{"title":"How to Address Envelopes in Calligraphy","canonicalUrl":"https://www.craftingstepbystep.com/calligraphy/how-to-do-envelope-calligraphy","category":{"slug":"calligraphy","name":"Calligraphy"},"creator":{"name":"Calligraphy Masters","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUY9HyK2v0J2N_U4Y0eZsnw","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E93VQSggDMI"},"tldr":"Address wedding envelopes in calligraphy: thin white ink, use a laser guide, write Copperplate, then load Finetec gold for modern script.","totalDurationSeconds":871,"difficulty":"medium","tools":["oblique pen holder","pointed calligraphy nib (Brause 361 Blue Pumpkin)","laser level","water brush","small mixing jar","small dish","soft cloth"],"materials":["Dr. Ph. Martin's Bleedproof White","Finetec metallic watercolor (Arabic Gold)","envelopes","water","tape"],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Thin the Bleedproof White Calligraphy Ink to Whole-Milk Consistency","text":"Open the Bleedproof White and give it a stir. It is very thick, far too thick to write with straight from the jar. Scoop some into a small separate jar and add water a few drops at a time, stirring as you go. Stop when it moves like whole milk or coffee creamer. You can also thin the top quarter inch of the main jar, or keep a cup of water beside you and dip the nib in water, then ink, each time."},{"number":2,"title":"Square the Envelope Under a Laser Level Guide Line","text":"Lay a clean envelope on your board and push it into the corner so it sits square. Turn on the laser level and line the beam up where you want the writing to run. The red line shows up on any colour of paper and leaves nothing to erase afterwards. Suzanne keeps a finished sample envelope nearby to check her layout against before she starts the real one."},{"number":3,"title":"Start the Envelope Name Line in Flourished Copperplate","text":"Load the nib with white ink and begin the name line with a flourished capital. Copperplate is written slowly, with many starts and stops between strokes, so lift the pen often and take your time. Press on the downstrokes for thick lines and ease off on the upstrokes for hairlines. Check your slant against the laser line as you go."},{"number":4,"title":"Write the Street and City Lines on the Envelope Slowly","text":"Move down to the street line, then the city and state. Re-wet the nib whenever the ink thickens, because white ink dries on the nib while you write. Before each line, look at what will sit below it. A long descender on a g or y can crash into the next line, so shorten it when you know something goes underneath. Stagger each line under the one above for a balanced address."},{"number":5,"title":"Add the Zip Code With Dots Between the Numbers","text":"Write the zip code on its own line below the city. Space the digits out across the width of the address and put a small dot between each one. It is a formal touch that suits flourished Copperplate. Then let the envelope dry flat before you pick it up. Bleedproof White sits on top of the paper and smudges while it is wet."},{"number":6,"title":"Choose a Finetec Gold Watercolor for Metallic Envelope Lettering","text":"For the second envelope, Suzanne switches to Finetec, a metallic watercolor that turns into ink once you add water. It comes as a palette of golds, silvers and other metallics, or as single pans. Arabic Gold is her favourite and the one she uses most, so she buys extra singles of it. Tibet Gold is her backup. On a navy envelope, gold reads far brighter than it does on white."},{"number":7,"title":"Set the Gold Watercolor Pan in a Dish and Pick a Calligraphy Nib","text":"Take one pan out of the palette and tape it into the bottom of a small dish. That keeps the rest of the palette clean, and a dish is easy to wash. Then choose your nib. Suzanne uses a Brause 361 Steno, known as the Blue Pumpkin, for metallic ink and nothing else. She says it gives her the best results with Finetec of any modern nib she has tried."},{"number":8,"title":"Paint Gold Watercolor Onto the Back of the Calligraphy Nib","text":"Fill a water brush and squeeze a little water onto the gold pan. Work the brush around until the paint turns creamy. The first time takes longer because the pan is dry. Then paint the gold onto the back of the nib only. You do not need to coat the front. Give the pen a light shake so any extra drips back into the dish before you write."},{"number":9,"title":"Write the Name on a Navy Envelope in Gold Modern Script","text":"Line the navy envelope up under the laser and write the name in modern script. It goes faster than Copperplate, with fewer lifts and a looser, bouncier baseline. Keep the pressure changes, though. Thick downstrokes and thin upstrokes are what make it look like calligraphy and not handwriting. When the gold starts to fade, paint the back of the nib again."},{"number":10,"title":"Finish the Gold Envelope Address and Zip Code","text":"Write the street line and the city and state the same way, checking each one against the laser so the address does not drift downhill. Add the zip code at the bottom. In modern script, Suzanne leaves out the dots between the numbers, which makes the envelope feel less formal. Let the gold dry completely before you stack the envelopes."}],"recipe":null,"lastUpdated":"2026-10-10T15:24:54.034Z","published":"2026-10-10T15:24:49.094Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit Show Me Step by Step with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure."}