I received an email the other day from someone asking about the applications of western calligraphy. Essentially, the person wanted to know: why learn calligraphy? It was one of those questions that I initially reacted to with “Ha! How obvious!”, and then I realized: it’s not so obvious. So … I took some time to seriously consider the question and came up with a few reasons that I believe calligraphy is relevant in western society.
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In Part I of Creative Hand-Lettering Tutorials, I showed you how to create three eye-catching styles of hand-lettering. Today, I’ll be showing you a few more styles so you’ll have a veritable artillery when a lettering situation arises. And — make no mistake — a lettering situation is always around the corner! A birthday party {invitation design}, an overdue birthday card {card design, envelope}, a “just because” piece of snail mail, a poster … or perhaps you aspire to be the lettering equivalent of Banksy. Whatever the case may be, a little hand-lettering inspiration can never hurt! I’ll stop blabbering now so you can get to the good stuff. 😉
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In a world where computer-generated type dominates, hand-lettering stands out in a beautiful way. If you want someone to notice something, write it out and embellish it! It doesn’t matter if you’re designing on a professional level {business cards, posters, billboards, etc.}, or if your goal is unique mail art. Either way, your lettering will get noticed! Today, I’ve put together three hand-lettering tutorials to inspire you; and more will follow in the next TPK blog post.
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Artist Gaby Friedman‘s artwork has a beautiful, vibrant quality to it. It’s the kind of art that catches your eye and appeals to your imagination! When I discovered that Gaby was willing to write a tutorial for TPK, I was so glad. Finally — you’ll get a break from my rambling and get to hear from someone else! 😉 I couldn’t be happier with the simple but lovely watercolor art tutorial that Gaby provided me with to share with you, and I know you’ll love it, too. It doesn’t hurt that Gaby has included a free 5″x7″ printable version of this galaxy watercolor artwork {link at the end of this post}. So, without further ado, I’ll turn you over to Gaby:
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The weather has been suspiciously nice lately in Colorado, which has me all exited for the summer {and the nice part of spring}. Because summer can never come fast enough for me, I have decided to surround myself with summery roses … of the illustrated sort. If you’re of a similar mindset, or if you just want to learn how to draw roses, then you’re reading the right blog post!
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If we’re being completely honest here, I don’t even know if some of these calligraphy myths are actually myths. They’re just misconceptions that I’ve gleaned from readers’ emails. However, it never hurts to address misconceptions! Even if you already know these “truths” are false, it will be handy to keep in mind that some calligraphy learners think this way. That way, you can encourage learners you interact with and help them to break through any barriers they’ve put up for themselves.
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As I get older, I value money less and time more. I mean, when you’re a little kid, material things mean more than a letter; I absolutely would have taken a Tomagotchi over a heartfelt note any day as a 10-year-old. But now that I’m an adult{-ish}, I realize that letters are the result of someone sitting down and taking the time, creativity, and effort to make me something. And that, to me, is amazing. The feeling that I get when I receive something in the mail is the motivating factor behind my constant search for fresh snail mail ideas; I want my recipients to feel as excited as I do when I’m on the receiving end!
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There are few family heirlooms better than vintage photographs. Vintage photos have a hauntingly sweet beauty that deserves to be shown; yet, if you’re anything like me, some of your best vintage photos may be tucked away in a box somewhere. For today’s blog post, I resolved to develop a vintage photo project that would showcase old family photos and get them into the light of day. After giving the topic some serious thought, inspiration struck: embellished postcards!
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