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Welcome!

I’m a full-time lettering artist based in Charleston, SC. You can usually find me with a coffee in one hand and Apple Pencil in the other.

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Dawn Nicole Designs | Hand-Lettering & Modern Calligraphy

May 9

To all the moms, bonus moms, moms of angel babies, soon-to-be moms, those who dream of being a mom, and those extra missing their moms today...⁣
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💖 Happy Mother’s Day 💖⁣
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For those of us in the thick of motherhood, “Peace & Quiet” seemed like an appropriate thing to letter today. 😂 ⁣
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Being a mom is hands-down the greatest joy of my life, but I’m also looking forward to sneaking off with a friend for a coffee and long walk today before re-joining the fam for some Pistachio gelato and beach time this afternoon.

May 7

If you’ve followed me awhile, you know that my @CreateRoomCo DreamBox is one of my very favorite things! ⁣
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It allows me to keep all my lettering supplies and creative goodies organized in such a beautiful, functional way. 🙌🏻⁣
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I spent way too many hours creating this illustrated version of my DreamBox for the Mother’s Day Sale. ⁣
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And the early access sale just went live!⁣
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⬇ SALE DETAILS ⬇⁣
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💖 Get up to $1,000 off with code DAWNNICOLEMOM 💖⁣
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⍟ $200 off DreamBox⁣
⍟ $300 off Pre-built service (First 100 orders only!)⁣
⍟ $200 off Gray Shaker Style⁣
⍟ $250 off Table options ($100 off Dream Cart, Side Tables / $50 off Sew Station), when purchased with DreamBox⁣
⍟ $50 off the NEW Create Room Cubby, when purchased with DreamBox⁣
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*Sale and Code are U.S. based. End 5/17 or while supplies last.⁣
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⬅️ Swipe for more the details and some real-life photos! ⁣
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💻 Also available on the blog: https://bydawnnicole.com/dreambox-sale⁣
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@createroomco #CreateRoomPartner #CreateRoom #sponsored⁣ #CreateRoomMom

May 4

A just because lettering piece for my portfolio on @theispotnews. ✏️💖⁣
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ARTWORK DETAILS⁣
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This artwork took me about 5 hours total. I created it in the Procreate App using my Modern Folk Art Florals Procreate Stamp Kit and Creativity Kit for Procreate. ⁣
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The two lettering styles I used are the Chloe Style and Quinn Style. Both styles are from lettering workbooks available in my shop. 😊⁣
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LEARN LETTERING WITH ME⁣
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🛍 Shop: shop.bydawnnicole.com⁣
💻 Blog: bydawnnicole.com

May 1

Apr 30

That morning light though! 🙌🏻⁣
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I spent most of yesterday cleaning my home office: purging, re-organizing, and adding floral peel and stick wallpaper to my @createroomco DreamBox.⁣
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After 10 years as a full-time artist, I had so much stuff I haven’t touched in years and it felt so good to bag up a ton to donate and trash.⁣
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I took a bunch of photos this morning to do a full blog post, but in the meantime, here’s a sneak peek at my office Spring refresh.⁣
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As you scroll through, you’ll see my DreamBox open and closed and with and without the DreamCart (which gives me a ton of extra workspace but is folded up in the corner of my office when I’m not working).⁣
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You’ll also see Theo, one of my two doggies, sitting in my chair even though he's way too big for it. 🤣💕 The last pic is when I work from our top front porch. The dogs fave spot.⁣
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See how my office is the second you walk in our front door? That makes it extra important for me to keep it organized and clean since it’s the first thing people see when they walk into our home.⁣
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Has the Spring Cleaning bug hit you yet? It’s going to be 84 here in Charleston today, so it’s already feeling more like Summer!⁣
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P.S. I have Create Room coupon codes if you’re thinking about getting one, just send me a DM or email and I’ll send you the codes. I have a discount code for both the DreamBox and DreamCart.

Apr 28

I had someone email me this week to ask for feedback on their progress with lettering. ⁣
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Progress can feel slow but slow growth is often the most lasting kind, so be patient with yourself. Consistency is key.⁣
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“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” -Robert Collier.⁣
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Lucky for us, with the right mindset, lettering is so much fun that daily practice can be much more of a joy than a chore. ⁣
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Muscle Memory comes with repetition, and over time you'll notice your strokes, curves, and lines becoming smoother and smoother.⁣
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That said, they'll never be perfect, and that's the charm of anything done by hand. We're our own worst critics, and if you look closely at the videos of even the pros doing work online, you'll start to notice that shaky lines and imperfections are common. It's just that we don't notice it in others' work as we do our own.⁣
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Really truly, growing your skills all comes down to practice! ⁣
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LETTERING DETAILS ✏️ ⁣
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1️⃣ I created the lettering in Procreate using my Chloe Style Lettering and Modern Folk Art stamps, both available in my shop. ⁣
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2️⃣ I exported a PNG version and brought it into Photoshop to place it on the bike photo, which is free from Tiffany Nutt on @unsplash. Swipe to see her original photo. ⁣
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3️⃣ I edited the photo to change the color and brightness to fit my lettering and IG feed. The lettering layer is set to “Multiply” and I did some erasing to make it appear as if the lettering is a real mural on the wall behind the bike.⁣
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💖 The Folk Art Rose is a new folk art floral style that I created for the upcoming June Birth Flower Drop Cap tutorial. I created a new stamp for it which will be FREE on the blog when the video tutorial goes up on the blog on Friday, May 14.⁣
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LEARN LETTERING WITH ME⁣
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🛍 Shop: shop.bydawnnicole.com⁣
💻 Blog: bydawnnicole.com

