TeachKidsArt

a resource for teachers & families

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Artist Birthdays
  • SHOP TPT
  • About
  • Contact
  • TIP Vault

Lettering Waves

By Cheryl Trowbridge 11 Comments

Share
Pin
Tweet
Print

Colorful Dense Text LetteringMy inspiration for this project came from the book, Hand Lettering, by Marci Donley & DeAnn Singh.  The authors call this “Writing Between the Lines”, but we’ve renamed it “Lettering Waves” since we live in a surfing community where waves are a pretty big deal! 

I taught this lettering style to my middle schoolers and the results were fantastic!  You’ll find so many applications for this fun way of writing…. use it to write out a favorite verse, quote, or poem, make greeting cards for birthdays and other holidays, or simply fill your art journal with a beautiful message.  I’ve also seen this technique described as “Slow Journaling”…. check out the Daisy Yellow blog for some great examples.  Call it whatever you like, but be sure to try it!

Materials:

  • paper (we used 9×12 white heavyweight construction paper)
  • pencil and eraser
  • black “F” Sharpie marker
  • Crayola Watercolor Pencils

Directions:

  1. Choose the text you want to write out.
  2. With a pencil, lightly draw a ½” border along each edge of your paper.
  3. Next, lightly draw some wavy guide lines across your paper. (If you’re copying a specific text, divide it up by how much you want to write on each line.  That way you’ll know how many lines to draw!)
  4. Now add your text lightly in pencil, filling the space between each line, using basic san serif letters in all capitals (a.k.a. “stick letters”) . Touch both the upper and lower lines with your letters.  (To make your text fit on each line, you’ll be making some letters wider or narrower as needed.)
  5. Trace over your letters with Sharpie, but do not trace over the lines!
  6. Erase your guide lines, border, and any other pencil lines that are still showing.
  7. Use watercolor pencils to add color inside the closed shapes of each letter. Then fill in around your letters with contrasting colors.  It’s okay to leave some areas of white if that works with your design.
  8. Finally, blend your colors with a damp brush.  You only need a small amount of water when you work with watercolor pencils, blotting your brush on a paper towel each time you rinse it.  And be careful not to let complimentary colors mix, or you may end up with “mud”!  (Complimentary colors are colors that are across from each other on the color wheel: red/green, blue/orange, yellow/violet… try mixing these colors when you want a variety of interesting browns!)

What other uses can you think of for this lettering style?

 

 

Share
Pin
Tweet
Print

You may also like...

Default ThumbnailThumbprint Self-Portrait Default ThumbnailGrade 5 Portfolios – Collecting Words Default Thumbnail“Thank You” Drawings Default ThumbnailGrade 5 Portfolios – Collecting Words

Filed Under: Books, Calligraphy, Colored Pencil, Faith, Inspiration, Lessons, Lettering, Markers / Pen and Ink, Middle School Art, Scripture, Words / Letters Tagged With: lettering, Philippians 4:8, scripture, verse, watercolor pencils

Comments

  1. Shawna says

    at

    Hi Cheryl,
    I just love all the art that you post, so creative. My daughter went to an art high school so I know how important art is, especially for those that need that creative outlet. Anyway, I was just stopping by to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!

    Shawna
    The Picture Book Teacher’s Edition

    Reply
    • Cheryl Trowbridge says

      at

      Happy Thanksgiving to you, too, Shawna! I enjoyed looking at your site – very helpful for teaching with children’s literature!

      Reply
  2. laura minala says

    at

    i kinda thought of a good name and that is wordart

    Reply
    • Cheryl Trowbridge says

      at

      Good idea, Laura!

      Reply
  3. MrsSkojec says

    at

    Hi, Cheryl. This is a nice twist on one I did with one of my classes. We did
    just their names, but I like the idea of doing a poem or bible verse. Thanks.
    Your posts are such fun!

    Reply
  4. Susanne says

    at

    Another great post! I would try it with some haiku (small japanese poems consisting of three lines with 5/7/5 syllabels. Look for them, I’m sure there must be English translations and English (or American?) poets, too.

    Reply
    • Cheryl Trowbridge says

      at

      Great idea to do this with haiku, Susanne! Thanks for sharing that!

      Reply
    • Cheryl Trowbridge says

      at

      Great idea to do this with haiku, Suzanne! Thanks for sharing that!

      Reply
  5. Hadassah Lerner says

    at

    This is wonderful! I know my children will enjoy it. Thank you so much for the step-by-step details…. I can learn and do along with the ‘class’….

