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:

• Pencil
  
• Scissors (fine point)
• Craft Knife
• Self-healing mat

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.