I believe that the best way to improve your calligraphy and lettering skills is through creating projects like mail art. Sure, it helps immensely to fill out worksheets and do drills, but projects put your skills to the test! If you create mail art, specifically, you’ll find that you’re not only getting in good practice, but also spreading joy. People love to receive artistic, thoughtful mail! In this post, you’ll find my top 10 favorite pieces of TPK mail art from the past two years. All of the pieces below were created for real people, and all were successfully delivered. Feel free to use them as inspiration to make your own embellished envelopes!
1. Hand-Drawn Lace Envelope
This envelope exudes elegance with its detailed, hand-drawn lace motif. You can learn how to make similar mail art in the How to Draw Lace tutorial. Calligraphy style: Janet | Ink: Lumiere Halo Pink Gold | Envelope: Envelopes.com (color is “Chocolate”)
2. Rose Garden Envelope
This envelope art is fairly simple to make with the help of the Illustrated Roses Templates! You can see a bit of the process behind its creation in the Black Calligraphy Inks Comparison: Part I post. Calligraphy Style: Kaitlin | Ink: Ziller Soot Black | Stamps: USPS, eBay | Envelope: Royal Sundance Brilliant White (Item #7223100)
3. Gemstone Embellished Envelope
You can use the instructions in the How to Draw Gemstones with Crayons tutorial to add pizazz to any envelope! The gemstones look especially good when placed in the middle of the letter “O”. Font Style: Roman | Calligraphy Style: Flourish Formal | Ink: Sumi | Stamps: eBay | Envelope: Royal Sundance Brilliant White (Item #7223100)
4. Abstract Watercolor Bubbles Envelope
This mail art has a decidedly funky feel with its many colors and Janet Joplin stamp! You can find instructions on how to make it in the Three Creative Envelope Design Mini-Tutorials post. Font Style: George | Calligraphy Style: Janet | Ink: Sumi | Stamps: USPS, eBay | Envelope: Royal Sundance Brilliant White (Item #7223100)
5. Persian Tiles Square Envelope
This intricate, eye-catching envelope was created using the steps outlined in the Hand-Painted Tiles Illustration Tutorial. Calligraphy Style: Janet | Font Style: Morgan | Ink: Ziller Soot Black | Stamps: USPS, eBay | Envelope: Cranes Lettra (Item #8004755)
6. Festive Holiday Envelope
Finetec gold makes this envelope shine, both figuratively and literally! You can learn how to make the tree in the TPK Holiday Calligraphy Worksheet 2016 Edition, which — as a limited-edition worksheet — is only accessible through this direct link. Calligraphy Style: Janet | Ink: Finetec Arabic Gold | Stamps: USPS, eBay | Envelope: Paper Source (color is “Fig”)
7. Great Outdoors Envelope
This mountain-themed mail art is a twist on the Artistic Return Address Tutorial. It has a lovely muted color scheme and a vintage feel! Font Style: Roman (slightly modified) | Calligraphy Style: Janet | Ink: Iron Gall | Stamp: USPS | Envelope: Paper Source (color is “Paper Bag”)
8. Blue and Gold Roses Envelope
I used a light box and the Illustrated Roses Templates to create this intricate floral piece! It’s a great example of how you can mix and match two tones of ink to achieve a harmonious effect. Calligraphy Style: Janet | Ink: Finetec (Tibet Gold), Turquoise Bombay | Stamps: USPS | Envelope: Paper Source (color is “Cement”)
9. Flourished Art Supplies Envelope
I used an X-Acto knife to cut the pencil graphic for this envelope out of a vintage American Artist magazine. The envelope looked a little bare with just the graphic and the calligraphy, so I filled in the negative space with flourishes! Calligraphy Style: Janet | Ink: Bleed Proof White | Stamps: USPS, eBay | Envelope: Paper Source (color is “Beet”)
10. Fir Wreath Envelope Art
Clean lines, dots of gold, and pretty walnut ink calligraphy make this piece stand out! I love to incorporate fir wreaths into mail art in the wintertime. Calligraphy Style: Janet | Ink: Walnut | Stamps: USPS, eBay | Envelope: Cranes Lettra (Item #8004755)
I hope that this post inspires you to create some mail art in the near future! For tips on making envelopes that will safely reach their destination, you can read the How to Make Deliverable Mail Art post. Remember that not all post offices are the same … the postal workers at my local USPS seem to have an unusually high tolerance for artistic envelopes. If your post office puts constraints on what you can create, consider it an accepted challenge to work within what they’ll let you do! Sometimes rules help you to be more creative. 🙂
Thanks very, very much for reading TPK, and enjoy the rest of your day!
Warmly,
