Got mail to send? Have you thought about decorating the front (and back) of that envelope? How many times have you seen a beautifully decorated envelope and thought to yourself, "That's gorgeous!" but stopped because it either looked too difficult or time consuming? Well, envelope art can be as simple as putting some creative lettering on the front or complex with intricate flourishes and designs. This class is about finding that middle ground with floral borders that you can easily create a handful at a time and have envelopes ready to address and mail!

Topics Covered

• Examples 
• Finding inspiration from what is inside the envelope
• How to decant watercolors from your pans to a palette
• A large loose floral element on one corner (front and back) and outlining it to make it pop
• Using masking tape to create a border
• How to use a wedge brush and a round brush for each floral element
• How to create a floral border with just paint and another with outlines and a last one without...

Sending old fashioned letters through the mail is a beautiful way to use your calligraphy. It brings joy to the receiver, and is relatively inexpensive! It can be so much fun, but you can't necessarily just stick any stamp on any envelope... different ink requires different postage amounts as does different weights, sizes, and even lumpiness! Then what do you actually put into the letter? It may be easy to write a page (or four!) to your best friend, but what if you want to send mail to someone you don't know well (like in the KCA Snail Mail Database)? I have you covered in this class.

Topics Covered

• Postage- how much it costs to mail a letter and what costs extra
• What to put inside the envelope, especially if you don't know the recipient well
• Some formal etiquette do's and don'ts
• How to make an envelope liner

Want to join us for class? It's offered on-demand and available now for all Tier 2 students.  Some classes are also available to Tier 1 students. ...

In this class, you'll learn to design your very own hand-painted and embellished postcard using gold leaf, watercolors, and a little ancient history.  You'll get a quick background on the menorah motif, as well as a thorough tutorial on gold leaf application and some beginner watercolor techniques. Calligraph a short message on the back of your postcard and ship it off to a loved one who celebrates the Festival of Lights to illuminate their day! 

Topics Covered:

• Gold leaf for illustrative elements & calligraphy
• Wet on dry watercolor technique
• Ancient art history context 
• Appropriate holiday greetings

Want to join us for class? It's offered on-demand and available now for all Tier 2 students.  Some classes are also available to Tier 1 students. Click here to see the Tier 1 Class Listing.  

Members Only: Access the Class

Enroll in Tier 2 Now

Materials Needed:

• Artificial gold leaf & adhesive size
• Link to The Israel Museum's...

Nothing says Christmas or the Holidays like a beautifully flourished snowflake. In this lesson, you will learn fun ways to flourish and design decorative and festive elements so you can create beautiful snowflakes to write on your holiday cards and envelopes. There's also a fun bonus lesson at the end, so stay tuned!

Topics Covered: 

• How to create a radial flourish
• How to use watercolors for pointed pen calligraphy 

Want to join us for class? It's offered on-demand and available now for all Tier 2 students.  Some classes are also available to Tier 1 students. Click here to see the Tier 1 Class Listing.  

Members Only: Access the Class

Enroll in Tier 2 Now

Materials Needed:

• pointed nib
• oblique or straight nib holder
• ink of your choice
• pen or pencil
• ruler
• water
• eyedropper
• pearlescent watercolor, colored inks, or gouache
• watercolor paper or practice paper

Bonus Session Materials:

• pointed nib
• oblique or straight nib holder...

After joining in on this class, you’ll be well equipped to tackle ornaments for your own personal enjoyment, a sweet personalized gift, or even for your business needs!

Topics Covered:

• Materials needed for a successful ornament personalization
• Tips for writing on glass, acrylic, and wood ornaments
• Ideas for different types of ornaments and their wording.

Want to join us for class? It's offered on-demand and available now for all Tier 2 students.  Some classes are also available to Tier 1 students. Click here to see the Tier 1 Class Listing.  

Members Only: Access the Class

Enroll in Tier 2 Now

Materials Needed:

Wood Slice Ornament:

• Wood slice with hole drilled (I purchase mine from Hobby Lobby but Amazon and many DIY/craft stores carry them)
• Craft paint
• Paint Pen (Sharpie, Posca, or Sakura Pen Touch all work well)
• Ribbon

Acrylic Ornament:

• 4" round acrylic circle with hole drilled in top (can be any piece of acrylic in any size or...

