In this post, artist + calligrapher + card-maker extraordinaire Phyllis Macaluso will walk us through how to make a fast but fabulous calligraphy Valentine. You’ll just need cardstock, scissors, Phyllis’ free printable template, and some imagination!
Last year, Phyllis Macaluso gave us a beautiful Matchbook Valentine’s Day card concept. This year, she’s keeping things simple with an elegant four-step calligraphy Valentine tutorial. For this card, you’ll simply fold, cut, and embellish to make a Valentine that’s classy but quick!
1. Fold + Trace
First, cut a piece of black cardstock to 10″ x 6.5″ (25.4 cm x 16.5 cm). Then, fold the cardstock in half to make a card (you can run a bone folder along the edge for a crisp crease). Next, print and cut out Phyllis’s heart template and line up its edge with the center of the card. Finish up this step by using a white pencil to trace around the template.
You can download Phyllis’s printable heart template by clicking here.
2. Cut
Now, cut around the outline of the heart. Relegate your cutting to the front of the card: there’s no need to make any cuts on the back!
Notice that Phyllis cut along the card’s fold here.
3. Make a Draft
Once you’ve cut out the card, use your white mechanical pencil to freehand draw a heart within your heart cutout. Then, open the card, and draw a rounded rectangle near the inside edges of the card.
4. Add Ink
You decide exactly what happens for this next step! To finish up your card, you’ll add embellishments to the heart and rectangle outlines that you just drew. You can also write a message or a person’s name in the middle of the card. It’s best to use a pretty metallic ink (like Finetec) or white ink for this step.
Once you’re happy with how your card looks, erase the pencil guidelines and fold the card. For a beautiful Valentine’s Day duo, you can make a heart embellishment on the envelope that you’re using to send the card, too. (Phyllis included medium-sized heart templates in her printable for this purpose!)
Phyllis used a Pretty in Pink oblique to make this lovely Valentine’s Day card. I love seeing TPK tools being put to good use!
We’re cutting it close to Valentine’s Day (Sunday, February 14th), so I hope that this quick card tutorial serves you well! If you’d like to explore other Valentine’s Day greeting concepts — including Phyllis’ tutorial from last year — you can take a look at the Valentine’s Day category on the TPK blog. Thanks so much to Phyllis for this simple calligraphy Valentine concept, and thank you for reading!
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