• The Ultimate Vintage Banner Illustration Tutorial

    A vintage banner illustration gives any project an elegant feel! Today, I’ll walk you through how to draw a gorgeous embellished banner with the help of a free printable.

    The Ultimate Embellished Vintage Banner Illustration Tutorial

    There’s something about vintage banner illustrations that draws you in. They add elegance and pomp to virtually any project! Today, I’m going to show you how to create a gorgeous banner illustration in eight steps with a free downloadable PDF.

    The Vintage Banner Illustration PDF

    Most TPK tutorials contain step-by-step photos to show you how to create something. For this tutorial, though, I decided to make an instructional PDF file. In this case, a document does a better job of outlining the steps necessary to make the banner (versus writing an article with photos). Seeing all the steps laid out right there makes the instructions easier to follow.

    Ultimate Embellished Banner Tutorial PDF
    You can click on the button below to download this free PDF. Either print it out or reference it on your computer/tablet!

    DOWNLOAD THE INSTRUCTIONAL PDF

    Tips for Drawing a Vintage Banner

    Vintage-inspired banners look best when drawn with slightly faded inks, like iron gall or walnut. Try using one of those two inks, along with your favorite pen and nib combination, to draw your banner!

    Drawing a Vintage Banner
    If you’re intimidated by the pointed pen, you can use a regular pen to draw your banner. (The lines won’t be quite as delicate, though.)

    If you’ve got the time, it’s always a good idea to draw a pencil draft of your banner first, then trace over the draft with ink. Conversely, if you’re short on time, you can always use a light box or a bright window to trace over Step 8 from the instructional PDF.

    Embellished Vintage Banner Illustration

    The most important thing to remember is that it’s okay to play with the vintage banner illustration concept! Feel free to try different inks, switch up the florals, and maybe add some color to your drawings. Modifications are welcome.

    How to Use a Vintage Banner Illustration

    Use your vintage banner on any project that will benefit from some embellishment and a highlighted line of words! I especially love this banner on mail art, but it would also be a welcome addition to the following:

    • Sketchbook/bullet journal pages
    • Labels
    • Greeting cards
    • Wedding invitation design
    Pointed pen calligraphy on mail art
    I used The Perfect Calligraphy Envelope Generator to make pencil guidelines to write Janet Style calligraphy under the banner on this envelope. Iron gall ink gives both the banner and the calligraphy a vintage look.

    To add an elegant sparkle, consider adding little dots of gold watercolor. The dots give the banner a subtle sparkle that isn’t overpowering.

    The Ultimate Embellished Vintage Banner Illustration Tutorial
    You can use a tiny paintbrush (size 000) or a dip pen to add dots of watercolor around the botanicals on your banner.

    No matter how you choose to use your vintage banner illustration, I know that you’ll enjoy making it. Happy creating, and have a great weekend!

    Warmly,

    Lindsey's Signature | The Postman's Knock