Saturday, June 13

Lettering Tutorial

Hello again! First of all, let me 'splain that I am in total summer mode - as you can see from my limited posting these past 2 months. So, no, I haven't disappeared, I'm most likely in the pool with the kids! And ... as much as I want you glued to my blog and etsy site ... I hope you enjoy more fresh air activities this summer, too! :-)
.............................
On with today's idea. As you regulars know, many of my ideas involve words, and I have mentioned alphabet stencils a number of times. Well, here's an easy alternative to stencils AND a way to make letters/words with more font variety, in more sizes and well, pretty much exactly how you want!

I'm calling this a tutorial, but really, about half my blog posts are tutorials! :-) Let's get started! All you need is your
• computer, printer & paper,
• tracing paper,
• sharp pencil,
• ruler,
• paint & brush: We're going to write "Bless This Child" on a wood wall plaque. Our plaque is already painted & ready for our letters. I used "Bickley Script" font and sized the letters to the exact height & width for my plaque. I printed them out with an underline so I could easily line the paper up on my surface. See - I even used an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet - so you'll see that that is enough for most projects - and that even tho my text ran onto two lines, I can use that underline to line it up straight!
Position your lettered paper exactly where it should go on the plaque. Then slip the tracing paper between the two. Note: be sure the "ink" side is down. Then begin tracing. Hold your paper very still and press down firmly and smoothly. I like to use colored pencils, so I can see where I've already been with my tracing:
Here's what you'll see on the plaque when you're done with the tracing:
It's all ready for you to paint!
Hey - we're done!

Now ... do you know what this is???OK, hopefully you didn't guess anything too gross! It's the kneaded eraser I've had over 20 years!! ... we're pretty attached! :-)

A kneaded eraser is an awesome tool for your craft arsenal. In this project it's terrific for erasing any extra lines or markings when you're all done and the paint is completely dry. It won't leave a trace. If you like "crafting" and have never used a kneaded eraser, pick one up next time you're out. You won't know how you lived without it! Let's give our kneaded erasers some love in the comments! :-)

29 comments:

Vicki said...

LOL I have a kneaded eraser that I believe might be older than yours. Looks just like yours! I have newer erasers that I use more often but somehow just cannot part with my old, old kneaded eraser!

Beautiful work!

pattylg67@gmail.com said...

Hi! I just found your blog and am looking forward to looking at older posts. I had to comment, though, on this one. I have been doing lettering the same way for years. What I need to comment on is your brilliance at printing the words using the underline!! I've always drawn it myself hoping it's correct. Thank you for making things a bit easier for me. Of to look at more...

Bargain Decorating with Laurie said...

Your plaque turned out so pretty, and it doesn't sound too difficult. Thank you so much for the instructions. I'll have to go get a kneaded eraser. I have a feeling I'm going to be "needing" it! laurie

http://www.papermoonies.blogspot.com said...

20 years oh no way, thats insane!!
STopping over from sits to say hello..
Brittany
http://www.papermoonies.blogspot.com

arkie said...

Found you because of the Nesting Place blog. Love your blog and your work!

Sherrie said...

I found your blog via "the Nester". What a great tutorial! I can't wait to dive into your earlier posts.Thank you for sharing your ideas.
Sherrie

Our Family said...

WOW! I found your blog via the Nester. Not only are your crafts beautiful, but I must say I have always wanted to learn how to make plaques like that!! THANK YOU very much for the tutorial. I WILL incorporate that into a craft in my home.

Paddywack Designs said...

Knead rubber erasers are the best. Nice post.

Heather Anne said...

I've just started making my own plaques and use this same technique, but to save on printer ink, I choose the 'outline' option under font before printing and then I just have the place to trace and not all the extra ink! I love the tip about the kneaded eraser - I have a white art eraser, but it doesn't always work! do have a tip on paint brushes - I can't seem to find one that makes the painting part go smoothly!

jeanne @ Inspiring Ideas said...

Heather - great tip on the "outline" function to save ink! I'll have to think about brush tips!

Rachel@oneprettything.com said...

This is great and I love the extra tips from your crafty readers. Thanks so much for this, I'll be linking.

Embellished Bayou said...

I think I have a kneaded eraser from my art class back in college, I'll have to go did it out & start using it again. Tracing paper is great too, I use it for all my personalized frames and tins. (We're giving away all our secrets here!)

Ashley @ AshleysBusy said...

Ha, my handwriting is so terrible, this would never work out for me. Your's is beautiful! Thanks for stopping by my blog. I love all of your art and plaques, very cute!

Precision Quality Laser said...

I love this tutorial! I am not too good with an exacto knife...not to mention I don't own one (LOL)..so this is the perfect way to get "stenciling" done for me :) Thanks for sharing your inspiration and the behind the scenes of it as well!

Christin@Pregnant with power tools said...

I do it the same way but, instead of tracing paper, I cover the back of my printout with some artist's charcoal. I use the firm stuff, 2B I think, and it's stays pretty clean surprisingly.

Southern Gal said...

This has inspired me to try my hand at lettering. I have so many ideas now. Thanks for the inspiration!

Jessica said...

Just gorgeous. Thanks for the ideas!

Mammy said...

You refer to it was "tracing" paper do you mean graphite paper?

jeanne @ Inspiring Ideas said...

Yes, Mammy, graphite! Thanks!

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