Lettering in the Whimsical Woodlands Review & Giveaway

 

For years, I have admired really pretty hand lettering. I’ve always had a certain love for handwriting, even though cursive never came easily to me in school. (I had trouble making the letters tilt the right way!)

A few years ago, I started a hand lettering Pinterest board where I collect some of my favorite tutorials and inspiration – feel free to follow it to get some inspiration of your own!

I even did a tiny bit of hand lettering when I addressed our elopement announcements:

So, given my status as a newbie/wannabe hand letterer, I was super stoked when HCI asked me to review Lettering in the Whimsical Woodlands!

Peggy Dean of The Pigeon Letters is one of those amazing lettering artists everyone knows about, and this book is absolutely gorgeous.

Keep scrolling to learn more about Lettering in the Whimsical Woodlands and enter for a chance to win one of five great prizes!

Scroll to the bottom of this article to enter! This giveaway will be accepting new entries until 11:59pm EST on Sunday, November 5, 2017. Three lucky winners will be drawn at random on Monday, November 6 to receive their very own copy of the book. Enter today!

Only valid in the United States due to sweepstakes laws. No purchase necessary. All prizes total to a $107.70 value. Winner must respond to an email within three days to claim their prize, or a new winner will be selected.

A huge thank you to Kim from HCI Books for providing the review copy and prizes for this showcase/giveaway! Also, this page contains some affiliate links. That means that if you buy anything after clicking my links, at no additional cost to you, you’ll be helping support Cleverpedia. Thank you so much for your support!

Check out these great prizes!

This giveaway will have five winners and there is a total of $107.70 in prizes to give away! Check out the grand prize and the runner up prizes below:

Grand Prize

One grand prize winner will be selected at random from all valid entries to receive the grand prize, a $31.90 value.

• Signed copy of Lettering in the Whimsical Woodlands, $18.95 value
• A Year of Inspired Living: Essays and Guided Journaling for Self-Reflection, $12.95 value

Runners Up

Four winners will be selected at random from all valid entries to receive the runner up prize, a copy of the hand lettering book reviewed below!

• Lettering in the Whimsical Woodlands, $18.95 value

The more ways you enter, and the more friends you share this giveaway with using your unique entry link, the greater your chance to win!

Taking a Closer Look at Lettering in the Whimsical Woodlands

Lettering in the Whimsical Woodlands is a thick, soft-cover hand lettering workbook, inspiration source, and DIY project collection all bundled up in one. The book is almost 200 pages long.

This book gets readers off on the right foot, no matter your level of familiarity with hand lettering. As someone who has dabbled in brush lettering but who is still working on getting all the basics down, this book was perfect for me. From the very start, it gives advice on which supplies to use, such as pens, ink and paper. Then, it teaches you how to shape letters, and walks you through a few styles of lettering, including faux calligraphy and several styles of brush lettering. There are some words to practice copying, some word association to get your creative juices flowing, and a few blank sheets of lined lettering paper to practice on.

The book doesn’t just stop at lettering, though; there is a whole section on how to draw different kinds of forest flora and fauna. There is also a section about how to create different styles of frames for your lettering work, and then a section on composition. Then the book launches you into nature-inspired lettering projects, from buntings to wood burning and everything in between.

I really enjoyed working my way through the lettering practice sheets in this book, creating different styles of letters. One of the best things about books like this one, which is not something you really get from practice sheets you find to print online, is that they get you used to really holding the pen and creating the letters without stopping to think all the time; that’s something I definitely saw improvement in with my own lettering by the time I worked through all the practice pages.

A Sample Craft Project: Hand Lettered Wood Slice

This DIY project is a sample of the projects you’ll find in Lettering in the Whimsical Woodlands. I absolutely encourage you to pick up the book if you like this project, because there are a bunch more inspiring projects in the book, with colored photos for every step of the process so that it is easy to follow along.

What You’ll Need

• Wood slice
• Chalkboard paper or chalkboard vinyl
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Gluestick (not necessary if you use chalkboard vinyl with adhesive backing)
• Chalk
• Paint Pens (I used Sakura Pen-Touch white and gold calligrapher pens)

Watch the video below to see each step of the process:

1. Trace shape of wood onto chalkboard paper. Make sure you flip everything over so that the pencil lines end up on the back.

2. Redraw the outline about half an inch inside the shape. Remember, it’s easier to cut more off than to add it back on, so don’t go too far in.

3. Cut out the shape.

4. Glue chalkboard paper to your wood slice. Using the gluestick, cover the entire back with a coat of glue, then quickly flip onto the wood slice and smooth out any air bubbles. Be sure not to get glue onto the front side of the chalkboard paper. If you are using chalkboard vinyl, just peel off the backing and stick it to the wood.

5. Sketch out the text you’d like to add.

6. Sketch the text onto the chalkboard paper using a stick of chalk.

7. Trace over the chalk with your paint pen.

8. Lightly wipe away the chalk lines with a cloth. Make sure the paint pen is dry first!

9. Decorate! There are some great guides for drawing flowers and animals in the book, or you can check out one of Peggy Dean’s books about botanical line drawing.

That’s it! Just a few simple steps to create this gorgeous wood slice with a hand lettered quote. What quotes would you use on yours?

Save this project to your favorite Pinterest board:

IT’S GIVEAWAY TIME! Enter here for a chance to win your own copy of Lettering in the Whimsical Woodlands!

In this giveaway, we will be drawing one grand prize winner and four runners up at random from the full pool of entries. No purchase required to win. Total prize value of $107.70. Earn an unlimited number of additional entries when you refer your friends, for example in your favorite DIY and hand lettering Facebook groups!

This giveaway will run for one week only, beginning today and ending at 111:59pm EST on Sunday, November 5th. The winners will be drawn at random on November 6th from the full pool of entrants, and they will have three days to respond to the winning announcement email before a new winner is drawn in their place.

Sorry, United States entrants only!

Now is the moment you’ve been waiting for! Step right up and click the options below to enter the giveaway — the more ways you enter, the greater your chance to win! Share with your friends via email, social media, and Facebook groups to earn the most possible entries, because each friend you refer using your special link will earn you an additional entry!

Be sure to subscribe to Cleverpedia’s free email newsletter before you go! In addition to being the first to know about our giveaways, you’ll get the scoop on great new coloring book releases, creativity-boosting tips, artist interviews, and much more. I don’t bombard my subscribers, and I don’t share your address with third parties. Your email address is safe with me! (Already follow Cleverpedia? I love it! Click the buttons below to receive the entries you deserve!)

Lettering in the Whimsical Woodlands Giveaway

Thanks again to HCI for providing the review and giveaway copies!

Enjoyed this post? Save this book to your wishlist on Pinterest by pinning the image below:

Like us on Facebook to see more of our coloring guides!