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  • Welcome to TPK! This is your first of 2 free articles. For unlimited access to tutorials and articles, join TPK Premium for less than the cost of a latte.

    A Peek Inside the Studio

    January 29, 2014

    by

    Lindsey Bugbee

    Design, Inspiration, Merchandise

    Welcome to the TPK studio! Grab a business card and a cup of chamomile tea {it’s been cold here in Boulder}, and feel free to browse my workspace and recent projects. I’m always glad to see you here!

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    Hi there! We moved in 2017, which means I got to design a brand-new workspace/studio! For an updated tour, check out the A Virtual Workspace Tour post.

    Hand with Calligraphy Nibs | The Postman's Knock

    I’d like to digitally invite you to Boulder today to take a tour of the studio, and to enjoy a little show-and-tell of what I’ve been up to the past couple of weeks. Maybe it’s just me, but I love seeing people’s workspaces; and since I have collaborated with several of you — be it on your wedding or your small business — I thought you might want to see where I create your masterpieces.

    Let’s start at my workspace. For those of you who are new to TPK, I work out of my home and love it. Because Hernán {my partner} is in grad school for another year or so and needs to live close to the university, we live in a 1,050 square foot apartment a five-minute drive away from the CU-Boulder campus. It has everything I could ask for: a washer + dryer, a dishwasher, a garden, and a spare bedroom — which has morphed from bedroom to studio over the past two years. I am in love with my gigantic vintage desk; all the drawers really help to keep me organized. Besides that, I like having a lot of inspiration in front of me via art pieces that I wish to emulate, and finished products of my own.

    The Studio | The Postman's Knock

    {Oh — and before we move on, why don’t you grab a business card? They arrived hot off the press from Moo yesterday and I couldn’t be more pleased with the luxe cards!}

    TPK Business Cards | The Postman's Knock

    Got a business card? Great! Now I’d like to talk to you about what I’ve been working on lately. Most of you know that I love calligraphy, but I’m not sure how many of you know that I keep busy with a lot of wedding calligraphy. Because I have been lamentably lazy about displaying my wedding work on my website {my goal for next week is to fix that!}, most of my bridal clients come to me through my second Etsy shop, TPK Weddings.

    Envelope Calligraphy Collage | The Postman's Knock

    In addition to my second Etsy shop, I have much-cherished relationships with event stylists. Two of my favorites are Ever Something Event Styling in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Sweet Meadow Events in the Atlanta, Georgia area {Tallapoosa}. Through collaboration with the talented women behind these entities, many a wedding has ended up being magical from start to finish with rapt attention to detail.

    Wedding Map | The Postman's Knock{A hand-drawn map created for a recent wedding.}

    In addition to weddings, I have been collaborating with small business owners in my spare time. I recently worked with antiques purveyor Owl & Peony to create marketing materials. We came up with this lovely watercolor owl donning a peony crown:

    Owl and Peony | The Postman's Knock

    And then I worked with Brown Dog Emporium, a vintage knick knack and painted furniture Etsy shop, to freshen up the look of the store a bit. I suppose you could say I’ve been on a watercolor animal kick lately, so I created this eclectic-looking dog to be the face of the store:

    Watercolor Dog | The Postman's Knock

    Today I’ve got my hands full with wedding calligraphy, but I though I’d write a post to let you know what’s been going on in the TPK Studio here in freezing Boulder, Colorado! Does anyone else have any posts about their workspace? I love seeing office inspiration … probably because I’m a workaholic nerd. Until we meet again {on Saturday}, enjoy the rest of your week and thanks so much for reading!

    XO, Lindsey

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Sketchbooking

About the author

Hi, I’m Lindsey Bugbee, the illustrator, calligrapher, and author behind The Postman’s Knock (TPK). Since 2012, the TPK Blog has been a vibrant creative space filled with tutorials and lessons on modern calligraphy, hand lettering, and illustration. After publishing The Calligraphy Book, I wanted to elevate the quality of content even further—so I launched TPK Premium. You can join here to receive access to some of the internet’s best creative inspiration and project tutorials.

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8 responses

  1. Natasha Avatar
    Natasha
    February 9, 2014

    I’d love to share my workspace, but it’s just such a big mess and a pile of things so it wouldn’t be much to look at 😀

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    1. Lindsey Bugbee Avatar
      Lindsey Bugbee
      February 9, 2014

      Trust me, this photo came an at opportune moment — we had cleaned the house because we had a guest coming {isn’t that always how it goes?}. I try to stay organized, but chaos always triumphs eventually! So … don’t feel like your space has to look scrupulous. Right now I’m staring at crumbled up, ink-stained paper towels, glue, tape, scissors, and all sorts of things strewn about my desk.

