October is the month for all things Halloween. Driving down our road there are several houses decorated to give you a scare. Even though we do not decorate our house with Halloween garb, I definitely have a quick and easy Halloween-themed project to share with you.
This calligraphy quote skull and flourished masquerade mask can be featured on cards or walls alike. I’ll take you through the steps to complete the skull project AND share a printable template to use as a guide. The printable includes BOTH the skull and mask templates. If you just want the FREE printable, click here.
Otherwise, here are the supplies you will need:
· black pre-made card or card stock cut to size (4in x 6in)
· white pencil and regular graphite pencil
· black eraser and regular white eraser
· tracing paper (optional)
· calligraphy dip pen and nib
· water jar
· cleaning cloth
If you are using the template you can skip this first step.
Begin by drawing a skull outline on scratch paper. Using tracing paper over the skull outline, fill in the calligraphy words. I used a quote from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, “Villainy wears many masks, none so dangerous as the mask of virtue.”
With either the printed template or the tracing paper drawing, color the backside of the image with white pencil. This will act as a transfer medium.
Then, carefully center the image right side up on the black card stock. If you are using a pre-made card, be sure the card is opened flat onto your table and that your image is centered on the right side of the fold. Trimming your template/tracing paper may help with this step. Tape it down with painters tape or masking tape. If you are worried that it will tear when removing the tape from your card, I have a simple tip. Before adhering the tape to your project, attach it to your jeans a couple of times to remove some of the stickiness.
Once the image is in place, carefully trace the calligraphy quote and flourishes with any pointed tip instrument. Do not draw the outline. I use a pencil so I can see where I’ve already traced. The white pencil on the back of the image will transfer with the pressure of the pencil on the front side. When the image has been completely traced, carefully remove the tape and lift off the template/tracing paper. You should have a white pencil guide on your black paper.
Now, comes the magical part! Dip your nib into the white ink and begin tracing your white pencil guides. The skull will really pop using white on black. You can also use orange or gold for a nice festive contrast.
The last step is to use the black eraser to remove the white pencil guidelines. Be sure the ink is completely dry before doing this. The black eraser is excellent for removing pencil from dark colored papers without removing the color. White erasers tend to erase the pigment of the card.
The mask template can be used in the same way. This design could be used again in February for Mardi Gras featuring purple, blue and green metallic inks.
I hope this tutorial has given you a fun, quick project to get you in the Halloween mood or inspired you to try your own design. If so, let me know! I’d love to see what you’ve come up with!
To download the FREE template for the skull and mask, just sign up to receive more tutorials and freebies below. Enjoy!
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