Amy Latta - Hand Lettering Off the Page

Easy Projects to Create Beautiful Dcor, Apparel and Gifts

Author of Hand Lettering for Relaxation, Hand Lettering for Laughter and Hand Lettering for Faith

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FOR BELINDA.

Teaching you to find and use the creativity you didnt think you had changed my life.

Because of you, Ive spent the past eight years on a mission to help people (especially those who feel the least confident in their abilities) learn to create beautiful things.

Thank you for the honor of helping you discover that you were created to create.

If youre anything like me, once you start hand lettering, you wont want to stop! Youll find yourself looking around and wanting to letter everything. While the art of hand lettering is often done with pens and paper, its fun to explore other media and see how you can bring things to life with your lettering skills. With the right materials, you can take just about any surface and personalize it with a hand lettered design.

In this book, were going to explore 25 projects you can create, including home dcor, apparel and gifts. Each chapter will show you a finished project and walk you through exactly how to recreate the design I used; but you can also take the general instructions and go your own way, creating something totally unique.

Along with techniques for adding lettering to many different kinds of surfaces, youll also find all the hand lettering instructions you need to get started. If youre already a pro, youll find some new skills and designs to help take your hobby to the next level. Well begin with the basicsFaux Calligraphyin our first project, then build on our skills, adding to them as we go. Each project tutorial teaches a different font, lettering technique or skill for lettering on a new material. Then, at the end of every tutorial, theres a blank page with practice space where you can sketch the design you want to use on your project. In the back of the book, youll find resources like sample alphabets and detailed supply lists to help as you create. Finally, its time to grab your supplies and take your lettering off the page, making one-of-a-kind crafts youll love to display, wear and share.

Are you ready? Lets start creating a hand lettered life!

Not only is lettering a relaxing, enjoyable hobby, but you can also use it to bring a custom hand lettered look into your home! If youve shopped for home dcor in the past several years, you already know that hand lettered signs, chalkboards and other forms of decoration have become incredibly popular. You can find and purchase them just about anywhere, but its so much more fun to create your own instead. That way, you can use the exact materials you want and customize the message of each piece to reflect who you are. DIY lettering projects allow you to have complete creative control, using quotes you love or the names and dates that mean the most to you. Plus, you get to use colors and styles that match the things you already own.

The first nine projects well be creating together will get you started making beautiful accents for every part of your home, using techniques like Faux Calligraphy (). I recommend starting with the first project if youre new to lettering, since the skills build on one another as we go. From the kitchen table to the living room couch, youll love the way your lettering will bring a personal touch to your home decor.

WRITING TOOL: Chalk Marker

SURFACE: Slate Serving Tray

TECHNIQUE: Faux Calligraphy

Bringing our hand lettering into the kitchen is a great way to make the heart of the home extra warm and welcoming. In this project, were going to look at lettering on a slate serving tray. Trays can be both functional and decorative, and there are so many ways to personalize them. For example, what better way to let guests know what youre serving than to letter the names of the foods and beverages theyll be enjoying? Using a liquid chalk marker allows us to get a smooth, professional look while keeping our written messages erasable and nontoxic. Im going to walk you through exactly how to create Faux Calligraphy to give your writing the look of Brush Script, the most popular form of hand lettering. Then you can follow the instructions to customize your own serving trays to say anything you like!

YOULL NEED

• Pencil and eraser
• Chalk marker(s)
• Slate serving tray(s)
• Clean, damp cloth
• Clear glossy or matte acrylic sealer (optional)