Design Greeting Cards Easily & Quickly With Calligraphy And Basic Shapes

1. Introduction to Festive Calligraphy Card Making: It's the festive season. And you would love to make handmade cards using your skills and brush pen calligraphy. But you might be struggling to come up with inspiration to create a large number of new designs for all the people that you want to give the constitute. But just by adding a few other elements to your brush pen calligraphy, like basic shapes and simple and easy drawing. You can learn to create endless varieties of your designs quickly and creatively without getting stuck. In this course, I teach you the trick of one, using basic shapes as a container for your calligraphy or drawing to bury your illustrations on the basic shapes. N3, designing your calligraphy, and worked creatively in relation to your basic shape. Hi, I'm Joy, and I love bringing joy from your hands to your heart through handcrafted projects. Now let's get into the lesson. 2. Overview: Combination of Calligraphy, Basic Shapes and Illustrations: The trachea is that you can create endless combinations of shapes. Your calligraphy, at your drawings. Let's say we take the example of a four-sided shape, like a square or rectangle in that container. You can have your illustration within that square with their calligraphy outside. Or you can have your calligraphy within the square. Let's say we want to have an illustration within the shape. Well, four-sided shape can be a present, her Christmas cake or something else. Let's say we want our illustration and calligraphy to be both inside the shape. Well, you can have it within a circle here, like a wreath with the calligraphy in words enclosed. Another example. Here you have the words Merry Christmas as the base of the tree combined with the spiral contained in a triangle. To increase the number of your designs quickly. Play around with these combinations. Which basic shapes should be the foundation? Where do I place my calligraphy inside or outside the container shape? Where do I place my drawing? Inside or outside the container shape? Where is my calligraphy and drawing in relation to the container shape? Inside, one outside. Both inside. What words in calligraphy do I put inside or outside the container? What illustrations do I put inside and outside the container? You can see it come up with endless combinations using just shapes, words, and drawings. As you're building blocks. It is so fun. It's really hard to run out of design ideas. So in this video, I'll be sharing with you how I use this method to create nine cuts from just three shapes. 3. Spiral Christmas Tree (Triangle Card 1): And these three cards may look different, but they have one thing in common. That's our triangle. Let's see how from just one shape we can create three different designs and using your imagination so many more. For here, I simplified the drawings for all my three cards in that they are all Christmas trees. Now, if you choose, you can always vary, but Drawings use the triangle as a basic shape, e.g. that triangle can be sent as hat or even said to himself. In this first section of the class, I wanted to share the principle that we've just one shape. And even with just one style of illustration, like the Christmas tree, it can already give you so much variety in design. Alright, let's go. Let's start with our very fast design. Get your pencil and eraser ready. Here I'm using PESTEL paper. Now let's draw our triangle. Stopped somewhere at the middle top, and then bring it down to create the base. You can also use a ruler if you like. But I also like the aesthetics of free-hand drawing. I'm using the for de bourree brush pens in red and green Christmas tree colors. Of course, one thing to note is the select brush pens that have the tip size that suits the space constraints on your paper card. I'm also a partial credit bureau repents because they have a shimmer and the ink that is so festive. I'll have the calligraphy and the words at the base of the triangle, which is going to be a tree. I'm doing a lettering of the word Christmas because we're putting the word inside the shape. You have to select a word where the first one is shorter, because the space is going to be less as we go up that triangle. It's just nice that the word marry fits the bill, and that is shorter than a work Christmas. I'll start with writing Christmas and with a ligature joining S and T. Now, I'm trying to have the stem of the M coincide with the outline of the triangle so that it supports the sheep. When I erase the triangle later. For the y swash, let's bring it up. And I'll stop here. Because I'm going to be alternating with the brush pen. As we create spirals to the top. When you're erasing your pencil marks. Just make sure that the ink is completely dry on the paper so that it doesn't smudge. Now, respectable