Nothing says "Welcome and Merry Christmas!" than a holiday wreath hanging on a front door. Wreaths exude a sense of joy and a desire for peace, as its circular shape symbolizes unity and never ending love and life. Spring and Summer wreaths represent new life and growth. Autumn wreaths represents change and the circle of life. Christmas wreaths have deep and symbolic religious meaning, but over time, have come to represent the spirit of Christmas and the holidays. For me, leaves represent the tree of life, symbolizing health and growth, the pine needles represent peace (the Tree of Peace), the holly leaves represent hope, and the poinsettia represents good cheer. We will be combining all four elements to create a beautiful Christmas wreath, using watercolor techniques that you can use to make holiday cards and decorate envelopes. 

Topics Covered: 

• Creating leaves and poinsettia petals
• Creating pine needles
• Creating holly leaves
• Revisiting all four elements 
• Step...

Have you ever found yourself wondering how to make a little extra money with your calligraphy around the holidays? We are going to talk about one of the best (and one of the easiest) ways calligraphers can earn money for Christmas and that’s Santa Letters. In this video, Allison will go over all the basics of how she puts together these Santa Letters and some things to think about to make selling them a bit easier. The tips you will learn in this class will help you in any situation where you are doing live calligraphy and selling items, like at a craft fair.

Topics Covered

• How to Make Santa Letters
• How to Price Your Santa Letters
• How to Do Live Calligraphy at a Craft Fair
• How to Use Gouache for Calligraphy

Want to join us for class? It's offered on-demand and available now for all Tier 2 students.  Some classes are also available to Tier 1 students. Click here to see the Tier 1 Class Listing.  

Members Only: Access the Class

Enroll in Tier...

Copperplate is all about uniformity and symmetry but by making a few simple changes to it, you can create a beautiful and whimsical modern script.

Want to join us for class? It's offered on-demand and available now for all Tier 2 students.  Some classes are also available to Tier 1 students. Click here to see the Tier 1 Class Listing.  

Members Only: Access the Class

Enroll in Tier 2 Now

Materials Needed:

• pointed nib
• oblique or straight nib holder
• ink of your choice
• pen or pencil
• printed guidelines
• a leather blotter or a few sheets of paper for cushion

Homework Challenge

Want to see our students' homework? Search the hashtag #kcamoderntwist on Instagram to see samples from this week's homework. Our students who participate in this challenge get entered into a drawing to win prizes.

Instructor: Regenia Paige

Instagram: @regeniapaigecalligraphy

Website: www.nibcritique.com

Homework Challenge: #kcawoodsigns

Walking through a store with beautiful wooden signs for sale, have you ever found yourself thinking, “Hmm.. I could totally make that but I have no idea where to start”? That’s where Carrie comes in, friends! She's spilling all of her sign-making secrets just for you. She's been through enough trial and error for all of us and is here to share her very best tips for lettering on wood.

In this class, you’ll learn:

• How to prep your wood and why it is important to do so
• The materials needed for both prepping your sign as well as for lettering
• And a step-by-step process for taking the fear of error out of the sign lettering equation.

After joining in on this class, you’ll be well equipped to tackle signage for your own personal enjoyment, a sweet personalized gift, or even for your business needs!

Want to join us for class? It's offered on-demand and available now for all Tier 2...

Ready to try Modern Calligraphy? In this class we'll be learning the fundamentals of brush lettering based off Malka's signature calligraphy style! Just watch her easy-to-follow steps and before you know it you'll be on your way to lettering a favorite quote of your own beautifully! Can't wait to see how you incorporate your own handwriting and flair to create a piece that is uniquely yours!

Topics Covered:

• modern calligraphy background
• brush pen mechanics and technique
• key lettering terminology
• fundamental strokes
• letterform breakdown and guides
• composition tips & creation
• review of critique process

Want to join us for class? It's offered on-demand and available now for all Tier 2 students.  Some classes are also available to Tier 1 students. Click here to see the Tier 1 Class Listing.  

Members Only: Access the Class

Enroll in Tier 2 Now

Materials Needed:

• Tombow Fudenosuke hard tip brush pen
• printed worksheets
• tracing paper
• tape
• Rhodia/...