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  • Welcome to TPK! This is your first of 2 free articles. For unlimited access to tutorials and articles, join TPK Premium for less than the cost of a latte.

    My 8 Favorite TPK Art Tutorials

    June 23, 2017

    by

    Lindsey Bugbee

    Inspiration, Roundup, Tutorials, Watercolor

    Even if you think you’re not artistic, I encourage you to try at least one of the art tutorials in this post! You’ll enjoy the time to yourself, build on your current skill level, and love the resulting project. Once you’re finished, you can display the project in your home, keep it in a sketchbook,…

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    Crayon Gemstones | The Postman's Knock

    When I was little, I had books that showed you how to use a series of shapes to draw an animal. It was amazing to see those shapes come together to make something realistic! I still love working step by step to create an awesome result, and that’s why there are so many art tutorials on the TPK blog! Today, I have compiled a list of my favorite art tutorials on this website. This list goes from oldest to newest — so don’t be surprised if you see something from yesteryear that you missed!

    1. DIY Modern Silhouette Tutorial

    Modern DIY Silhouette Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    The DIY Modern Silhouette Tutorial uses watercolor and floral doodles to make the subject stand out! The tutorial uses a woman’s silhouette, but you could apply this concept to any silhouette (guitar, house, hand, whatever). Medium: Pen and Ink, Watercolor | Skill Level: Beginner

    2. Spatter Watercolor Tree Tutorial

    Spatter Watercolor Tree Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    The Spatter Watercolor Tree Tutorial shows you how to paint trees using basic watercolor techniques. First, you make splatters of different tones of green. Once the watercolor dries, you paint in the branches! Medium: Watercolor | Skill Level: Beginner 

    3. Botanical Letter Tutorial

    Botanical Letter Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    The eye-catching Botanical Letter Tutorial requires some freehand drawing! If you’re not comfortable drawing botanicals, you can always try using a simpler subject to fill the letter in. Medium: Pen and Ink, Watercolor | Skill Level: Intermediate

    4. Galaxy Effect Watercolor Art Tutorial

    Galaxy Effect Watercolor Art Tutorial {Guest Post by Gaby Friedman} | The Postman's Knock

    The Galaxy Effect Watercolor Art Tutorial is a guest post by artist Gaby Friedman. In the tutorial, Gaby shows you how to use frisket, white ink, and rubbing alcohol to make an awesome galaxy effect! Medium: Pen and White Ink, Watercolor | Skill Level: Beginner/Intermediate

    5. Herbal Watercolor Tutorial

    Herbal Watercolor Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    The Herbal Watercolor Tutorial is one of my very favorite art tutorials on the TPK website! In it, you’ll learn how to use a light box to make an easy foundation for painting. You’ll also learn how to build up colors to create dazzling contrast. Make sure you have an hour or two to try this one out! Medium: Watercolor | Skill Level: Intermediate/Advanced

    6. Hand-Painted Tiles Illustration Tutorial

    Hand-Painted Tiles Illustration Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    Microglaze gives these Hand-Painted Tiles Illustrations an authentic shine! Don’t forget to use art masking fluid to preserve white highlights along the edges of the tiles … it makes them look more realistic. Medium: Pen and Ink, Watercolor | Skill Level: Beginner (Simple Tile Design)/Intermediate (Detailed Tile Design)

    7. Embellished Fish DIY Card Tutorial

    Embellished Fish DIY Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    The Embellished Fish DIY Card Tutorial includes a free printable stencil so you get the cutout right every time! Make sure you have some watercolor paper on hand to make this project. Flimsier paper will bubble because of the moisture from the paint! Medium: Pen, Watercolor | Skill Level: Advanced Beginner/Intermediate

    8. How to Draw Gemstones with Crayons Tutorial

    How to Draw Gemstones with Crayons | The Postman's Knock

    I still can’t believe that wax crayons can make such convincing gemstones! The How to Draw Gemstones with Crayons tutorial shows you how to use colored pencils, wax crayons, and white ink to create gemstones that look like the real deal. Medium: Colored Pencil, Wax Crayon, Ink (or Paint) | Skill Level: Advanced Beginner


    I know that oftentimes life prevents us from being able to make every project that we want to! That said, art doesn’t have to be a one session sort of thing. If you like one of these art tutorials, try to get it started! If you’re interrupted, no big deal: just circle back to it later. You’ll enjoy the quiet time that the creation process brings, and the (awesome) result of your labor is the payoff!