Christmas tree is complete without a star, so I've put in a yellow sticker, but you can draw one into. 4. Wispy Christmas Tree (Triangle Card 2): Let's see what else we can create with that triangle. This time, I want to have the what's outside the shape. So we are drawing in a smaller triangle compared to our first card. Then draw guidelines that define the triangle into layers. These are going to be layers of a tree. I'll be using the Pentel Touch and sign brush pens that in Dhaka and light green. Starting from the top, you'll be making wispy strokes downwards. I'll start with a darker color fast. Then repeat the same for all the years. Now fill this basis with the lighter green. We can remove the pencil marks if they're in the way of your pen strokes. Because once the ink is on top of the pencil, it cannot be erased. Then I'll use my brush pen again in gold and red for the Christmas ornaments. Just rounds and dots. Then again, the goal for the style and stem of the Christmas tree. I'll do the calligraphy using the Tombow brush pen of the wet fleece Nevada. So the second card. 5. Snow-Covered Christmas Tree (Triangle card 3): Let's do one more. This time I'm selecting a green paper. I wanted to snow on the tree. So choose a color, red or white will pop. Like dark blue or black for the night would also work well to same as in our second card. I wonder what's in calligraphy at the bottom. So let's draw the triangle on the upper part of the car. But this card, I want to treat it layers to, except that we will draw in the layers like fish scales. Now we're trying to get the curves all the way to the bottom. Next, take a white color pen for the snow. I'm using the mulatto acrylic marker. I love how opaque the ink is. The tip is stiff though. So unlike the brush pens that we're using for our second card, this time my strokes are going to be of uniform thickness. As you can see here. You can also try another option if you have a flexible pen tip. I like it the second card where we do with strokes from the top to the bottom. This time, we'll start our strokes from the curve upwards. It's like the illusion of snow falling down from the top, gathering add edges of the leaves. Now you're done making your strokes until the very bottom of the tree. And you can outline the apex of the triangle. If you're into dry before erasing the pencil marks. While we're waiting, we will create our calligraphy fast. I'm using the Pentel Touch brush pen. Again. I want to add the words, season's greetings. In the middle. I read the wet seasons in a bouncy style. As always, increase pen pressure for downstrokes to get thicker line, and decrease pen pressure to get upstrokes, to get a thinner line so that you can get the thicks and thins that. So characteristics of brush pen calligraphy. Here, I exaggerate that the counter of the letter G because I'm going to do something at the end. So keep your eyes on the screen. Yeah. Slosh on the lowercase g. For the S. Just like I said earlier, I'm going to bring this swash up so that it mirrors the counter at the style of the word addiction to symmetry. What can I say? To match the color of the word? I'm drawing a red star. And if we have snow on the leaves, it's only right that we have falling snow. So that's the dots across the page up using the caret Yara to add some shimmering ink for snowflakes and to make the star extra shimmery. Yes, I've got all using the same base shape as a triangle. So I hope that you got the trick of just using from one basic shape. Even if you're using the same kind of illustration, you can get so many different designs quickly and creatively. The next lesson, based on just a circle, I'll be showing you how with this just one shape, we can come up with three different illustrations. 6. Christmas Wreath (Circle Card 1): But we have in common with all these different cards, is a circular shape. A fall of us caught, we will be drawing a Christmas V. So these are the colors that I select, the file pens. With a pencil, draw circle. You can use a compass or a circular item, but I'm choosing to do it freehand yet. Next, find the middle, because the leaves will be facing each other down the middle. With the brown pen, you can start drawing strokes for the branches. Joy, alternating at opposite sides of the circle. We'll do the same strokes again, but this time along the bunches, must start with a green pen. Wispy strokes and try to make it seem lash. These are going to be believe. Now with the light green pen, fill in the gap. The red pen, we will add the berries like roundups. Some singly, some in bunches. Select the middle part of the reason. This is where you'll be doing your calligraphy. On the inside of our circle shape. I suggest writing the longer wildfires, which in this case is Christmas. I don't complete the bar, the T yet. I want to see better but maybe lens. So