Video | The Postman's Knock

Habanera: A Musical Calligraphy Video

March 14, 2019 by Lindsey Bugbee 2 Comments

A couple of months ago, I resolved to be more active on YouTube. Calligraphy is such a visual thing, after all, and I love to watch it come to life via video! My favorite types of videos to make are “musical calligraphy” videos. Basically, I find a classical piece of music and create calligraphy to it. These types of videos are helpful for two reasons. First, you get an idea of what a realistic writing pace looks like! Second, any calligraphy video can help you glean visual tips. For example, you might feel inspired to re-evaluate your grip or try out some flourishes! Today, I’m writing to Bizet’s “Habanera”, which is an aria from the opera Carmen.
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Free Brush Pen Calligraphy Worksheet

March 5, 2019 by Lindsey Bugbee 112 Comments

I first released this simple brush pen worksheet in 2015. Little did I know that it would become one of the most popular printables on TPK! With 131,500 downloads and counting, many a brush pen enthusiast has worked through the exercises in this worksheet. Today, I want to talk about what you can learn from filling out the Free Brush Pen worksheet, as well as other brush pen resources that you can take advantage of on the TPK site!Continue reading…

Typography Envelope Art Video Tutorial

February 28, 2019 by Lindsey Bugbee 8 Comments

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.
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Calligraphy Art Tutorial: How to Make a Flourished … Well, Anything!

February 21, 2019 by Lindsey Bugbee 53 Comments

For the past week, the focus of this blog has been on Lasso Lettering, which you can create with any pen. Today, I’d like to shift attention back to the dip pen! While any writing utensil is worth the time to get to know, I especially love the dip pen because of its stroke variation. A dip pen can seamlessly transition from making delicate, thin strokes into bold, heavy strokes — which leads to some serious visual appeal!
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What’s the Difference Between Cursive and Calligraphy?

February 15, 2019 by Lindsey Bugbee 28 Comments

For me, “What’s the difference between cursive and calligraphy?” is one of those questions that I hear and I think I have a ready answer for. Then, the more I consider it, the more complicated the answer gets. I suppose that cursive can be calligraphy, and calligraphy can be cursive, which makes the differences between the two more interesting. I made a (very short) YouTube video for today’s post, but if you prefer text and photos, feel free to scroll past the video!
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Pachelbel’s Canon: Calligraphy Edition

February 7, 2019 by Lindsey Bugbee 74 Comments

It’s February in the mountains, which means a lot of snow here in Boulder! Hernán recently gave in to the Echo Dot craze (you know, that little “Alexa” device), and, while I was dubious about Alexa at first, I have to admit that she can play a mean winter soundtrack. We’ve been listening to a lot of classical music while big, soft flakes swirl around outside. Pachelbel’s Canon came on the other day, which put it on my radar. It has always been one of my favorites — and I’m sure you love it, too! If you don’t know it by name, I promise that you’ll recognize the melody in today’s YouTube video.
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A (Free!) Watercolor Calligraphy Worksheet

February 5, 2019 by Lindsey Bugbee 62 Comments

When I first came across the concept of watercolor calligraphy in Molly Suber Thorpe’s Modern Calligraphy, I couldn’t wait to try it out myself! The prospect of writing with practically any color I wanted — without having to buy ink — totally appealed to me, and I loved the idea of ombré writing.
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Introducing the Janet Style Calligraphy Video Course

January 29, 2019 by Lindsey Bugbee 16 Comments

One of my big goals for this year is to create a video course to accompany every TPK calligraphy worksheet set! I mean, I know that there are people out there who can read something and immediately understand how to do it. Then, there are us mere mortals. I’ll be the first to admit that YouTube is my go-to if I want to learn how to do something, be it how to make injera (Ethiopian flatbread … if you’re looking for a nearly impossible challenge, give that a shot) or how to change color modes in Photoshop. There’s just something about videos that helps a concept to stick!
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The Star Spangled Banner: Calligraphy + Lettering Edition YouTube Video

January 24, 2019 by Lindsey Bugbee 6 Comments

If you’re a parent, you’re probably familiar with moments where you need to take a break from thinking. In those moments, I’ll admit that I indulge in screen time. I hold Remy and bounce on an exercise ball while we watch music videos — mostly in Spanish so I can sort of trick myself into justifying it as “cultural immersion”! (Hernán does talk to Remy in Spanish, but I figure the extra exposure can’t hurt!)
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Printable “Lovely Calligraphy Drills” for Valentine’s Day

January 22, 2019 by Lindsey Bugbee 22 Comments

I like the idea behind Valentine’s Day: a celebration of love. In practice, though, the day is wrought with pressure to make reservations at packed restaurants and come up with elaborate romantic gestures (which is nearly impossible when you’re new parents like we are)! Furthermore, if you’re unhappily single, February 14th isn’t the happiest day ever. All things considered, I think I’ve come up with a better celebration idea for this year: rejoice in your love for creativity by filling out the new Lovely Calligraphy Drills sheet!