Happy Hands Project

Calligraphy by Pauline Ibarra

THE HAPPY HANDS CALLIGRAPHY OBLIQUE HOLDER

I finally have the date for the next intermediate calligraphy class, and it’s the most special one I’ll have in my almost 3 years of teaching. When I started with modern calligraphy, I’ve been using a straight holder. After getting Copperplate ...
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8 LETTERING ARTISTS TO FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM

Instagram has been an important part of my journey in calligraphy and lettering. I’d say I’m quite a visual person — I get inspired by the things I see. The lettering and calligraphy community on Insta is like one big happy family, and when one ...
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MIXING YOUR OWN WHITE GOUACHE

I remember the time when I was on my diligent quest for the perfect white ink. I wanted something opaque, yet thin enough to flow through a variety of nibs. At some point I thought I’ve found it — I was happy with the PH Martins Pen White. It ...
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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 ...
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FREE PRINTABLE MODERN CALLIGRAPHY ALPHABET

I was messing around with my guidelines and tracing paper, thinking of writing in another freehand style of modern calligraphy. Since I’ve become comfortable with my own style, it’s become difficult for me to try to come up with an entirely ...
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6 Brush Pens For Lettering Beginners

Are you just starting to hand-letter using a brush pen? Or are you interested in creating brush lettering pieces but don’t know where to start? Well, I’ve been there. About 3 years ago I wanted to hand-letter using a brush but was totally lost. ...
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Freebie: Printable To-Do List

I was inspired to design this printable to-do list because I feel that writing down our goals for the day (or week) is better than typing it on our smart phone calendars. You can post it on your wall, and it’s easier to see. It makes the ...
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LETTERING LOGO: LAMB CUPCAKERY

I always love doing lettering for company logos, and this hand-lettered logo for Lamb Cupcakery here in Singapore is one of those. Lamb was moving to a new location at the time, and will be having a branding overhaul. It included the logo, ...
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FONT FANCY: MASTER OF BREAK

This font right here is a gem. It’s quite rare to find a well-made font that’s actually free (for personal use, that is. But still), so I really have to share this one. If you want to design a quote or greeting card that needs a hand-lettered ...
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USING WHITE GOUACHE IN CALLIGRAPHY

My first couple of years writing calligraphy, I was always on the look out for the richest, most opaque white ink out there. I discovered PH Martins Pen White, which was fortunately available here in Singapore. It was great, but I had to mix it ...
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