As part of the Tombow Ambassador Team, we receive product to test. All opinions are our own.
April is National Letter Writing Month, and I figured that would give me a perfect excuse to work on my hand letting skills. I think part of what makes lettering intimidating is that we see all these amazing images on Pinterest and Instagram and think that there’s no way to be that good. I have some beautiful lettered pieces of art that are hanging in my home, and I know that’s not my skill level, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t make something beautiful now.
One of the ways I take the pressure off is by working on low commitment pieces. I figured out that envelopes are the perfect solution for me. People are happy just to receive a letter in the mail, and if it’s addressed beautifully, all the better. The other bonus for me is that envelopes are small. It’s only a few words to practice. On these envelopes I lettered the names and then added a banner. The small workspace also made it easier to work on my straight lines.
I sketched the envelopes out in pencil and then, when I was mostly happy with my design, I used the Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen to go over the design. After I was done, I used my sand eraser to remove all the pencil lines without worrying about removing any ink.
The other Low Commitment project was a set of gift tags. Once again, small space and few words. Plus, someone will be opening a gift, which means they’ll definitely love the tag! I just came up with some phrases that were simple (I’ll branch out as I get more comfortable!), and then followed the same process as with the envelopes.
The other great thing about these projects is that I don’t have to look at them again. That may sound harsh, but I’m very self critical, and it’s hard to look at something that I’m not completely satisfied with. I know that I’m getting better, but I’m still a long way from where I want to be. With these small projects I feel like I’m doing more than just practicing on a scratch pad, without investing a lot of hours and tears!
I’d love to hear any low commitment letting ideas that you have.
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