I love art deco everything — dishes, decor, invitations, patterns — you name it! Being an art student and a recurrent reader of The Great Gatsby, I’ve been in love with the Roaring 20’s for quite some time. There’s just something alluring about the gold decor, lavish parties, and flamboyant jazz of the Gatsby era that I felt the need to encapsulate in a project.
The other day, I saw a video on Instagram that inspired me to develop this “juicy” brush pen calligraphy tutorial! In it, the artist utilized several common art supplies to make playful and eye-catching lettering letters. I modified the supply list to fit the things that I have available to me, and I hope that you’ll do the same! To create this tutorial, you’ll need:
When I was little, my aunt sent me several letters in the mail. That was two decades ago, but I still remember the giddiness that those letters spurred! It was a mixture of feeling adult (“See? I get mail, too!”), excitement over what the letter had to say, and awe that such a tiny postage stamp could cause the big arrival of an envelope. (Funnily enough, my aunt only lived an hour and a half away; but when you’re a kid, that’s practically Timbuktu!) In this article, I’d like to discuss the advantages of sending mail to kids, how to make kid-friendly mail art, and what to put inside the envelope!
Continue reading…
Full disclosure: I’ve never been to Mexico, but I have always been in love with Mexican art. In general, it’s colorful, eye-catching, and playful! That’s why you can find Talavera Mexican tile motifs (and actual tiles!) throughout my house, from the basement …
Continue reading…
A friend recently gave me Last Chance to See, which is a book written by Douglas Adams. The novel details Adams’ adventures as he travels to various remote locations to find endangered species. I initially prepared myself for a dry, educational read. Instead, I’ve found adventure and comedy! In short, lush and exotic locations have been on my mind; and when I came across this motif by illustrator Viktoria on Pinterest, I was inspired to create some watercolor mail art! Today, I’ll show you how to whip up an envelope like this one. Of course, you can modify the concept to use it on bullet journals, sketchbooks, invitations, or whatever else you feel like making!
Continue reading…
In 2014, I wrote the Typography Art Envelope Tutorial. The tutorial shows you how to make an incredibly cool piece of mail art with vintage flair! The envelope was inspired by antique advertisements, which were always hand-drawn and a bit more cluttered than the clean look we’ve become accustomed to in modern times.
Continue reading…
Sometimes, the amount of content on this blog amazes me. I mean, I’ll be browsing Pinterest, and *pow!*, a TPK post from yesteryear will pop up! I always have this moment of, “Huh, that photo looks familiar,” followed by, “Ohhh — right! I made that … wow, I forgot how cool that was!” That happened this morning when the Luminous Printable Mail Art Envelope Template showed up on my Pinterest feed. Its appearance was the catalyst for today’s TPK blog post, which highlights the top eight free printable mail art templates on the site! The templates are ordered by popularity (number of downloads):
Continue reading…
Want to make an envelope into instant holiday mail art? Draw a snowflake. Feel like giving your sketchbook page a dose of festivity? Draw a snowflake. Want to practice using your dip pen in a fun and seasonally appropriate way? Yep — you can draw a snowflake. In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to make three simple but impressive snowflakes that will add holiday cheer to any project!
Continue reading…
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!
Continue reading…
I don’t know about you, but my interest in calligraphy and hand-lettering actually stemmed from a love of writing letters. As a young child, it amazed me that something I created could end up anywhere I wanted it to! I still get a thrill when I send off a letter or open my mailbox and see that I’ve received something.
Continue reading…