Hello creative friends! My name is Erin German and I’m so excited to share my first blog post as part of the CutCardStock Design team! I’m a graphic designer by trade, so you’ll be seeing some of my printed projects that incorporate CutCardStock products, but I’ll also be sharing some projects that feature calligraphy and hand-lettering, a passion I’ve pursued over the past couple of years.
For this first post, I’m sharing a technique called “faux calligraphy”. Faux calligraphy is a great way to introduce yourself to the art of calligraphy without purchasing any special tools! It’s an excellent way to study and grow to understand the thick and thin strokes of each letterform.
Easter is fast approaching – April 1st this year! As the host of my family’s brunch, I love to set a pretty table (pay no mind to my lack of cooking skills!). A few years ago I bought this fun table runner that has a marbled pattern, so I was thrilled when I discovered the Bazzill Marble Cardstock.
The “Sugar Wafer” gray coordinated beautifully with my runner, so I decided to use it for the placecards for the boys in the family. For the ladies, I chose to go with the Curious Metallic Ice Gold card stock, which also happens to be on sale this month! I love how the metallic paper coordinated with the metallic threads in the table runner. Plus the gold reflection of the paper is so unexpected and beautiful! You get a hint of it in the top photo of this post with my name. So yummy!
For the faux calligraphy, I chose to use the UniBall Gold Gel Pen to continue the metallic theme, but any pen can be used for this technique. Here are the steps for creating faux calligraphy:
1. Write out your text in a script style. Pay attention to the downstrokes (pen moving down on the paper) as these will end up being your thicker lines.
2. Give the ink a few seconds to dry. Go back and draw a second line that widens the downstrokes (this actually looks pretty cool without being filled in – another option!).
3. Fill in the gap between the lines with ink. Voilà! Your text looks like calligraphy!
For the ladies, I added a little bow, because we deserve a some more pretty, don’t you think? Instead of using glue, I just put a tiny strip of Score-Tape to hold the ribbon. Easy peasy!
A few more cards to do and I’ll be ready to host! Now what to do about the food… 😉 Have a great week everyone! XOXO – Erin