I know if it's going to be a long or short bar. Once you show that the int dry, you can erase the pencil box. 7. Mr. Snowman (Circle Card 2): The next car that starts with a circle is going to be a snowman. In fact, is going to be a series of circles. Here's how far the head of the snowman draw a circle on the top of the paper. Then support the head with a bigger circle for the body. Next, let's draw a hat for snowman. The one that heads straight on a lopsided. I prefer it lopsided. So on the left side of the head, do a stretch oval, overlapping that part of the head. Then do it three-sided square to complete the head. Next, we're also giving him a scour. Follow the curve of the head so that you get this bowl shaped curve overlapping by the head meets the body. I'm imagining the wind blowing at the end of the scalp, blowing in the wind towards the right. So we draw a rectangular shape or the scarf lying in the wind. And later on when we color, we will add the strokes for the tassels of this guy. So back to our circles. For the eyes drawn to big circle. Inside each circle, draw three smaller circles. These three small circles are going to make it look like the ISS sparkling. Then I'll tear it knows it's an elongated V. And then draw sandwiches that carrots usually have. My snowman smiling. I love to give him a Rubik cheeks. So let's add colors to each side of his smile. Now there's a blank Mancha. You can go over the pencil markings. I'm using the Tombow Mono twin, which is so convenient because it is a two-in-one pen. I use the bigger tip for most of my drawing. And to find a tip for smaller areas like the eyes. You can erase the pencil markings when you're ready. We're now going to add in a calligraphy inside the circle of the body. Again, you can choose to do your butt straight us lumping the mean to make it look more cohesive because the head and the scarf are already slanting. Alter the calligraphy slanting to create guidelines with your pencil. The word Christmas is longer than the button Mary. So I'm gonna give a bigger space for the bottom part. When you're doing your lettering, try to make sure that the edges are touching the circle as much as possible. You want to collect a fee to emphasize the round shape of the body to fill up the whole space. Yeah. The bottom path of our letter H attaching the circle, the letters R and S. They are not touching the circle because I'll be filling up the space with the swash letter T. I'm leaving the bar of t for later after the word Mary is written. So I know how much space needs to be filled. You can see that the F is right at the edge. And now for the word, maybe, remember the place and let us close or touching the edge of the circle. And using the bouncy style as much as possible, I'll fill up the space in-between the whites. Again, carry the exit stroke of the why to the very edge of the circle as much as possible. Now, I'll draw the part of the letter T. Oh, just extended time for some coloring fun. This guy is going to be striped green and red path. Next, they complete the body of the snowman when his hands drawing a line starting from inside the circle, around the edge and at the N jaw shot that opening lines for branches do the same for the right side. Let's color his hat to the same colors of red and green. Super festive. Here we are. Hello Mrs. Snow man with calligraphy. 8. How To Draw A Snowflake: Our next circle is going to be the foundation of a snowflake. I'll be drawing the illustration on this draft paper first. So you can see the process because the pencil marks are too light to be seen on camera when then on black paper, which is going to be the final version. I'm mostly drawing this free hand. But if you prefer a more polished look, you can always measure your angles with a protractor. Use a compass and a ruler. Okay, here's how to draw a snowflake. As always. Start with a basic shape than in pencil, which in this case is a circle. Now we are drawing the guidelines. Divide the sucker like a pizza into eight sections. In the middle, draw another circle. At the edge of the circle. In-between the guidelines. Draw a line with a kink in the middle. Then repeat all around a similar trend line on the middle circle. Again. Repeat all the guidelines and now in place, now, we'll draw in the lines of the snowflake with Amaka. Go over the intersecting pizza line. Then the eight peaks in the middle. We're just going to look like an eight point that stopped by the time they're finished all around. Next, Joel, arrow points, pointing to the center of the circle. For the last two arrows, make sure that they touched the cut line so that the snowflake filled up at a time. Read then all around. Now when I erase the pencil marks, Here's a mega snowflake. I'll show you how to create a smaller one for variation. Start again with a circle. And as we did just now, doing a slice of pizza, from the middle, do a series of arrow points all around in the direction. Outlets. Then follow up with arrows pointing inwards along the whole line. Now let's transport these drawings onto blank paper. 