Decorated Letters

Decorated letters are a special feature in calligraphy pieces. So here you will find some ideas for creating decorated letters. For samples and inspiration be sure to visit the Calligraphy Letters section.

Decorated Letter Style I
This is a simple but very effective way to create a decorated letter. It works great in just black and white, or you can add colors any way you want. Use the video instructions or the notes below.

Start with your letter. This works best if you use a wide penwidth for the letter so that you have a darker letter, one that is easily visible.

Next, outline the letter. Leave enough white space so that the letter really stands out.

Now add an outlined square around the letter. Make sure to leave some space between the letter and the outlined square so that you have room for the pattern.

Next, fill in the space between the letter outline and the square outline with some kind of pattern. In this one I've just done a simple cross-hatching.

Finally, add a second outline around the square, and then add some detailing aroung the edge.

I love using this as a quick decorated letter when I do people's names on bookmarks.