Student Stories: Lori Danelle Wilson

Meet Lori Danelle Wilson, a Graphic Designer who enrolled in Mary Kate's The Final Steps of Hand-Lettering: Color & Texture class. Lori applied her skills to create post-holidays thank you cards for her loved ones, and even added the cards to her online shop. We loved the way they turned out! 

Hey Lori! Tell us a bit more about yourself.
I’m a graphic designer living in Nashville, TN with my husband and our two girls. I have an affinity for chambray shirts, guacamole and audiobooks — since it’s really hard to sketch while reading a book!

In addition to my day job, I also have a shop, Lori Danelle, where I offer my cut paper fingerprint artwork (which have been featured on Design*Sponge, GOOP, and Design Mom, among others), cut paper illustrations, and now, thanks to what I’ve been learning through Skillshare, my hand lettered prints & cards.

How has Mary Kate's class helped with your lettering techniques?
Hand lettering is something I’ve long wanted to try, but with so many amazing letterers out there, I was doubtful that I could measure up. Shortly before Mary Kate’s class was announced, I hear the phrase “Don’t compare your beginning with someone else’s middle.” It really opened my eyes and allowed me to give myself permission to learn and not be as good as I wanted to be right at the start.

When Mary Kate’s class was announced, I signed up right away and her two classes have been so helpful as she walks you through her entire process from brainstorming to sketching and the final digital piece. It is always so helpful to see other people’s workflow, and pick up little tips & tricks that just make creating your final piece so much easier.

Are there other ways that Skillshare has been useful to you professionally or personally?
I’m well on my way to taking every lettering class available on Skillshare and just find it so inspiring to see how other designers work and hear them think through their process. It’s so easy to fall into a creative rut, so seeing how a successful designer goes about it, can really challenge my thinking and push me into a direction I had not previously considered.

Do you have any tips for other people on how to get the most out of Skillshare?
Take as many classes as you can! I’m a firm believer in staying teachable, being a sponge and soaking up inspiration from as many sources as possible. I think it helps to grow you as a designer and helps to naturally deter that sometimes fuzzy line of inspiration vs. imitation.