Design First Class Envelope Art with Simple Washi Tape Ideas | Tammy Prara | Skillshare
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Design First Class Envelope Art with Simple Washi Tape Ideas

teacher avatar Tammy Prara, Created to Create

Watch this class and thousands more

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Taught by industry leaders & working professionals
Topics include illustration, design, photography, and more

Watch this class and thousands more

Get unlimited access to every class
Taught by industry leaders & working professionals
Topics include illustration, design, photography, and more

Lessons in This Class

    • 1.

      Envelope Art

      3:04

    • 2.

      Project and Upload

      1:09

    • 3.

      Basic Supplies

      2:24

    • 4.

      Washi Tips

      5:34

    • 5.

      The Basic Wrap

      6:00

    • 6.

      Designer Stripes

      6:53

    • 7.

      Doodle Accents

      6:28

    • 8.

      Background Washi

      8:27

    • 9.

      Full Coverage

      9:23

    • 10.

      SK 21 Washi Envie 10 Wrap up

      0:16

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About This Class

Designing mailable art is simple with washi paper tape.  In this class you will learn a variety of techniques that will bring visual impact to your outgoing mail or package.  Throughout this class, you will discover how to work with washi, and what to avoid, creating an appealing design layout, and even collaging a beautiful envelope that will also keep contents more secure.  

This is a great class for beginner collage artists, those looking to liven up their snail mail, and those who want to utilize their washi tape supplies by extending their creativity to envelopes.  Not only are hand crafts good for relaxing, but paper crafting especially is simple to learn and helps to bring a smile to the creator and receiver.  Creating is an act of love and sharing it continues the fun!

By the end of the class, students will understand:

  • the different types of washi tapes available
  • how to best secure an envelope to help prevent damage in transit
  • choosing the right colors and patterns for a pleasing look
  • how to avoid tape lift and how to fix it
  • how to achieve several looks with just a handful of tapes

Showcase your style with envelope art!  Create a one of a kind piece of mailable art and spread a little happiness into the world!

For my other classes on envelope art:  Custom Fit Envelope,   Gel Plate Prints on Envelopes

Meet Your Teacher

Teacher Profile Image

Tammy Prara

Created to Create

Teacher


Hi Friends! My name is Tammy and I am an empty nester who discovered a love for modern calligraphy and watercolor painting after the kids left home. Today, I embrace mixed media collage and have become an avid paper collector! I have been crafting for many years and am a self taught artist, which is a good thing since I consider myself a life-long learner! I think we each have a desire to learn and to try new things whether it be through reading, or art, or a new recipe, or assembling a new outfit. Ideas come together with action and we create! Creating something means we have left our mark in the moment, or even generationally. I see art as a way to move from chaos to beauty.

Everyone is creative and I encourage experimenting, and like Edison, you will either ma... See full profile

