Video – Page 5 of 6 | The Postman's Knock

Calligraphy Swirls Tutorials (Part I)

December 18, 2015 by Lindsey Bugbee 34 Comments

All pointed pen creations are beautiful, but add calligraphy swirls to the mix, and your work becomes extraordinary! Paired with casual modern calligraphy, swirls are fun and ironic; and when they appear with more formal calligraphy, they immediately add a regal/important vibe. Part of the reason people love them so much is they look intricate and complicated. After reading the two parts of this series, though, you’ll know the truth: while swirls look amazing, they’re far from impossible to make if you break it down! Today, you’ll learn two techniques for creating swirls, and next week, you’ll learn two more.
Continue reading…

A Holiday Oblique Calligraphy Pen Giveaway!

December 15, 2015 by Lindsey Bugbee 45 Comments

A couple of years ago, a calligraphy enthusiast named Rodger Mayeda sent me an oblique calligraphy pen prototype he’d made just for fun in his New Mexico workshop. When I received it, I immediately fell in love with its smart simplicity! It had this wonderful, sleek design, and felt “just right” in my hand. I’d never used anything like it, and I saw my calligraphy improve almost immediately! I believe I owe the improvement to the practical design of the pen and the fact that I was more motivated to practice with the artisan pen than I had been with my plastic Speedball oblique. I begged Rodger to make his pens available for purchase, which culminated in the development of Rodger’s Pen Box (RPB) on Etsy. RPB is now so popular that Rodger generally sells out of pens the first day of every month!
Continue reading…

How to Draw a Banner

December 8, 2015 by Lindsey Bugbee 19 Comments

It’s nice to know how to draw a banner because banners make lettering stand out. If you have a particular message you want to get across, writing it in a banner will send a visual message of, “Hey, look here!” Unfortunately, banners can seem daunting to illustrate because the end product looks a bit complicated with its folds, shadows, and centered text. That, my friend, is precisely why I am writing this blog post: I promise you that, once you break it down, banners aren’t so tough! Today, we’re going to look at how to make the perfect banner to feature your lettering or calligraphy.
Continue reading…

Design Motif Tutorials Part I: Roses and Swirls

December 1, 2015 by Lindsey Bugbee 23 Comments

When I want to make an impactful piece of mail art, I add a design motif. In my opinion, the best sort of design motifs are subtle but lovely, and often soothingly repetitive. The “Roses and Swirls” motif that I am going to show you how to make today is one of my favorite designs, and surprisingly simple to make when you deconstruct the process! In the steps that follow, I am going to focus on the Roses and Swirls design motif in a mail art context. You should remember, though, that there’s no reason to relegate this motif to mail art: you can add it to anything — bookmarks, gift tags, notebooks, etc. — and you’ll be rewarded with a “wow!” factor!
Continue reading…

Introducing the Kaitlin Style Calligraphy Video Course

October 30, 2015 by Lindsey Bugbee 12 Comments

When I first started making the Learn for a Latté worksheets, I never intended to create calligraphy video courses to accompany them. Not only did I lack the equipment to make videos, but my video editing had not been put to the test since seventh grade (when iMovie was in its infancy and blissfully simple to use). However, as the calligraphy worksheet user base grew, I began to receive regular requests for videos to complement the worksheets. To be honest, it made sense and I could relate … I am a visual learner, and YouTube and Vimeo tutorials have taught me everything from how to use the Adobe Creative Suite to how to line a cake pan with parchment paper. I knew it was time to step up my game, so I tried my hand at creating a video course to accompany the Amy Style calligraphy worksheet a few months ago.
Continue reading…

How to Make DIY Envelope Liners

October 20, 2015 by Lindsey Bugbee 25 Comments

I love envelope liners because they add elegance and flair to any envelope! They also look deceptively complicated to DIY, so I thought today I would offer a short and sweet tutorial over how to make your own. All you need is an envelope, a pretty piece of paper, glue, scissors, and a pencil to get started! The first step is to address your envelope, preferably in pretty calligraphy like the Janet Style envelope pictured below. The reason it’s best to address the envelope pre-liner is the liner may make the surface of the envelope less smooth than it could be, which could lead to bumpy writing or unexpected spatters.
Continue reading…

Modern Calligraphy: 5 Tips to Improve Your Writing Slant

October 16, 2015 by Lindsey Bugbee 28 Comments

Since my last few posts have been more art-focused, I thought we could switch things up with a calligraphy post. And what better calligraphy-centric thing to focus on than writing slant? If you’re new to calligraphy, this element of learning is probably tripping you up a bit; and you shouldn’t feel bad because that’s completely normal! With the help of these five tips, you’ll be able to steer your slant in a consistent and beautiful direction (both literally and figuratively).
Continue reading…

How to Draw Lace

October 9, 2015 by Lindsey Bugbee 77 Comments

One of my very favorite things to illustrate is lace, and I use it on everything: envelopes, artwork for my house, gift tags — you get the idea. I love drawing lace because it always ends up looking amazing, and it can be created if you follow a series of simple steps. Today, I’m demystifying this intricate-looking artistic subject by teaching you how to draw lace. If you think you can’t do it, I beg to differ! All you need to do is retrieve the writing instrument you most enjoy working with, and follow the steps outlined in this post. You will be very proud of the result! Not feeling it today or don’t have the time? You can always print off a hand-drawn lace envelope template instead. 🙂
Continue reading…

Calligraphy Nib Spotlight: The Brause EF66

September 29, 2015 by Lindsey Bugbee 78 Comments

If you’ve been following the TPK blog for a while, you’ve probably seen me use the Brause EF66 nib umpteenth times. I’ve written about this gem of a nib a couple of times before in posts about nibs in general … but today I thought it should be the star of its own blog post. Its flex and impressive strength (well, for its size) render it deserving of such an honor!
Continue reading…

How to Use Gouache to Write Calligraphy

September 18, 2015 by Lindsey Bugbee 57 Comments

It’s not difficult to learn how to use gouache to write calligraphy; and as soon as you get yourself a nice tube of gouache, you’ll be calligraphing up a storm in brilliant color! Before I launch in to the full “how to”, though, I want to talk a little bit about what gouache is and, well, how to pronounce it.
Continue reading…