If you’re new to watercolor, this vivid thank you card is the perfect project to teach you about blending! To make it, you’ll start by drawing a series of simple shapes in pencil, fill them in with watercolor, and end with some calligraphy on the bottom. Keep reading for more detailed instructions!
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Mail art is what first inspired me to learn calligraphy. I love the concept of surprising someone with a gorgeous and unique delivery! There are some truly beautiful (and — let’s be honest — intimidating) examples of mail art online, so the goal of this post is to build up your confidence to send mail art yourself. It doesn’t have to be perfect; the whole point is to tap into your creativity and give someone else a happy surprise! Below, you’ll find some tips to get you started.
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This lace butterfly card exemplifies elegance and creativity! In today’s tutorial, we’ll depart from the traditional greeting card format to produce an interactive, lovely piece that your recipient will want to put on display. I’ll also suggest a few alternative and artistic ways to use the butterfly printable that I created for this card!
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If you didn’t notice from this post, this post, and this post, I am a big believer in goals and planning. I’ve never really done a post like this one, but I thought it might be cool to share my goals for TPK for 2018! If you enjoy this website, then maybe you’ll like having an idea of what to expect to see this year. And, of course, I’m always open to feedback!
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Whether you keep a bullet journal, take notes for work or class, or jot down lists here and there, you’ll love implementing these hand lettering ideas! Any one of them can add personality and creative satisfaction to your work. They’re great for eye-catching headers, envelope art, handmade signs, or anything else you may want to take on!
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I have long admired artist Katharine Watson‘s block prints. Her pleasing patterns and clean lines catch your attention — and invoke a tinge of whimsy and nostalgia. It’s no wonder that Katharine’s pieces are available in so many stores, even my local Two Hands Paperie!
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In the US, teaching cursive to students is a hot topic. Do we dedicate our tax dollars to teaching an arguably impractical skill, or do we honor tradition and keep cursive writing alive? The different sides taken in this debate are starting to show in my inbox as teenage calligraphy learners — who were never taught how to write in cursive — ask whether not knowing cursive will affect their ability to learn dip pen calligraphy.
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After years of renting an apartment, my husband and I purchased a house in Boulder, Colorado, last year. While I love being a homeowner and being able to decorate my office like I want to, I do miss one thing: paying the rent. Every month from mid-2015 to mid-2017, I made mail art envelopes to send to the rental company who managed our apartment. Each mail art envelope contained a check, but that was the only thing they had in common! Today, I’d like to share a collection of 2016’s rent check envelopes, which is the only complete year of photos that I have. They’re fun to look at for inspiration and ideas!
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Three years ago, I wrote the first A Video Crash Course on Watercolor Calligraphy tutorial. While the tutorial was fairly comprehensive, I’ve been wanting to redo it for a while. Time tends to highlight flaws, and the more I went back to the first post, the more I realized that it needed a better video, inspirational examples, and clearer instructions! Today’s post is the result of that realization, and I hope that you enjoy learning watercolor calligraphy from it.
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When I was a little girl, you had one option for Valentine’s Day gift tags: go to the local grocery store and buy some. At that time, we weren’t in the age of Pinterest — we didn’t even have internet, really — so the DIY spirit hadn’t yet been ignited. I remember getting Beauty and the Beast-themed gift tags one year, and Aladdin cards another year (my brother’s choice, not mine; my mom wanted to economize). Once you got the gift tags, you taped candy to them, wrote your classmates’ names on them, and brought them to school. Everyone brought the same tags and the same candy, but no one cared because … candy!
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