Hand-Lettering | The Postman's Knock

Studio Oudizo Envelope Lettering Template Review + Giveaway

December 5, 2018 by Lindsey Bugbee 85 Comments

Regardless of your calligraphy skill level, you can bet that planning out the spacing of your calligraphy on an envelope takes time, concentration, and — in most cases — frustration! Thus far, shining up a guide through a light box is the best solution that I’ve discovered for making envelope guidelines. However, that technique only works on light-colored envelopes! Darker envelopes require more patience and flexibility, plus a willingness to try new things. The latest tool I’ve tried is an acrylic envelope lettering template from Studio Oudizo (formerly known as Ollie’s Studio). Today, I want to talk to you about how this supply can come in handy!
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The White Pencil: A Behind-the-Scenes Star

November 21, 2018 by Lindsey Bugbee 118 Comments

Quilters the world over use white pencils to make marks on fabric. It’s a little-known fact, however, that the white pencil is just as useful for paper as it is for textiles! I’d be lost without my white pencil, so I today I’m writing a little review post to help you discover this fantastic tool!
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Artistic DIY Key Tag Labels Tutorial (Includes Free Printable)

August 24, 2018 by Lindsey Bugbee 45 Comments

We have a huge problem in our house with loose keys. I have no idea where they all come from, but keys abound! I’ve tried making simple DIY key tag labels for them in the past, but the paper couldn’t stand the test of time. Today, I’d like to show you the creative solution that I came up with for that!
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Hot Air Balloon Birthday Card + Matching Envelope Tutorial

July 27, 2018 by Lindsey Bugbee 27 Comments

It seems that commercial birthday cards tend to fall into one of three categories: too feminine, too goofy, or too somber. Sure, buying pre-made birthday cards saves time. However, if you make one yourself, you can control the “feel” of the card and work on your art and lettering skills! In today’s tutorial, I’ll show you how to make a festive hot air balloon-themed birthday card and a corresponding envelope.
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Circus Lettering Exemplar + Video Tutorial

July 10, 2018 by Lindsey Bugbee 28 Comments

On Friday, I wrote a tutorial about how to make “Circus Lettering”, a fun lettering style inspired by vintage circus and carnival posters. In that tutorial, I focused on the letter “M”, and I tried to provide some general rules for writing all letters using the style. As I was writing, though, it occurred to me that you may have questions about how to make certain other letters of the alphabet — an “O”, for example, doesn’t follow the same rules as an “M”! With that in mind, I decided to make a printable exemplar.
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“Circus Lettering” Tutorial

July 6, 2018 by Lindsey Bugbee 40 Comments

I love experimenting with lettering for two reasons: first, lettering is functional and practical. You combine letters in order to make words, which you can then use to catch someone’s eye on a sign, mail art, or whatever else you want to make. Second, lettering comes with rules. No matter what, an “A” has to look like an “A”, a “B” has to look like a “B”, and so on and so forth. It’s much easier to be innovative when you’ve got some parameters!
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Monochrome Mountains Mail Art Tutorial + Free Printable

June 29, 2018 by Lindsey Bugbee 64 Comments

The Nikko G nib is a fantastic calligraphy nib — but did you know that it was originally developed to be a drawing nib? I’ve used it to illustrate several fun projects like a lace butterfly and a henna bluebird! The objective of today’s mail art tutorial is twofold: first, I want you to end up with an artistic envelope that you love. Second, I want you to get a basic introduction to drawing with the Nikko G because next month I plan to explore pen and ink drawing techniques a bit more with you!
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Simple Twig Watercolor Thank You Card Tutorial

June 22, 2018 by Lindsey Bugbee 265 Comments

Every Monday, I’ve been sending out a brief newsletter to TPK subscribers. It’s something I have really enjoyed because a newsletter isn’t nearly as formal as a blog post; instead, it feels more like a conversation. In the last newsletter, I asked for blog post topic feedback — in short, what do readers want more of (or less of)? A theme appeared throughout several of the feedback emails: more watercolor tutorials! So, today, I want to show you how to make this simple twig watercolor thank you card. It features a blending/salting technique that I promise you can do, and I’ll teach you how in a video toward the end of the post!
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12 Artistic Envelope Ideas

June 19, 2018 by Lindsey Bugbee 125 Comments

There’s hardly a better canvas to practice your art, calligraphy, and lettering skills on than an envelope! Envelopes’ practical, temporary nature makes them great for trying out new techniques and exercising old favorites. In this post, you’ll find 12 artistic envelope ideas to fire you up for making your own mail art!
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8 Artistic Books to Jumpstart Your Creativity This Month

May 22, 2018 by Lindsey Bugbee 34 Comments

I recently stumbled across Days of the Year, which is a website that tells you about little-known holidays and observations. Through Days of the Year, I discovered that May is “Get Caught Reading” month. That was the excuse I needed to provide you with a list of my eight favorite artistic books and magazines! Each of these written works will inspire you to get creative and try something new.
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