Level: All Levels

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Transcripts

1. Envelope Art: Hi friends. It's tammy Prara, and thank you for joining my class on envelope Art using decorative washi tape. Today you will learn how to extend your creativity From cards and collage to the envelope that contains your Art. I have several ideas to share with you as you navigate your washi tape collection and create with them in unique ways. At the same time, protect and secure your contents for mailing. I've received damaged Envelopes recently and it is possible for the contents to be lost, or perhaps your contents shift or are uneven and it causes the envelope to tear in route. Washi tape is a great resource to protect and decorate your envelope. This class is great for beginner collage artists. Those looking to liven up their snail mail and those that want to utilize their washi tape supplies. When I discovered envelope Art, Beyond using stickers as a kid, I realized I had a whole other surface to decorate. I saw it as a way to continue the Gift of the contents to the Gift of surprise. When opening the mail box, I will show you tips on using washi to secure your envelope. How to use color and pattern for aesthetic impact. Demonstrate placement strategies for beautiful presentation. By the end of this class, you will have the knowledge and tools necessary to create visually captivating, Envie Art that showcases your personal style and creativity. I'm an artist on Instagram, and I deeply desire to teach simple crafting ideas and Art projects is especially love collage, and the many ways it can bring encouragement and hope and light and a dark world. I share my talent and these small ways and then mail them out to friends and family. Creating is an act of love to myself. And then sharing doubles my joy. Envelope Art just continues the Fun. Join me as we delve into envelope Art 2. Project and Upload: The final project for the class is to design your own envelope art using washi tape. Let me know. Did you mail your envelope or was it part of a hand-delivered gifts? Remember to add your final project to the project section of the class. I look forward to seeing your work and I know other students benefit as well. On your laptop or desktop computer, click the green button to upload a photo and describe your experience. I will respond and I want to encourage you 3. Basic Supplies: Making envelope Art, you obviously need some Envelopes. These, I generally find it thrift stores. And as you can see, they come in all different sizes. So having these one-off envelope is really handy for whenever I make Art. And I'm not making them to any particular size. These having a variety of Envelopes is really helpful. And then you need about 100 different. Okay, just kidding. The Envelopes we're making maybe used six at the most. And see if you can color coordinate. If you have four or five of a particular color, that's great. We're also looking at width. Do you have wide and medium and skinny? Then that would make a great combination. Having a choice of patterned and solid is a great idea. Maybe someone has sent you some samples or you just have a little bit of remnant, pull those out and let's start using these up. I love using the Elmore's craft bond. This is an extra strength glue stick and something to press down your washi tape with a credit card, a bone folder. And if you feel like doodling today, then find a very fine point. Pen. I like Micron. And I was using a two or three whatever size you have, Gel Pens would be fine as well. If you have Crafts, scissors pull those out. It helps to trim up the tape. Otherwise, we tear quite a bit. So scissors could just be an option for you. For one of our projects, I like to collage, if you will, have a larger illustration that would work out great for layering on your envelope and even a few stickers. If you have some stickers we could add to your collage and your envelope, those will come in handy as well. 4. Washi Tips: If you are new to washi tape, then this lesson is for you. I'm going to discuss a few different kinds of washi tapes and things to look for when you're building your envelope art. Washi tape is known as a paper tape or like a masking tape. It is sticky on one side and another decorative cover and it tears easily. Washi tape also comes in so many sizes, half an inch to an inch to even larger. They can have incredible patterns and sometimes some gold or metallic elements on them. Others might have fun characters. And using them means you could even use one at a time, cutting them off as you need just a snippet for your paper art. But not all washi tape is the same. These in particular are very waxy, are almost like a wax paper. You can hear the difference, feel the difference. But that doesn't make them any less usable. And I will definitely be putting some of this to use in our envelope art. There's even fabric tape. This is a really gorgeous pattern and it is sticky, but incredibly sticky and even has its own protective layer. Some washi tapes have little panels, different elements. Each panel. You could use them as a sticker or as a banner across your envelope. Another washi tape is a do it yourself. I actually created some of my own washi tape with my gel plate and stamps. And you peel off the backing. Some of them are gummed and you just wet the back to apply. You might come across packages of washi tape. Sometimes these little bundles are on sale and that makes a great buy. They come color coordinated already with different patterns. One creative use of washi tape is sharing them with swap partners. Many people like to use a playing card