      I’m loving the mail art and yummies on your blog. I was vegan for three years, and I still love a lot of the recipes I made from The Post Punk Kitchen … my fave is her recipe for pesto! If you haven’t tried it, go out and grab some basil and nutritional yeast and make some — yum. 🙂

      Thanks so much for reading!

      Log in to Reply
  2. Dixie Avatar
    Dixie
    January 30, 2014

    I loved the tour, with your amazing desk and your beautiful artwork. I especially liked the water color of the dog and of course the business cards. Thank you for sharing what sounds like a very busy and productive business. Stay warm and keep in touch. We love seeing your work!

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  3. Silver Magpies Avatar
    Silver Magpies
    January 30, 2014

    Hi Lindsey

    I’ve been a subscriber and quiet lurker for quite some time, but I had to let you know just how gorgeous your business cards are! Wow! You are so talented. I’d love to be able to do calligraphy, but fear it is a doomed wish as I’m left handed and the whole smudged ink effect ruins my feeble efforts.

    Nan

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    1. Lindsey Bugbee Avatar
      Lindsey Bugbee
      January 30, 2014

      I love quiet lurking subscribers ;)! Thanks for the sweet words. Honestly the toughest part about designing those business cards — or doing anything, really, that requires calligraphy as part of a mass-printed design, is getting it to look nice and smooth once it’s scanned in. It entails this whole process of scanning, cleaning up the calligraphy digitally in Photoshop, then converting it into a vector in Illustrator and subsequently tweaking the anchor points. The calligraphy takes one minute — then the digital part takes an hour!

      I am certain you could create lovely calligraphy if you had the time; but it looks like you’ve got your hands full with silver {never a bad thing}! So, while I can create calligraphy, I could never speak knowledgeably about silver … let alone sell it. We’ve all got our things we invest energy in and are good at. 🙂

      Thanks so much for reading!

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      1. Silver Magpies Avatar
        Silver Magpies
        January 30, 2014

        I’m even more impressed hearing about the entire process! I didn’t realize it was so much more than the handcrafted portion.

        You’re sweet to encourage my efforts…but honestly, it is quite the lost cause. But just once I’d love to create gorgeous calligraphy place cards or buffet labels to go along with the lovely silver. Sigh.

        I shall feast my eyes on your work instead. 🙂

        Nan

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        1. Lindsey Bugbee Avatar
          Lindsey Bugbee
          January 30, 2014

          And I’d love to have a set of real silver silverware, and a couple of silver platters wouldn’t hurt either — we can just live vicariously through each other. 😉

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          1. Silver Magpies Avatar
            Silver Magpies
            January 30, 2014

            It’s a deal!

            Nan

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A couple of days ago, I posted a clip from Lesson A couple of days ago, I posted a clip from Lesson 1 of the new Beginner’s Modern Calligraphy Online Course (seriously, join us — enrollment is a *steal* at $5/month, and you get complimentary tutorials [that happen to complement the course] — link in bio)! People seemed to like the story in that clip, so here’s another fun story from the same lesson. Sorry, I can’t confirm who the client was! That was a project with an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement). 🤐 Still: a very fun, very cool experience ... I’m grateful that calligraphy has given me cool adventures and connected me to such an amazing community. ✍️

#calligraphystory #moderncalligraphy #learncalligraphy #beginnercalligraphy #pointedpencalligraphy #calligraphy
Lesson 1 of TPK’s Beginner’s Modern Calligraph Lesson 1 of TPK’s Beginner’s Modern Calligraphy Online Course doesn’t actually start with the pointed pen! ✍️ Instead, we ease into it with faux calligraphy and then pencil calligraphy. Here’s a little preview of what the pencil calligraphy lesson looks like. ✏️

If you’ve been wanting to learn calligraphy, join us in this course. It is an absolute *steal* because it’s included with your TPK Premium membership ($5/month - cancel anytime). Once the course concludes in January, you can choose to purchase lifetime access to the videos; or just continue on with us to the next course. For more information, visit the link in my bio!

