display package are the Table Signs. I designed each Table Sign after the 14ers in Colorado. Each table sign shows off each Mountain’s unique characteristics.

How amazing are these peaks?!

Behind the scenes…
I started the table signs by finding the perfect font pairing and drawing out each summit according to the actual mountain’s elevation. To ground each piece, I added a border that surrounds the drawing and text. Once the digital work is finished, I print the signs on Arches 140 lb cold press paper which has a luscious, velvety finish. Cold-press watercolor paper is my absolute fav! The texture feels sooo nice on the finger tips.

After the signs are printed on 10″ x 14″ paper, I trim each one down to 4″ x 6″ with my new paper cutter. I desperately needed a new one and the cutter by Swingline definitely does the trick!

Next, each sign is detailed by hand with gold and copper pigment, enhancing the characteristics of each mountain. I use a calligraphy pen with Dr. PH Martin’s Iridescent Calligraphy Colors.

Stay Tuned!
Be sure to check back next month for updates on this project and more 🙂
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