Illustrated Letter Writing: Tips & Tricks

Posted by Jenn Greenleaf Dec 27, 2008

When it comes to illustrated letter writing, I follow the same basic methods with each one I create:

• I choose paper that has lines because I still like the neat, organized look of a traditional letter and I struggle to keep my writing straight.
• I select materials that inspire me such as colored gel pens, rubber stamps, and collage materials.
• I create the art, and then write the letter – rarely do either of them have much to do with each other.
• I fill in the blank areas of the page with quotations or miscellaneous thoughts.

My illustrated letters look very much like an art journal or visual journal page. The last one I wrote used a postage themed rubber stamp with black ink, a black gel pen, a blue ballpoint pen, and pink lined paper. The one I’m about to write involves:

• Tea staining standard loose-leaf paper
• Using brown distress ink on the edges of the page
• Adding a vine with leaves around the border of the page using a green glitter gel pen
• Postage themed rubber stamp with black ink
• Multi-colored gel pens for the text

I tend to create the art on two sides of a sheet of paper at a time, and then create additional pages as I write the letter depending on its length. If I make extra pages that aren’t used for that particular letter, I save them for future letters or to tear up for use in a collage in my art journal.