9. Snowflakes (Circle Card 3): I started with a vowel shaping pencil, trying to position it in the middle of the paper. And also living space to have my calligraphy. Then I draw the cut lines. Just as I showed you earlier. I'm going over the lines in the silver colored zip for DVD or a brush pen, the sun's really coming in, which is kind of ironic, I guess to it that I'm doing something with the team. I'm leaving the long time it the lines for the last, because I'm want to show you a cool effect that you may want to consider. Yeah, I'm going to go over one line with a ruler and my thick pen. Now, check out the bleeding effect. Isn't it? A little bit like if you can imagine like icicles frosting, which I think fits the theme. So if you want to control the bleeding effect, you can always take another pen that is the same color as your paper, ankle over it like this. So in this case, if you're in smudges, It's not a bad thing either because it can give like a frosty look, especially with the color. And love discovering new techniques and experimenting. For demonstration, I'll freehand drawing for the rest of the lines. You can try this if you prefer, having crisper line. Once you think the ink has dried, erase the pencil lines. And now with my sparkling saccharide Yara pen, I'll draw smallest snowflake all around the page. It's really gorgeous when the sparkles catch the light of today. For calligraphy, I'll be doing a Monoline Style mixed with normal script with capital letters. I'm using acrylic because I love how opaque the white. So for the calligraphy part, because the pen tip of our monitor MCA is it's going to go equal thickness all around. He said he's gonna be on one line style. I'll do the greeting. So I know how much space the leaf, but a flat teeth in the bar of t and the descender loop of g for much later. Once I know how much space I have. Now. Alright, that the wet seasons in capital letters and link the exit stroke to our letter T. So here's our third and last cup for this lesson. With just the circle shape as the foundation. For other variations, your circles can be the foundation of a Christmas ornament or the belly of Santa. Again, endless variations from just changing the combination of calligraphy, shapes and your illustration. In our next lesson, we're going to try that shape, which is gonna be a four-sided square or rectangle. 10. Ombre Colour-Blended Present (Square Card 1): For this next lesson, let's try out that sheet. This is going to be the false side is square or rectangle. The basic shape that we're starting off from, a square. Or a cube is also a great base shape as a foundation to if you want to use it. So how do you draw a cube altitude trick? Start off with a square, then slightly off to the side. And you can do this to the upper right or upper left to lower left. Draw another square. Then draw a line connecting the corresponding corners. A queue. A slight deviation is to create 3D rectangle. Same principle. Draw two rectangles slightly off from one another, then join the corners. You can vary the height tool like this. This can be the foundation shape for another drawing. And I'll be sharing how it's going to be the base for a yummy Christmas cake. For first card, we'll start off with the basic squared. Here, my supplies. I'll be doing a watercolor blend for this. There's some part in the middle left blank. But you can also color in the whole square to the areas that I want to color. I will first do a wash with water to wet the areas. Using a Bash for each color. I dab each brush onto the wet area and you can see the color. I'll do the same for the color green and mingle the two colors. Let's do the same for the other three squared. Deep the paper to dry. Don't erase the pencil marks, bars in case it's much as the watercolor. It took me around the kind of blend in the present to the calligraphy. I'll be doing an umbrella color blend for my laptop when I'm choosing the red, green and light green Pentel Touch and sign brush pens. Use the lightest color, base color for your calligraphy and use it to pick up the darker colors. Darker colors of red and green on the plastic sheet. Now pick up the light green pen and swap the tip onto the dark green ink. As you create your brush pen calligraphy, the color will take on the dark green ink as I start at the counter of G. But it will gradually gave way to the light green again. As I carry on with the descender loop to the exit stroke. Some picking up the dark green ink again. As you create the downstroke, increased pressure on the pen to get at the gastroc. And as you move up into the upstroke, decrease pen