This birthday card tutorial may look intimidating from the get-go, especially if you’re new to watercolors. Before you discount this as a project you can’t do, let me assure you that you can! This design is 100% traceable, which makes it prefect for both watercolor and dip pen beginners. Here’s how to make it:
Continue reading…
There are over 400 blog posts on the TPK website right now — four hundred!! With a number like that, it’s impossible for some gems not to get lost in the mix. Here are my top ten favorite “throwback” (circa two years or older) tutorials that you may not have seen:
Continue reading…
For the past year or so, I’ve noticed watercolor cactus artwork popping up on my Pinterest feed. I love the way that you can layer watercolors to make cacti with different tones, then finish up the artwork by painting delicate spines! In today’s tutorial, you’ll learn how to use a special watercolor technique to make a whimsical, eye-catching cactus wreath. Don’t hesitate to pick up your brush even if you’re new to painting with watercolors!
Continue reading…
The inspiration for this “just because” card comes from Carolyn Gavin‘s botanical sketches in Issue 11 of Flow Magazine. It’s hard not to love the juxtaposition of clean black and white components with watercolor! If you like the look of this project, give it a try! Even if you don’t consider yourself to be an artist, you can make it — I promise. Here’s how:
Continue reading…
After years of apartment living, Hernán and I bought a house here in Boulder three months ago. We were lucky enough to find a home that has a separate apartment in the basement. For us, that’s perfect because both of our families live out of state, and they enjoy coming for long visits! When family members aren’t visiting, we plan on renting the basement apartment out on Airbnb. Since the day we moved in, we’ve been working on remodeling the basement. As you can see from Hernán’s paint-stained shirt, it has been quite an undertaking!
Continue reading…
A couple of days ago, I celebrated my birthday. On the morning of that day, I woke up and realized: birthday expectations really change throughout the years. When you’re a little kid, your birthday is all about getting lots of gifts. As you get older, though, it’s less about gifts and more about relationships. While cards didn’t mean much to me as a little kid, now I really appreciate it if someone takes the time to send me a little greeting to say, “I remembered your special day!”
Continue reading…
When I first became interested in lettering, I noticed beautiful pieces of gold calligraphy on Pinterest. And, while I loved the effect, I simply couldn’t figure out how to achieve that myself! Then, one fateful day, I ordered a Finetec Golds palette. Creating calligraphy with it has a bit of a learning curve, but it’s worth riding out any frustration to figure it out! In today’s blog post, I’m going to teach you how to use the Finetec palette to create stunning gold calligraphy and lettering.
Continue reading…
When I was little, I had books that showed you how to use a series of shapes to draw an animal. It was amazing to see those shapes come together to make something realistic! I still love working step by step to create an awesome result, and that’s why there are so many art tutorials on the TPK blog! Today, I have compiled a list of my favorite art tutorials on this website. This list goes from oldest to newest — so don’t be surprised if you see something from yesteryear that you missed!
Continue reading…
I love envelope art because it requires minimal time commitment, and it gives you the opportunity to experiment with new lettering and art techniques. As an added bonus, your recipient will get something in the mail from you that makes them happy! Today, I’ll show you how to make a piece of striking botanical envelope art using basic watercolor, lettering, and calligraphy techniques.
Continue reading…
We’ve been moving house here in Boulder, which translates into a bit of chaos. Most of my time lately has been devoted to packing, unpacking, and searching for things that have mysteriously disappeared. To temper the stress of the move, I decided to give myself a creative time-out, and this watercolor hexagons mail art was born. I really enjoyed making it because it’s neat and orderly, yet also colorful and artistic! If you have some time this weekend, I encourage you to give it a try. Here’s how to make it:
Continue reading…