Hi Friends!! It’s me, Chrystal, from @chrystalizabeth! I’m so excited to be here sharing this very fun, easy & beautiful technique with you on the TPL Blog.

We're going to be interlacing a gorgeous metallic modern calligraphy script throughout bold block letters. Let's jump in!

Materials

• Watercolor Paper or Mixed Media Paper - I’m using Canson XL Mixed Media Paper
• Pencil & Eraser
• Ruler - I prefer using a T-Square Ruler to get straight lines
• A black marker of your choice that is alcohol based or an archival black pen/marker - I’m using a Sharpie
• Metallic Watercolor of your choice
• A round watercolor brush of your choice - preferably around a size 2
• A jar of clean water
• A napkin or paper towel

Step One: Guidelines

On your paper, start by making dots lightly with your pencil at the following measurements. (These will end up being the guidelines for the boxes that our first word “LOVE” will go inside):

Start by adding...

Transform your designs from Procreate to larger than life signs without ever picking up a ruler! 

Like me, you may have been here before: You create this great sketch or design on your iPad and when it comes to making it in real life, you find yourself without the undo button measuring guidelines, erasing, redrawing, and desperately trying to recreate your digital artwork on a larger scale. I’m here to show you how you can take your digital designs and transfer them to any type of surface: chalkboard, wood or even a wall without any measuring! 

Tools & Materials

• iPad
• Procreate
• Adobe Reader (Free Version)
• Printer
• Tape
• Chalkboard or other surface of your choice
• Saral Wax Free Transfer Paper
• Pencil
• Paint or Paint Marker

Step 1: Design and Save

Create your design in procreate and save it as a PDF. It is important that before you begin, you create a custom canvas that is the same dimensions of the sign you are working with. For my final project, my...

Hi there! Rachael of @dulciedoodles here! I’m coming at you today with a mini-tutorial of how to create galaxy letters with your water based markers.  Today I’ll be using Tombow Dual Brush pens, but you can follow this step-by-step process with your favorite blendable markers.

Materials 

•  Canson XL Marker Paper - This paper is extremely smooth and allows your water based markers to easily blend right on the paper.  This type of smooth paper is the key to blending with markers. Blending markers on copy paper or other pain drawing papers may not yield the same results. 

• Tombow Dual Brush Pens - The exact colors used in this tutorial aren’t the end-all-be-all of this tutorial.  The basic requirements are to use two dark/black colors and alternate with three bright colors to blend in between them.  Pinks, purples, and blues are often popular galaxy colors, but so are yellow, orange, and red. Select colors...

If you're into lettering, you've probably dabbled in the modern calligraphy side of hand lettering, which is an incredibly rewarding art form. I've also had a ton of questions about composition. I also-also know that many have had the desire to branch out of pretty bounces and get into a structured composition, letting the layout be “the fancy.” If you fit into any of those desires, read on, friend.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stopped a lettering piece long before it actually takes off due to either not knowing how to (or not having the patience to) properly lay out a guideline that would act as a composition. Well NO LONGER. I’ve stumbled into a happy place of #letteringallthethings thanks to this Grid Builder (remember when I mentioned DesignCuts a while ago? It’s a GEM of a place)!

I’m talking NO MORE GUESSING or struggling with where to put what. I’m going to walk you through this easy-as-pie (I don’t...

Ready to be a ROCK-STAR with your lettering? Why not show off your lettering skills by putting words inside the shape of a STAR? Fitting words and quotes into geometric shapes can be both fun for you and impressive to your audience. In today’s post, I (Alyssa from @Lyssas_Letters) will walk you step-by-step through the process of designing a piece of hand lettering artwork that leave people feeling star-struck!

Step 1: Thumbnail Sketches

I begin by sketching a small 5-pointed star with a fine-tip marker. You could also sketch in pencil; I just prefer to use ink because I don’t mind making “mistakes” during this phase of designing. The ink encourages me to take risks, knowing that I can’t erase!

The quote that I have chosen to write inside of the star is “Let your light shine.” Feel free to choose another short phrase or quote that resonates with you!

I find it helpful to write out the entire phrase and underline the “key...

Hi Friends! I’m Erin, better known as GoFontYourself around the ‘gram. I’m a huge fan of adding sparkle to any kind of crafty project so I’m going to show you a pretty simple way to go about it through embossing. Here is everything you need to do some quick custom shine!

Supplies

Essential Items:

• Cardstock paper (you can really emboss a ton of items which is why I love it so much, but to start, we’ll be practicing on any kind of thick paper)
• Embossing Pen (Ranger Ink is my preferred brand)
• Embossing Powder
• Embossing Heat Tool (Note: Your hair dryer will not work. Embossing requires higher heat than hair dryers can achieve!)

Not Essential But Will Make Your Life Easier:

• Anti-Static Bag 
• Powder Tray (got this little one from Michaels)
• Small Dry Paintbrush
  
  

Step One: Clean Surface

Embossing powder sticks to everything - I mean EVERYTHING - so you want a dry and sticky-free surface to start. I like to use an anti-static bag...

Ribbon lettering is an impressive technique that makes your lettering stand out and look realistic. The trick for creating this effect is knowing where to add outlines and shading. It only requires a brush pen and a monoline pen, and it’s easier to create than you might think - just follow these 5 steps!

Supplies:

• Brush Pen
• Monoline Pen (black or a few shades darker than brush pen)
  
  

Step 1: Write the word using a brush pen

Normally in brush lettering, you aim to make the upstrokes much thinner than the downstrokes (and that’s not easy!). With the ribbon technique, you can apply some pressure on the upstrokes. This will make sure there isn’t too much contrast in the stroke weight. After all, the effect should resemble a continuous ribbon. 

You can also think about making the letterforms slightly more “boxy” than normal, especially where there is a transition between thick and thin. For example, bottom curve of the “o” and the top...

Through my experience in lettering, I saw many artists start lettering with the iPad and Apple Pencil or using Photoshop and Illustrator to digitize their lettering. Back then, I didn’t have the tools that everyone was using. Photoshop and Illustrator required monthly payments and frankly, I wasn’t for that. I started doing my own research and discovered a new way to digitize my lettering and I’m hoping that I can share my methods with you in this short tutorial!

Before we begin, here’s what you need:

• A phone that can scan your lettering or a scanner
• I typically use my phone with the app CamScanner
• A laptop or computer with the free program Inkscape downloaded
• Follow this link and choose to download the program for Windows or Mac:  https://inkscape.org/release/inkscape-0.92.3/ 
• Some paper and a brush pen to create your lettering

Step 1: Letter your piece

Now that you have the necessary tools, we can get started! After you letter...