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You are here: Home / Archives for DIY

Watercolor Cactus + Quote Artwork Tutorial

March 23, 2018 by Lindsey Bugbee 107 Comments

Watercolor Cactus + Quote Artwork Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

Every time I make a tutorial like this watercolor cactus + quote artwork, I wonder why I don’t make more watercolor pieces. There’s a certain satisfaction in watching a blank piece of paper transform into a vibrant, eye-catching work of art! I know that many people find watercolors to be intimidating, but there’s a secret to using them: embrace mistakes and run with them! Watercolor seems to have a mind of its own, and that’s the basis of its beauty. Understand that, and you’ll enjoy making artwork like this. Here’s how to do it:
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Filed Under: Free Printables, Hand-Lettering, Printable Goodies, Tutorials, Watercolor Tagged With: art, DIY, freebie, hand-lettering, handmade, printable, tutorial, watercolor

The TPK Beginner’s Modern Calligraphy Online Course

March 16, 2018 by Lindsey Bugbee 399 Comments

The TPK Beginner's Modern Calligraphy Online Course | The Postman's Knock

After months of work, I am so proud — and a little nervous and excited — to announce that the TPK Beginner’s Modern Calligraphy Online Course is live! You can find it by clicking here. In this post, I want to take you through what the course is, what prompted me to create it, and what to expect next.
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Filed Under: Beginner’s Calligraphy, Calligraphy, Dip Pen Calligraphy, Oblique Pen Holders, Straight Pen Holders, Worksheets Tagged With: calligraphy, DIY

Geometric Watercolor Thank You Card Tutorial

March 9, 2018 by Lindsey Bugbee 182 Comments

Geometric Watercolor Thank You Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

If you’re new to watercolor, this vivid thank you card is the perfect project to teach you about blending! To make it, you’ll start by drawing a series of simple shapes in pencil, fill them in with watercolor, and end with some calligraphy on the bottom. Keep reading for more detailed instructions!
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Filed Under: Tutorials, Watercolor Tagged With: art, card, DIY, handmade, tutorial, watercolor

10 Mail Art Tips

March 6, 2018 by Lindsey Bugbee 154 Comments

Illustrated Mail Art | The Postman's Knock

Mail art is what first inspired me to learn calligraphy. I love the concept of surprising someone with a gorgeous and unique delivery! There are some truly beautiful (and — let’s be honest — intimidating) examples of mail art online, so the goal of this post is to build up your confidence to send mail art yourself. It doesn’t have to be perfect; the whole point is to tap into your creativity and give someone else a happy surprise! Below, you’ll find some tips to get you started.
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Filed Under: Mail Art Tagged With: art, calligraphy, DIY, envelopes, handmade envelopes, letters

Illustrated Lace Butterfly Card Tutorial

March 2, 2018 by Lindsey Bugbee 207 Comments

Illustrated Lace Butterfly Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

This lace butterfly card exemplifies elegance and creativity! In today’s tutorial, we’ll depart from the traditional greeting card format to produce an interactive, lovely piece that your recipient will want to put on display. I’ll also suggest a few alternative and artistic ways to use the butterfly printable that I created for this card!
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Filed Under: Free Printables, Printable Goodies, Tutorials Tagged With: art, card, DIY, handmade, illustration of the month, printable, tutorial

(Free!) Block Printed Envelope Template

February 20, 2018 by Lindsey Bugbee 110 Comments

(Free!) Block Printed Envelope Template | The Postman's Knock

I have long admired artist Katharine Watson‘s block prints. Her pleasing patterns and clean lines catch your attention — and invoke a tinge of whimsy and nostalgia. It’s no wonder that Katharine’s pieces are available in so many stores, even my local Two Hands Paperie!
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Filed Under: Free Printables, Printable Envelope Templates, Printable Goodies Tagged With: DIY, freebie, handmade, handmade envelopes, printable

