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  • Overlapping Letters Handmade Mother’s Day Card Tutorial by Nico Ng

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    Lindsey Bugbee

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    Today, Nico Ng is taking the TPK Blog reins to inspire us with a playful handmade Mother’s Day card that features funky rounded letters and hearts. Enjoy Nico’s detailed instructions and accompanying free printable goodies!

    Nico Ng's Overlapping Letters Handmade Mother's Day Card Tutorial
    The secret to creating this handmade Mother’s Day card is to draw perfect circles/semicircles for your letters. I’ve got you covered on that front! We’ll be using a Grid Ruler to make the letters simple to create.

    Hey there! I’m Nico Ng, and I want to share a super fun and easy handmade Mother’s Day card idea to help make the holiday extra special. In this tutorial, I’ll show you how you can create overlapping bold letters using simple shapes so you can create a personalized card or tag for the supermom(s) in your life.

    1. Gather Your Supplies

    Brush Pen Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    I am using brush pens for this tutorial, but you can use any medium that allows for color overlapping. Watercolor would be a good choice.

    I’ve opted to create my project on letter-sized paper using a 7 mm Grid Ruler to make it clearer for you to see the process, but feel free to recreate this on a smaller scale using the 3mm or 5mm Grid Rulers. This way, you can make a greeting card or tag that’s just the right size for your project. (If you don’t have a grid ruler or want to see examples, feel free to download the Bold Overlapping Letters Examples and Prompts PDF.)

    I’ll be using the following materials, but please feel free to modify to suit your taste:

    I’m using a grid ruler for today’s tutorial. If you don’t yet have a grid ruler, you can try free-hand drawing using this printable as a reference.

    2. Sketch Your Letters

    Begin by lightly sketching the letters “MOM” in a fun and playful arrangement. The size of the “O” should be the same as the largest circle of your Grid Ruler. Be sure to overlap parts of the letters and draw them at different angles to create a whimsical look.

    Making a Pencil Draft for a Handmade Mother's Day Card
    Try to lightly sketch the guides with your pencil so it’s easy to erase later.

    3. Fill in the “O”

    Now, use the Grid Ruler to draw the letter “O” in a bold and chunky style, 3 units thick. To do that, position the largest circular template on your letter “O”.

    Drawing the letter "O" using Nico Ng's grid ruler bundle

    Then, dot the center and draw the outer and inner circles.

    Using a grid ruler to draw the letter "O"

    Now, rotate your Grid Ruler to complete the other half of the letter “O” and align the center of the template to the reference dot.

    Grid Ruler Rotation

    Doing that will give you a perfectly round “O” shape!

    A perfectly round letter "O"

    4. Draw the Two “M”s

    Now, position the second largest circular template to the right arc of your sketched letter “M”. Then, draw the outer and inner curves three-units thick.

    A rounded letter "M"

    Draw the left arc of the letter M using the same template.

    How to Draw a rounded "M"
    This image demonstrates how to draw a rounded “M”.

    Then, align the ruler’s grid to the ends of the arcs to plot the points for the vertical bars of the letter M.

    Drawing a rounded "M" using Nico Ng's grid ruler Drawing a rounded "M" using Nico Ng's grid ruler

    Now, use the 3-unit circle template to draw the round ends of the letter “M”.

    Then, connect the lines to form the rest of the letter.

    Repeat the process for the second “M”.

    5. Add Hearts

    Next, sketch two medium-sized hearts on the upper right and lower left side of your letters. Be sure to overlap the hearts with the “M”s.

    Use the grid ruler to draw the hearts perfectly by aligning the grid to the lower point of your heart, then dotting the four corners of a 4-unit square. Next, use the circular template to draw the curves by connecting the upper dots with a semi-circle. Close the heart by connecting the curves to the bottom point. Repeat this process for the bottom heart.

    How to Draw a Heart

    Go ahead and draw three smaller hearts using the grid ruler, but use a 2-unit square on the grid.

    How to Draw a Heart

    Once you finish, your hearts and their placement should look something like this:

    Pencil Draft of a Handmade Mother's Day Card

    6. Add Color to Your Handmade Mother’s Day Card

    Now, color the outlines of the letters and shapes using the fine-liner ends of your markers. Pick a different color for each letter and heart, and choose another color for the overlapping parts.

    Filling in a Handmade Mother's Day Card with Color
    Let the ink dry, then erase your pencil guides.

    Now, fill in the letters and hearts with color using the brush tip of your Tombow markers. This will give your lettering a vibrant and lively look.

    Using Brush Pens to Make a DIY Mother's Day Card

    Using Brush Pens to Make a DIY Mother's Day Card

    Using Brush Pens to Make a DIY Mother's Day Card

    7. Make a Deckled Edge (Optional)

    This last step is optional, but it adds a nice touch to the finished product. Use a ruler to measure the final size of your artwork, then fold in the edges with your hand.

    Making a deckled edge

    Tear off those edges to create a natural torn effect.

    Making a Deckled Edge
    Note: This technique will only work on thick paper stocks (200gsm+).

    Congratulations, you’ve just created a beautiful handmade Mother’s Day card that’s sure to make the mother(s) in your life feel loved and appreciated! 

    Nico Ng's Overlapping Letters Handmade Mother's Day Card Tutorial

    Additional Inspiration

    Note that you can use the same chunky rounded style with Grid Rulers to create art for any occasion. Just swap out the word! I’ve prepared some project prompts you can use, and you can download them in PDF form here.

    Grid Ruler Word Inspiration
    The free Bold Overlapping Letters Examples and Prompts PDF provides examples of these word compositions in various sizes.

    DOWNLOAD THE PDF

    Feel free to choose the color combination that best matches your mom’s personality. Here are some suggestions:

    Mother's Day color scheme suggestions

    I’m excited to see your creations! Be sure to tag me on Instagram @nicong.co so I can see your amazing work.

    Let’s keep spreading the love for lettering, and have a blast creating!

    P.S. Do you feel like your lettering needs improvement? Enroll in my “The Consistent Lettering Course” and learn to draw letters correctly and consistently.