because it has a waxy covering and they can wrap the washi tape around it and it won't stick. And you can use every last bit. I've collected some of the craziest washi tape this way. Bananas to unicorns, ninjas, funny cat images, and some beautiful wide tapes. Some washi tapes are more like foil. This metallic washi is so thin, it's so delicate. Makes great trim and accent pieces to our envelope art. This even has a pattern on it. When decorating an envelope, go ahead and color coordinate your washi tapes. Maybe want to collect everything with a green tone. Maybe you want to collect a neutral palette. And everything that is of earth tones. Even throw in a few metallics, pull together some solid colors. And this one is on break. The color changes throughout the role. That makes a great addition. There's even tape that looks like a measuring tape. Watercolor artists love to lay down their watercolor paper with washi tapes and one with a ruler would be a great idea. Gather up all your florals, the solid colors, and here would work very well together. We're also looking for size. If you have wide and match it with a thin, that makes them more interesting envelope, what if your washi tape has words on it or sayings? Treat it as a banner or just snip out the one word that you need. You don't need this many washi tapes to get started today. This was just to help give you an idea of what to look for and how to coordinate what you want to use for your project. 5. The Basic Wrap: To send out a lot of Art projects that I've been working on. Maybe it's handmade postcards or ATC cards or a note card that I've embellished. So if I've created the Art, it didn't come with an envelope. And I love searching for envelopes at thrift stores. And yet that gives me the problem of envelopes that are never the same size. I generally have to go through my stash to find what's going to fit my project or card the best. But they are so inexpensive that way and you get to add your Art to the envelope. So I think I want to start out with this smaller envelope as a demonstration. I'm going to take this medium washi tape. And one of the most simple things you can do is almost always tear it is to wrap a corner. I go ahead and pull that around and it makes us little flag on the back. The very next thing is really press down those edges so they don't peel while you're mailing. This is so important to me when I mailing my special projects through the mail is I don't want my envelope opening up or tearing. My projects might be a little lumpy. They're not perfectly flat card. That can lead to some problems running through the post. The machine's really eat on Envelopes up. So I have found pudding Washi on a corner, giving it that extra bit of stability is one easy basic way to ensure. This. This envelope is even already has a snag and a bit of glue that's not holding. So I will definitely want to cover that up. One thing that's really important to me is that I don't want my Gift, say I have a gift card to get knocked out, tear the corners. And so this extra bit of stability really helps. Of course, you probably should be taping your gift card inside your note card. Lot of people worry about the taping your flaps down. But I really also I'm concerned about these corners not secure. You could run some stick glue under here. But what if we just take our washi tape? In fact, let's take a, a coordinating color, a different pink. We create this cute little border. It's right on the edge but not on the edge. And we do a Wrap as well. Like to smooth that down. Now running through the post machine, that's going to be much more secure. But I didn't go straight to the bottom. So I don't have any gamete or issues down all the way at the bottom. It should run through the post machine just as well. But here if you can see my washi tape got folded under. So I'm can take that off and look how easily it also peels away from other washi tape. So I want to snip that part. Let's use some glue to hold this down. Let's check our other side. Is it holding Okay. No. Because sticking on washi tape. Washi tape doesn't stick to itself very well, right? We pulled it off the role that way, but really adheres to Paper much, much better. I'm just giving it a little warm hand press because that seems to set the glue best for me. And here we have a very pink corner. And maybe you love those. Look, maybe that bothers you. If you want your washi tape to have this rough torn edge, great. If not, you can always trim it with scissors or a sticker over it. We haven't closed our envelope. So we're not quite done if we wanted to continue decorating. But that's a basic look and it also helps to secure or package inside. We've also learned to add extra glue if we're layering our washi tape on top of each other, 6. Designer Stripes: Another envelope I received in the mail, she use Stripes of washi tape and one across the back where the flap sealed. And let's try that. Look. We're using thick and thin. I also have a solid. Let's look for different and various thicknesses. Here's something your washi tape may tear. And so we're going to correct that. We're gonna keep working this Tape. This tape sticks to itself and you can feel it. The top of this tape is sticky. It's not free of any residue. And I do want to make sure I've wrapped all the way around the corners of my envelope, the corners, but my sides. Wanted to add a little bit of extra glue. I don't want this Tape going anywhere. Now I'm going to put it up a little higher because I want to put a solid band above and below it. Again, if you'd rather have a straight edge look, you can trim those edges. Let's lay