Once you discover watercolor calligraphy, a whole new door to creativity will open! All of a sudden, you can create calligraphy or lettering in any color. When you travel, you no longer have to risk wardrobe-ruining ink spills! You just put a palette and a dip pen in your bag, and you’re all set to go. Despite its advantages, though, watercolor calligraphy isn’t without its quirks. Here are seven tips to help you navigate the dip pen and a watercolor palette like a pro!
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2017 is quickly coming to a close, and I want to wrap it up on a nice note by conducting a few giveaways! Your readership and support makes TPK possible, and I hope that this post shows you how much that I appreciate it. Really: thanks for using the calligraphy worksheets, leaving kind comments on posts, staying in touch on social media, and/or reading my ramblings … it means a lot!
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It’s *this close* to being October, so I’ve been trying to make our house a little more festive with a few tasteful Halloween decorations. This Frida Kahlo Halloween art has helped to add some graceful spookiness to our décor, and I hope it will do the same for yours! If you’re thinking that you could never make something like this, think again. Skeleton Frida comes to you today as a free printable that you need but trace over!
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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!”
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I generally create blog posts that focus on artistic projects, so today’s post offers a bit of a variation! Instead of flexing your creative muscle, you’ll be using your memory and research skills to fill out this calligraphy crossword. Be the first to solve it, and you’ll win a $50 gift certificate to Paper & Ink Arts (update: the puzzle has been solved)! Fill it out anyway, and you’ll be entered into a raffle to win a set of Dr. Ph. Martin’s Iridescent inks. Read on to learn more!
You can download the calligraphy crossword puzzle for free by clicking here. The crossword will challenge you with 22 writing- and calligraphy-related vocabulary terms. Like most crossword puzzles, the answers range between simple and difficult!
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If you find yourself creating a fair amount of illustration or calligraphy, then a light box may help you to work more efficiently! In the next few paragraphs, we’ll discuss what a light box is and how you can use it to enhance your creations.
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2016 is coming to a close, which means it’s the perfect time to reflect on everything that’s happened this year. For me, that reflection has meant realizing how many creative, amazing people I have had the opportunity to interact with because of this website! I am consistently amazed by how self-motivated, positive, and artistic the people who follow TPK are; and this community motivates me to keep improving my own work!
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Travel — whether domestic or international, near or far — is one of the very best ways to jump-start your creativity. When you experience new architecture and artwork, new people, and new food, you find yourself filled with new ideas when you return home! In this post, we’ll cover two international mail art tutorials, both inspired by a trip to Brazil last month. The mail art hints at some of the Brazilian pride we saw in Rio as preparation for the Olympics was underway …
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My birthday is this week, so for the past few days, I’ve been mulling over what I want. And, really, the answer is nothing. The truth is, the older I get, the more I prefer giving gifts than receiving them! So, for my birthday, I’d like to give you something. Effectively, this is a post full of giveaways! Under the description of each giveaway item, you’ll see a Rafflecopter widget. Use it to enter the giveaway for each item that catches your eye. You don’t need a social media account to enter; if that’s the case, you can just use the “Answer a Question” option!
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Decorated envelopes make for an amazing surprise gift! Think about it: usually, a person’s mailbox is a pretty boring place, home to many a credit card offer and grocery store flyer. When something extraordinary graces the humble mailbox, it’s hard not to get excited! Accordingly, today’s tutorial offers a quick and effective way to make an artistic piece of envelope art that will stand out in anyone’s mail pile! To create it, you’ll need a black (or very dark) envelope; mine is a cheapie that came in a black card/envelope set from the North American craft store chain Michael’s. Use a soapstone pencil and a ruler to make a centered vertical guideline as well as a centered horizontal guideline.
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