A Video Crash Course on Watercolor Calligraphy

February 9, 2018 by Lindsey Bugbee 221 Comments

A Video Crash Course on Watercolor Calligraphy | The Postman's Knock

Three years ago, I wrote the first A Video Crash Course on Watercolor Calligraphy tutorial. While the tutorial was fairly comprehensive, I’ve been wanting to redo it for a while. Time tends to highlight flaws, and the more I went back to the first post, the more I realized that it needed a better video, inspirational examples, and clearer instructions! Today’s post is the result of that realization, and I hope that you enjoy learning watercolor calligraphy from it.
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Filed Under: Calligraphy, Dip Pen Calligraphy, Faux Calligraphy, Inspiration, Tutorials, Video, Watercolor Tagged With: art, calligraphy, DIY, tutorial, watercolor

Hand Drawn Valentine’s Day Gift Tags – Free Printable

February 6, 2018 by Lindsey Bugbee 148 Comments

Hand Drawn Valentine's Day Gift Tags - Free Printable | The Postman's Knock

When I was a little girl, you had one option for Valentine’s Day gift tags: go to the local grocery store and buy some. At that time, we weren’t in the age of Pinterest — we didn’t even have internet, really — so the DIY spirit hadn’t yet been ignited. I remember getting Beauty and the Beast-themed gift tags one year, and Aladdin cards another year (my brother’s choice, not mine; my mom wanted to economize). Once you got the gift tags, you taped candy to them, wrote your classmates’ names on them, and brought them to school. Everyone brought the same tags and the same candy, but no one cared because … candy!
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Filed Under: Free Printables, Printable Goodies, Tutorials Tagged With: art, cards, DIY, freebie, gift, handmade, holiday, printable, tutorial, Valentine's day

Five Banner Tutorials – Free Printable

February 2, 2018 by Lindsey Bugbee 108 Comments

Five Banner Tutorials | The Postman's Knock

If you like calligraphy and/or hand-lettering, knowing how to draw a banner is bound to come in handy eventually. In this post, you’ll find some tips for drawing banners, plus you can download the free Five Banner Tutorials printable!
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Filed Under: Dip Pen Calligraphy, Free Printables, Hand-Lettering, Inspiration, Printable Goodies, Tutorials Tagged With: art, DIY, freebie, printable, tutorial

Blended Watercolor Thank You Card Tutorial

January 26, 2018 by Lindsey Bugbee 80 Comments

Blended Watercolor Thank You Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

This thank you card tutorial, based on a Mexican Talavera tile design, is one of my favorites on the TPK blog because of its vibrant color scheme. The card only uses two colors — brown and turquoise — but the different values of those colors add a lot of visual interest. If you feel intimidated by blending watercolors, set that fear aside for this post! I will teach you exactly how to blend the two tones, and I promise that you can do it. Here are the steps for making this card:
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Filed Under: Design, Tutorials, Video, Watercolor Tagged With: art, calligraphy, card, cards, DIY, handmade, tutorial, watercolor

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Welcome to The Postman’s Knock

I'm Lindsey Bugbee

designer + illustrator + calligrapher

The Postman's Knock is a blog focused on teaching creative techniques and offering guides to learning modern calligraphy and illustration. I hope you enjoy reading my blog as much as I enjoy writing it!

If you are new to calligraphy, check out the Beginner's Guide to Modern Calligraphy!

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Learn All the Basics of Modern Calligraphy

LEARN ALL THE BASICS OF MODERN CALLIGRAPHY

TPK's new online course is thorough and intuitive! It includes professional videos + a worksheet + homework to teach you calligraphy in an engaging, effective way.

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Learner Favorites! Calligraphy Worksheets

  • Beginner's Modern Calligraphy Online Course | The Postman's Knock Beginner's Modern Calligraphy Online Course
    Rated 4.90 out of 5
    $25.00
  • Premium Calligraphy Worksheet Set {Flourish Formal Style} | The Postman's Knock Printable Calligraphy Worksheet Set - Flourish Formal Style
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $10.00
  • The Core Worksheet contains 31 pages of thorough information + quality practice. This worksheet is on its third iteration, and was carefully crafted taking into account learner feedback from the previous two versions. Printable Calligraphy Worksheet Set - Amy Style
    Rated 4.95 out of 5
    $10.00
  • Printable Calligraphy Worksheet Set (Janet Style) | The Postman's Knock Printable Calligraphy Worksheet Set - Janet Style
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $10.00

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