that down really, really well. I lifted my flap because I don't want any of my tape attaching to my flap because I would like to use those envelope if you're ready and yours is sealed up, you can extend your tape even longer. So let's look for another color. Let's try the green. And let's put this one a Above. Give it maybe a good inch on either side, gently tearing that. I do have some paper here. I could just run my glue over and not worry about getting on my desk and putting just a slight separation. Because then that looks like there's an extra border right in there. Sometimes this might want to go down or go up instead of being completely straight with the piece that's next to it. I do not mind my links being different. I'm okay with that. How about this blue underneath? This is an hombre blue. It's going to change colors. And look, I'm done with my role. Well, that's a bummer. Okay, let's find something else. Pink maybe. That's awfully wide for what I need could always go with the green below, but I want to keep more variety going. Do you see how my heart's have a direction? Um, I want this heart's facing the right way up. And again, I'm putting that white border in-between. There. It more transparent than opaque. And let's get that flat, flat, flat. And that looks really cool. So the one thing that I really emphasize is I want something on the sides and on the top and bottom. I don't want to lose my contents. So we can choose another color or we can use what we have. Let's go ahead and use this green again and just do a stripe this way. Let's open up my envelope here, make sure I don't go over. It did just a bit and I'm going to trim that off. Now if we were ready to close, that would be okay. I want to make sure that I can still put contents in here. Definitely want to add more glue. I said these skinny ones can just seem to take off and any direction. Too much to the left, too much to the right. Let's get this folded over. So that's going to offer us some protection from any tears in this corner. Guys do love that. Where should we put it? Through the green, through the how about there? I liked that look right at the top of my tropical wide. Your collaging with tape, isn't that fine? Actually, collaging with tape, with paper tape. Make sure that holds. That is going to look great. That's nice. That came out great. 7. Doodle Accents: Envelope I received, had all this doodling work. And I want to take that inspiration and work with it with my washi tape. And let's take a big border of washi. Let's run it across the top pair. I picked this botanical Washi, one because I want to draw some botanicals. So much like what my friend offered. I want to draw more stems and berries that are coming off of this border. So I have a micron, It's a 0.3. And First of all, hey, what if I just order the top of it right here? Going to work my stems coming down. This very simple leaf pattern is just oval side-by-side. Also like ones that have curly cues. Maybe little berries coming off. And let's add some hanging berries. Maybe something solid instead of open. And the leaves are not side-by-side. And I'm just scratching them in. If you're worried about where your writings going to be, maybe take a little bit of scrap paper and save yourself a space. And say, Okay, I can do everything, but right here, you can even draw another vine. Just scratching it in. This other reddish color. My tape toward. How about we wrap it around? It feels like this could use some stickiness. How about in here? I think I do like that. Just like collage. When you think you're ready to do something and then you change your mind at the last minute. Because you've see something you like even better. I do want to go this way, right? I want to protect my envelope in two different areas. This is my crazy paper tape. I guess the good news is, is it is not sticking to itself like that one green one we had worked with. I think this might lend itself to wanting to be trimmed. How about we we give it a bit of an ribbon. Let's pull that up and pull that back. Didn't stick mile and give it a bit of a notch. And add definitely add more glue on this one. Down, that down. Think I want one more. One more this way. How about we add a detail right at the corner? Way I've hit this corner. I need one more doodle down here. And let's try this little curly Q with a heart filled in that space. 8. Background Washi: You know how much I love collage. So I want to collage on an envelope, found an image in a book, and I cut it out. And so it's a little bit heavier paper. And I want to use some neutral washi is to accentuate this picture. So let's see, I think this black and white and gold with look really nice with that. So let's start first by doing my Washi on the envelope itself. This is that washi that does not stick to itself. Just adding a bit of glue to make sure I have a good Hold it right up to that edge and maybe give that a tram. I don't want it to interfere with my contents of my envelope. There we go. Let's get that smooth down adhered really well. I think these did come in a collection. Keep your eye out for collection. That really cuts down on the work of thinking about what's going to work together. Now if they're on sale all the better. How about this on the bottom? We can go really long because it's going to wrap around the back. One good thing about this kind of washi is it really doesn't seem to curl and stick up on itself. Makes it much more comfortable to work with to be sticking really well. Now that's fine. My puppy, look at that. We have a nice area for our lettering right there. This guy is going to need lots of glue. P is a bit