#learncalligraphy #pointedpencalligraphy #moderncalligraphy #pencilcalligraphy #blackwingpencil #pencilart #letteringart #handlettering #modernlettering #artisticletters #artisticlettering
I’m editing videos for the new Beginner’s Mode I’m editing videos for the new Beginner’s Modern Calligraphy Online Course (🎉 JOIN US! link in profile for enrollment info!!) — and wanted to share this story from Lesson 1. In that lesson, we’ll chat about how to develop your motivation (this story is part of me sharing mine); and we’ll ease into our pointed pen experience with faux calligraphy and pencil calligraphy. Step by step, you’ll develop skills that will serve you for a lifetime ... and surprise and delight those around you, just like my “rent check envelopes” did! ✉️

#mailart #moderncalligraphy #learncalligraphy #storytime #calligraphy #snailmail #snailmailrevolution
Some recipes aren’t just instructions — they’re memories on a page. 💛 I spent some time illustrating one of my favorites, and it turned into the sweetest (literally) keepsake. Calligraphy, watercolor, and a little patience bring the story of a dish to life.

If you’d like to try illustrating your favorite recipe, too, I shared the full process (with helpful printables) on the TPK Blog — link in bio. ✨

#illustratedrecipe #calligraphyart #watercolorillustration #creativeproject #keepsakeart #slowcreativity #handletteringlove #moderncalligraphy #calligraphyinspiration #watercolorart
As much as cooking is an art, illustrating a recip As much as cooking is an art, illustrating a recipe takes it one step further. ✨ In TPK’s latest tutorial (link in bio), I’ll show you how to create an illustrated chocolate lava cake recipe using watercolor. You’ll find helpful PDFs and step-by-step instructions so you can follow along — or use the layout to bring one of your own favorite dishes to life.

Frame it as keepsake art, or give it as a thoughtful handmade gift this holiday season. 🎁

#illustratedrecipe #watercolorart #calligraphycommunity #foodillustration #arttutorial #watercolortutorial #creativeprojects #handmadegifts #keepsakeart #thepostmansknock
✨ One of the most beloved assignments from Lesso ✨ One of the most beloved assignments from Lesson 5 of Hand Lettering 101 was this playful project: design an artistic alphabet where no two letters look the same.

The idea? JUST PLAY. 🎨 I used watercolor and a paintbrush, but many students grabbed markers, pens, or anything colorful on hand. The results were incredible — @adriennelovesletters gave it her own flair, Isabel C. made it three times, and Laura M. created a stunning version too. (You can peek at more inside the TPK Premium Discord!)

If you’re ready to try this project yourself, you’ll find the Hand Lettering 101 eCourse waiting in the TPK Catalog. Just head to the link in my bio to be taken to the TPK website. 💌

#handlettering #watercolorlettering #moderncalligraphy #letteringpractice #creativeplay #calligraphycommunity #artinspiration #calligraphyart #watercolorart #letterlove #tpkpremium #handlettering101
Had the best time writing the latest tutorial on t Had the best time writing the latest tutorial on the TPK Blog — “Drawing Lesson: Elegant Swallows” (🔗 link in bio). If you’ve never drawn birds before, swallows are an excellent place to start. Their shapes are simple once you break them down! ✍️ 

In the tutorial, you’ll find:

🪶 Step-by-step visual instructions for drawing swallows in four different movements
🪶 The “Hand-Drawn Swallows Cheat Sheet” PDF
🪶 A detailed tutorial for making the mail art shown here

On another note, I want to extend a huge THANK YOU to TPK Premium and Premium Plus members ... your support allows me to write cool detailed tutorials like this one. 🙏 You all are amazing, and I’m so proud of our community.

#mailart #snailmail #illustration #illustrationtutorial #drawingtutorial #drawinginstructions #birdart #swallowsart #calligraphy #moderncalligraphy #pointedpen
In June, I kicked off the Hand Lettering 101 eCour In June, I kicked off the Hand Lettering 101 eCourse with TPK Premium members, and wow — it’s been such a joy to watch the transformation.

Over six lessons, students went from that “where do I even start?” feeling to confidently creating their own alphabets, playing with flourishes, and putting together gorgeous compositions. I loved seeing those little lightbulb moments along the way.

Here’s the great news — you can still take the course.
When you sign up, you’ll get instant access to:
📚 All six lessons (9+ hours of video demonstrations + printable PDFs)
🖌 Fun, approachable projects that build your skills without feeling overwhelming
🎯 A “before and after” assignment that’s always such a satisfying reveal

If you’ve been wanting a gentle, step-by-step way to get started with hand lettering, this is it. You can DM me for the link, or search Hand Lettering 101 on the TPK site (link in profile).

#handlettering101 #handlettering #moderncalligraphy #letteringlove #calligraphycommunity #learntoletter #creativelettering #letteringcourse #onlineartclass #artpractice
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