    Reply
  6. Wendy says

    at

    Hi Cheryl: Your posts are so inspiring! Thank you so much for all your awesome ideas. I have used some of them in my art classes I teach for a homeschool group. I hope I linked back correctly from my blog!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Verse Art | Hush My Heart says:
    at

    […] came across this wonderful blog post one day while planning for a Bible class, and I tried it out right away! The kids responded really […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Follow Me

  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Never Miss a Post - Follow by Email

Find a ** FREE ** Lesson (Below):

  • Lessons Inspired by Famous Artists
    • Britto, Romero
    • Burch, Laurel
    • Calder, Alexander
    • Carle, Eric
    • Cezanne, Paul
    • Chagall, Marc
    • Chihuly, Dale
    • Dali, Salvadore
    • Da Vinci, Leonardo
    • Delaunay, Robert & Sonia
    • Escher, M.C.
    • Goldsworthy, Andy
    • Haring, Keith
    • Johns, Jasper
    • Kahlo, Frida
    • Kandinsky, Wassily
    • Klee, Paul
    • Klimt, Gustave
    • Matisse, Henri
    • Miro, Joan
    • Mondrian, Piet
    • Monet, Claude
    • O’Keeffe, Georgia
    • Old Masters
    • Picasso, Pablo
    • Pollock, Jackson
    • Pompon, Francois
    • Posada, Jose
    • Remington, Frederick
    • Renoir, Auguste
    • Seurat, Georges
    • Seuss, Dr.
    • Van Gogh, Vincent
    • Van Honthorst, Gerard
    • Wood, Grant
  • Lessons by Holiday
    • 100th Day of School
    • Chinese New Year
    • Christmas
    • Day of the Dead / Dia de los Muertos
    • Earth Day
    • Easter
    • Father’s Day
    • Halloween
    • International Dot Day
    • Memorial Day
    • Mother’s Day
    • New Years
    • Other
    • Thanksgiving
    • Valentine’s Day
  • Lessons by Culture
    • Africa
    • America
    • Chile
    • China
    • Europe
    • Haiti
    • Japan
    • Mexico
    • Middle East
  • Lessons by Process
    • 3D / Sculpture
    • Bookmaking
    • Calligraphy
    • Collage
    • Drawing
    • Embossing
    • Folding
    • Lettering
    • Micrography
    • Mosaic
    • Origami
    • Painting
    • Paper Cutting
    • Paper Folding
    • Printmaking
    • Quilling
    • Recycling with Art
    • Sketching
    • Stitching / Embroidery
    • Weaving
  • Lessons by Medium
    • Acrylic
    • Clay
    • Colored Pencil
    • Crayon
    • Digital / Computer
    • Fabric / Fiber
    • Markers / Pen and Ink
    • Mixed Media
    • Oil Pastel
    • Paper
    • Pencil
    • Tempera
    • Watercolor
  • Lessons by Style
    • Abstract (Non-representational)
    • Abstract (Representational)
    • Cartoon
    • Cubism
    • Expressionism
    • Fantasy
    • Impressionism
    • Op Art
    • Orphism
    • Pointillism
    • Pop Art
    • Post Impressionism
    • Realism
    • Surrealism
  • Lessons by Subject
    • Abstract Design
    • Animals
    • Birds
    • Buildings
    • Butterflies
    • Cityscape
    • Color / Color Mixing
    • Creatures / Monsters
    • Cross
    • Faith
    • Elements of Art
    • Fish / Marine Life
    • Flowers
    • Greeting Cards
    • Hearts
    • Imagination
    • Landscape
    • Mandalas
    • Masks
    • Math with Art
    • Misc. Subjects
    • Names
    • Nature
    • Ocean / Seascapes
    • People
    • Portraits / Self-Portraits
    • Religion
    • Quilts
    • Scripture
    • Seasons
    • Sky
    • snow
    • Stars
    • Still Life
    • Trees
    • Words / Letters
  • … and More!
    • Bulletin Boards & Displays
    • Classroom Management
    • Elements of Art
    • Imagination
    • Inspiration
    • Middle School Art
    • News & Announcements
    • Philosophy
    • Portfolios
    • Product Reviews
    • Quotes & Stories
    • Supplies / Products
    • Teacher Workshops
    • Tips for Teaching Art

Follow me on
Teachers Pay Teachers

Support Teach Kids Art When you shop Amazon.com

TEACH KIDS ART IS AN AMAZON AFFILIATE. I earn a small commission when you visit Amazon.com by clicking through my site and make a purchase of any kind. This supports Teach Kids Art at no extra cost to you.

Click here to shop Amazon.com!

Related Posts

  • Better Paint Brush Habits for Kids
  • Review the Elements of Art with a Beachball Scavenger Hunt
  • Make a Crazy Crown Craft
  • Use Art Postcards to Teach or Review
  • How to Have an Elements of Art Scavenger Hunt in a Painting

Copyright © 2023 Cheryl Trowbridge / Teach Kids Art · All Rights Reserved · Privacy Policy · Design by Laugh Eat Learn



We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT