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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.

    Top 10 TPK Watercolor Tutorials

    January 9, 2018

    by

    Lindsey Bugbee

    Roundup, Tutorials, Watercolor, Watercolor Tutorials

    Watercolors are an amazing medium! Versatile and beginner-friendly, you can use them to make a lot of neat projects. Here are the top 10 tutorials on the TPK website that will help you to improve your watercolor skills!

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    Top 10 TPK Watercolor Tutorials | The Postman's Knock | The Postman's Knock

    So many people are frightened to work with watercolor paint because it seems difficult to use. Give it a try, though, and you’ll see that watercolor is one of the friendliest mediums around! You can harness its power to paint intricate masterpieces or simple designs; it all depends on your personal style and skill level. Today’s post is a compilation of ten TPK watercolor tutorials that I hope will inspire you to get out your paints and experiment!

    1. Painting with Watercolors for Beginners

    Painting with Watercolors for Beginners | The Postman's Knock

    The information-rich Painting with Watercolors for Beginners post will teach you about the supplies you need to get started. It also covers vital watercolor basic techniques like blending, contouring, and opacity control!

    2. Painting with Watercolors for Beginners: Part II

    Painting with Watercolors for Beginners Part II | The Postman's Knock

    Once you’ve read the first Painting with Watercolors for Beginners post, Part II will help you advance into painting real-life objects like this apple. The post will change the way you view the subjects that you want to paint! For example, you’ll learn to see an apple as a series of of three different shapes and three different colors.

    3. Herbal Watercolor Tutorial

    Herbal Watercolor Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    The Herbal Watercolor Tutorial post will teach you how to make gorgeous, realistic herbal portraits! Your secret weapons? A light box and purple watercolor paint!

    4. Watercolor Initial DIY Birthday Card Tutorial 

    Watercolor Initial DIY Birthday Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    The Watercolor Initial DIY Birthday Card Tutorial doesn’t require a lot of fancy blending knowledge! Make sure you have a nice waterproof ink on hand (such as Ziller Soot Black), and you’re good to go.

    5. Woodland Watercolor Wreath Tutorials: Part I

    Woodland Watercolor Wreath Tutorials: Part I | The Postman's Knock

    Watercolor wreath borders add warmth and artistry to any paper good! You can learn how to make the wreath pictured above in Woodland Watercolor Wreath Tutorials: Part I. There’s also a Part II and Part III in the Woodland Watercolor Wreath Tutorial series!

    6. Abstract Bubbles Watercolor Birthday Card Tutorial

    Abstract Bubbles Watercolor Birthday Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    The Abstract Bubbles Watercolor Birthday Card Tutorial utilizes a fun, unique watercolor and pen technique to make an artistic border. You can apply the same concept to other projects like gift tags or envelopes to make them pop!

    7. Watercolor Hexagons Mail Art Tutorial

    Watercolor Hexagons Mail Art Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    The Watercolor Hexagons Mail Art Tutorial is perfect for those who continue to feel intimidated by watercolors! There’s no blending or fancy skills required … in fact, if you can trace, then you can make an envelope like this one.

    8. How to Create Paintbrush Lettering + A Free Exemplar

    How to Create Paintbrush Lettering + A Free Exemplar | The Postman's Knock

    If you are more interested in writing with watercolors versus painting with them, then you’ll enjoy the How to Create Paintbrush Lettering post. Paintbrush calligraphy is very similar to dip pen calligraphy in that stroke widths are dictated by pressure exertion!

    9. Watercolor Cactus Wreath Tutorial 

    Watercolor Cactus Wreath Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    The gorgeous colors used for the watercolor cactus wreath help it to stand out! You can use this southwestern-inspired wreath to frame any greeting.

    10. Citrus Watercolor Birthday Card Tutorial

    Citrus Watercolor Birthday Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    The Citrus Watercolor Birthday Card Tutorial will teach you how to make a birthday card that stands apart from the rest. In defiance of traditional greetings and graphics, this card presents an elegant and subdued way to say, “Happy Birthday”!


    I hope that you enjoyed this collection of tutorials, and I encourage you to try at least one of them! I’d love to see the results on social media … you can find TPK on Facebook or tag @thepostmansknock (or #thepostmansknock) on Instagram. I hope that you are having a great start to the new year, and want to thank you very much for reading TPK!

    Warmly,

    Lindsey's Signature | The Postman's Knock

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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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173 responses

  1. Fatima Avatar
    Fatima
    January 14, 2018

    I love the woodland wreath tutorial! Thank you so much for sharing these!

    Log in to Reply
  2. suedemt926 Avatar
    suedemt926
    January 14, 2018

    “1. Painting with Watercolors for Beginners” is my favourite… l totally have no idea on drawing. After starting brush lettering, l’d like to try some watercolour drawing… this post is definitely suitable for me… thx Lindsey!

    Log in to Reply
  3. Madelon van Stigt Thans Avatar
    Madelon van Stigt Thans
    January 14, 2018

    Love too try watercolor sometimes. Never done this before, but is looks amazing!

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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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