Making Holiday cards are ridiculously fun. Much of my time is spent making serious art. I love it. But sometimes just playing around is very freeing. I get a little creative, a little playful, a little cheeky. It’s like taking a big breath of fresh air. I invite you to try it. Here’s a list of tools, my usual suspects when it comes to making these little masterpieces.
The Usual Suspects:
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- Hahnemühle watercolor Postcards
- Hahnemühle You Tangle Tiles
- Zebra brush pens
- Zebra colored brush pens
- NEW Zebra Metallic Brush Pens (I can’t wait to try these!)
- Zebra Technical pens
- Da Vinci Watercolors
- Colored Pencils
- Zebra Mechanical pencils (these small pencils are SO cute w/ a great eraser!)
- Good Eraser
- Where To Buy Hahnemühle paper – go here to find all the buying options and stores near you.
The “Hello Chocolate Bunny” tile was done using a light brush pen then some colored pencils to gradate the lettering. Then I outlined all the lettering, drew a border and added the chocolate bunny. I find a border really helps most of these cards come together. If I had been working on the watercolor postcards I could have used brush pens and a blender to get the same effect.
There are tutorials online for learning how to do a gradient with hand lettering. Also, look to Instagram for great ideas and to learn how to shade your lettering. It looks impressive and is a lot of fun to accomplish. I keep staring at the card, hey, I did that with only a little practice!
Hand lettering is a useful skill.
It’s not writing, it’s drawing letters. That appeals to the artist in me and allows me to play a little. Who doesn’t like a little playtime in the sandbox? Ok, so my sandbox is filled with art supplies, hehehehehe. The lettering adds a whimsy to my art that I truly love. Yes, I do serious art but I can also have a little play, a little splash in my watercolors.
Ok, go forth and make someone happy with a little piece of art. Give a piece of you away! These postcards and tangle tiles work a treat for just that purpose. It only costs you a little time and under $25 if you need supplies. Have a Happy Easter everybody. Have a happy holiday filled with love and peace. Oh and treats. Follow that Bunny, he has chocolate!
Here’s a preview of what I’m working on now for next week. I’ll be hand lettering quotes into a Hahnemühle 2″x2″ zig zag book. Here I’m practicing on a similar sized piece of watercolor paper to get the feel of the Zebra brush pen against the painted surface. I’ll be doing a giveaway so you’ll be able to win your very own Zig Zag book! Stay tuned. Until then, scroll down and enter this week’s giveaway. See you Monday!
OH!! There is a GIVEAWAY for some of the products I used to make this art. GO HERE, you could WIN Hahnemühle postcards & tangle tiles, a Zebra brush pen, fountain pen & pencil, a mini watercolor palette filled with artist grade paint and JAWS swag (think Bee magnet, lol). Good Luck and Happy Easter!
sandra strait
Did I know you were a lefty? I probably did. Great video! You are so talented!
Kathy Delumpa Allegri
Nice video! I enjoy your creative blog and wish you and your family a Happy Easter!
Jean Marmo
I love your cards! Never thought of writing as drawing letters. Maybe I should! Have a wonderful Easter!
Nancy Sapp
Jennifer – Your Creative Lettering is SUPER Beautiful!! I’ve been TRYING to learn the bounce -lettering but can’t seem to get the knack of it. I’ll continue practicing. My OWN lettering seems to work better for me. But it’s not as beautiful as yours’ is!
Lynette
Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm to do these fun cards. I love them all! Thanks for the description of how you achieved the beautiful gradation effect on the word “chocolate.” It had
never occurred to me to layer the two mediums. Thank you for sharing different techniques… and of course your beautiful art. OX