DIY Mother’s Day Calligraphy Card

It’s Mother’s Day once again, and I’m sharing with you a DIY idea for a Mother’s Day calligraphy card. A few years back for the Mother’s Day weekend, I actually taught this workshop in partnership with Pentel Singapore. In the workshop, the participants learned how to draw different styles of wreaths using metallic pens. I even gave the participants some handouts with different styles of wreaths to try. Metallic pens really sparkle when used on black, but even on kraft paper the effect was still nice. The metallic pens are smooth and easy to use for illustration.

I recently got my hands on a set of blank kraft cards with envelopes which I thought would be perfect for illustrating wreaths using metallic pens. Here are the tools that I used to make this DIY Mother’s Day calligraphy card. You may already have these lying around your stash of tools!

As a guide, I used a round glass coaster. A compass would be a more ideal tool to use though, but the coaster was within reach so why not, right? I then traced around the coaster using a metallic pen and proceeded to draw leaves. I also added tiny berries in a different colour.

After drawing the wreath, I then wrote the greeting using a brush pen. Here’s a process video that I posted on Instagram so you’ll get to see the steps in making this card.

I hope you’ll give this DIY Mother’s Day calligraphy card a try. Happy Mother’s Day to all the amazing superhero moms out there! ❤️

Free Printable Christmas Gift Tags

It’s almost Christmas! Have you guys wrapped all your gifts already? Or are you still going through your list and taking trips to the mall? Well, either way, I have prepared two free printable Christmas gift tags for those on your Christmas list.

Free Printable Christmas Gift Tags via Happy Hands Project

Confession—during the time when I was back home and living at my Mom’s, I always had super long Christmas lists with kids to give presents to. Almost all my cousins had kids then, so I shop for gifts for all of them. Then I’d buy for colleagues and the rest of the family. Buying presents was a months-long affair.

Wrapping the presents was a different matter, though. On Christmas day, the family (a huge one at that) will celebrate and exchange gifts. And I will be up in my room wrapping presents for all of them! I always manage to finish wrapping everything on time, mind you.

Free Printable Christmas Gift Tags via Happy Hands Project

I’ve made a couple of designs for this free Christmas tags, so feel free to download them below. Each tag is 2in x 3in and would look great printed on slightly thick card stock, like 200gsm at least. I always choose matte card stock, but you can print these on shimmery cards too.

Need more Christmas printables to spruce up your home? You can download a free Christmas wall art here. Happy Holidays everyone!

Review: Sakura Koi Coloring Brush Pen

Just a quick one before anything else! This post may contain affiliate links, which means that as an Amazon Associate, I may receive a commission if you make a purchase. Alright, on to the review!

Koi Coloring Brush Pen via Happy Hands Project

I have recently tried brush lettering with Sakura Koi Coloring Brush Pens, and of course, an honest review is in order. The Koi Coloring Brush pen has a flexible brush tip that gives a good line variation. Put simply, its thin and thick strokes have a very obvious difference. The upstrokes are not as thin as the Pentel Touch brush sign pen though, so that means you have to write bigger when using the Koi brushes.

Koi Coloring Brush Pen via Happy Hands Project

I’m using two of my favorite colors, Prussian Blue and Blue Green light. I like how dark and saturated these colors appeared upon drying (and they’re water-based and thus dry fast). They’re really vibrant and looks great when you write big!

Koi Coloring Brush Pen via Happy Hands Project
Koi Coloring Brush pen in Prussian Blue, written on an A5 sized sheet

The flexible tip is pretty stiff which makes writing quite easy to control. It’s flexible but springs back quickly after adding pressure. It’s durable and will probably serve you well for a very long time. If you’re just getting started in brush lettering, you may download an alphabet exemplar for you to trace or copy. You’ll be familiar with the letter strokes in no time when you use an exemplar or guide when starting out.

Koi Coloring Brush Pen via Happy Hands Project
Koi Coloring Brush pen in Blue Green Light, written on an A5 sized sheet

I have not tried blending colors yet, but you can create washes, layers and color gradations using Koi Water Brushes. How fun is that?

Koi Coloring Brush Pen via Happy Hands Project
Koi Coloring Brush Pen via Happy Hands Project
Koi Coloring Brush Pen via Happy Hands Project

The Sakura Koi Coloring Brush Pen is a great beginner brush specially for those who tend to write big. Seasoned brush lettering artists will find this fun to use because of their vibrant colors, flexibility and durability.

Ready to shop? Here are the links!

If you want all the colors :: Sakura 48-Piece Koi Coloring Brush Pen Set

If you want a 12-color set :: Sakura 12-Piece Koi Coloring Brush Pen Set

If you want 6 shades of gray (hah!) :: Sakura 6-Piece Koi Coloring Brush Pen Set, Gray

If you want gradations and take your lettering to the next level :: Sakura 2-Piece Koi Colorless Blender Set

Have fun lettering!

Stay Home Freebie: Printable Coloring Sheet

Hi everyone! As we all stay home while the world battles the wrath of Covid-19, I thought it would be a good time to post a freebie. Here’s a free printable hand-lettered coloring sheet to keep boredom at bay. Coloring can be a meditative activity and may be good for our mental health as well.

Here’s a tip: for this coloring sheet, you can use a combination of different types of coloring tools. Metallic pens or markers combined with color pencils create interesting effects. Sample colors into swatches first so you can have an idea of your color palette. Or better yet, don’t overthink and just go for it! You can print this as many times as you like anyway.

This free printable download is in A4 and Letter size. Print it on 120gsm copy paper and you’re good to go! I will be making more lettering art in the coming days and will have more for download soon. Keep safe, and those creative hands clean. Happy coloring!

