Illustrated/Decorated Letters Post Card Swap - Postmark by March 23rd

Bold Colors by BEAU

Have you always wanted to draw and illustrate the first letter of a great chapter of a book you've read, the kind of big letters like you see in old books and manuscripts?  Or how about the spectacular artwork on the first calligraphic Celtic letters in old Bibles or in the Book of Kells (go to Google images for examples of those)?

This swap theme may bring back memories of hard-cover story books whose very first word began with a large letter embellished with vines, flowers, animals, birds, etc.

Beau will be our guest host for this exchange so you will be sending your art to her for processing the swap.  

Now's your chance to invent your own illustrated (or 'illuminated' as they are also called) letter.  The idea is to pick a letter that you like and make it as big as a postcard (see examples) and then design and gussy it up however you want!  You can make fancy calligraphic letters or simple casual ones.  They can be colorful or black and white.  

You can collage them, paint them, ink them, dress them in fabric, or embellish them however you want. If you add things like buttons or sequins or glitter or any other embellishments that won't make it through the postal sorting machines, please enclose one or more stamped envelopes so that your host can mail your art out in envelopes designated as NON-MACHINABLE.  The cost of postage for that starts at 70-cents each. And if you want your host to mail  postcards from other artists to you in an envelope, also send an SASE (envelope addressed to you) with plenty of postage on it.

Participants in this swap will draw, paint, etc. one letter on each post card, making the letter large enough to fill the given space.  Send in 1 - 4 Illustrated Letter Post Cards to be exchanged with swap partners.  

Here are some examples Beau created for this swap:

"B" is for BIRD - by BEAU

You may illustrate the letter with unrelated images, abstract shapes or references to a word that starts with your letter.  Also, you may use black and white or color for your design. 

"M" is for MUSHROOM - by BEAU

Below is an example of a possible decorating process:

by Beau

by Beau

"R" is for ROSE by Beau