Hand Lettered Envelopes

When a holiday card or envelope is hand lettered, it becomes so much more personal and beautiful that it’s often kept for decoration. 

You don’t need calligraphy skills or be an expert hand letterer to personalize a letter in a way that makes the recipient feel special. All it takes is applying a few tips and tricks. 

Use a ruler - With the help of a straight edge, you can make lines (or rules) to keep your lettering from meandering off as you move from left to right. Because you don’t want to use heavy pressure, a pencil works best to create a faint outline you can go back to and erase later.

Use the right tools - Prismacolor launched two dedicated sets for exactly this purpose. The Prismacolor Premier® Beginner & Advanced Hand Lettering sets include all the tools you need to letter with a helpful tips & tricks insert to get you started. 

In terms of tip sizes, the fine point of the Illustration markers is useful for creating thin lines between address lines, the brush tips let you create bolder strokes with more pressure, and the chisel tips create even wider strokes to fill in color or thicker lines. These nibs can create medium or thick strokes depending on how you hold them. 

With your lettering straight, all you need are simple variations of your own handwriting. Plain block lettering becomes more elegant with bold strokes on different letters of each word. Ordinary cursive writing, set against block lettering, adds interest. Vary between uppercase and lowercase letters, thin and think lines, and wide or tight spacing. 

Don’t be afraid to trace your cursive over an initial light pencil sketch to get the spacing right. If your spacing is still off, use bullet points between letters to take up space.

Hand lettering your holiday cards provide a unique and memorable message not soon to be forgotten.