Category Archives: Hand Lettering

Modern Calligraphy Class in Greenville

What an amazing weekend spent in Greenville, SC. We spent a full day on Saturday teaching a total of three beginner-level Modern Calligraphy classes. This was our first time teaching out of town, and it couldn’t have been a better experience. Our friends at Indie Craft Parade coordinated the workshops, and The Printshop kindly hosted us in their amazing studio space. It was such a wonderful day, and we really enjoyed spending time with the class participants and spending the day putting pen to paper. All photos by Erin Godbey of Indie Craft Parade.

INK MEETS PAPER® Calligraphy Kits and hand-lettered place cards
INK MEETS PAPER® Calligraphy Kits and hand-lettered place cards
Class full of calligraphy students!
Class full of calligraphy students!
Practicing the basic strokes
Practicing the basic strokes

Modern Hand Lettering Class

This February, I started teaching a class on modern hand lettering at SpaceCraft Studios. It’s been the most wonderful experience in the two classes we’ve held so far, and I’ve really enjoyed connecting with other handwriting enthusiasts. It’s a beginner-lever class that focuses on pointed pen techniques and encourages students to develop their own lettering styles.

We start by covering the basic strokes and shapes that make the letters and on getting the hang of using a dip pen and ink.

Like letterpress printing, pointed pen lettering requires patience and a willingness to slow down. It’s such a rewarding process though, and I love how students are able to see how much progress they make just in one class.

And we’ve had such a great response to the classes we’ve held so far (everything has sold out!) that we just added two additional classes on June 25 and June 26 (6:30pm to 9:00pm).

 

Hello, Spring!

Hooray for longer days filled with sunshine and warmer weather! We’re welcoming the buttercups that are peeking their heads through the ground– it seemed like winter dragged on way too long this year (and, admittedly, we’re winter wimps living here in the south, and we felt for all of you stuck with so much snow and ice).
We’re kicking off springtime with a couple of new Easter designs– each featuring a bright, cheery coral ink to combat the last bit of the winter blues.

IMP-4003 - Hoppy Easter Letterpress Card | INK MEETS PAPER IMP-4003 – Hoppy Easter Letterpress Card | INK MEETS PAPER® IMP-4003-S - Hoppy Easter Letterpress Card Set | INK MEETS PAPER IMP-4003-S – Hoppy Easter Letterpress Card Set | INK MEETS PAPER IMP-4002 - Happy Easter Letterpress Card | INK MEETS PAPER IMP-4002 – Happy Easter Letterpress Card | INK MEETS PAPER IMP-4002-S - Happy Easter Letterpress Card Set | INK MEETS PAPER IMP-4002-S – Happy Easter Letterpress Card Set | INK MEETS PAPER

Each design is available as a single or boxed set of six. Browse the entire Easter collection online or find an INK MEETS PAPER stockist near you.

Custom Hand-Lettered and Edge-Painted Cards for the New Year

Before the first quarter of 2014 is over, I wanted to share our personal holiday cards. We sent this year’s cards out in January as a celebration of the upcoming year. Our goal was to encourage and inspire our friends and family with a card that wouldn’t be tucked away at the end of the season, and we also wanted something that was a bit interactive.

Using dip pen and ink, I hand lettered our wishes for them for 2014, and on the back, included the line “this year I (we) will:”  We letterpress printed the cards onto super-thick, 220-lb Crane’s Lettra using hand-mixed dark green ink.

We challenged ourselves at the start of the design to use the remainder of lime green envelopes from a long-ago custom project. In addition to the dark green ink, we chose yellow-orange to be a pop of contrasting color, using it in custom envelope liners with a hand-drawn pattern.

The edges were also painted that same yellow-orange color (and it’s amazing how much that bit of color along the edges can transform the entire piece). Since 220-lb paper is so thick, it works really well for edge painting.

I hand-lettered each recipient’s address using a dip pen and dark green ink.

It was such a fun project, and we were happy to be able to share it with our friends and family.

Cheers to an amazing 2014!

(Also, interested in custom letterpress printing or hand-lettering? Learn more about INK MEETS PAPER Services

 

Love is in the Air!

It’s hard to believe that we’re over half way through January… and we’re right on the heels of Valentine’s Day. We’ve been busy in the studio designing and printing, and are excited to release this year’s Valentine’s cards (available in stores and online). The designs are hand lettered and then made into photopolymer plates for printing. We were excited to break in a new tin of metallic gold ink with these cards. Although it doesn’t appear quite as metallic since it’s on cotton paper, it’s still the loveliest gold color.

All of our cards are blank on the inside– perfect for that love letter.

And perfect for sharing with your friends (these are available as boxed sets of six cards)… because handwritten notes brighten everyone’s day.

And speaking of ways to brighten someone’s day, Etsy coordinates an awesome Special Delivery project to spread handwritten cheer. They partner “with Citymeals-on-Wheels to bring nutritious meals, handmade greeting cards and companionship to elderly Americans.” Specific details are available here, and the deadline to receive the cards is February 3, 2014.

Happy writing!