Artline Monday - New hobbies for a new year?

Are you thinking about taking up a new hobby this year?  I love to learn new things and keep my mind active but I also enjoy doing something relaxing or creative too. For today's post I thought I would tell you about some of my hobbies and you could decide if you wanted to give any of them a go.

Hand lettering

Stix brush markers

Last August I went to the Pen Museum for World Calligraphy Day, I attended a couple of workshops and got to try some fun new activities.  By the end of the day I had been completely bitten by the lettering bug and started to practice different kinds of writing with all sorts of pens and nibs.  I am no where near perfect yet but my handwriting has improved over the past few months.  This year I thought I would try my hand at brush lettering using my Artline Stix brush markers.  The letter formations are practically the same as calligraphy but using the brush nibs is a different kind of skill so I will be working on that whenever I get the chance to.  

Slowly improving

Learning something new

Study tools

In my spare time I love to learn, at the moment I am interested in languages and reading some English literature classics.  I make notes in the margins and underline important information with my Supreme highlighters.  What can I say, I've always been a bit geeky!  

Rock painting

Preparing our rocks

I only heard about rock painting recently but it really is a lot of fun!  My girls love to join in with decorating and hiding their creations so we get to spend some time together designing the rocks and then we get lots of lovely fresh air and exercise when we all go out to hide them.  It's the best of both worlds for a hobby!  If you want some more information about this activity check out my previous posts here.

Colouring

Colouring book and Artline fineliners

There's something so relaxing about colouring in!  I don't know if it's just a case of revisiting my childhood or the act of concentrating solely on the page with no other distractions that calms me but I always feel better after I have spent some time with my fineliners.  This hobby is very flexible, you can fit it in when you have a spare 10 minutes or you could dedicate a whole evening to colouring.  It's completely up to you.  It is such a great feeling when you finish a picture, especially when you are using a book for adults that has lots of tiny fiddly bits and complicated patterns!

So how do you like my hobbies?  What are your favourite things to do during your free time?

Artline Monday - Study tips

As it is still the beginning of the school year now is the perfect time to get into some good study habits.  A little bit of preparation can save you some time and stress later on so let's get started!

My study tips list created with Artline pens

When it comes to studying I've always found it easier to break down what I need to learn into small chunks and then take a short break after completing each section as a reward.  You could go and make yourself a drink, give yourself a little treat, go for quick walk to stretch your muscles or try a breathing exercise to relax before hitting the books again.

Colour coding is a great way to make your notes look more interesting, easier to read and helps you to highlight important information.  I've also read that you are more likely to remember something written in blue ink than black ink so it's worth giving that a go and try writing the most useful things in blue ink to see if it helps you.

Break things down, colour code,
organise supplies & make notes

My favourite thing about studying is the stationery!  You definitely need some nice pens in a variety of styles and colours.  Artline fineliners, highlighters and markers all make fab notes and will add a splash of colour to your revision.  Post it notes, page flags and a planner or notebook are also essential.

When it comes to going back over your work it is worth making some notes to help the information sink in.  Writing something down once is said to be the equivalent of reading it seven times and putting the info down in your own words also makes it easier to recall and understand. 

Use mind maps & don't stress out

Mind maps are a fun way to see how things connect when studying.  They are especially helpful for people who prefer a visual learning tool and as they are both analytical and creative, they engage both sides of your brain.  Mind maps are a good way to see the structure of the subject you are studying, the central idea goes in the middle of the page and then the main branches are for all the subtopics which then lead onto the smaller subtopics.  Make sure you use a large size piece of paper like A4 or A3, turn it to landscape orientation so you have plenty of room to create your map and try to incorporate some colour for each set of branches/subtopics.

Finally, don't stress out!  If you are feeling overwhelmed take a proper break and talk to someone, share your woes and worries.  Sometimes just saying out loud what is bothering you can make you feel better.   You could also try going for a long walk outside to clear your brain, the exercise will release some endorphins and help you come back to things in a better frame of mind.

Do you have any study tips to share with us?  I'd love to know!