of heavier paper. So I am going to make sure that it's glued on the edges really well. And through the center. And the other thing you can always do, use some clear packing tape and just go straight over your entire envelope. I've definitely done that. I have swapping friends who definitely do that. And the post office doesn't mind. It's still goes through their equipment. Still gets to where it needs to go. Gonna give that the warm hand press. Yes, no, yes, definitely on the bottom. That's really pretty making these decisions really quickly. And it really just comes with practice. Try it. Try an experiment. It's just paper, it's just collage. And that's what makes collage a lot of PFK-1, all the imperfections. Look at that. It's really working on being imperfect for me. Our backs looking kind of plain. Not about filling that bottom end with another tape. You think. It's good that a minute to really glue down. I really want to do something top to bottom So I think I may have to just do it on this side. Something in the read, something green, something blue. This red. So this is something I forgot. That's because this Torr. That's why. But I try never to let my tape. And on the edge, It's really hard to find when you need it again. Here we go. So I'm going to take it off the edge. I think that's pretty darn sticky. Here. We go. Look at that. I think it does need a bit of doodling. What do you think? Lets out the outline this on the outside. I try not to go over my same edges. To me. It gives it that hands song look. That's what I'm trying to replicate. That came out great. Just can't stop. Can you, once you have an idea, really, just you go with the flow. Really do. And how about this space? We will dedicate this space. Kevin. It's on identity as address goes here. How's that? Collaging your piece with washi tape and a really big focal point makes an excellent idea for an envelope 9. Full Coverage: To cover an entire envelope, takes some getting used to. Here's two samples I received in the mail. See how they used a very neutral color palette there. Envelope was gray, and so they used peach and gray and pinks here in their envelope. This one was a swap that was about trying to be ugly. And what's funny about this is their third not ugly. They're hilarious. They're inspiring their FUN. The randomness of the washi tape is what makes it really FUN. Greens and yellows. And I did have a couple of stickers. I was interested in trying. I have a couple of sticker packs in here that we could use. I think I went to start with my sticker. That way. I know it is a transparent type of sticker. These are much lighter and if I put them on a busy background, they tend to get lost. Be careful, they tend to curl. So I'm going to hold that as best I can. This is the next color that called to me. And look, I have a tear. I think what I'm going to use that is to build up part of a collage. I still like Torn Edges, especially using washi tape. I'm gonna stop here on my top of my envelope, but I want it to go around. That is one of my corners that I am. Or to actually go ahead and finish that side of that is so beautiful. Oh, I love this gray, green. That looks really pretty. This is very, very sticky. So I am not particularly concerned about it lifting during mailing. And we may cover it up with some extra layers as we go. This variegated. I am not going to glue this one. But look at that because it's thinner. But looks very nice on that. Pale, pale green. Know about these butterflies next? Close edges over and we're really, really press down a couple more across the top. I am liking this more neutral design. Fact. I think I'm going to just do it along the edge. I don't think I want to cover that. Butterflies and tearing that off. They're leaving the torn edge on the top. Oh darn. I am going to add a bit of glue. Since I less than the stickiness by pulling it up. But I liked this collage element right there. Let's do some heart Stripes, thinner tapes I find need a little extra boost. I like the heart's facing in as opposed to out. Like it's pointing towards the recipient. And here we have a woven pattern going on. That's really cool. And I could just tell, pulling that not overly sticky Sure, I got that ends. When you're doing a full Coverage. Don't feel like every bit of washi has to be different. Fact I think I'm going to use this one a third time. Let's put her right next to my sticker. Envelope Coverage is just a fine way to practice your collage, your artistic eye. And one of the good things we have going for us is these colors. You don't even have to hardly think about at all. Coordinates. Really well. We're using different widths. We're using different patterns. Want to add this here. Let end got folded over and look at that lift. Let's make sure there's definitely more glue on here. Give it a moment to really set. Leave a little bit space. Once I finished my package, when I'm going to put in there, I could do more sticker or tape here and seal that up. But I do have a wrap up look, I have a lift. That's not good. Let me get that down. So I have done all four sides. And now it's just the flap, which is absolutely fine. I think it's always nice to have a little bit of space to get a letter opener in there to open up. Sometimes I've even open them up from the bottom. The color palette of colors that work well together because we're in the same color family. And then our butterflies really give it that pop of extra interests, that black on the white and the pale greens really give it a standout look. The gold embellishments. And I love how this actually became this upper square for the address and postage