pressure to get thinner stroke. For emphasis. You can also just use a single color like I used for the letter I here to ensure that the next color change is not too abrupt. And mix the red ink into the light green antigen before transmitting to a darker green ink. As usual, I try not to do my swatches until I have a much better idea how much space I have when I finished the whole composition. Do a similar style for the wife as my other snowflake card, which you saw in a previous video. The top, I'll create the wet seasons in capital letters. I'll use the same red color blending to create the letters as well. Now, I complete my swatches. I start with the swash for the descender loop of G. Since most of the space is on its left at the bottom. I'm going to do a swash to Philip speak. Now for the bar of t, I wanted to repeat the same pattern. So I'm more or less follow the angle of the G swash and dot my I. Erase the pencil marking and let's tie it with the Pippin. You can use the appropriate pen size tip depending on your space. I'll be using the bit thick pen and laugh how flexible the zig painting is because it naturally gives a shape to the curvature of ribbon. Because we've just one stroke. You can very fun. Thick to thin. Finish up with the bull and he hasn't got complete it. 11. Calligraphy In A Box (Square Card 2): Let's, let's go with the same concept of the present. But this time our calligraphy is going to be inside the square. Start with drawing a square using a pencil letter, the word Christmas bars, to define the base and try to fill the space as much as possible with the calligraphy. I'll be doing the, but maybe in block script. Here's a tip. When you get double letters, like the two r's in Mary, you might want to see if you can make them different from one another, just to add some visual interests. As much as possible. You want to fill up the space in the square. Next, I'll be using a brush pen to create loops so that it forms a ribbon like shape at the top of the gift. My Tombow brush pen. I'll be completing the frame. Has a Merry Christmas. Now let's complete the outline for the bulk. Here's 0 second card with the same basic shape. 12. Christmas Cake (Square Card 3): For our last card, let's create a drawing of a Christmas cake. What is Christmas without food on the table? As I showed earlier, draw two rectangles and join them at the corners. This will give you a three-dimensional rectangle. The top of the cake, I'll be adding a drawing of the mistletoe. Just circle, surrounded by three leads. Next, let's add in the icing for the cake. I'll use my marker to draw the outline for the rest of the cake. With watercolor pencils, I'll fill in the color for the Christmas cake. Using a brush dip. It, blend the colors to get a watercolor. Let's have our calligraphy, but surrounding the drawing of our Christmas cake, I'll be using the pen touch and fine brush pen in a Christmas tree colors. The wet seasons is going to be in calligraphy and what it's done in block script. 13. Wispy Christmas Tree (Triangle Envelope 1): When you create cards, you definitely need envelope. You're beautiful brush pen, calligraphy. Let's do some envelope decorating. Will be using the same principles here, that the illustrations on our envelopes will be based on basic shapes. Just pour humble circle, triangle, square. We'll be matching the envelopes to beef calf. Before start decorating or envelopes. Let me share it on situations when you're writing the addresses versus the brush pen tip is a lot bigger than the tip of a pointed pen. So if I were to do the whole address and names in brush pen calligraphy, it will look too busy. So consider restricting it to just the name and writing the address in block script to if your alignment is going to be centered. Sometimes it's hard to estimate. Read start your next line. So you can always open a word processing document and have your address laid out there fast. That way you have an idea where each line can start on your actual envelope so that your formatting is centered. As I'm writing, I tend to reference the Word document just so that the address is assented, as it could be. Three. It is useful to have guidelines in pencil. If your particular about having straight lines before doing any writing on the envelope. Since the name is going to need a much bigger space, that the address allocate enough space for the descender loops, e.g. that this envelope, the spacing for the name is so much larger than for the rest of the lines. You also have to make space for the stamp if you're sending the card. So guidelines, I really useful to make sure that you're using the envelope space wisely. For. If you're worried about your marketing seeping through to the rear side of the envelope. You can always add a plastic sheet inside to prevent him from steaming. Five, make sure that you have enough