Class Intro

Now that you have designed your wedding invitations, it’s time to get them ready to submit for the printer. Not sure where to start? We’ve got you covered. This class by Allison McClanahan @wildwoodcalligraphyandpost takes you through setting up your artwork for the printer using Adobe Photoshop.

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 Here

Enroll Now

Topics Covered

• Create and work within a Photoshop file
• Margins
• Safe Zones
• Changing the color of calligraphy
• Saving the file so it is printer ready

Plus:

• Shortcuts for those who don't do artwork or calligraphy, or both!

Supplies

• Calligraphy invitation design you have already scanned or have created in Procreate
• Adobe Photoshop

Other Classes that will Help to Build Your Invitation Suite

• ...

No more turning down wedding invitation jobs because they seem over your head!

We are taking the mystery out of stationery design and giving you all the tools you need for quick and easy design and production. Join us for our 3-part Invitation Suite Design Series taught by Allison McClanahan, a bespoke stationery designer and calligrapher.

Our first class started with designing a watercolor crest, teaching you how to create stationery artwork and digitize it for printing. In Part 2 you will learn all the ins and outs of the wedding invitation suite.

We’re talking paper sizes, paper types and colors, printing methods, wording and etiquette, layouts and artwork ideas, and all the bells and whistles to add. Did someone say ribbons and wax seals? Allison takes you in to her tried-and-true design process and walks you step by step through how to work with wedding clients from start to finish.

You’ll learn about creating look books, what to use for design...

Designing wedding invitations has never been more fun! This class is kicking off a 3-month series on designing a wedding invitation suite. We are starting with learning to design a watercolor crest, and in this class we will be making artwork to use throughout the entire suite. Over the next three months, look forward to learning about the different parts of the wedding invitation suite, how to design them, and what to do to get them from your pen or brush to the printer.

Design a Watercolor Crest is chock-full of new techniques for you to learn, from design and painting techniques to working in Photoshop. You will be inspired to dream and amazed at your new abilities. This class will provide you with grins, whoa’s and “Aha!” moments. The watercolor crest you will create can be used not just for wedding invitations, but for personal stationery, wall-hangings in baby nurseries, and no shortage of creative custom artwork. Take a look at the topics that will be...

My name is Allison McClanahan, and I am a calligrapher and stationer. For my wedding clients, I work with ribbon and wax seals which makes a piece of mail extra fun to receive. In this class, I’ll show you my favorite methods for creating wax seals and tying ribbons.  

Topics covered

• Wax and sealing stamps sourcing
• Ribbon sourcing
• Gold marker brand
• Wax seal formation--various methods and shapes with a focus on the glue gun method
• Ribbon/wax seal combinations
  • opposite direction tails
  • same direction tails
• Ribbon tying
  • knot
  • bow
• How to keep your wax seal and ribbon from attaching to the paper

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 Now

Supplies

• Sealing wax (I prefer glue gun sticks from Artisaire) 
• Sealing stamps (shown in video:...

In this class, we will talk about how to take a picture that accurately represents what you want to show by using good lighting, editing the picture in lightroom mobile, and styling your piece as well.

Topics Covered

• Good things for flat lay props
• Proper Lighting
• How to arrange props around your piece
• Taking different pictures of the same piece to have more photos for Instagram
• Editing the pictures in Lightroom

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:

Flatlay Props: (of course, these are not all required, just suggestions)

• Wax stamps
• Wax seals (created by pouring wax onto aluminum foil, then peeling off when cool)
• Old nibs, shells, feathers, ribbon, other small antique items
• Vintage postage, handmade...

Calligraphy on envelopes! This is what drew me to calligraphy in the first place, and it is still my very favorite thing to do.

Topics Covered:

• Consistency in letter forms
• Using a Lightbox with your favorite guidelines
• Using a Phantom Liner
• Judging your spacing for centering
• Common addressing anxieties
• Flourishing to take up space/balance
• Knowing where to start on your envelope
• Suggestions for talking to clients about postage
• And other resources and tips spread throughout!

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: 

• Envelopes. I recommend Paper Source and Cards and Pockets for smooth quality envelopes. In the video, I am using Crane and Co’s Lettra which is slightly more challenging to write on, but has a lovely...

Being able to digitize your calligraphy is a vital skill to have if you want to start making reproductions of your work (like cards or wedding stationery!). Being able to drag your calligraphy, move script around, and even change the color will allow you to take your calligraphy to new places!

Topics Covered

• Scanning your work into the computer and opening it in Photoshop
• How to prep your scanned in file in photoshop
• How to delete the white paper background so that you can create moveable script
• How to separate script so that you can move different words and letters independently.
• How to change the color of script
• How to insert your script into another photo

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

Digitizing Basics:

• Scanner. Any...

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. ...

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...

Have you ever found yourself wondering what to say in a thank you note? Maybe you have wondered if you even need to write a thank you note. This class is going to teach you how to write a thank you note quickly and promptly with personality and charm. Allison will talk about getting set up to write thank you notes quickly and will even show you some of her favorite ways to flourish "Thank You" so you can make your own notecards. 

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: