I have to admit that I struggled over what to call this calligraphy tutorial. “White calligraphy with a hint of color and a shadow on a watercolor background” just didn’t have a nice ring to it. So: “Phantom Blush” it is! This calligraphy technique is a favorite of mine because it’s casual, artistic, and quick. You can find instructions over how to make it below, including a ~6 minute tutorial video that will help those of us who love video demos!
1. Paint a Watercolor Background
Choose a hardy piece of paper, and use a large-ish brush and a dark watercolor tone to make several quick horizontal strokes. Layer the strokes until you have created a dark background like the one pictured below.
Try to make quick brush strokes! The speed will result in “devil may care” spatters and loops on the sides. This adds to the casual appeal of the piece!
If you’re using this tutorial to make mail art, you probably are wondering whether the envelope will “bubble up” because of moisture. The answer is yes — but I think that the change in texture adds to the artistic nature of the piece! My only word of caution would be to use a high-quality envelope that is 80 lb or higher.
2. Write Calligraphy
Wait for the watercolor ink to dry, then use opaque white ink — I like Bleed Proof White — to write calligraphy on it. You’ll notice that writing on the watercolor background is a little bit different than writing on naked paper. Namely, upstrokes will probably be thicker than what you’re used to. Don’t worry about it! For this calligraphy tutorial, you actually want upstrokes that are nice and thick.
It’s best to use a whimsical calligraphy style that doesn’t involve pencil guidelines. You’ll run into trouble trying to erase pencil guidelines on a watercolor background! I used Kaitlin Style calligraphy to write this address.
If you’re not a fan of the dip pen, you can always use a white gel pen (I like Gelly Roll) and faux calligraphy for this step.
3. Add Color
Next, get out your colored pencils. Choose a fairly light tone, and use it to gently fill in the bottom half of all your letters/characters.
Make sure you use a light color! Dark tones may blend in too much with the watercolor background.
Continue until all of your letters have a blush of color on them!
I prefer to use Prismacolor colored pencils for this tutorial. They have a nice, soft core that applies easily to the dried white ink!
4. Draw in Shadows
Find a fine-tipped black gel pen, and use it to draw a parallel line along the right side of each stroke in your calligraphy. (If this concept is confusing, check out the tutorial video, which I posted just under this step.)
Pilot G2 pens with a 0.5 mm tip are great for adding letter shadows! (Note, however, that any black gel pen you have on hand should also work beautifully.)
Continue to draw in shadows until all of the letters in the piece “pop”!
Adding shadows helps the calligraphy to stand out.
If you used this calligraphy technique for mail art, try adding a stamp collage for an extra creative touch!
Vintage postage stamps add to the unique feel of this mail art. You can find more information about where to find stamps like these in this blog post.
Phantom Blush Calligraphy Tutorial Video
If you’re a bit fuzzy on the details of this calligraphy tutorial and/or you have about six minutes to spare, you can watch the video below. It explains the process behind the Phantom Blush calligraphy technique and should clear up unanswered questions!
As you probably gathered from the video, you can use this calligraphy technique for anything. Mail art, gift tags, bullet journals, sketchbooks … try it on whatever paper good you create next!
Punch a hole, thread some twine through, and you’ve got an instant artistic gift tag!
I hope that you enjoyed this tutorial, and that you find the time to give it a try! It’s nice and short, the perfect way to incorporate art and calligraphy into a hectic holiday schedule. If any part of this tutorial is confusing or you have observations you’d like to share, please feel free to contribute to the comments below! If not, have a great weekend, and thanks so much for reading TPK!
Warmly,
(PS – I so enjoy seeing tutorial results on Instagram! If you make something you’re proud of, tag @thepostmansknock or hashtag #thepostmansknock. I guarantee you that I’ll be proud of what you made, too.)
I wanted to ask you Lindsey, Would the post office have any issues with the art on the envelopes we mail. I did do some for Christmas and birthdays this year and it seemed fine but mine was either on the back of the envelope or to the left side, nothing where the actual address goes as with this blog here or say the one with the Christmas tree on front and center.