September 26, 2009

Tutorial: Handcut Titles

From the time I was in elementary school, I was practicing the art of handcut-titles. Remember those bubble-letters we used to draw? And, those posters for pep rallies? Well, handcutting titles is really no different.




All you need is 4 supplies:
To begin, choose your patterned paper. A lighter color is easiest to work with.



Next, write your title word(s) lightly with the pencil. You'll want to write the letters larger enough to cut around. (I've written this a little darker than typical, so you could see it in the photo.)


Using scissors, cut around the pencil lines leaving about a 1/4" on each side. At this point, it's easy to see if your letters are a bit off, so if an "L" is too short, just cut it taller, or if a "C" is too flat, round it out a bit more. Here, my "r" was too narrow, so I cut over a bit to compensate.


To finish the title word, cut inside the letters using an exacto knife and self-healing mat, then erase the pencil lines.


Now the title is ready for your layout!



A few more ideas for hand-cut titles:
  • Before erasing the pencil lines, hand-stitch or sew over them to accentuate the word.
  • Before gluing the title to the layout, add a layer of glossy accents.
  • Handcut a title from cardstock or lightly patterned paper, then stamp directly onto the title before adhering to the page.
  • Trace around the outside of the letters with a black journaling pen to make them stand out.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you sooo much for this fabulous tutorial!!!

Jenn A. said...

Love this! You made it seem so simple I am ready to try it out. :)

Alex Hardy said...

totally fabulous ... LOL'ing at the Pep Rally Posters. sure do remember those!

waleska said...

very cool! thanks for the tutorial :)

Anonymous said...

fabulous ideas :) thanks, april!

yankin2002 said...

That`s unbelievable simple and inspiring!!

This N That said...

fabulous! I would have never thought that would look so great, but apparently I was wrong! WOWA!!

claudia shadler said...

ooh, thanx for the tutorial, this tech. is awesome, will have to give it a try!

Clouds :D

Ashley Harris said...

So fun! Here's another tip. Use your craft knife on a glass mat. The difference is insane!

Unknown said...

Great pics and neat project!

Beth in PA said...

I have been looking for this idea, just didn't realize it... LOL