Apr 19

My latest Procreate goodies just hit the shop! 🤩 Swipe for more 📷.⁣
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You may have noticed I’ve been a little in love with creating in a Scandinavian-inspired Modern Folk Art Style lately. Which, in turn, inspired this new Procreate Stamp Kit.⁣
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You’ll get 75 Modern Folk Art Procreate Stamps that are SO easy to use. Simply stamp and color!⁣
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My hand-drawn stamps will help speed up the process of creating whimsical pieces of Modern Folk Art artwork. ⁣
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I originally created them just to speed up my own workflow but decided to make them available to you as well. 💖⁣
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💌 HAPPY EMAIL CLUB PEEPS: Check your email BEFORE you order! 😉⁣
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The download includes a 20-Page PDF full of style and stamp tips, examples, and a video tutorial.⁣
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Here’s what’s in the PDF:⁣
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✏️ The key elements of the Modern Folk Art Style⁣
✏️ Tips for Using my Modern Folk Art Stamps (Includes Video Tutorial)⁣
✏️ Examples of pieces I’ve created in this style ⁣
✏️ Modern Folk Art Procreate Stamp Quick Reference Sheet⁣
✏️ Floral Stamp Exemplars⁣
✏️ Three Challenge Project Ideas⁣
✏️ Lettering Idea List⁣
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💻 I’ll also be starting a free YouTube series of 32 video tutorials with step-by-step instructions for all of the Floral Stamp Idea Examples from the PDF. They’ll be starting up this week!⁣
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Any questions? Let me know! I’m always happy to help and I can’t wait to see what you create!⁣
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In the meantime, I’ll be over here teaching my 11-year old how to use these. She’s as obsessed with the Procreate App as I am. ⁣
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LEARN LETTERING WITH ME⁣
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🛍 Shop: shop.bydawnnicole.com⁣
💻 Blog: bydawnnicole.com⁣

Apr 13

In the Notes App on my phone, I keep a note titled “Life-Changing Ways of Thinking”. 🤯⁣
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While both of these were being applied to working out at the time I heard them, I think they’re both super applicable to being a lettering artist as well, so I wanted to share them with you.⁣
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1️⃣ You vs. You. ⁣
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I first heard this during a @onepeloton ride with @allymisslove. She was talking about ignoring the riders around you and focusing solely on competing with yourself. ⁣
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Comparing yourself to others is futile because we’re all in different places in our journey. When we learn to shut out the competition and put all our energy into bettering our own skill set, we’re so much better for it.⁣
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Whether it’s your fitness or your art you’re working to improve, “You vs. You” is a less stressful and more freeing way of growing your strengths!⁣
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2️⃣ Stop saying “I didn’t have time” and start saying “I didn’t make it a priority”. ⁣
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I first heard this one on a 2019 episode of the How Men Think Podcast. ⁣
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It was a major lightbulb moment for me. 💡 When you shift your mindset this way, suddenly you find that you do have time for the things you make a priority. ⁣
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It’s also more personal because while we all have the same number of hours in a day, we all have very different commitments, goals, and priorities in life.⁣
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Do you have any life-changing ways of thinking you can share? I’d love to hear them!⁣
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✏️ Artwork Details: I used my “Patchwork Quilt” style for the lettering (free video tutorial on my blog). The added details are a combo of hand-drawn illustrations and stamps/brushes from my Procreate sets.⁣
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LEARN LETTERING WITH ME⁣
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🛍 Shop: shop.bydawnnicole.com⁣
💻 Blog: bydawnnicole.com

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The content of this website is ©Dawn Nicole Designs, LLC unless otherwise noted. If you’d like to share something from my blog, please feel free to share ONE image and then link back to my post where people can read the full tutorial/content. Please DO NOT alter or copy photos nor copy my work in its entirety to share on your site without my permission. Some posts may contain affiliate links. Dawn Nicole Designs LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. View my Full Disclosure, TOS, and Policies here.