5 Free, All-New Brush Lettering Fonts

Y’all know dafont.com right? It’s a massive treasure trove of free fonts, with a huge number of brush lettering fonts as well. With the rise in popularity of calligraphy and brush lettering fonts, a lot of non-professional font designers have been uploading their creations at Dafont. If you know how to look, you’ll find really good quality fonts here (most are for personal use) by pros and non-pros alike.

I haven’t dropped by Dafont recently as I thought I got everything I need. I have A LOT of downloaded fonts and never thought I’d need new ones. Well, I’m glad I popped by the site again! Here’s a roundup of 5 free, all-new brush lettering fonts that I have recently discovered:

Tempe

I love Tempe’s clean edges and casual strokes. Not very feminine, compared to other brush lettering fonts, which makes Tempe my first choice.

5 Free Brush Lettering Fonts From Dafont via Happy Hands Project

Adelarsio

This font has wispy entrance strokes in its capitals which I find very whimsical. It has some ligatures and a very cute ampersand, too! Sadly, the free version doesn’t have any punctuation marks, so you need to replace those with a different font.

5 Free Brush Lettering Fonts From Dafont via Happy Hands Project

Real Ohio

For a free font, Real Ohio’s quite generous as it has some alternates, numbers and punctuations. It has a super nice—you guessed it—ampersand, too!

5 Free Brush Lettering Fonts From Dafont via Happy Hands Project

Begokly

This font is so fun and cute! I love the thick and round strokes. I love the airy letters and wide loops of the ascenders.

5 Free Brush Lettering Fonts From Dafont via Happy Hands Project

Bointang Cifoy

With a very organic, handwritten feel, this font would look great on invitations and DIY wall art. The letters bounce, but everything looks well-balanced in the end.

5 Free Brush Lettering Fonts From Dafont via Happy Hands Project

I’ll be rounding up my 5 most favourite, all new calligraphy fonts in the next post. I hope these free fonts have given you inspiration for your next digital project. See you in a bit!

Deck The Wall: Free Holiday Wall Art

Christmas Merry And Bright Free Holiday Printable via Happy Hands Project

It’s exactly seven days before Christmas, and I’m giving away a free hand-lettered printable wall art with all the holiday feels. We surely need it here as it has always been warm and humid all year round! I’m sure you’ve already decorated your living room with holiday decorations, but here’s a free printable for that icing on the cake.

This year has been an amazing ride, and calligraphy has always been a highlight. I’ve learned Spencerian script this year from Mike Ward and Master Penman Michael Sull, and I’m looking forward to another year of learning. At the same time, I’ve shared my love for contemporary script with a lot of amazing people here in Singapore and that will definitely continue on to the next year.

My kids have grown and I’ve grown with them as well. Husband and I couldn’t be happier just staring at them (if you’re a parent, you’d know what I mean).

Thanks for hanging around the Happy Hands Project! I’ve had readers and followers who have been in this calligraphy journey with me for years, and all I can say is thank you! So here is the free holiday printable I’ve promised. As always, this is free for personal use and is not for sale and may not be redistributed. Link backs are welcome and feel free to share via the link to this post. Ciao!

Happy holidays, everyone!

A4 Size Download  |  Letter Size Download

Personalised Calligraphy Messages for My French Concession

Calligraphy Candles for My French Concession via Happy Hands Project

I spent a lovely afternoon writing personalised messages in calligraphy for My French Concession a couple of weeks ago. When I was asked early this year if I can write calligraphy on porcelain, I knew it was something exciting and totally different from what I’m used to. I had absolutely no idea which inks or pens will work on porcelain. But I had to try! After a lot of tests on different pens and inks and calligraphy styles, I was able to find which tools would work well for My French Concession’s delicate porcelain candle jars.

Calligraphy Candles for My French Concession via Happy Hands Project

I have been writing personalised messages in calligraphy on their scented candles ever since, and today I’m sharing some photos from the recent event I had with them. It was my 2nd time at the Boutique Fairs with My French Concession, writing calligraphy on their scented candles.

Calligraphy Candles for My French Concession via Happy Hands Project

These candles come in a variety of scents—I can honestly say they’re all very lovely because I occassionally have some on my desk and my space smells like heaven everytime. These candles have a burning time of almost 45 hours and are made in Paris with scents developed by a French perfumer. If you’re curious, my favourite is Chai Tea at Haji Lane (sounds like a perfect way to spend an afternoon, isn’t it?).

Calligraphy Candles for My French Concession via Happy Hands Project

For any candle orders and personalisation requests, feel free to reach out to My French Concession.

Calligraphy Candles for My French Concession via Happy Hands Project

BORACAY WEDDING INVITATIONS: AIZA AND MELVIN

I love designing destination wedding invites, specially Boracay Island wedding invitations. It usually has a very carefree feel, and this invite for Aiza and Melvin is no different.

This is a combination of watercolour washes, illustrations and calligraphy using very soft hues that displayed a sweet, relaxed vibe. We started out with the Save the Date cards with a hand-illustrated ‘relationship timeline’ where I painted some landmarks close to the couple’s hearts — think Japan’s Mount Fuji for instance (where he proposed! Insert hearts here).

Once the Save the Dates were out, I then worked with the bride on the wedding logo which will appear on the main invite card. More painting ensued, including a map of Boracay Island (that was FUN, I’m telling ya). What I love about this invitation suite is how  pointed pen calligraphy, watercolours and illustrations in ink complemented each other beautifully.

Here are photos from Aiza and Melvin’s wedding… enjoy!

Photography: Niceprint Photography
Venue: Asya Premiere Suites, Boracay Island

Boracay Calligraphy Wedding Invitations via Happy Hands Project

Boracay Calligraphy Wedding Invitations via Happy Hands Project

Boracay Calligraphy Wedding Invitations via Happy Hands Project