Refresh Daily: A Lyric Doodle (A Birthday Wall update)

Lyric Doodle I did for my youngest daughter's 22nd birthday. Copyright Artwork 2016 by Dawn Herring Credit: Lyric is by Vertical Church Band from More Than I Deserve

Today commemorates the 22nd year of my youngest daughter's birth, and it also hails the opportunity to emphasize what my daughter loves in order to create a visual which has changed dramatically over the years. 

From the time Hannah was 10, I have initiated my creative juices to help celebrate her day of birth. From embellished birthday banners to full scale collages featuring all of her favorite things to the more grown-up version, The Birthday Doodle, which I've used to illustrate what matters most to her. 

I decided to change things up yet again this year to reflect what I know my daughter really loves, even as she gains in years in her twenties, where we may not see as much change in their day to day lives as in their younger years. 

Instead I decided to focus on one area that my daughter talks about the most when it comes to what she loves, and that's MUSIC. When you're inspired by the songs you choose to listen to, lyrics can take on a significant meaning to uplift your spirit and give you encouragement. 

So I asked my daughter what was her favorite lyric was that had the most significant meaning for her right now. (The key is to capture what your grown child loves right now). Once she shared the lyric with me, I went to "work" or "play" with my Uniball Vision pen and Winsor Newton Watercolor markers and laid out the lyric word by word on a piece of 8 1/2 by 11 White Card Stock paper. 

I did not draw out the letters with pencil first. I simply drew the letters freehand with the pen. Once I had the initial drawing laid out, I got out my watercolor markers and began filling in the letters with intuitively chosen colors, plus added highlights for depth and dimension. Then I embellished certain areas but kept the design simple and fun. 

Creating a Lyric Doodle (or any doodle) requires some decision making with type of lettering, colors chosen for initial layer plus subsequent layers as well as embellishments to make a well balanced visual without overwhelm. 

I'm glad I was able to capture the essence of the lyric and its meaning for my daughter to help celebrate her 22nd birthday. 

Credit for Lyric goes to Vertical Church Band from the song titled, More Than I Deserve. 
Please note: The Copyright date for the artwork on the actual image should read 2016. 
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Copyright Artwork 2016 Dawn Herring
Copyright Text 2016 Dawn Herring