White and gold is the ultimate festive calligraphy combination! White calls to mind snow, and gold sparkles like candles in an inviting window. Today, I’m going to show you how to to create this flourished gold and white envelope calligraphy so you can make fun mail art, too.
1. Gather Your Supplies
Before you can get started, you’ll need to compile a few supplies:
- Brown envelope
- Arabic Gold watercolor
- White ink
- White mechanical pencil
- Calligraphy pen fitted for Brause EF66 nib (I used an oblique pen.)
- Black eraser
2. Make White Pencil Guidelines
Use your white mechanical pencil to freehand draw a set of three guidelines like the ones shown below. All of these guidelines should be wavy and (mostly) parallel to one another.
3. Add Gold Calligraphy
Get out your gold watercolor and moisten it with a bit of water. Let the water sit for 30 seconds to a minute before you use a paintbrush to mix the watercolor into an ink.
Next, use a paintbrush to apply gold to the back of your nib (as explained in this tutorial). Then, use Kaitlin Style calligraphy to write the address on your guidelines.
Continue writing until you have written the entire address. Then, go through and put in some additional flourishes here and there to fill up space.
Wait for your ink to dry (it should only take a couple of minutes), then use a black eraser to erase any pencil guidelines. Apply a postage stamp to the upper right portion of the envelope, then add more flourishes to the envelope to fill in negative space.
4. Add White Accents
Now, add a bit of water to your Bleed Proof White ink (as per this article), and use your ink to add accents to the flourishes you drew. Try to draw in a complementary downstroke wherever your original flourishes have downstrokes.
At this stage, your envelope will look something like this one:
Once you’ve finished accenting your existing flourishes, go through and add just a couple of standalone white pen strokes.
5. Enjoy Your White and Gold Envelope Calligraphy
Once your white ink has dried, the white and gold envelope calligraphy is ready to send! Remember, Finetec is watercolor, so if you’re worried about moisture damage, you can always give the envelope a quick waterproofing before it leaves your desk.
I hope that you enjoyed this tutorial over how to make this fun white and gold envelope calligraphy! It’s a great vehicle for sending New Year’s greetings, and it offers a good opportunity to flex your flourishing muscle.
Thanks a million for reading! I hope that you had a relaxing holiday, and that you’re gearing up for a fun and festive New Year.
Warmly,
