Envelope art is a great beginner project for anyone looking to practice calligraphy or illustration. In this guide, you’ll find a clear roadmap to help you create beautiful, deliverable designs.
If you want to practice your calligraphy, hand lettering, illustration, or watercolor skills, consider making envelope art. As a young artist, envelope art was how I honed my own aesthetic and cultivated a passion for embellishing words. A small rectangular canvas with specific rules was just so approachable, and my skill level grew without me even noticing. (You can see some examples of my 2012 envelope art below.)
Considering how enjoyable it is to create envelope art, I’m often surprised by how niche it remains. To me, envelope art is a win-win: you’re making something cool for someone while squeezing in some artistic and meditative me-time. You don’t have to be an avid letter-writer to enjoy creating envelope art. Make it when:
Today, I’ve got a guide for beginners to empower you to make that first embellished envelope. Keep reading to find step-by-step instructions that will help you create stunning, deliverable envelope art with confidence.
You can create envelope art on any envelope that you have on hand. That said, if you’re planning on using calligraphy or watercolor on your envelope, you’ll want to make sure you have a high-quality envelope. This will ensure that ink doesn’t bleed and/or watercolor doesn’t make the envelope bubble up.
You might be reading this and thinking, “Lindsey, I don’t have a stash of high-quality envelopes, and I’m not sure I’d use them if I did.” If that’s where you’re at, consider assembling your own envelope! Just pick out interesting paper and follow these instructions to fold it into an envelope. To make your envelope extra strong, make a liner to tuck inside.
The first couple of times that you create envelope art, it’s helpful to follow a tutorial. As you gain confidence in embellishing envelopes, you can branch out and explore your own unique designs. In my experience, the most creative and original envelope art often stems from concepts unrelated to mail. For example, I have a Pinterest board called “Illustrations I Love” that I like to browse for inspiration when coming up with new envelope art ideas.
Any time you see a text layout you like, be it on an advertisement, a product, or artwork, take note. You can often mimic those text layouts to write an address in an artistic and innovative way.
Once you’ve settled on your concept, consider how the recipient’s address fits into the design. Legibility is key—especially when it comes to ensuring the zip code is clear enough for machines to read.
If you have the time and the inclination, you can sketch out different layout ideas on a scrap piece of paper. Otherwise, just go with your gut and experiment with a pencil draft directly on the envelope. (Remember: the beauty of using a pencil is that it can always be erased!)
Once you’ve chosen an envelope art concept, choose your supplies to suit the mood you’re in and the effect you’re going for. There will be days when you want to rely on comfortable standbys, while other days, you’ll feel like experimenting.
As I mentioned a couple of paragraphs ago, a pencil draft is advisable — but you know best. If your work is meant to look more spur-of-the-moment or abstract, honor that and skip the draft. The beauty of envelope art, after all, is that it reflects the artist’s preferences on any given day.
After you’ve got your draft (or not), decide how you’ll add personality to the envelope. Do you want to use specific colors? And if so, what effect are you going for? Use the list below to help you choose:
For me, making envelope art is a calming experience that I look forward to. 90% of that experience comes from making the mail art itself, but the other 10% comes from creating a nice ambiance.
Consider doing any (or all) of the following to design your own envelope art mini-retreat:
Once you’ve got your supplies at hand in an environment that makes you feel good, tune out the world and create! Go into it with a flexible mindset, and if you make mistakes, see where they take you. Remember that envelope art isn’t serious: it’s an expression of your creativity that happens to serve a practical purpose. The creation process is supposed to be fun and relaxing.
Don’t get me wrong: envelope art doesn’t have to take up a ton of your time. If you’ve only got 15 minutes, you can work within that parameter. In that case, you might let postage stamps do the heavy visual lifting.
No matter how you approach creating envelope art, the key is to keep it fun. Remember, envelope art serves three main purposes. First, it should bring joy to the artist. Second, it needs to make its way safely to its destination. And third, it should delight the recipient.
After you’ve spent time and energy creating your envelope art, it’s a good idea to protect it. I often apply MicroGlaze to envelopes that have non-waterproof elements (which is basically all of my envelope art). The MicroGlaze ensures that your artwork won’t smudge or run if it comes into contact with moisture or greasy fingers, keeping your design intact during its journey to the recipient.
While you can live on the edge and skip this step (as I’ll admit I did for these two envelopes), you won’t regret taking the time to do it. Think of MicroGlaze as an insurance policy, and the minute or so that you spend applying it is the price.
Send someone a text, and you know with certainty that they’ll receive it. Send someone envelope art, and you won’t know it has been delivered unless the recipient reaches out to you. You also won’t have a great idea of timeline: your recipient might receive your envelope expediently, or it might take a few weeks.
To me, the unrushed and unknowing aspect of envelope art is part of its beauty. In stark contrast to emails and text messages, “snail mail” feels personal and intentional, and it embraces the unpredictability of timing. It’s a refreshing reminder for both the sender and recipient that communication doesn’t always have to be immediate.
If you’re interested in what actually goes into making deliverable mail art, don’t skip reading 10 Tips for Successful Mail Art Delivery. In that article, you’ll learn everything from choosing the right postage to keeping your designs postal-friendly.
Sometimes I get self-conscious about the amount of envelope art that I post on this blog. I think to myself: “Variety, Lindsey! Make a sketchbook page. Write out a calligraphy quote. Create some standalone watercolor art!” Envelope art is such a joy to create, though, that I find myself coming back to this type of project again and again. It doesn’t hurt that my recipients seem to enjoy getting the envelopes as much as I love making them!
In conclusion, if you haven’t tried making envelope art before — please, give it a go! I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much you enjoy the experience. And, of course, if you have any questions along the way, you know where to find me.
Warmly,
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