    I hope that you enjoyed this post, and if you know of any other art tutorials (TPK or not) that you think others may like to try, please feel free to share them in the comments! Thanks very much for reading the TPK blog, and enjoy the rest of your day.

    Warmly,

    Lindsey's Signature | The Postman's Knock

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Sketchbooking

About the author

Hi, I’m Lindsey Bugbee, the illustrator, calligrapher, and author behind The Postman’s Knock (TPK). Since 2012, the TPK Blog has been a vibrant creative space filled with tutorials and lessons on modern calligraphy, hand lettering, and illustration. After publishing The Calligraphy Book, I wanted to elevate the quality of content even further—so I launched TPK Premium. You can join here to receive access to some of the internet’s best creative inspiration and project tutorials.

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9 responses

  1. Dee Tracy Avatar
    Dee Tracy
    June 24, 2017

    I agree, Lindsey! You have gathered a lovely collection of tutorials! Thanks so much for sharing your talent and knowledge with us!

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    1. Lindsey Bugbee Avatar
      Lindsey Bugbee
      June 25, 2017

      Thanks, Dee! 🙂

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  2. Reggie Avatar
    Reggie
    June 24, 2017

    I’ve been with the blog for awhile now and time after time, the Galaxy Effect Watercolor Art Tutorial is my favorite. This is still one art tutorial that is simply eye catching. What a wonderful tutorial by Gaby. I’m surprised your hand drawn maps or the Christmas gift tags didn’t make the list?? Those are truly amazing.

    I think your stars and planet letters would make a great font. (How to Develop an Artistic Hand Lettering Style)
    And your husband does an amazing job with the site. I love how I can just click on the tag words to find more posts. I.e. Inspiration

    Thanks again for showing your work and sharing with us.

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    1. Lindsey Bugbee Avatar
      Lindsey Bugbee
      June 25, 2017

      Haha! This comment made me so happy — you have a fantastic memory. 🙂 I did consider the Christmas tags, actually, but then I decided that that probably wasn’t a tutorial that would get people excited in the middle of June! I love those. And the maps are wonderful! Just a bit time consuming, and I’m afraid that the tutorial needs to be redone to make it a bit more understandable. Still … I am so happy that you thought of those! And thank you for the compliment for Hernán; I’ll pass that on to him. I think a lot of people don’t think about the technical side, so that’s very kind!

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  3. Nota Bene Avatar
    Nota Bene
    June 24, 2017

    This article is a great idea. I love being reminded of all your beautiful ideas (almost summer – hope to find some time to make something). I like it very much that you also added some older tutorials. I’ve been following you for quite some time now, but still missed out some of the older ones, like the silhouette and the trees. Love them both! I have been collecting silhouettes for more than two years and now suddenly I know what I can use them for! Thanks for the inspiration!
    Enjoy your weekend, Nele

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    1. Lindsey Bugbee Avatar
      Lindsey Bugbee
      June 25, 2017

      I thought that would be the case — that some of the older tutorials had slipped through the cracks! The photos aren’t as good and the directions probably aren’t as clear, but they’re still worth a look. 🙂 And I can see you making a fantastic silhouette!

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  4. Andrea Goo Avatar
    Andrea Goo
    June 23, 2017

    What a great collection!

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    1. Lindsey Bugbee Avatar
      Lindsey Bugbee
      June 25, 2017

      Thanks, Andrea! 🙂 I thought you might particularly like the spatter tree tutorial … it would look really neat on a card!

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My seven-year-old and I have officially entered th My seven-year-old and I have officially entered the @edward.gorey.house envelope art contest! 🎃 My design leans a bit more macabre, while my son’s is, well, gory. (Venus flytraps are apparently no joke.) Visit the TPK Blog to see my process — I love to start with a Procreate draft and take it from there. 