space to write everyday. Use a brush pen that has a small tip size boats lesson. I'll be using this Tombow brush pen. I hope that you found those tips useful. Let's start with this Christmas tree card. For our first envelope idea will base it on the triangular shape to match this fast. I'll do the name Bethany Wilson in brush pen calligraphy to get the thick and thin lines that are characteristic of brush pen calligraphy. Remember to increase pen pressure to get thicker lines for downstroke, and decrease pen pressure to get thinner lines for upstroke. For the name, I'm using the bouncy style where even though there is a guideline, the left us all have variation in the baseline. Let's write the address with this sharpie marker. And with the magic of editing, here we are. Decorative elements are going to be separate from my calligraphy and address. With a pencil, draw a row of triangles of different sizes. These are going to be the outlines for our Christmas trees. Create horizontal lines to create layers. The Pentel Touch, brush, pen, create, bespeak downward stroke. Then you select the green ink to fill the spaces in-between the damped clean brush pen stroke. Red and gold at the pen. Jaw starts at the top of the trees. Don't the card and envelope goals. So puff I need together. 14. Christmas Wreath (Circle Envelope): Let's decorate an example that inspiration is the circle. We're going to incorporate this Christmas wreath between the name a castle yeah, In brush pen calligraphy. Comparing it to the previous name, you can see that I'm pulling the exit strokes even further. And the letters are even more spaced out. Except for the first at the E. I'm using a common baseline for all the letters in the name. So you can see that changing your brush pen calligraphy style can be as simple as veering your spacing at baseline. Next, the address. With a pencil, draw a circle as a guideline. Unlike the card where the calligraphy is enclosed in the name and address here is to bake. The rib is going to be in the background. Find the middle of the circle and draw a vertical line to indicate it. For branches. Draw alternating strokes with a brown pen along the circumference. Then use a dark green pen to draw strokes along the bunches. Fill in the spaces with a lighter green pen. For the berries. Take a red pen and draw dots, simply summing clusters. Today. 15. Calligraphy In A Box (Square Envelope): Last but not least, this way, there's an extra step where the guideline is in a treaty fall off a box. A box is essentially just two squares off from one another and connected at the corners. Let's let the, the name Priya John. It turns out that it's a little shorter than my initial guideline. So I'm going to make the box with a little shorter. Then the address that you find the boundaries of the gift box. I'll be doing dots around the box. The dots are more spaced out to what? The middle, a more concentrated at the borders. What's the gift box without ribbon? At the top of the box, in the middle. We're going to create ribbon and bowls with my brush pen. Let's create loops to illustrate the rapid loops using the same principle in brush pen calligraphy to get the thick and thin strokes by varying the pen pressure. Then create a horizontal stroke to the left and end that stroke with a V can do the same for the right side. Now let's go over the outlines with a black marker. Properly define the gift box. How are you loving our last card and envelope pair. I hope that you got some inspiration for decorating to go along with their festive cards. 16. Skillshare Project And Review: Congratulations, we have already create the card from just three basic shape. With your imagination, you can create many, many more creative festive card after deciding the shape. But drawing you want to use based on the shape and what you'd like to use. Using a calligraphy. Snap a picture of a finished piece, and upload it onto a project page. I hope that you took away really useful tips, getting started on making cut designs quickly and creatively. If you found this class useful, I would appreciate it so much. If you could leave a review for this course will be made more visible and other students can benefit too. If there's something that you feel could be improved. Also, feel free to contact me because I want to continue designing classes at you and future students can gain so much value from gotta question, pop the question under the discussions segment for me to answer. Because I'm sure other students might have the same questions too. If you want to find out. But my laser at the tips and tricks that helped to bring job on your hands to your heart. Just head over to my profile page on Skillshare, where you can find free downloadable and more classes. If you love creating handcrafted projects like I do, I hope to see you in another class. Bye for now.