This is a great little contest, and, while it runs through December, it’s *especially* fun to work on this time of year. 👻 My kid and I both thoroughly enjoyed making our masterpieces! If you find yourself with some time in the next couple of months, make your own envelope ... there will be more than one winner! 🥇

#edwardgorey #envelopeart #mailart #kidsart #halloweenart #halloweenmail #envelope #snailmail #snailmailrevolution
Just added a new lesson to the Beginner’s Modern Just added a new lesson to the Beginner’s Modern Calligraphy Online Course! ✍️ In Lesson 3, you’ll find over three hours of instruction to get you extremely comfortable using the straight calligraphy pen. If you want to learn pointed pen calligraphy, *join us*! TPK Premium members have the exclusive and incredible opportunity to take this detailed course for $5/month. Link in bio for details!

#calligraphy #moderncalligraphy #pointedpencalligraphy #learncalligraphy #calligraphytips
Beautiful autumn leaves outside 🍂 inspire beaut Beautiful autumn leaves outside 🍂 inspire beautiful leaves inside ✨. You can find a tutorial over how to make this stunning bookmark in “The Calligraphy Book”. (Confession time: I don’t actually use this bookmark as a bookmark. It ended up being too pretty to be hiding inside a book! 🙈 Instead, I display it on my bulletin board.)

#bookmark #decoratedbookmark #autumnleaves #pointedpen #finetec #colirofinetec #metallicwatercolor
Which is your favorite? 👻 🍬 ✋ 🎃 Good Which is your favorite? 👻 🍬 ✋ 🎃 

Good news: whichever one you like best, you can learn how to create it in “Spellbound Strokes”, TPK’s Halloween 2025 worksheet set! The worksheet is available on the TPK site as of an hour ago. In it, you’ll learn how to create these fabulous Halloween-themed motifs ... and get plenty of calligraphy practice under your belt in the process. ✍️

For the worksheet link, see my stories today (10/9), or shoot me a DM. Happy Halloween, and enjoy!

#halloweencalligraphy #pointedpenpractice #pointedpen #dippen #halloweenart #macbeth
This is just as relaxing to watch as it is to wri This is just as relaxing to watch as it is to write. 🧘‍♀️ DM me for a link to a (free!) worksheet that teaches you how to write this loopy, modern quote. ✍️

#moderncalligraphy #learncalligraphy #calligraphy #handwritten #writingcalligraphy #pointedpencalligraphy #calligraphyvideo #tseliotquote
🎃 Halloween, TPK-style. ✍️ You can find ins 🎃 Halloween, TPK-style. ✍️ You can find instructions for making all of these project (and more!) on the TPK Blog and in TPK’s Halloween-themed worksheets. 🔗 Link in bio, then search for “Halloween” or just browse the Blog and Catalog!

#halloweencalligraphy #halloweenart #calligraphyprojects #halloweencraft #eleganthalloween
🤭 We’re ridiculous. Here’s the story: every 🤭 We’re ridiculous. Here’s the story: every month, @greenleafblue and I host a live creative coffee chat over Zoom for TPK Premium and G&B Patreon members — and we always include a giveaway. This time, we switched it up and picked the winner with a trivia question we made up on the fly. You can see how that went here!

✨ Watch the full chat on the TPK Blog (link in bio → “Blog”).

✨ Join us for the next coffee chat on October 17th by signing up for TPK Premium! I’m thrilled to announce that @sdionbakerdesign will be our special guest. (Her Patreon members can join, too!) And yes, there will be a giveaway. 🎁

👯‍♀️ Fun fact: Jess and I met as roommates studying art history in Paris + Florence way before The Postman’s Knock or Greenleaf & Blueberry existed. Over the years, we’ve nicknamed ourselves Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum, Lucy and Ethel… you get the idea. That familiarity definitely comes through in our chats.

#artistchat #artists #artsupplies #zoomchat #creativity #thepostmansknock #greenleafandblueberry
After eight years (and plenty of smudges), my chal After eight years (and plenty of smudges), my chalkboard finally got a makeover! This time, sketching out the design was so much easier thanks to my iPad + Procreate. Once the draft felt right, I used a grid method to bring it to life on the chalkboard. 🖊️✨ Curious how it all came together and find instructions for making your own chalkboard quote art? Check out the TPK Blog to see the process! (Link in bio, then navigate to the “Blog” tab.)

#chalkboard #chalkart #austenquote #janeausten #hyggequote #hyggeart #homeart #artforhome #artprocess #chalk
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